A conveyor for food shrimp processing

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of food shrimp processing, and particularly relates to a conveyor for food shrimp processing, which comprises a rack and a conveying belt arranged around the rack, and the lateral sides of the bearing surface of the conveying belt are provided with wave-shaped retaining edges extending along the conveying direction, and the two wave-shaped retaining edges and the bearing surface jointly form a plurality of accommodating cavities distributed along the conveying direction; the wave-shaped retaining edges extending along the conveying direction are arranged on the lateral sides of the bearing surface of the conveying belt, so that the two wave-shaped retaining edges and the bearing surface jointly form a plurality of accommodating cavities distributed along the conveying direction. During work, shrimp bodies fall into the accommodating cavities, the wave crests of the wave-shaped retaining edges limit the lateral displacement of the shrimp bodies in the lateral direction, and at the same time, the wave crests form front-rear separation constraints on the shrimp bodies in the conveying direction, so that the disorderly rolling and mutual stacking of the shrimp bodies in the conveying process are effectively avoided, single-layer and orderly conveying can be realized without additional configuration of a dispersion assembly, the equipment structure is simplified, and the manufacturing cost and operation and maintenance difficulty are reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of shrimp processing technology, and more specifically to a conveyor for shrimp processing. Background Technology

[0002] In the industrial production of shrimp products, conveyors are the core transfer equipment connecting various processing stages such as cleaning, sorting, deheading, cooking, and quick-freezing. For example, Chinese utility model patent CN223409017U discloses a distributed conveying device for shrimp processing. This device includes a bottom frame with an automatic conveyor belt mounted on it. Protective railings are fixedly connected to both sides of the automatic conveyor belt, and detection mechanisms are installed on the railings. A shrimp feed dispersion component is located above the automatic conveyor belt. When the device is in operation, shrimp feed is placed onto the bearing surface of the automatic conveyor belt. The protective railings prevent shrimp from falling off the sides of the conveyor belt. The shrimp feed dispersion component then disperses and evenly spreads the accumulated shrimp feed, ensuring it is flat and conveyed to the detection station by the conveyor belt to complete the detection of surface defects in the shrimp. However, the above-mentioned conveying device still has shortcomings: First, the guardrail is a straight strip structure fixed to the frame, which can only restrict the lateral displacement of the shrimp from the outside of the conveyor belt. It cannot separate and constrain the movement of the shrimp along the conveying direction. During the conveying process, the shrimp are prone to rolling and stacking, requiring additional dispersion components for material uniform treatment, which increases the structural complexity and operation and maintenance costs of the equipment. Second, when the conveyor adopts an inclined arrangement for lifting and transfer, since the guardrail cannot provide limiting support along the conveying direction, the shrimp are prone to sliding down along the bearing surface of the conveyor belt and accumulating at the lower end of the conveyor. It is impossible to stably maintain the conveying posture of individual shrimp, and the continuous friction and collision between the shrimp can easily cause damage to the shrimp shell and shrimp meat, affecting the appearance and quality of the final product. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The main objective of this invention is to provide a conveyor for processing shrimp for food, in order to solve the problems of existing conveying devices being unable to separate and constrain shrimp along the conveying direction, resulting in shrimp easily rolling and stacking in a disorderly manner, requiring additional dispersion components, and shrimp easily sliding and accumulating during inclined lifting and conveying, causing shrimp shell damage and shrimp meat damage due to mutual friction.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a conveyor for processing shrimp, including a frame and a conveyor belt arranged around the frame. The bearing surface of the conveyor belt is provided with wavy baffles extending along the conveying direction on both sides in the transverse direction. The two wavy baffles and the bearing surface together form a plurality of receiving cavities distributed along the conveying direction.

[0005] Each wavy edge is composed of multiple alternating peaks and troughs, with a smooth transition between adjacent peaks and troughs;

[0006] The cavity for holding shrimp is formed by the bearing surface between two adjacent troughs and the sidewalls of the corresponding crests of the two troughs.

[0007] Furthermore, the two wavy sidewalls are integrally formed with the conveyor belt.

[0008] Furthermore, it also includes a detection unit, which is set at the end of the conveyor belt and includes a separator, a guide clamping channel, an inclined channel and two cameras;

[0009] The front end of the partition plate has a wedge-shaped inlet, which is used to push open the receiving cavity of the corrugated baffle. The rear end of the partition plate is fixedly connected to the inclined channel.

