Automated fruit sorting machine

Abstract

The utility model discloses an automatic fruit sorting machine mainly relates to the field of fruit sorting processing. Including groove body, support chassis, sorting net frame, the top of groove body is equipped with the slot, the cross section of groove body is greater than 200 degree's excellent arc, groove body is along its axial direction swingable and is installed on support chassis, the both ends of sorting net frame central are equipped with the pivot of coaxial rotation connection with groove body, the length of sorting net frame is adapted with the length of groove body, the width of sorting net frame is adapted with the diameter of groove body, and a plurality of lattice bars are fixed on the equidistance of sorting net frame. The utility model has the beneficial effect that it can realize the posture adjustment and screening of fruit based on buoyancy, greatly improve the protection to fruit, and reduce the screening leakage condition of small fruit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of fruit sorting and processing, specifically to an automated fruit sorting machine. Background Technology

[0002] Sorting harvested fruit is an essential post-harvest processing step. Typically, after initial screening to remove diseased, damaged, and unripe fruit, and washing, the fruit is sorted and graded according to size, shape, color, and ripeness, with fruit size being a key indicator. Precise sorting allows for graded sales, maximizing the product's value.

[0003] Existing fruit sorting technologies have many problems. On the one hand, traditional fruit sorting often involves rolling the fruit to make it fall into the corresponding sized gaps, thus distinguishing between large and small fruits. This rolling method easily causes fruit abrasion. For fruits with fragile skin or those unsuitable for rolling, the fruit is easily damaged, affecting fruit quality and reducing its economic value. On the other hand, because fruits vary in shape and size and are relatively irregular, small fruits may not be sieved out due to their irregular shape during rolling sorting, thus being retained and classified as high-grade large fruits, affecting the accuracy of the sorting results and consequently the overall quality control level of the product. Furthermore, traditional fruit sorting equipment generally relies on automated conveyor production lines, which not only have high investment costs but also complex equipment structures. The coordination of preceding and subsequent processes needs to be precise and continuous, which significantly increases equipment costs and makes debugging difficult. Under my country's national conditions, most orchards cannot achieve this scale. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automated fruit sorting machine that can adjust the posture of the fruit and sort it based on buoyancy, greatly improving the protection of the fruit and reducing the chance of small fruits being missed.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model employs the following technical solution:

[0006] A fully automatic fruit sorting device includes a trough, a supporting base frame, and a sorting mesh frame;

[0007] The top of the trough is provided with a slot, the cross section of the trough is an arc greater than 200 degrees, and the trough is oscillatingly mounted on the support base along its axial direction.

[0008] The sorting frame has rotating shafts at both ends that are rotatably connected to the trough. The length of the sorting frame is adapted to the length of the trough, and the width of the sorting frame is adapted to the diameter of the trough. Multiple grid bars are fixed at equal intervals on the sorting frame.

[0009] An arc-shaped slide rail and an arc-shaped rack are coaxially fixed on the outer wall of the groove. A lower gear driven by a motor is rotatably mounted on the support base. The lower gear meshes with the arc-shaped rack. There are multiple arc-shaped slide rails, and each arc-shaped slide rail has symmetrical support rollers on both sides. The support rollers are rotatably mounted on the support base.

[0010] The support base has horizontally extending support shafts arranged side by side on both sides. The support shafts are symmetrically arranged with respect to the trough body. The length direction of the support shaft is consistent with the axial direction of the trough body. The support rollers are rotatably mounted on the support shafts on the same side.

[0011] One end of the support frame is provided with a base platform, and a flipping motor is installed on the base platform. The output shaft of the flipping motor is connected to the rotating shaft at one end of the sorting frame through a coupling.

[0012] The oscillation of the trough relative to the supporting base and the flipping of the sorting frame are staggered and controlled independently. When the trough oscillates relative to the supporting base, the sorting frame is in a horizontal stop state.

[0013] The trough is composed of end panels at both ends and an arc-shaped plate in the middle. The arc-shaped plate is a large arc with an arc of 250 degrees. The end panels are circular segments corresponding to the cross-section of the arc-shaped plate. The end panels are fixed to both ends of the arc-shaped plate.

[0014] A driven shaft, coaxial with the driven shaft, is rotatably connected to one end panel, and a driving shaft, coaxial with the driven shaft, is rotatably connected to the other end panel. A shaped groove is centrally located on the inner end face of the driving shaft, and a sleeve is provided on the driven shaft.

[0015] The rotating shaft includes a first rotating shaft and a second rotating shaft. The outer end of the first rotating shaft is fixed with a plug that can be movably inserted into the irregularly shaped sink. The sleeve is movably sleeved with the second rotating shaft.

