Conveying and aligning device

Abstract

To solve the problem of manually feeding shelled oysters into a weight sorting machine one by one due to their irregular shape.SOLUTION: When a shelled oyster K rides on a brush 9, bristle 11 bends and falls over, but the bristle 11 and the shelled oyster K remain in place due to friction. Therefore, the shelled oyster K remains on the bristle 11 while being moved. Since a shaft member 17 is rotatable, a shelled oyster newly rides up on another brush 9. When the shelled oysters K are stacked, since a large friction surface with the bristle 11 is secured for the leading shelled oyster K1, it is moved with the bristle 11 bent, and the bristle 11 on the side of the subsequent shelled oyster K2 remains almost unbent. When the preceding shelled oyster K1 is stacked on top of the subsequent shelled oyster K2, the shelled oyster K1 is pushed by the shelled oyster K2 and becomes unstable, and then pushed to the shaft member 17 side or the opposite side and removed. Therefore, the stacked state is eliminated and the oysters are aligned in a row.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying and aligning device for marine products, agricultural products, and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, some marine and agricultural products are graded by weight, so in such cases, the weight of each product must be measured and sorted accordingly. In response to this, in the case of oysters with shells, the weight is measured using a weight sorting device such as that described in Patent Document 1, and the oysters are graded. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-114460 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, oysters with shells not only vary greatly in shape and size, but also have many irregularities on their surfaces and are irregular in shape due to algae and other deposits on the surface of the shells. Therefore, there is currently no equipment that can automatically separate them one by one and feed them sequentially into a weight sorting device. As a result, they relied on manual labor to place each oyster with its shell into the weight sorting device one by one.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and has as its object to provide a new and useful conveying and aligning device that can align agricultural and marine products, even those with large individual size variations and irregular shapes such as oysters with shells, into a single shape during the conveying process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is a conveying and alignment device characterized in that brushes made of bristles having bending elasticity extend radially on the outer peripheral surface of a rotating shaft in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and two shaft members are provided at intervals in the axial direction, with the axial directions of the brushes arranged side by side and parallel to each other, the bristles constituting the brush of one of the shaft members are tilted diagonally in the axial direction toward the downstream side of the conveying direction, the tips of the bristles of the brush on one of the shaft members fit between the brushes on the other shaft member adjacent to the one in the axial direction, the axial center of the other shaft member is positioned higher than the axial center of the one shaft member, and the other shaft member is arranged side by side on the half side of the side where the rotation direction of the one shaft member is from top to bottom, and irregular agricultural or marine products placed on one of the shaft members are aligned in a row during the conveying process.

[0007] Preferably, the guide surface is disposed opposite to the half of one of the shaft members on the side in which the rotation direction faces upward. Preferably, the brush of the other shaft member is also provided on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating shaft in an attitude inclined obliquely toward the downstream side in the conveying direction in the axial direction. Preferably, the brushes are arranged in a spiral manner, with the spiral direction being in the positive direction corresponding to the rotation direction of the shaft member. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The conveying and sorting device of the present invention has a simple structure, but can align agricultural and marine products in a line during the conveying process, even if they are of irregular shapes and have large individual differences in size. Therefore, for example, in the case of shelled oysters, even if they are stacked on top of each other before being placed in the conveying and sorting device, they are aligned in a line by the conveying and sorting device, so that by linking it with a weight sorting device in the subsequent process, the series of processes up to sorting can be automated. The feature of the present invention is that the objects are aligned in a row during the process of transportation, and the objects are not limited to oysters with shells. Also, the objects are not limited to being subjected to a weight sorting device in a later process. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is an oblique view of an oyster weight sorting equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the conveying and aligning device of FIG. [Diagram 3] 3 is a top view of the conveying and aligning device of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] 3 is an explanatory diagram of a shaft member provided with the brush of FIG. 2. [Figure 6] 4 is a view of the shaft member of FIG. 3 as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and an enlarged view of a brush. [Figure 7] 3 is an image diagram of the conveying and aligning device of FIG. 2 as viewed from the axial direction of a shaft member. [Figure 8] 3 is a conceptual diagram of a conveying mechanism in the conveying and aligning device of FIG. 2. [Figure 9] This is an image of the mechanism by which shelled oysters are separated from their stacked position in the conveying and sorting device shown in Figure 2. [Figure 10] This is an image of the mechanism by which shelled oysters are separated from their stacked position in the conveying and sorting device shown in Figure 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] An equipment 101 for sorting by weight of shelled oysters K incorporating a conveying and sorting device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In this weight sorting facility 101, a feeding device 103 is disposed upstream of the conveying and sorting device 1 in the conveying direction, and a weight sorting device 111 is disposed downstream of the conveying direction.

