Bean sorting machine

Abstract

To provide a bean sorting machine that can reduce the work of removing green soybeans in which a plurality of pod parts is connected via stalks, or green soybeans in which the stalk of another pod part is attached to the stalk.SOLUTION: The bean sorting machine comprises: an alignment section that aligns, while transporting, supplied sorting target objects so that a longitudinal direction of the sorting target objects is aligned with a transport direction; a sorting section 70 that sorts the sorting target objects supplied from the alignment section into separated products having been separated into a single pod part or a single pod part and a fruit stalk corresponding to the single pod part, and non-separated products other than the separated products; an illumination section that illuminates a measurement target area; a light-receiving section that receives light that is irradiated by the illumination section and reflected by the sorting target objects located in the measurement target area; a quality determination section that determines whether to pass or reject the sorting target objects on the basis of the light reception information of the light-receiving section; and a pass / reject sorting section that sorts the sorting target objects into non-defective products and defective products on the basis of the determination results of the quality determination section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a bean sorter for sorting beans such as green soybeans. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventional bean sorting machines include, for example, a green soybean sorting machine as described in Patent Document 1, which sorts green soybeans, which are beans, based on information from an image capturing device or the like. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-080661 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order for such edamame sorting machines to sort accurately, it was necessary to eliminate edamame with multiple pods connected via stalks or edamame with the stalk of another pod attached to the stalk before photographing, etc., was performed using an image capturing device, etc. However, with conventional edamame sorting machines, when the edamame were in the basket or when the edamame were being transported on the edamame sorting machine, an operator was required to check and remove edamame with multiple pods connected via stalks or edamame with the stalk of another pod attached to the stalk.

[0005] This type of work requires the worker to constantly check the edamame, which is time-consuming.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a bean sorting machine that can reduce the work required to remove edamame beans in which multiple pod parts are connected via stalks, or edamame beans in which the stalk of another pod part is attached to the stalk. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The bean sorting machine of the present invention is equipped with an alignment section that aligns the supplied materials to be sorted while transporting them so that the longitudinal direction of the materials is aligned with the transport direction; a sorting section that sorts the materials to be sorted supplied from the alignment section into separated products that have been separated into single pod parts or single pod parts and stalks corresponding to the single pod parts, and non-separated products other than the separated products; an illumination section that illuminates a measurement target area; a light-receiving section that receives light that is irradiated by the illumination section and reflected by the materials to be sorted located in the measurement target area; a quality discrimination section that discriminates whether the materials to be sorted are quality or quality based on the light reception information of the light-receiving section; and a quality sorting section that sorts the materials to be sorted into quality or quality based on the discrimination results of the quality discrimination section.

[0008] According to this invention, the sorting section sorts the fruit into separated products and non-separated products, which reduces the work of removing non-separated products in which multiple fruits (pods) are connected to each other.

[0009] In the present invention, it is preferable that the sorting section has a recovery section that recovers the non-separated items, and a non-separated item transport section that transports the non-separated items to the recovery section.

[0010] According to this configuration, the non-separable products are collected in the collection section, and as a result, when an operator needs to remove the non-separable products, he or she only needs to remove them from the collection section, thereby reducing the operator's workload.

[0011] In the present invention, the alignment section has a conveying path extending along the conveying direction and a sliding surface section provided above the conveying path that slides the sorted items toward the conveying path, and the conveying path has vertical walls provided on both sides of the width direction of the conveying path that extend along the conveying direction of the sorted items, and it is preferable that the non-separated item conveying section is configured integrally with the vertical walls.

[0012] When the objects to be sorted are non-separable items, the non-separable items transported from the sliding surface portion to the transport path may straddle the vertical wall that separates the transport path. By configuring the non-separable item transport portion as one unit with the vertical wall, it is possible to configure the non-separable items that straddle the vertical wall to be transported directly to the non-separable item transport portion. This configuration makes it possible to separate separable items and non-separable items with a simple configuration.