[0016] The end of the sleeve near the driven shaft is threadedly connected to the driven shaft.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:

[0018] This system utilizes buoyancy to promote tumbling and posture adjustment of the fruit, and pushes the fruit upwards to facilitate its passage through the sorting mesh. This not only reduces abrasion to the skin and flesh caused by the rolling motion, but also increases the chances of small-sized fruits passing through the sorting mesh. It avoids the problem of small, irregular fruits failing to pass through during sorting, thus improving the accuracy of size-based sorting. Furthermore, the entire device is very simple, extremely low-cost, does not rely on automated production lines, and can be adapted to production needs of various scales, making it widely applicable. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of Embodiment 1 of this utility model (the tank is swinging).

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the sorting frame flipping process in Embodiment 1 of this utility model.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a component disassembly diagram of Embodiment 1 of this utility model.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of Embodiment 2 of this utility model.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a component disassembly diagram of Embodiment 2 of this utility model.

[0024] The labels shown in the attached diagram:

[0025] 1. Support base frame; 2. Base platform; 3. Support shaft; 4. Support roller; 5. Lower gear; 6. Tank; 7. Arc-shaped slide rail; 8. Arc-shaped gear ring; 9. Rotating shaft; 10. Grid rod; 11. Sorting mesh frame; 12. Driven shaft; 13. Sleeve; 14. Drive shaft; 15. Irregularly shaped sink; 16. Plug. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The present invention will be further illustrated below with reference to specific embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, it should be understood that after reading the teachings of this invention, those skilled in the art can make various alterations or modifications to the present invention, and these equivalent forms also fall within the scope defined in this application.

[0027] Example 1:

[0028] This example will use a flotation mechanism, and the main structure includes:

[0029] 6. Tank body, 1. Support base frame, 11. Sorting mesh frame;

[0030] (1) Support base frame 1

[0031] The support base 1 is used to fix itself on the ground, support other components, and provide mounting positions.

[0032] The supporting base 1 has a base 2 at one end for mounting components such as motors and control boxes. In this example, a tilting motor is mounted on the base 2, and the tilting motor is connected to the sorting frame 11 via an output shaft.

[0033] Support shafts 3 are fixed on both sides of the support base 1, and the support shafts 3 on both sides extend horizontally and are arranged side by side.

[0034] A support roller 4 is rotatably mounted on the support shaft 3, and a groove is provided in the middle of the circumference of the support roller 4.

[0035] A bearing seat is fixedly provided on one side of the support base 1, and a lower gear 5 is rotatably connected to the bearing seat. A swing motor is also installed on the same side of the support base 1. The output shaft of the swing motor is connected to the shaft of the lower gear 5 through a reducer to drive the lower gear 5 to rotate.

[0036] (2) Tank 6

[0037] The top side of the trough 6 is provided with a slot, which is an open trough structure with the opening facing upwards.

[0038] The bottom of the tank 6 is provided with a drain outlet, which makes it easy to drain the clean water inside and also to remove dirt during washing.

[0039] The groove 6 adopts an arc-shaped groove structure. The cross-section of the groove 6 is an arc greater than 240 degrees. The groove 6 is provided with a cavity, which is a cleft-right cavity based on the shape of the groove 6.

[0040] The outer wall of the groove 6 is provided with three arc-shaped slide rails 7, one in front, one in the middle and one in the rear. The arc-shaped slide rails 7 have rail crowns that cooperate with the wheel grooves. Each arc-shaped slide rail 7 has symmetrical support rollers 4 on both sides. The rail crowns are located in the wheel grooves of the corresponding support rollers 4, so as to realize the left and right swing guidance of the groove 6.

[0041] The outer wall of the groove 6 is provided with an arc-shaped gear ring 8, which meshes with the lower gear 5 at the bottom to drive the groove 6 to swing.

[0042] When the trough 6 swings, it can cause the water inside the trough 6 to slosh around, and at the same time, the water ripples from side to side, causing the fruit to turn over with the water flow, thereby constantly adjusting its angle and posture, and fully testing with the screen frame to avoid missing any parts.

[0043] (3) Sorting frame 11

[0044] The system includes an outer frame, which is a rectangular frame. The two ends of the outer frame are centrally located with pivots 9. The pivots 9 on both sides are coaxially mounted with the groove 6 via bearing components, so that the frame is installed at the radial position of the groove 6. The outer side of the outer frame is an arc-shaped curved surface, which better accommodates the swing and approaches the inner wall of the groove cavity. The width of the outer frame is adapted to the diameter of the groove cavity inside the groove 6, which can close and cover the entire cross section of the groove cavity divided along the radial line.