[0010] The guide clamping channel includes two elastic guide plates and two connecting rods. The two elastic guide plates are symmetrically arranged directly above the partition plate and form an image acquisition channel.

[0011] Each elastic guide plate has an inclined section and a vertical section. One end of the inclined section is connected to the vertical section. The two inclined sections form a horn structure. The flared end of the horn structure is located on the upper bearing surface of the conveyor belt, and the constricted end is located directly above the feed inlet of the inclined channel.

[0012] One end of each connecting rod is fixedly connected to the corresponding elastic guide plate, and the other end is fixedly connected to the partition plate;

[0013] Two cameras are mounted on both sides of the guide clamping channel via mounting plates and are fixedly connected to the frame.

[0014] Furthermore, a diversion lever is installed in the inclined channel. Downstream of the diversion lever, the inclined channel branches to form a first diversion channel and a second diversion channel. Horizontal conveyor belts are installed at the conveying ends of both the first and second diversion channels.

[0015] Furthermore, a motor is fixedly installed on the inclined channel, and the output shaft of the motor passes through the wall of the inclined channel and is fixedly connected to one end of the diverter lever to drive the diverter lever to swing.

[0016] Furthermore, it also includes a telescopic rod, one end of which is fixedly connected to the frame and the other end of which is fixedly connected to the inclined channel, which is fixedly connected to the tail end of the partition plate.

[0017] Furthermore, both cameras and the motor are connected to the control computer for communication.

[0018] Furthermore, the vertical sections of the two elastic guide plates are parallel to each other, and the gap between them forms an image acquisition channel.

[0019] Furthermore, the wedge-shaped inlet of the partition plate is disposed between two corrugated flanges and configured to extend from above into the receiving cavity to open the receiving cavity.

[0020] Furthermore, the frame is equipped with drive rollers and driven rollers, and the conveyor belt is wrapped around and tensioned on the drive rollers and driven rollers.

[0021] The beneficial effects of the above scheme are:

[0022] By setting wavy sidewalls extending along the conveying direction on both sides of the conveyor belt's bearing surface, the two wavy sidewalls and the bearing surface together form multiple receiving cavities distributed along the conveying direction. During operation, the shrimp fall into the receiving cavities. The crests of the wavy sidewalls restrict the lateral displacement of the shrimp in the transverse direction, while simultaneously creating front-to-back separation constraints for each shrimp in the conveying direction. This effectively prevents disorderly rolling and stacking of shrimp during conveying, achieving single-layer, orderly conveying without the need for additional dispersing components. This simplifies the equipment structure and reduces manufacturing costs and maintenance difficulty. The crests of the wavy sidewalls provide reliable support for the shrimp along the conveying direction, ensuring that each shrimp maintains a stable individual conveying posture. This significantly reduces continuous friction and collisions between shrimp, effectively preventing shell breakage and meat damage, and ensuring the integrity of the final product's appearance. Attached Figure Description

[0023] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a front view structural schematic diagram of the conveyor for processing shrimp food according to the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a top view schematic diagram of the conveyor for processing shrimp according to the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the conveyor for processing shrimp food according to the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Enlarged structural diagram of region A in the middle;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the conveyor for processing shrimp food according to the present invention from another perspective;

[0029] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A magnified structural diagram of region B in the middle;

[0030] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing the communication between the control computer, motor, and camera of the conveyor for processing shrimp food according to the present invention.

[0031] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0032] 1. Frame; 11. Drive roller; 12. Driven roller; 2. Conveyor belt; 22. Corrugated sidewall; 23. Receiving cavity; 3. Detection unit; 31. Separator plate; 311. Wedge-shaped inlet; 32. Guide clamping channel; 321. Elastic guide plate; 3211. Inclined section; 3212. Vertical section; 322. Connecting rod; 323. Image acquisition channel; 33. Inclined channel; 331. Diverting swing arm; 332. First diverting channel; 333. Second diverting channel; 335. Motor; 34. Camera; 341. Mounting plate; 4. Telescopic rod; 5. Control computer. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein. Those skilled in the art can make similar extensions without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0034] Example:

[0035] Please refer to Figures 1 to 7 As shown, this embodiment provides a conveyor for processing shrimp, including a frame 1 and a conveyor belt 2 surrounding the frame 1. Specifically, the frame 1 is a welded metal frame structure made of stainless steel. In this embodiment, the frame 1 is horizontally arranged, that is, the longitudinal extension direction of the frame 1 is parallel to the horizontal plane, so that the upper bearing surface of the conveyor belt 2 is in a horizontal state. During the conveying process, the shrimp will not experience a gravitational component along the conveying direction due to tilting, ensuring the stability of the conveying process. The frame 1 is provided with a drive roller 11 and a driven roller 12, which are rotatably mounted at both ends of the frame 1. The conveyor belt 2 surrounds and is tensioned on the drive roller 11 and the driven roller 12, forming a circulating conveying structure with an upper bearing surface and a lower return surface. The drive roller 11 is driven to rotate by an external drive motor, driving the conveyor belt 2 to rotate cyclically, while the driven roller 12 rotates passively with the conveyor belt 2. The conveyor belt 2 is integrally molded from food-grade silicone or polyurethane material, with corrugated sidewalls 22 extending along the conveying direction on both transverse sides of its bearing surface. The two corrugated sidewalls 22 are integrally molded with the conveyor belt 2, eliminating gaps between them and effectively preventing shrimp residue and wastewater from accumulating and breeding bacteria during processing. This facilitates overall cleaning and disinfection, meeting food processing hygiene standards. Simultaneously, the integral molding structure ensures reliable connection strength between the corrugated sidewalls 22 and the conveyor belt 2, preventing delamination and cracking during long-term operation and extending the service life of the conveyor belt 2.

[0036] Each corrugated edge 22 is composed of multiple alternating peaks and troughs, with smooth transitions between adjacent peaks and troughs. The peak height of the corrugated edge 22 is higher than the bearing surface of the conveyor belt 2, while the trough position is flush with or slightly higher than the bearing surface. The smooth transition contour design avoids the presence of sharp edges, preventing sharp corners from scratching or piercing the shrimp shells during conveying, thus ensuring the integrity of the shrimp's surface. Furthermore, the smooth transition allows the conveyor belt 2 to bend smoothly when passing the drive roller 11 and driven roller 12, with the corrugated edge 22 deforming synchronously with the conveyor belt 2 without stress concentration or fatigue fracture. Two corrugated edges 22, together with the bearing surface, form multiple receiving cavities 23 distributed along the conveying direction. Specifically, each receiving cavity 23 is enclosed by the bearing surface between two adjacent troughs and the corresponding peak sidewalls of those two troughs. That is, when viewed along the transverse direction of the conveyor belt 2, one crest of the left wavy sidewall 22 and the corresponding crest of the right wavy sidewall 22 are aligned in the conveying direction. The inner wall surfaces of the two crests form the left and right sidewalls of the receiving cavity 23, and the bearing surface section between the two adjacent crests forms the bottom surface of the receiving cavity 23, thus enclosing a semi-open groove space with limiting functions in the front, back, left and right.

[0037] During operation, shrimp are fed onto the bearing surface of conveyor belt 2 via an upstream process and inserted into the receiving cavity 23. The crests of the wavy sidewall 22 restrict the lateral displacement of the shrimp in the transverse direction, preventing them from slipping off the sides of the conveyor belt 2. At the same time, the crests form a front-to-back separation constraint on each shrimp in the conveying direction, making the shrimp in adjacent receiving cavities 23 independent of each other, effectively avoiding disorderly rolling and stacking of shrimp during the conveying process. Because the frame 1 is horizontally arranged, the shrimp in the receiving cavity 23 are not affected by the gravitational component along the conveying direction and can move forward at a constant speed with the conveyor belt 2 in a stable posture, further reducing the frictional contact between the shrimp and the wall of the receiving cavity 23, which helps to protect the integrity of the shrimp surface.