[0013] In the present invention, it is preferable that the conveying paths are provided in multiple rows lined up horizontally, the sliding surface portion is located at the downstream end of the sliding surface portion in the conveying direction, and has sliding edge portions provided separately for each of the multiple conveying paths, and the sliding edge portions extend diagonally in a direction intersecting the direction in which adjacent sliding edge portions extend.

[0014] According to this configuration, a vertical wall is located between adjacent sliding edges that extend diagonally relative to the conveying path. The sorted parts conveyed by the sliding surface parts fall onto the conveying path through an opening formed between the adjacent sliding edges. If the sorted parts are non-separable parts, they may straddle the vertical wall located below the opening, making it possible to more efficiently convey the sorted parts to the non-separable part conveying section and efficiently sorting the separated parts from the non-separable parts.

[0015] In the present invention, it is preferable that a plurality of vertical walls are provided on the upper surface of the sliding surface portion and extend along the conveying direction of the conveying path, the vertical walls are provided between each of the plurality of conveying paths, and the vertical walls are positioned at positions corresponding to some of the vertical walls.

[0016] According to this configuration, the vertical walls allow the sorted parts located on the sliding surface to be allocated and transported toward the transport paths, thereby reducing the likelihood of too many sorted parts being transported to some of the transport paths, or to some of the vertical walls if the sorted parts are non-separable parts.

[0017] In the present invention, it is preferable that the vertical wall is disposed on the upper surface of the sliding surface portion between adjacent sliding edge portions.

[0018] According to this configuration, vertical walls are disposed between adjacent sliding edges of the sliding surface portion, and vertical walls exist between the adjacent vertical walls. In other words, non-separable items that pass between the vertical walls are transported toward the vertical walls located between the sliding edges. As a result, the items to be sorted can be transported to the non-separable item transport section more efficiently, and the separated items and non-separable items can be sorted efficiently.

[0019] In the present invention, it is preferable that the non-separated item transport section has a downstream end in the transport direction overlapping with the recovery section in a plan view.

[0020] With this configuration, non-separable products transported to the downstream end of the non-separable product transport section in the transport direction fall into the recovery section. In other words, with a simple configuration in which the downstream end of the non-separable product transport section in the transport direction overlaps with the recovery section in a plan view, it is possible to recover non-separable products in the recovery section.

[0021] In the present invention, it is preferable that the recovery section is attached in a detachable manner.

[0022] According to this configuration, by removing the recovery section, the non-separated products recovered in the recovery section can be easily taken out.

[0023] In the present invention, it is preferable that the sorting section has a passing / falling section that allows the separated products from the objects to fall downward.

[0024] According to this configuration, for example, by arranging a transport path below the sorting unit for transporting the objects to the measurement target area, it is possible to configure the objects that have fallen from the passing / falling unit to be transported along the transport path. In other words, with a simple configuration, it is possible to transport the objects sorted in the sorting unit toward the measurement target area.

[0025] In the present invention, it is preferable to provide a post-sorting alignment section that is provided below the passing and falling section and that aligns the sorted objects that have fallen from the passing and falling section while transporting them so that their longitudinal directions are aligned with the conveying direction.

[0026] According to this configuration, the objects sorted in the sorting section are dropped into the post-sorting alignment section. The objects that have dropped into the post-sorting alignment section are conveyed while being aligned so that their longitudinal direction is aligned with the conveying direction, so that the objects sorted in the sorting section can be conveyed in a more optimal state toward the measurement target area. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the bean sorting machine. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a bean sorting machine. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the organizing section. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view showing the configuration of the organizing section. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view showing the configuration of a transport unit and a light receiving and sorting unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of a transport unit and a light receiving and sorting unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a removal unit. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control form of the bean sorter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] The following description will be given of an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the direction of arrow F in the drawings will be defined as "front," the direction of arrow B as "rear," the direction of arrow U as "up," the direction of arrow D as "down," the direction of arrow L as "left," and the direction of arrow R as "right."

[0029] [Overall configuration of the bean sorting machine] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in this embodiment, a bean sorter 1 sorts green soybeans G, which are beans to be sorted, into good and bad beans.