[0045] Multiple grid bars 10 are fixed inside the rectangular frame. The spacing between the grid bars 10 is equal and adapted to the size of the fruit to be screened. The grid bars 10 extend along the length direction of the rectangular frame (that is, the axial direction of the trough 6), thereby screening the fruit through the long strip grid distribution and improving the passing efficiency of small fruits.

[0046] The filtering method based on this example is as follows:

[0047] Fill the tank 6 with clean water, making sure the water level is at least 20cm higher than the sorting net frame 11, so that the floating fruits can float fully on the water surface.

[0048] The sorting frame 11 is erected or similarly erected to expose the cavity below the slot, making it easier to add fruit inside.

[0049] Place the fruit into the tank 6 and flip the sorting frame 11 downwards until the sorting frame 11 horizontally covers the widest part of the tank 6, pressing all the fruit under the sorting frame 11.

[0050] Start the tank 6 to swing slightly left and right, using the swaying water waves to push the fruit to roll. As the fruit rolls, it may pass through the grid bar 10 at a certain angle and float above the sorting frame 11.

[0051] After a period of swaying left and right, fruits that do not meet the size requirements float to the water surface above the sorting net frame 11, and are manually scooped out of the water surface using a dip net.

[0052] When the sorting frame 11 is rotated 180 degrees, since the diameter of the trough is adapted to the width of the sorting frame 11, when the sorting frame 11 is rotated, fruits with bottoms larger than the sorting size will be flipped onto the water surface, so that these fruits can be scooped out.

[0053] Not limited to the simplest and lowest-cost method mentioned above, other mechanized retrieval mechanisms or conveyor belt mechanisms can also be used, or the tank 6 can be flipped over to unload the fruit and water inside together.

[0054] Therefore, this device can be used for both small-scale manual picking and the mechanized operation requirements of an assembly line. It has a simple structure, low cost and low configuration, and can remove fruits smaller than the standard size with manual assistance.

[0055] The process of soaking, turning and rinsing the fruit is completed simultaneously with the sorting, combining the previous cleaning steps, saving time and reducing procedures. In addition, in order to improve the soaking and cleaning effect, existing technologies require a special mechanism to turn the fruit over. This mechanism uses the shaking of the water tank to turn and clean the fruit, achieving a better cleaning effect.

[0056] Meanwhile, multiple units of this device can be connected in series in the process sequence, gradually increasing the spacing of the grid bars 10 to achieve grading capabilities. The series connection allows for manual transfer of the lower-layer fruit, or automated mechanical transfer between the two tanks 6, offering flexible configuration without affecting the core function.

[0057] More importantly, this device allows the fruit to tumble and adjust its posture, thus effectively screening out fruits that do not meet size requirements. This avoids missed selections and improves screening accuracy. Simultaneously, using buoyancy to tumble the fruit prevents collisions with hard objects, greatly improving the protection of the fruit flesh, reducing damage rates and costs, and enhancing the overall appearance.

[0058] Not limited to this example, manual control can even be implemented, such as replacing the tilting motor with a turntable, manually controlling the sorting screen, and manually pushing the trough 6 to swing. Screening operations can be completed even with a focus on cost-effectiveness. This allows small-scale farmers to perform sorting efficiently and labor-saving.

[0059] Example 2:

[0060] In this example, the trough 6 is composed of end panels at both ends and an arc-shaped plate in the middle. The arc-shaped plate is a large arc with an arc of 250 degrees. The end panels are circular segments corresponding to the cross-section of the arc-shaped plate. The end panels are fixed to both ends of the arc-shaped plate to form the overall structure of the trough 6.

[0061] A driven shaft 12 is provided on one side of the end panel, which is coaxial with the end panel. The driven shaft 12 is rotatably connected to the end panel through a bearing.

[0062] On the other side of the end panel, there is a drive shaft 14 coaxial with it, and the drive shaft 14 is rotatably connected to the end panel through a bearing.

[0063] The driven shaft 12 is threaded with a sleeve 13, and the driving shaft 14 is provided with a shaped groove 15 in the center of the inner end face near the groove body 6. The shaped groove 15 can be a square cross section.

[0064] The sorting frame 11 has a first rotating shaft 9 and a second rotating shaft 9 at its two ends. The outer end of the first rotating shaft 9 is fixed with a plug 16 that is movably inserted into the irregular sink 15. After insertion, the first rotating shaft 9 is synchronized with the drive shaft 14 in the circumferential direction.