[0038] The conveyor for processing shrimp in this embodiment also includes a detection unit 3. The detection unit 3 is located at the tail end of the conveyor belt 2, specifically at the position where the shrimp is about to leave the bearing surface of the conveyor belt 2. The detection unit 3 includes a partition plate 31, a guide clamping channel 32, an inclined channel 33, and two cameras 34. The partition plate 31 is a flat plate extending along the conveying direction, with a wedge-shaped guide portion 311 at its front end. The top wall of the partition plate 31 is at the same height as the upper surface of the conveyor belt 2, meaning the top surface of the partition plate 31 and the upper bearing surface of the conveyor belt 2 are on the same horizontal plane. This consistent height design allows the shrimp to smoothly transition from the bearing surface of the conveyor belt 2 to the top surface of the partition plate 31 after exiting the receiving cavity 23, without the need for a drop due to height difference. This avoids shell cracking or meat damage caused by the impact of a fall, ensuring the stability and continuity of the shrimp during the transfer from the conveyor belt 2 to the detection unit 3. A wedge-shaped guide section 311 is positioned between two wavy sidewalls 22, with its front end shaped like a wedge, and its width gradually increases along the conveying direction. The wedge-shaped guide section 311 is configured to extend from above into the receiving cavity 23 to expand it. Specifically, when the conveyor belt 2 carrying the shrimp reaches the end of the conveyor, the receiving cavity 23 moves with the conveyor belt 2 to the wedge-shaped guide section 311. The tip of the wedge-shaped guide section 311 first inserts into the gap between the crests of the two wavy sidewalls 22. As the conveyor belt 2 continues to move forward, the gradually increasing width of the wedge-shaped guide section 311 pushes the crests of the two wavy sidewalls 22 outward, gradually expanding the receiving cavity 23. Since the top wall of the partition plate 31 is at the same height as the upper surface of the conveyor belt 2, the shrimp in the receiving cavity 23 slides smoothly horizontally onto the top surface of the partition plate 31 as the receiving cavity 23 is expanded, and continues to move forward under the propulsion of the inertia of the conveyor belt 2. The tail end of the partition plate 31 is fixedly connected to the inclined channel 33, providing a transition for the shrimp to enter the subsequent channel from the top surface of the partition plate 31.

[0039] The guide clamping channel 32 includes two elastic guide plates 321 and two connecting rods 322. The two elastic guide plates 321 are symmetrically arranged directly above the partition plate 31. Each elastic guide plate 321 has an inclined section 3211 and a vertical section 3212, with one end of the inclined section 3211 connected to the upper end of the vertical section 3212. The two inclined sections 3211 form a horn structure, with the flared end located above the upper bearing surface of the conveyor belt 2 and the constricted end located directly above the feed inlet of the inclined channel 33. The vertical sections 3212 of the two elastic guide plates 321 are parallel to each other, and the gap between them forms the image acquisition channel 323. The elastic guide plates 321 are made of food-grade elastic material, such as silicone sheets or elastic stainless steel sheets, and have appropriate elastic deformation capabilities.

[0040] After the shrimp detaches from the receiving cavity 23 and moves smoothly along the top surface of the partition plate 31, it first enters the flared end of the trumpet structure formed by the two inclined sections 3211. Since the top wall of the partition plate 31 is at the same height as the upper surface of the conveyor belt 2, the shrimp always moves into the trumpet structure on the same horizontal plane, without needing to fall in due to a drop, thus ensuring the stability of the shrimp's posture. Guided by the two inclined sections 3211, the shrimp gradually converge towards the center and further enter the area between the two vertical sections 3212. The vertical sections 3212 on both sides apply an elastic clamping force to the shrimp, holding it in a sideways position. The image acquisition channel 323 has a certain longitudinal length along the conveying direction, which can simultaneously accommodate multiple shrimp arranged in a front-to-back arrangement along the conveying direction. Specifically, after the shrimp that enters the image acquisition channel 323 first is held in place by the elastic clamping force, the shrimp that continue to enter from the flared end of the trumpet structure are also pushed into the image acquisition channel 323 by the inertia of the conveying and abut against the tail end of the shrimp that has already been held in front. As more shrimp enter, the first shrimp to enter are pushed by the shrimp that follow, gradually moving towards the end of the image acquisition channel 323 along its longitudinal direction. That is, multiple shrimp in the image acquisition channel 323 form a sequential queue. Whenever a new shrimp enters the beginning of the image acquisition channel 323 from the funnel structure, the pushing force of this new shrimp is transmitted along the queue direction, causing the shrimp at the very end of the image acquisition channel 323 to be pushed out of the channel's exit. After losing the elastic clamping constraint of the vertical sections 3212 on both sides, the pushed-out shrimp falls into the feed inlet of the inclined channel 33, located directly below the exit of the image acquisition channel 323, under its own gravity.

