Fruit sorting tray

Abstract

To provide a fruit sorting tray that can protect fruits and vegetables from damage when placing them on the tray or transporting them, and that can also prevent inspection light from leaking when performing quality inspection by spectral analysis, etc., and that can perform quality inspection with high accuracy.SOLUTION: A fruit sorting tray, on which fruits and vegetables are placed when sorting the fruits and vegetables by a free-tray type fruit sorting machine, is composed of a laminated body of flat partially open-cell sponge.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sorting tray used in sorting operations, and in particular to a sorting tray that can sort easily damaged fruits and vegetables such as apples, pears, peaches, melons, watermelons, persimmons, and tomatoes without damaging the fruits and vegetables, and that can be used for accurate measurement when performing spectroscopic analysis, etc. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, when sorting fruits and vegetables, the fruits and vegetables are placed on a transport means such as a PK conveyor and transported while spectroscopic analysis or the like is performed to inspect the quality of the fruits and vegetables, and the fruits and vegetables are sorted based on the inspection results.

[0003] However, when sorting perishable fruits and vegetables such as apples, pears, peaches, melons, watermelons, persimmons, and tomatoes, if they are placed directly on the conveying means, the fruits and vegetables may collide with each other and break, or roll on the conveying means and cause scratches on the surface of the fruits and vegetables.

[0004] Therefore, in order to prevent such damage, as disclosed in, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3, fruits and vegetables are transported one by one on trays called free trays. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-173616 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2005-255297 A [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-295215 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Since such trays are used to sort large quantities of fruit and vegetables, emphasis is placed on cost and durability. For this reason, materials such as nitrile rubber (NBR rubber) and natural rubber (NR) have been used. However, when using trays made of nitrile rubber or natural rubber, when placing fruit and vegetables on the tray, the fruit and vegetables may hit hard parts such as the sides or top of the tray, resulting in damage to the fruit and vegetables.

[0007] Furthermore, when the fruits and vegetables are discharged from the conveying means together with the tray, the fruits and vegetables may be scratched due to friction with the tray due to the impact, or may even be thrown out of the tray.

[0008] Furthermore, when using nitrile rubber or natural rubber trays to inspect the quality of fruit or vegetables using spectroscopic analysis, ambient light can enter through the gaps between the tray and the fruit or vegetables, reducing the accuracy of the quality inspection.

[0009] Patent Document 3 discloses the use of urethane sponge as a tray to prevent scratches on the surfaces of fruits and vegetables during transportation, but urethane sponge has low durability and cannot withstand long-term use. Also, since urethane sponge is an open-cell sponge and has low light blocking properties, when fruit and vegetables are subjected to quality inspection by spectroscopic analysis or the like, disturbance light that passes through the free tray may enter, reducing the accuracy of the quality inspection.

[0010] In view of the current situation, the present invention aims to provide a free tray for sorting that can prevent damage to and protect fruits and vegetables when they are placed on or transported, and that can also prevent inspection light from leaking when quality inspection is performed using spectroscopic analysis, etc., thereby enabling accurate quality inspection. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The present invention has been invented to solve the problems in the prior art as described above, and the fruit sorting tray of the present invention includes one configured as follows.

[0012] [1] A sorting tray on which fruits and vegetables are placed when sorting the fruits and vegetables using a free-tray sorting machine, A sorting tray made of a laminate of flat semi-closed cell sponge.

[0013] [2] The sorting tray has an outer wall portion and a placement portion, The height of the outer wall portion is formed to be greater than the height of the placement portion, according to the sorting tray described in [1].

[0014] [3] A fruit sorting tray as described in [2], wherein the mounting portion is formed so that the height on the central portion side is lower than the height on the outer wall portion side.

[0015] [4] The sorting tray described in [3], wherein the placement portion is stepped or tapered.

[0016] The semi-closed cell sponge is based on ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM rubber), and the sorting tray is described in any one of [1] to [4]. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, the sorting tray is formed using a semi-closed cell sponge, so that the sorting tray will not be damaged even if the sorting tray is hit when placing the fruits and vegetables on it.

[0018] In addition, since semi-closed cell sponge has better shock absorption properties than rubbers such as nitrile rubber and natural rubber, even if fruits and vegetables are transported on a sorting tray and then discharged from the conveying means, the sorting tray absorbs the shock generated during discharge, preventing the fruits and vegetables from rubbing against the sorting tray or flying out of the sorting tray.