[0030] Here, good quality edamame G means that the beans in the pods of edamame G have grown to a certain size and that the pods have multiple fruits. Defective edamame G means that the pods have at least one of the following: immature pods in which the fruit inside is smaller than a certain size, or single fruits covered by the pods (single pods).

[0031] The bean sorting machine 1 is equipped with a supply section 2 to which edamame G are supplied, a sliding surface section 3 that slides and transports the edamame G and changes the position of the edamame G, a transport section 4 that slides and transports the edamame G toward the measurement target area M, a sending section 5 that sends the edamame G toward the measurement target area M, and an exclusion device E (corresponding to the "good / bad sorting section" of the present invention), a light-receiving sorting section 6 that sorts the edamame G, and a manual sorting section 7 where sorting work is performed by an operator. The bean sorting machine 1 is also equipped with a vibration generating mechanism 8 that applies vibrations to the sliding surface section 3 and the transport section 4.

[0032] The bean sorting machine 1 conveys edamame G in the direction of arrow F shown in FIG. 1 etc. by the sliding surface unit 3, the conveying unit 4, and the sending unit 5. In other words, the direction of arrow F is the "conveying direction." Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the "downstream side in the conveying direction" will be the side in the direction of arrow F and will be simply referred to as the "downstream side" etc., and the "upstream side in the conveying direction" will be the side in the direction of arrow B and will be simply referred to as the "upstream side" etc.

[0033] The light-receiving sorting unit 6 includes a quality discrimination unit P (see FIG. 8) that irradiates light onto edamame G located in the measurement target area M, receives light reflected from the edamame G, and discriminates whether the edamame G are good or bad based on the received light information, and an exclusion device E that blows air at defective soybeans to eliminate them. The light-receiving sorting unit 6 sorts the edamame G into good and defective soybeans.

[0034] [Configuration of the supply section] 1, the supply unit 2 includes a hopper 21 that stores the edamame G supplied from the basket C1, and a supply device 22 that supplies the edamame G stored in the hopper 21 to the sliding surface unit 3. The supply device 22 includes a belt unit 22d that is wound around a lower rotor 22a and an upper rotor 22b and has a large number of receiving portions 22c that receive the edamame G. When the belt unit 22d is driven, the edamame G stored in the hopper 21 is supplied to the sliding surface unit 3 that is located above the hopper 21.

[0035] The supply unit 2 also includes a side cover body 23 that covers the sides of the belt unit 22d in the width direction, and an upper cover body 24 that covers the upper rotor 22b from above.

[0036] [Configuration of sliding surface portion] 3 and 4, the sliding surface unit 3 has a sliding surface 31 that slides and transports the edamame G in the transport direction, and side walls 32 that extend upward from the sliding surface 31 at both front edge portions of the sliding surface 31. The edamame G supplied from the supply unit 2 are supplied onto the sliding surface 31.

[0037] Specifically, the sliding surface 31 is the upper surface of a planar member and is flat. The sliding surface 31 is inclined, and is configured to be positioned lower in the direction of gravity as it approaches the downstream side. The sliding surface 31 vibrates due to the operation of the vibration generating mechanism 8, thereby causing the edamame beans G on the sliding surface 31 to slide and be transported.

[0038] [Configuration of downstream end portion of sliding surface] 3 and 4, the sliding surface 31 has a sliding edge 34 at the downstream end of the sliding surface 31. Specifically, the sliding edge 34 is the front edge of the flat plate-like member that forms the sliding surface 31. The sliding edge 34 is located at the downstream end of the sliding surface unit 3, and the edamame G pass over the sliding edge 34 and fall into the conveying unit 4.

[0039] The sliding edge portions 34 of the sliding surface portion 3 are provided above the transport route Ra of the transport portion 4, which will be described later, and are provided separately for each of the multiple transport routes Ra. In the illustrated example, seven sliding edge portions 34 are provided for the seven transport routes Ra. In the following description, with respect to the forward direction in the transport direction in FIG. 3 as the reference, the direction corresponding to the left side (the direction of arrow L) is referred to as "left" and the direction corresponding to the right side (the direction of arrow R) is referred to as "right", and the seven sliding edge portions 34 will be referred to as the first to seventh sliding edge portions 34 in order from the left.