[0041] Two cameras 34 are mounted on both sides of the guide clamping channel 32 via mounting plates 341 and are fixedly connected to the frame 1. The two cameras 34 are located on the left and right sides of the image acquisition channel 323, respectively, with their lenses facing the position where the shrimp is held in the image acquisition channel 323. When the shrimp is held in a sideways arrangement in the image acquisition channel 323, the two cameras 34 take pictures of the shrimp in the channel, simultaneously acquiring image data of the shrimp surface from both sides, completing the picture analysis action. The acquired image information is fed back to the control computer 5, which analyzes and processes the received image data, and judges the appearance quality of the shrimp through a preset image recognition algorithm, such as identifying whether there are defects such as black spots, damage, or discoloration on the shrimp surface, or classifying the shrimp according to size parameters such as body length and width.

[0042] It should be noted that in this embodiment, two vertical segments 3212 are used to clamp the shrimp body, keeping it in a sideways position while it is photographed in the image acquisition channel 323, rather than placing the shrimp body flat on the conveyor belt for top-down photography. This is based on the following technical considerations: First, the morphological characteristics of the shrimp body determine the detection advantages of side-mounted photography. The shrimp body has a curved, elongated arc-shaped structure, and its surface defects (such as black spots, damage, and discoloration) are mostly distributed on the lateral areas of the body and the intersegmental membranes of the abdomen. If the shrimp body is placed on the conveyor belt in a natural, flat position, and only a top-down photograph is taken, the camera can only acquire limited surface information of the shrimp body's back. The sides and abdomen of the shrimp body are blocked by the bearing surface, forming blind spots in the photographing. A large amount of defect information cannot be effectively collected, resulting in a significantly increased false negative rate. The shrimp is held upright by the elastic clamping of two vertical segments 3212, fully exposing both sides of the shrimp to the field of view of the two cameras 34. The two cameras 34 simultaneously capture images from the left and right sides, covering most of the shrimp's surface, including the visible areas of the back, sides, and abdominal segments, significantly improving the coverage and defect detection rate of image acquisition. Secondly, the upright clamping achieves uniform standardization of shrimp posture. In actual production, after the shrimp detaches from the receiving cavity 23, due to differences in individual size, shape, and curvature, the shrimp's lying posture on the conveyor belt is highly random, possibly exhibiting various uncertain postures such as lying on its side, supine, or obliquely. This results in different orientations and angles of the shrimp in the images captured by the cameras. This inconsistency in posture significantly increases the processing difficulty of the image recognition algorithm, requiring the algorithm to have complex posture recognition and normalization capabilities, increasing the computational load and reducing the stability of recognition. In this embodiment, the symmetrical clamping structure of the two vertical segments 3212 forces each shrimp to be uniformly constrained to a side-standing state, and the body axis direction of the shrimp is limited to the vertical direction. The side view presented to the camera 34 is highly consistent, which allows the image recognition algorithm to perform standardized analysis based on a fixed posture template, significantly simplifying the algorithm complexity and improving detection efficiency and sorting accuracy.

[0043] One end of each connecting rod 322 is fixedly connected to the corresponding elastic guide plate 321, and the other end is fixedly connected to the partition plate 31. The connecting rod 322 is used to support and fix the elastic guide plate 321 at a preset position above the partition plate 31, ensuring the stability of the relative positional relationship between the two elastic guide plates 321, while ensuring that the gap width between the vertical sections 3212 is appropriate, so as to generate sufficient elastic clamping force to retain and fix the shrimp body, without damaging the shrimp body due to excessive clamping force.

[0044] The inclined channel 33 is located below the tail end of the separator 31, and its inlet is located directly below the tail end outlet of the image acquisition channel 323. A diversion lever 331 is installed inside the inclined channel 33. Downstream of the diversion lever 331, the inclined channel 33 branches into a first diversion channel 332 and a second diversion channel 333. Both the first diversion channel 332 and the second diversion channel 333 have horizontal conveyor belts at their respective conveying ends, used to receive and output shrimp with different sorting results.