[0019] Furthermore, because semi-closed cell sponge is softer than rubbers such as nitrile rubber and natural rubber, gaps are less likely to form between the sorting tray and the fruits and vegetables when they are placed on the sorting tray. This prevents external light from entering through the gaps between the sorting tray and the fruits and vegetables when the fruits and vegetables are subjected to quality inspection using spectroscopic analysis, thereby improving the accuracy of the quality inspection. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining one embodiment of a fruit sorting tray of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the fruit sorting tray of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the fruit sorting tray of FIG. 2 taken along line AA. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the fruit sorting tray. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments (examples) of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining one embodiment of the fruit sorting tray of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the fruit sorting tray of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the fruit sorting tray of FIG. 2 taken along line AA.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a fruit sorting tray 10 of this embodiment has a base portion 12 and a placement portion 14. The base portion 12 is formed of a lightweight and hard resin such as polyacetal, etc. The shape of the base portion 12 can be appropriately changed according to the shape of the mounting portion 14 to be layered on top.

[0023] The mounting portion 14 is composed of a laminate of flat plates 14a to 14e each having a generally annular shape in plan view. The flat plates 14a to 14e are made of semi-closed cell sponge. A semi-closed cell sponge is a sponge in which the air bubbles formed within the sponge are a mixture of closed and open cells. For example, such a semi-closed cell sponge can be obtained by molding ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM rubber) as a base material.

[0024] By using a semi-closed cell type sponge as the sorting tray 10, the sorting tray 10 is softer than rubber such as nitrile rubber or natural rubber used in conventional trays, so that even if the fruit or vegetable T is hit when it is placed on the tray, the fruit or vegetable T can be prevented from being damaged.

[0025] Furthermore, when the fruit or vegetable T is placed on the sorting tray 10, the weight of the fruit or vegetable T causes the sorting tray 10 to deform, eliminating the gap between the placement portion 14 of the sorting tray 10 and the fruit or vegetable T. This prevents external light from entering through the gap between the sorting tray 10 and the fruit or vegetable T when the fruit or vegetable T is subjected to quality inspection using spectroscopic analysis or the like, thereby improving the accuracy of the quality inspection.

[0026] In addition, since it has superior shock absorption properties compared to rubbers such as nitrile rubber and natural rubber, even if the fruit or vegetable T is placed on the sorting tray 10 and transported and then discharged from the transport means, the sorting tray 10 absorbs the shock at the time of discharge, preventing the fruit or vegetable T from rubbing against the sorting tray 10 and the fruit or vegetable T from flying out of the sorting tray 10.

[0027] In addition, since the semi-closed cell sponge has a higher light-blocking property than an open cell sponge such as a urethane sponge, when the quality of the fruits or vegetables T is inspected by spectroscopic analysis or the like, it is possible to prevent external light from penetrating the sorting tray 10, thereby improving the accuracy of the quality inspection.

[0028] Furthermore, semi-closed cell sponges are more weather resistant, heat resistant, and watertight than open cell sponges such as urethane sponges, and therefore have a longer lifespan than trays made of open cell sponges such as urethane sponges.

[0029] In this embodiment, the shape of the sorting tray 10 is approximately circular when viewed from above, as shown in Figure 2, but is not limited to this and can also be, for example, approximately elliptical ring shape when viewed from above, approximately rectangular shape when viewed from above, etc., depending on the shape of the fruits and vegetables T to be placed on them.

[0030] In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the height h1 of the outer wall side 15a of the mounting portion 14 is formed to be the highest so that the fruit or vegetable T does not roll when placed on the mounting portion 14.

[0031] Moreover, the height h2 of the center side 15b of the mounting portion 14 is the lowest. In this embodiment, the placement portion 14 is stepped, but is not limited thereto, and may be tapered, for example, as shown in FIG.

[0032] Furthermore, a through hole 16 is provided on the central side 15b of the mounting portion 14. By providing the through hole 16 in this manner, for example, when inspecting the quality of the fruit or vegetable T by spectroscopic analysis or the like, the quality inspection can be performed by irradiating the fruit or vegetable T with inspection light from above and receiving the inspection light that has passed through the fruit or vegetable T by a light receiving portion disposed below.

[0033] The fruit sorting tray 10 of this embodiment configured as described above can be used in a conventionally known free-tray type fruit sorting machine.

[0034] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 10 Fruit sorting tray 12 Base 14 Placement section 14a~14e flat plate 15a Outer wall side 15b Center side 16 Through hole T Fruits and vegetables

Claims

1. A sorting tray on which fruits and vegetables are placed when sorting the fruits and vegetables using a free tray sorting machine, A sorting tray made of a laminate of flat semi-closed cell sponge.

2. The sorting tray has an outer wall portion and a placement portion, The fruit sorting tray according to claim 1 , wherein the height of the outer wall portion is greater than the height of the placement portion.

3. The fruit sorting tray according to claim 2 , wherein the placement portion is formed so that a height on a central portion side is lower than a height on the outer wall portion side.

4. The fruit sorting tray according to claim 3 , wherein the placement portion is stepped or tapered.

5. The sorting tray according to claim 1 , wherein the semi-closed cell sponge is based on ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM rubber).

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