[0011] In the feeding device 103 , a hopper 107 and a transport conveyor 109 are provided on a stand 105 . The conveyor belt 109a of the transport conveyor 109 is inclined, and a pair of protrusions 109b, 109b are provided on the conveyor belt 109a at a distance in the width direction so that the shelled oysters K placed on the belt can climb up the slope smoothly. A plurality of pairs of protrusions 109b, 109b are arranged at regular intervals in the conveyor belt 109a. The inclined lower end of the transport conveyor 109 enters the hopper 107, and the shelled oysters K that are put into the hopper 107 are placed on the transport belt 109a and transported upward.

[0012] In the weight sorting device 111, a weight measuring unit 115 is provided on a stand 113, and when shelled oysters K are dropped into the receiving unit 115a, their weight is measured and a sorting mechanism according to the grade is activated based on the measured weight, and the oysters are dropped into collection containers 117, 117, ... separated by grade and placed below the weight measuring unit 115, where they are sorted.

[0013] The conveying and sorting device 1 receives the shelled oysters K that have been transported up the inclined upper end of the conveyor 109 of the feeding device 103, and drops them one by one into the receiving section 115a of the weight sorting device 111. The configuration of this conveying and aligning device 1 will now be described. The platform 3 of the conveying and arranging device 1 is installed so as to straddle the platform 105 on the input device 103 side and the platform 113 on the weight sorting device 111 side. 2 to 4, two rotating shafts 5, 7 are rotatably supported by bearings attached to bearing mounting parts provided on the stand 3. The axial directions of the rotating shafts 5, 7 are parallel to each other, but when viewed from the axial direction, the axial center of the rotating shaft 7 is located diagonally above the axial center of the rotating shaft 5.

[0014] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, a brush 9 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating shaft 5. This brush 9 is a so-called channel-type brush, and the base end side of the bristles 11, 11, ... of the brush 9 is inserted and fixed in a U-shaped metal channel 13. This channel 13 is provided at intervals on a thin strip 15, which is wound in a spiral shape around the outer circumferential surface of the rotating shaft 5. In other words, the brushes 9 are provided on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating shaft 5 in a spiral connected state. The spiral direction is the positive direction that matches the rotation direction of the rotating shaft 5. In addition, there is a gap between adjacent brushes 9, 9 in the axial direction. The rotating shaft 5 and the brushes 9, 9, . . . form a shaft member 17.

[0015] The bristles 11 constituting the brush 9 are made of "66 nylon", a type of material having bending elasticity, and are about 0.5 to 1.0 mm in thickness and 40 mm in length. The bristles 11, 11, ... are tilted from a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotating shaft 5. Because the brush 9 is made up of multiple bristles 11, 11, ... grouped together into small bundles, the angles of inclination are not the same, with the bristles 11 closer to the tilting direction having a larger angle of inclination, but the inclination angle (θ) between the center line (L) of the brush 9 and the axial center direction of the rotating shaft 5 is used as an index of the degree of inclination. This inclination angle (θ) is preferably 10 to 25 degrees, and most preferably 15 to 20 degrees.

[0016] Similarly, brushes 9, 9, . . . are provided on the rotating shaft 7 side to form a shaft member 19, and the shaft members 17 and 19 have the same configuration and are arranged in parallel. Since the shaft members 17 and 19 have the same rotational direction, they also have the same spiral direction, and when supported by the bearing, the tips of the bristles 11, 11, ... of the brush 9 on the shaft member 17 side fit between the axially adjacent brushes 9, 9 on the shaft member 19 side. A motor 21 is installed in a case on one axial end side of the shaft members 17 and 19 on the stand 3, and the drive shaft of this motor 21 is connected to the rotating shaft 5 and the rotating shaft 7 via a chain and sprocket transmission mechanism 23 so that power can be transmitted between them. When driven by the motor 21, the rotating shaft 5 and the rotating shaft 7 rotate synchronously in the same direction.

