Sorting apparatus

Abstract

To provide a sorting apparatus capable of improving sorting work efficiency.SOLUTION: A sorting apparatus 1 includes: a chain conveyor 10 that transports garden stuff F by moving a plurality of transport units 101 in a circulating manner, and includes a measurement zone R1 in which the garden stuff F is transported in a horizontal direction, and a sorting zone R2 in which the garden stuff is transported in an obliquely downward direction; and an air ejection device 13 which is capable of ejecting the garden stuff F transported by the chain conveyor 10 in a direction parallel to a circulating surface of the transport units 101 in the sorting zone R2. The chain conveyor 10 is capable of transporting the garden stuff F that is randomly arranged in a dispersed manner in both the transport direction and the width direction. The air ejection device 13 is capable of ejecting the garden stuff F located at any position in the width direction in a direction parallel to the circulating surface of the transport units 101.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a sorting device that sorts objects. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus that measures the class of fruit transported on a conveyor, and then sorts the fruit by using air jetting action from an air nozzle to sort the fruit according to the class. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 53-29361 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The sorting device in Patent Document 1 is structured so that air is sprayed from the side of fruits transported in a line on a conveyor, and the fruits are removed and sorted to the side of the conveyor. However, with this conventional structure, the fruits can only be transported in a single line, which is problematic in that the efficiency of sorting work does not improve.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a sorting device that can improve the efficiency of sorting operations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the sorting device disclosed herein is a sorting device that sorts the objects to be sorted while transporting them, and is equipped with a conveying device that transports the objects to be sorted by moving a plurality of conveying units in a circular motion, and includes a first conveying section that transports the objects to be sorted horizontally and a second conveying section that transports the objects in a diagonally downward direction, and a sorting and discharge section that is capable of discharging the objects to be sorted transported by the conveying device in a direction parallel to the circular surface of the conveying unit in the second conveying section, and is characterized in that the conveying device is capable of transporting objects to be sorted that are randomly distributed in both the conveying direction and the width direction, and the sorting and discharge section is capable of discharging objects to be sorted at any position in the width direction in a direction parallel to the circular surface of the conveying unit.

[0007] According to the above configuration, since the sorting and discharging section can discharge the objects located at any position in the width direction in a direction parallel to the rotating surface of the conveying unit, the conveying device does not need to convey the objects in a single line, but can convey the objects that are dispersed. This allows the sorting device to improve the efficiency of sorting operations. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The sorting device of the present disclosure is capable of sorting dispersed objects while transporting them, thereby achieving the effect of improving the efficiency of sorting operations. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a sorting device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a schematic configuration of the sorting device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the transport operation of fruits and vegetables in a measurement area. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the transport operation of fruits and vegetables in the sorting area. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the configuration in the measurement area. [Figure 6]13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the sorting and discharging section in the sorting area. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] [First embodiment] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a sorting device (selection device) 1 in this embodiment.

[0011] The sorting device 1 measures the quality of the fruits and vegetables F to be sorted while transporting the fruits and vegetables F and sorts the fruits and vegetables F based on the measured quality information. As shown in Fig. 1, the sorting device 1 has a chain conveyor (transport device) 10, a belt conveyor 11, a measuring device 12, an air blowing device (sorting and discharging section) 13, a discharge gutter 14, and a control device 15.

[0012] The chain conveyor 10 is a conveyor in which a plurality of transport units 101 are connected so as to be able to move in a circular manner. The plurality of transport units 101 are connected by a driving chain 102 (see FIG. 2) and are provided with a transport force for moving in a circular manner. Note that in FIG. 1, the illustration of the driving chain 102 is omitted, and the circular movement trajectory of the transport unit 101 is shown by a dashed line. In addition, in the chain conveyor 10, the transport area of ​​the fruit and vegetable F by the transport unit 101 includes a measurement zone R1 (first transport zone) in which transport is performed in a horizontal direction and a sorting zone R2 (second transport zone) in which transport is performed in an obliquely downward direction. The horizontal direction, which is the transport direction in the measurement zone R1, may not only be completely horizontal, but also may be a transport direction (approximately horizontal) that is somewhat upward (rising toward the downstream side).

[0013] A belt conveyor 11 and a measuring device 12 are disposed in measurement area R1 of the chain conveyor 10. The belt conveyor 11 is located below a transport unit 101 that transports fruit or vegetable F in the measurement area R1, and serves as a platform for the fruit or vegetable F in the measurement area R1, as well as being able to impart rotation to the transported fruit or vegetable F. The measuring device 12 is located above the transport unit 101 that transports the fruit or vegetable F in the measurement area R1, and measures the transported fruit or vegetable F.