[0065] The second rotating shaft 9 of the sorting frame 11 is movably sleeved with the sleeve 13. Specifically, the portion of the movable sleeve 13 near the end panel is provided with internal threads, and the inner diameter of the portion of the movable sleeve 13 away from the end panel is adapted to the diameter of the second rotating shaft 9. By rotating the sleeve 13, the sleeve 13 can cover the second rotating shaft 9, thereby covering and supporting the rotation of the second rotating shaft 9.

[0066] When the second rotating shaft 9 comes into contact with the driven shaft 12, the plug 16 can be inserted into the irregular recess 15, and then the position of the sleeve 13 can be adjusted so that the sleeve 13 can cover the second rotating shaft 9 after the plug 16 is inserted into the irregular recess 15.

[0067] Furthermore, a compression spring can be fitted around the second rotating shaft 9. The compression spring is a compressed helical spring. One end of the compression spring abuts against the root of the second rotating shaft 9, and the other end of the compression spring abuts against the inner end of the sleeve 13, which helps to maintain the axial stability of the sorting frame 11.

[0068] The rotating shaft 9 has protruding strips on both sides. The protruding strips are used to compensate for the gap between the two ends of the sorting frame 11 and the two ends of the trough 6, so as to prevent the gap from being too large and allowing the fruit to pass through.

[0069] The sorting frame 11 has multiple models based on the spacing of the grid bars 10. During use, they are installed from smallest to largest. When the current sorting frame 11 has finished sorting, and the remaining fruit in the tank 6 is larger than the current spacing of the sorting frame 11, the sorting frame 11 is removed and replaced with a sorting frame 11 with a slightly smaller spacing of the grid bars 10. Then the shaking and sorting operation of the tank 6 is repeated, so that one tank can be used to screen fruits of different grades.

[0070] Furthermore, even without graded screening, different models of sorting frames 11 can be set based on the spacing of the grid bars 10 to quickly meet the size requirements of fruit sorting, making it more flexible and convenient to use, and easier to adjust and set up.

Claims

1. An automated fruit sorting machine, characterized in that, Includes the tank body, supporting base frame, and sorting mesh frame; The top of the trough is provided with a slot, the cross section of the trough is an arc greater than 200 degrees, and the trough is oscillatingly mounted on the support base along its axial direction. The sorting frame has rotating shafts at both ends that are rotatably connected to the trough. The length of the sorting frame is adapted to the length of the trough, and the width of the sorting frame is adapted to the diameter of the trough. Multiple grid bars are fixed at equal intervals on the sorting frame.

2. The automated fruit sorting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, An arc-shaped slide rail and an arc-shaped rack are coaxially fixed on the outer wall of the groove. A lower gear driven by a motor is rotatably mounted on the support base. The lower gear meshes with the arc-shaped rack. There are multiple arc-shaped slide rails, and each arc-shaped slide rail has symmetrical support rollers on both sides. The support rollers are rotatably mounted on the support base.

3. The automated fruit sorting machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, The support base has horizontally extending support shafts arranged side by side on both sides. The support shafts are symmetrically arranged with respect to the trough body. The length direction of the support shaft is consistent with the axial direction of the trough body. The support rollers are rotatably mounted on the support shafts on the same side.

4. The automated fruit sorting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, One end of the support frame is provided with a base platform, and a flipping motor is installed on the base platform. The output shaft of the flipping motor is connected to the rotating shaft at one end of the sorting frame through a coupling.

5. The automated fruit sorting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The oscillation of the trough relative to the supporting base and the flipping of the sorting frame are staggered and controlled independently. When the trough oscillates relative to the supporting base, the sorting frame is in a horizontal stop state.

6. The automated fruit sorting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The trough is composed of end panels at both ends and an arc-shaped plate in the middle. The arc-shaped plate is a large arc with an arc of 250 degrees. The end panels are circular segments corresponding to the cross-section of the arc-shaped plate. The end panels are fixed to both ends of the arc-shaped plate.

7. The automated fruit sorting machine according to claim 6, characterized in that, A driven shaft, coaxial with the driven shaft, is rotatably connected to one end panel, and a driving shaft, coaxial with the driven shaft, is rotatably connected to the other end panel. A shaped groove is centrally located on the inner end face of the driving shaft, and a sleeve is provided on the driven shaft. The rotating shaft includes a first rotating shaft and a second rotating shaft. The outer end of the first rotating shaft is fixed with a plug that can be movably inserted into the irregularly shaped sink. The sleeve is movably sleeved with the second rotating shaft.

8. The automated fruit sorting machine according to claim 7, characterized in that, The end of the sleeve near the driven shaft is threadedly connected to the driven shaft.

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