[0017] The side closer to the installation side of the motor 21 is the upstream side of the shaft members 17, 19 in the transport direction, and the opposite side is the downstream side in the transport direction, and the bristles 11, 11, ... of the brushes 9 of the shaft members 17, 19 are inclined obliquely toward the downstream side in the transport direction. The shaft member 19 is arranged in parallel on one half of the shaft member 17 whose rotation direction is from top to bottom, and a guide surface 25 is provided on the opposite half of the shaft member 17 whose rotation direction is from bottom to top.

[0018] Plate-shaped chute members 27a, 27a having inner surfaces linearly inclined in the direction approaching each other downward are provided on both outer sides of the shaft members 17, 19 in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction, thereby forming the input chute 27. On the shaft member 19 side, the lower edge of the chute member 27a faces the upper half of the shaft member 19 facing downward with a small gap therebetween. A guide portion is connected to the chute member 27a on the shaft member 17 side, and its inner surface forms a guide surface 25 facing the shaft member 17. Therefore, when viewed from the axial direction, the space above the upper half of the shaft member 17 is blocked from one side in the left-right direction by the shaft member 19, and is blocked from the other side by the guide surface 25.

[0019] The conveying and sorting device 1 is constructed as described above, and the shelled oysters K that are transported up the inclined top end of the transport conveyor 109 of the feeding device 103 are dropped and fed into the feeding chute 27 from the upstream side in the transport direction. Then, after lining up in a row as they are transported, they are dropped one by one into the receiving section 115a of the weight sorting device 111. The transport and alignment process will be explained with reference to image diagrams. When the brush 9 on the shaft member 17 is placed on the multiple bristles 11, 11, 11, ..., it is placed on the brush 9 at the same time and its own weight is applied. In the following image diagrams, Figs. 8 to 10, for ease of understanding, each brush 9 is shown represented by one bristles 11. Also, the degree to which the brush 9 is tilted is extremely large. Since the bristles 11 have bending elasticity, their own weight causes them to bend toward the channel 13, resulting in a larger inclination angle (θ) as they fall over, but as shown in the image of Figure 8, friction acts between the bristles 11 and the shelled oysters K, so they remain on the bristles. Therefore, the shelled oysters K are moved downstream in the conveying direction in response to the bending of the bristles 11 while still on the bristles 11.

[0020] As the shaft member 17 rotates, the shelled oysters K are shifted in the circumferential direction relative to the outer circumferential surface of the shaft member 17 and land on another brush 9. The bristles 11, 11, 11, ... of the brush 9 are then bent in the same way, and the oysters K are moved downstream in the conveying direction. When an oyster K with shell is shifted in the circumferential direction, it rides onto the bristles 11, 11, 11, ... of the next brush 9, so that the bristles 11, 11, 11, ... bend in the same manner and are moved further downstream in the conveying direction. This feeding is repeated smoothly and the sheet is transported downstream in the transport direction. This mechanism of movement is the same as when a "cat toy" is held in a "hand" and the "cat toy" moves relative to the holding "hand", with the "cat toy" corresponding to the shaft member 17 and the "hand" corresponding to the oyster K with shell.

[0021] Even if an oyster K with shell falls into a pocket between the shaft member 17 due to being dragged by the rotation of the shaft member 17, the shaft member 17 rotates in the scraping-up direction, so that the oyster K is pushed back to the shaft member 17 side by the brush 9. Furthermore, even if the shelled oyster K is about to fall on the side opposite to the shaft member 17, it will hit the guide surface 25 and be returned. Therefore, the shelled oysters K continue to be transported on the shaft member 17. In addition, when the brush 9 hits the shaft member 17, the bristles 11, 11, ... of the brush 9 also exert their own weight, so that the effect of transporting the oysters K with shells can be expected.

[0022] Since the shelled oysters K are transported in stacks of two or three on top of each other on the conveying conveyor 109 of the feeding device 103, two or three shelled oysters K often fall onto the shaft member 17 of the conveying and sorting device 1 in a stacked state. In the case of stacking as shown in the image of Figure 9, the leading shelled oyster K1 has a large friction surface with the bristles 11, so the bristles 11 are easily bent significantly and moved downstream in the conveying direction, whereas the trailing shelled oyster K2 has a small friction surface with the bristles, so the bristles 11 hardly bend and stay in place. Therefore, by the shelled oyster K1 leading, the stacked state of the shelled oysters K1 and K2 is resolved and they are aligned in a row.