[0014] An air blowing device 13 and a discharge gutter 14 are disposed in the sorting area R2 of the chain conveyor 10. The air blowing device 13 is located behind the transport unit 101 which transports the fruits and vegetables F in the sorting area R2. The discharge gutter 14 is located ahead of the transport unit 101 which transports the fruits and vegetables F in the sorting area R2. In the sorting area R2, air is sprayed from behind each piece of fruit or vegetable F at a predetermined position according to the measurement information, and the fruit or vegetable F which has been sprayed with air is pushed onto the discharge gutter 14 for sorting (see FIG. 4). Note that here, with respect to the horizontal component of the movement direction of the transport unit 101 which transports the fruits and vegetables F in the sorting area R2, the traveling side is defined as the front, and the opposite side to the traveling side is defined as the rear.

[0015] The control device 15 controls the entire sorting operation in the sorting device 1, and at least controls the drive of the chain conveyor 10 and the belt conveyor 11, controls the measurement process by the measuring device 12, and controls the air ejection by the air ejection device 13.

[0016] The measuring device 12 measures the fruits and vegetables F transported through the measurement area R1 of the chain conveyor 10 from above, and obtains quality information and position information for each fruit or vegetable F on the chain conveyor 10. Measurement by the measuring device 12 is performed by photographing with a camera, irradiating with X-rays, etc. Furthermore, the quality information of the fruits and vegetables F obtained by measurement by the measuring device 12 includes, for example, the grade or class of the fruits and vegetables F. The quality information and position information for each fruit or vegetable F is sent from the measuring device 12 to the control device 15.

[0017] Furthermore, the control device 15 controls air ejection from the air ejection devices 13 based on the quality information and position information sent from the measuring device 12. In the sorting area R2, a plurality of air ejection devices 13 are arranged in multiple stages (three stages in the example of FIG. 1) along the conveying direction of the chain conveyor 10, and discharge gutters 14 are also arranged in multiple stages so as to face the air ejection devices 13 of each stage. At the end of each of the discharge gutters 14, for example, a sorting ejection conveyor (not shown) that transports the sorted fruits and vegetables F is arranged, and the sorted fruits and vegetables F is packed into boxes at the destination of the sorting ejection conveyor.

[0018] Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a schematic configuration of the sorting device 1. In Fig. 2, only the arrangement area of ​​the measuring device 12 is shown by a dashed line, and the discharge gutter 14 is omitted.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, in the sorting device 1, the transport unit 101 has a shape in which the dimension in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the transport direction) is larger than the dimension in the transport direction. Specifically, the width direction dimension of the transport unit 101 is a dimension that allows multiple (several to a dozen or so) fruits and vegetables F to be lined up in the width direction and transported simultaneously. Meanwhile, the interval L (see FIG. 1) between two adjacent transport units 101 along the transport direction is a dimension that allows only one fruit or vegetable F to be placed between the two adjacent transport units 101. The width direction dimension of the measuring device 12 and the belt conveyor 11 also corresponds to the width direction dimension of the transport unit 101. That is, the measuring device 12 can measure the fruit or vegetable F placed at any position in the width direction relative to the transport unit 101.

[0020] In the sorting device 1, a plurality of air blowing devices 13 are provided along the width direction at each stage. The control device 15 can individually control the air blowing for each air blowing device 13. The arrangement area of ​​the air blowing devices 13 at each stage corresponds to the width dimension of the transport unit 101 in the width direction. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the width dimension of the discharge gutter 14 also corresponds to the width dimension of the transport unit 101.

[0021] In the sorting device 1 configured as above, the width dimension of the transport unit 101 is increased and multiple fruits and vegetables F lined up in the width direction are simultaneously transported by one transport unit 101, making it possible to disperse the fruits and vegetables F on the chain conveyor 10. Dispersed arrangement here means that the fruits and vegetables F can be randomly arranged on the chain conveyor 10 in both the transport direction and the width direction.

[0022] When the fruits and vegetables F distributed on the chain conveyor 10 are measured by the measuring device 12, their positions in the width direction are included in the position information. Furthermore, the positions in the width direction of the fruits and vegetables F transported on the chain conveyor 10 do not change between measurement and sorting.

[0023] The control device 15 tracks the movement of each fruit or vegetable F measured in the measurement area R1 in the conveyance direction, and controls the air ejection of the air ejection device 13 based on the position information in the width direction when sorting the fruit or vegetable F. For example, in the example of FIG. 1, if the three sorting stages in the sorting area R2 correspond to sizes L, M, and S in order from top to bottom, the fruit or vegetable F determined to be M size in the measurement is pushed into the discharge gutter 14 at the second sorting stage from the top and sorted. At this time, even if different sizes of fruit or vegetable F exist at different positions in the width direction on the same stage, only the air ejection device 13 facing the fruit or vegetable F to be sorted ejects air, so that only the fruit or vegetable F to be sorted can be sorted. In other words, the air ejection device 13 can eject the fruit or vegetable F at any position in the width direction. At this time, the number of air ejection devices 13 facing the fruit or vegetable F to be sorted is not limited to one, and may be multiple.