[0045] A motor 335 is fixedly installed on the inclined channel 33. The output shaft of the motor 335 passes through the wall of the inclined channel 33 and is fixedly connected to one end of the diversion swing rod 331 to drive the diversion swing rod 331 to swing. The control computer 5 generates a diversion control command based on the image analysis and judgment results and sends it to the motor 335. After receiving the command, the motor 335 drives the diversion swing rod 331 to swing to the corresponding position. Driven by the motor 335, the diversion swing rod 331 can swing to two different positions within the inclined channel 33: when the diversion swing rod 331 swings to the first position, it blocks the entrance of the second diversion channel 333 and guides the shrimp into the first diversion channel 332; when the diversion swing rod 331 swings to the second position, it blocks the entrance of the first diversion channel 332 and guides the shrimp into the second diversion channel 333. This achieves automatic sorting of shrimp: shrimp that meet quality or size standards are introduced into the first diversion channel 332, while shrimp that do not meet quality or size standards are introduced into the second diversion channel 333, and are then transported by the corresponding horizontal conveyor belts to different subsequent processing steps or packaging stations.

[0046] The conveyor for processing shrimp in this embodiment also includes a telescopic rod 4, one end of which is fixedly connected to the frame 1, and the other end is fixedly connected to the inclined channel 33. The inclined channel 33 is fixedly connected to the tail end of the partition plate 31. The two cameras 34 and the motor 335 are all communicatively connected to the control computer 5. Specifically, the two cameras 34 transmit the captured shrimp images to the control computer 5 via a data cable. The control computer 5 receives the image data, analyzes and processes it, and transmits the generated diversion control command to the motor 335 via a signal cable. The motor 335 then executes the corresponding swing arm drive action according to the command. This communication connection constitutes a closed-loop control system, realizing a fully automated process from image acquisition and data analysis to sorting execution.

[0047] The working process of the conveyor for shrimp processing of the present invention is as follows:

[0048] The drive motor is started, and the drive roller 11 rotates, causing the conveyor belt 2 to circulate on the horizontally arranged frame 1. Shrimp bodies processed in the upstream process are placed onto the bearing surface of the conveyor belt 2, into the receiving cavities 23 formed by the corrugated sidewalls 22. Each receiving cavity 23 holds one or a limited number of shrimp bodies. Within the receiving cavities 23, the shrimp bodies are constrained by the lateral restraint of the corrugated sidewalls and the front-to-back separation in the conveying direction, maintaining a stable, single-layer, orderly posture as they move uniformly towards the tail end of the conveyor belt 2.

[0049] When the receiving cavity 23 and the shrimp inside it reach the end of the conveyor belt 2, the wedge-shaped guide part 311 at the front end of the separator 31 extends into the receiving cavity 23 from above, pushing the crests of the wavy side guards 22 outward and opening up the receiving cavity 23. Since the top wall of the separator 31 is at the same height as the upper surface of the conveyor belt 2, the shrimp loses its lateral constraint and smoothly transitions to the top surface of the separator 31 in the horizontal direction, continuing to move forward under the impetus of the conveyor inertia.

[0050] The shrimp first enters the flared end of the funnel structure formed by the two inclined sections 3211. Guided by the two inclined sections 3211, it gradually converges towards the center and further enters the area between the two vertical sections 3212. The elastic clamping force of the two vertical sections 3212 applies lateral constraint to the shrimp, holding it in a sideways position. The shrimp then enters the image acquisition channel 323 and remains there. The image acquisition channel 323 has a longitudinal length along the conveying direction that can accommodate multiple shrimp arranged in a row. The shrimp that enters first remain in the channel under the action of the elastic clamping force. The shrimp that enters laterally enter the channel at the beginning of the channel under the push of the conveying inertia and abut against the tail of the shrimp already there, creating a pushing force along the conveying direction. This pushing force is transmitted sequentially along the queue direction, causing the shrimp in the image acquisition channel 323 to move step by step towards the end of the channel. The shrimp located at the very end of the image acquisition channel 323 is pushed out of the channel outlet by the pushing force, breaks free from the elastic clamping constraint of the vertical sections 3212 on both sides, and falls into the feed inlet of the inclined channel 33 under its own gravity.