[0023] In the case of stacking as shown in the image of Figure 10, the following shelled oyster K2 has a large friction surface with the bristles 11, so the bristles 11 are easily bent significantly and moved downstream in the conveying direction, whereas the preceding shelled oyster K1 has a small friction surface with the bristles, so the bristles 11 hardly bend and remain in their position. Therefore, while the shelled oyster K1 is unstably made to stand by the shelled oyster K2, it is pushed toward the shaft member 17 or the guide surface 25, and is removed from the front of the shelled oyster K2, and the stacking state is resolved. Furthermore, the shelled oysters K1 that have been pushed toward the shaft member 17 or the guide surface 25 return to the shaft member 17 as described above, but by that time the shelled oysters K2 have already been pushed forward, so they are lined up in a row.

[0024] In this way, by being placed in the conveying and aligning device 1, the shelled oysters K are aligned in a single row. A discharge chute 29 is provided at the conveying end of the conveying and sorting device 1, and the shelled oysters K slide down this discharge chute 29 and drop into the receiving section 115a of the weight sorting device 111 and are inserted therein. In addition, when an oyster K with shell falls into the receiving section 115a, the control is coordinated to detect this and stop the driving of the motor 21, so that the receiving section 115a receives the next oyster K with shell after measurement is completed and sorted.

[0025] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and the invention also includes design changes within the scope of the present invention without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the above-mentioned conveying and alignment device 1 is optimized for shelled oysters K in terms of the type and size of the bristles 11 constituting the brush 9 of the shaft members 17, 19, as well as the rotation speed of the motor 21, and the like, and if the object is different, the design specifications and the rotation speed of the motor 21 will be different. In addition, a metal rod may be provided near the downstream end of the conveying and sorting device 1 in the conveying direction so that the momentum of the shelled oysters K as they fall into the weight sorting device 111 is such that they hit the rod before falling, thereby shaving them off. [Explanation of symbols]

[0026] 101...Weight sorting equipment 103...Feeding device 105... Stand 107... Hopper 109...Transport conveyor 109a...Transport belt 109b... projection 111... weight sorting device 113... stand 115... weight measurement unit 115a: Receiving section 117: Collection container 1...Transportation and alignment device 3...Stand 5, 7...Rotating shaft 9...Brush 11...Hair 13...Channel 15... Thin strip material 17... Shaft member 19... Shaft member 21... Motor 23... Chain and sprocket transmission mechanism 25... Guide surface 27...Input chute 27a...Chute member 29…Ejection chute K: Oysters with shells L…Center line of brush θ…Inclination angle of brush

Claims

1. The brush is made of bristles having bending elasticity and extends radially in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating shaft. The brush has two shaft members spaced apart in the axial direction and arranged in parallel with their axial directions. The bristles of the brush on one of the shaft members are inclined toward the downstream side in the conveying direction in the axial direction, The tips of the bristles of the brush on the one shaft member are inserted between the brushes on the other shaft member adjacent in the axial direction, and the axial center of the other shaft member is positioned higher than the axial center of the one shaft member, and The other shaft member is arranged in parallel with the one shaft member on a half side on the side where the rotation direction of the one shaft member is from top to bottom, A conveying and aligning device characterized in that the irregularly shaped agricultural and marine products placed on one of the shaft members are aligned in a row during the course of being conveyed.

2. 2. The conveying and aligning device according to claim 1, A conveying and aligning device, comprising: a guide surface disposed opposite to a half of one of the shaft members on a side in which a rotation direction of the shaft member is from bottom to top.

3. 3. The conveying and aligning device according to claim 2, The brush of the other shaft member is also provided on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating shaft in an axially inclined and tilted downstream in the conveying direction.

4. 4. The conveying and aligning device according to claim 3, The brushes are arranged in a spiral shape, and the spiral direction is a positive direction that corresponds to the rotation direction of the shaft member.

5. In the conveying and aligning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, This conveying and arranging device is characterized in that the agricultural and marine products to be conveyed and arranged are oysters with shells.

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