[0024] Since the sorting device 1 is capable of sorting not only by size (class), but also by grades such as color, shape, and flavor, the number of sorting stages is not limited to three as in the above example, and may have more sorting stages.

[0025] As described above, in the sorting device 1 of this embodiment, the air jetting device 13 is positioned behind the transport unit 101 that transports the fruits and vegetables F in the sorting area R2, and sorts the fruits and vegetables F by pushing them onto the discharge trough 14 at the front after being sprayed with air. In this case, the direction in which the fruits and vegetables F are discharged from the chain conveyor 10 during sorting is parallel to the rotational plane of the transport unit 101 (a plane including the circulating movement path of the transport unit 101). Therefore, the sorting device 1 does not need to transport the fruits and vegetables F in a single line as in the sorting device of Patent Document 1, and can transport the fruits and vegetables F in a dispersed state on the chain conveyor 10. This allows the sorting device 1 to improve the efficiency of sorting work.

[0026] Further, a detailed description will be given of the configuration and operation of each part of the sorting device 1. Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the transport operation of fruits and vegetables in the measurement area R1. Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the transport operation of fruits and vegetables in the sorting area R2.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 3, the transport unit 101 has a first plate 101a and a second plate 101b, and the first plate 101a and the second plate 101b have a cross-sectional shape that is approximately L-shaped. The main surface of the first plate 101a is approximately perpendicular to the moving direction of the transport unit 101. That is, in the measurement area R1 where the moving direction of the transport unit 101 is horizontal, the main surface of the first plate 101a is approximately a vertical plane. The second plate 101b is extended from the lower end of the first plate 101a to the rear side. In addition, the main surface of the second plate 101b is approximately parallel to the moving direction of the transport unit 101. That is, in the measurement area R1, the main surface of the second plate 101b is a horizontal plane. In addition, a rotating roller 101c having a rotating shaft 101d perpendicular to the moving direction of the transport unit 101 (that is, parallel to the width direction) is attached to the first plate 101a. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of rotating rollers 101c are provided at intervals along the width direction, and each rotating roller 101c is rotatable relative to the first plate 101a.

[0028] In the measurement area R1, the fruit or vegetable F is placed directly on the belt conveyor 11 and is transported by being pushed by the transport unit 101 located behind the fruit or vegetable F. At this time, the fruit or vegetable F is transported while in contact with the rotating rollers 101c, and is simultaneously in contact with two rotating rollers 101c adjacent to each other in the width direction (see FIG. 2), thereby restricting its movement in the width direction during transport.

[0029] Here, assuming that the moving speed of the transport unit 101 is V1 and the rotating speed of the belt conveyor 11 on the surface on which the fruit or vegetable F is placed is V2, the speeds V1 and V2 are in the same direction and are set to be equal to or greater than the speed V2 (V1≧V2). In other words, when V1≧V2, the fruit or vegetable F can be transported while being pushed by the transport unit 101. At this time, if the speed V1 is set to be greater than the speed V2 (V1>V2), the difference in speed between the speeds V1 and V2 causes the fruit or vegetable F to rotate on its axis. The rotation of the fruit or vegetable F enables the measuring device 12 to measure the surface of the entire fruit or vegetable F. Furthermore, since the fruit or vegetable F is transported while in contact with the rotating rollers 101c, the rotating rollers 101c rotate along with the fruit or vegetable F during the rotation, which prevents the surface of the fruit or vegetable F from being scratched by friction.

[0030] Furthermore, by setting the speed V1 to be the same as the speed V2 (V1=V2), it is also possible to transport the fruit or vegetable F without causing it to rotate on its axis. When the measuring device 12 measures the inside of the fruit or vegetable F by irradiating it with X-rays, it is preferable to transport the fruit or vegetable F without causing it to rotate on its axis.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 5, if the measuring devices 12 and the belt conveyors 11 are provided in two stages along the conveying direction, it is possible to perform both surface measurement and internal measurement on the fruit or vegetable F. In the example of Fig. 5, the belt conveyor 11 includes a first belt conveyor 11A and a second belt conveyor 11B, and the measuring devices 12 include a first measuring device 12A and a second measuring device 12B. The first measuring device 12A is disposed opposite the first belt conveyor 11A, and the second measuring device 12B is disposed opposite the second belt conveyor 11B.

[0032] When the first measuring device 12A performs surface measurement of the fruit or vegetable F and the second measuring device 12B performs internal measurement of the fruit or vegetable F, the first belt conveyor 11A can be set to V1>V2 and the first belt conveyor 11B can be set to V1=V2. This allows the fruit or vegetable F to rotate on its axis directly below the first measuring device 12A that performs surface measurement, and prevents the fruit or vegetable F from rotating on its axis directly below the second measuring device 12B that performs internal measurement. Of course, the order of surface measurement and internal measurement in the conveying direction may be reversed.