[0051] Two cameras 34 photograph the shrimp arranged sideways in the image acquisition channel 323, simultaneously acquiring image data of the shrimp surface from both sides to complete the image analysis. The image information is fed back to the control computer 5, which analyzes and processes the received image data to determine the quality grade of the shrimp. The shrimp falling into the inclined channel 33 slide down the inclined channel 33 to the position of the diversion swing arm 331. Based on the analysis results, the control computer 5 sends a control command to the motor 335, which drives the diversion swing arm 331 to swing to the corresponding position, guiding the shrimp into the first diversion channel 332 or the second diversion channel 333. Finally, the corresponding horizontal conveyor belt transports the shrimp to the subsequent processing station, completing the automatic conveying, detection, and sorting process.

[0052] Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A conveyor for processing shrimp, comprising a frame (1) and a conveyor belt (2) arranged around the frame (1), characterized in that, The conveyor belt (2) has wavy sidewalls (22) extending along the conveying direction on both sides of the bearing surface. The two wavy sidewalls (22) together with the bearing surface form multiple accommodating cavities (23) distributed along the conveying direction. Each of the wave-shaped baffles (22) is composed of multiple alternating peaks and troughs, and there is a smooth transition between adjacent peaks and troughs; The receiving cavity (23) for accommodating shrimp is formed by the bearing surface between two adjacent troughs and the sidewalls of the corresponding crests of the two troughs.

2. The conveyor for processing shrimp according to claim 1, characterized in that, The two wavy sidewalls (22) are integrally formed with the conveyor belt (2).

3. The conveyor for processing shrimp according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a detection unit (3), which is located at the end of the conveyor belt (2) and includes a partition plate (31), a guide clamping channel (32), an inclined channel (33) and two cameras (34). The front end of the partition plate (31) has a wedge-shaped inlet (311), which is used to push open the receiving cavity (23) of the wave-shaped baffle (22), and the rear end of the partition plate (31) is fixedly connected to the inclined channel (33). The guide clamping channel (32) includes two elastic guide plates (321) and two connecting rods (322). The two elastic guide plates (321) are symmetrically arranged directly above the partition plate (31) and form an image acquisition channel (323). Each of the elastic guide plates (321) has an inclined section (3211) and a vertical section (3212), one end of the inclined section (3211) is connected to the vertical section (3212), and the two inclined sections (3211) form a horn structure. The flared end of the horn structure is located directly above the upper bearing surface of the conveyor belt (2), and the constricted end is located directly above the feed inlet of the inclined channel (33). One end of each of the connecting rods (322) is fixedly connected to the corresponding elastic guide plate (321), and the other end is fixedly connected to the partition plate (31); The two cameras (34) are mounted on both sides of the guide clamping channel (32) via mounting plates (341) and are fixedly connected to the frame (1).

4. The conveyor for processing shrimp according to claim 3, characterized in that, The inclined channel (33) is provided with a diversion swing rod (331). Downstream of the diversion swing rod (331), the inclined channel (33) branches to form a first diversion channel (332) and a second diversion channel (333). The conveying tail ends of the first diversion channel (332) and the second diversion channel (333) are both provided with horizontal conveyor belts.

5. The conveyor for processing shrimp according to claim 4, characterized in that, A motor (335) is fixedly installed on the inclined channel (33). The output shaft of the motor (335) passes through the wall of the inclined channel (33) and is fixedly connected to one end of the diversion swing rod (331) to drive the diversion swing rod (331) to swing.

6. The conveyor for processing shrimp according to claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes a telescopic rod (4), one end of which is fixedly connected to the frame (1) and the other end is fixedly connected to the inclined channel (33), and the inclined channel (33) is fixedly connected to the tail end of the partition plate (31).

7. The conveyor for processing shrimp according to claim 6, characterized in that, Both cameras (34) and the motor (335) are connected to the control computer (5) for communication.

8. The conveyor for processing shrimp according to claim 3, characterized in that, The vertical sections (3212) of the two elastic guide plates (321) are parallel to each other, and the gap between them constitutes the image acquisition channel (323).

9. The conveyor for processing shrimp according to claim 3, characterized in that, The wedge-shaped inlet (311) of the partition plate (31) is disposed between the two wavy flanges (22) and configured to extend from above into the receiving cavity (23) to open the receiving cavity (23).

10. The conveyor for processing shrimp according to claim 1, characterized in that, The frame (1) is provided with a drive roller (11) and a driven roller (12), and the conveyor belt (2) is wrapped around and tensioned on the drive roller (11) and the driven roller (12).

Images