[0033] In the sorting area R2, the conveying direction becomes obliquely downward, and the posture of the conveying unit 101 also changes. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the main surface of the first plate 101a is inclined so that the front side is higher than the rear side. As a result, in the sorting area R2, the fruits and vegetables F are conveyed while being placed on the first plate 101a of the conveying unit 101. At this time, the second plate 101b functions as a stopper that prevents the fruits and vegetables F from falling from the conveying unit 101 along the inclination of the first plate 101a. In addition, in the conveying unit 101 having a substantially L-shaped cross section, the second plate 101b has a shorter length in the cross section than the first plate 101a. This is to ensure a space for the air blowing device 13 to directly blow air onto the fruits and vegetables F in the sorting area R2 (the second plate 101b does not interfere with the blowing of air onto the fruits and vegetables F). The transport unit 101 on which the fruit or vegetable F is placed in the sorting area R2 is the transport unit 101 located in front of the fruit or vegetable F in the measurement area R1.

[0034] In the sorting area R2, if the inclination angle α (see FIG. 4) of the first plate 101a of the transport unit 101 is too large, it becomes difficult to discharge the fruits and vegetables F from the transport unit 101 during sorting (discharge by air injection). For this reason, it is preferable that the inclination angle α of the first plate 101a in the sorting area R2 be set in the range of 10 to 45°.

[0035] Second Embodiment In the sorting device 1 described above, the air blowing device 13 is used as a sorting and discharging section in the sorting area R2. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other sorting and discharging sections may be used.

[0036] For example, as shown in Fig. 6, a movable plate 16 can be used as the sorting and discharging section. The movable plate 16 can rotate around a rotation axis 161 by an actuator (not shown), and the rotation can push out and discharge the fruits and vegetables F placed on the transport unit 101 into the discharge trough 14. Similar to the air blowing device 13 described above, a plurality of movable plates 16 are provided along the width direction at each stage of the sorting section.

[0037] In the sorting device 1, it is also possible to use both the air blowing device 13 and the movable plate 16 as a sorting and discharging section. For example, it is possible to use the air blowing device 13 in the sorting stage for small-sized fruits and vegetables F, and to use the movable plate 16 in the sorting stage for large-sized fruits and vegetables F.

[0038] Third Embodiment The sorting device 1 described above is used for sorting fruits and vegetables, but the present invention is not limited to this. The sorting device according to the present invention can also be used for, for example, judging the shape defects of industrial products and sorting them into good and bad products.

[0039] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not intended to be limiting. Therefore, the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted solely by the above-described embodiments, but should be determined based on the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1 Sorting device (selection device) 10 Chain conveyor (transport device) 101 Transport unit 101a 1st board 101b 2nd board 101c Rotating roller 102 Drive chain 11 Conveyor belt 12. Measurement Equipment 13 Air blowing device (sorting and discharge section) 14 Discharge gutter 15 Control device 16 Movable plate (sorting and discharge section) 161 Rotational axis R1 Measurement area (first transport area) R2 Sorting area (second conveying area) F. Fruits and vegetables (sorted items)

Claims

1. A sorting device that sorts objects while transporting them, a conveying device that conveys the objects to be sorted by moving a plurality of conveying units in a circular movement, the conveying device including a first conveying section in which the objects are conveyed in a horizontal direction and a second conveying section in which the objects are conveyed in an obliquely downward direction; a sorting and discharging section capable of discharging the objects to be sorted transported by the transport device in a direction parallel to the rotation surface of the transport unit in the second transport section, the conveying device is capable of conveying the objects to be sorted that are randomly distributed in both the conveying direction and the width direction; A sorting device characterized in that the sorting and discharging section is capable of discharging objects located at any position in the width direction in a direction parallel to the rotating surface of the conveying unit.

2. The sorting device according to claim 1, The sorting device is characterized in that the sorting and discharging section discharges the objects by injecting air onto them.

3. The sorting device according to claim 1, A sorting device characterized in that the sorting and discharging section is a movable plate that rotates about a rotation axis to push out and discharge the objects to be sorted.

4. The sorting device according to claim 1, a discharge trough for receiving the objects discharged from the conveying device by the sorting and discharge unit, A sorting device characterized in that the sorting and discharge section and the discharge gutter are arranged in multiple stages along the conveying direction of the second conveying section.

5. The sorting device according to claim 1, A measuring device for measuring each object is disposed in the first transport section, The sorting apparatus is characterized in that the sorting and discharging section discharges the objects to be sorted based on the measurement results of the measuring device.

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