[0040] The sliding edges 34 are located at the front ends of the sliding surface 31 and extend obliquely relative to the front direction. The first, third, fifth, and seventh sliding edges 34 extend obliquely so as to be positioned further left downstream, while the second, fourth, and sixth sliding edges 34 extend obliquely so as to be positioned further right downstream. In other words, the sliding edges 34 extend in a direction intersecting the extension direction of adjacent sliding edges 34, and the front ends of the sliding surface 31 are formed in a zigzag shape in a plan view.

[0041] Because the sliding edge 34 extends obliquely relative to the forward direction, for example, when edamame G are transported near the sliding edge 34 in a position where their longitudinal direction intersects the forward direction in a plan view, only one side of the edamame G in the longitudinal direction protrudes from the sliding edge 34. When the edamame G are transported further forward, the end of the edamame G that protrudes from the sliding edge 34 faces downward, and falls in this state onto the transport path Ra of the transport unit 4. When only one longitudinal end of the edamame G is in contact with the transport unit 4, the end of the edamame G in contact with the transport unit 4 is pulled forward by the transport unit 4, and the edamame G are likely to assume an orientation where their longitudinal direction is along the transport direction.

[0042] That is, the sliding surface unit 3 and a first conveying unit 4A (conveying path Ra) of the conveying unit 4, which will be described later, align the edamame G so that their longitudinal directions are aligned along the conveying direction. The configuration formed by the sliding surface unit 3 and the first conveying unit 4A (conveying path Ra), which conveys the supplied edamame G and aligns the edamame G so that their longitudinal directions are aligned along the conveying direction, will hereinafter be referred to as the alignment unit AL.

[0043] The sliding surface 31 is provided with a plurality of vertical walls 35 that are arranged at positions corresponding to the spaces between adjacent transport paths Ra and extend along the transport direction. Specifically, the vertical walls 35 are plate-shaped members that extend perpendicular to the sliding surface 31. In this embodiment, three vertical walls 35 are provided. The three vertical walls 35 in FIG. 3 are referred to as the first to third vertical walls 35, in order from the left.

[0044] Each vertical wall 35 is provided between the side walls 32 on both sides at a position corresponding to the downstream end of each of the plurality of sliding edges 34. The first vertical wall 35 is located between the second sliding edge 34 and the third sliding edge 34, the second vertical wall 35 is located between the fourth sliding edge 34 and the fifth sliding edge 34, and the third vertical wall 35 is located between the sixth sliding edge 34 and the seventh sliding edge 34. In other words, the vertical walls 35 are arranged on the upper surface of the sliding surface portion 3 between adjacent sliding edges 34.

[0045] [Configuration of the transport unit] 3 and 4, the conveying section 4 includes a first conveying section 4A and a second conveying section 4B located downstream of the first conveying section 4A. The first conveying section 4A and the second conveying section 4B are inclined, and are configured so that the more downstream they are located, the lower they are in the direction of gravity. The conveying section 4 vibrates due to the operation of the vibration generating mechanism 8, thereby slidingly conveying the edamame beans G on the conveying section 4.

[0046] Each of the first conveying section 4A and the second conveying section 4B extends along the conveying direction and includes a plurality of vertical walls 41 arranged at intervals in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. Between the vertical walls 41, the bottom of the conveying section 4 is formed into a V-shape in cross section perpendicular to the conveying direction.

[0047] The edamame beans G enter between the multiple vertical walls 41 and are transported forward. That is, the transport routes Ra and Rb of the transport unit 4 are formed by multiple vertical walls 41. In other words, the vertical walls 41 are provided between adjacent transport routes Ra and between adjacent transport routes Rb, and the transport routes Ra and Rb each have a vertical wall 41 on both sides in the width direction.

[0048] With the above configuration, the first conveying unit 4A is configured to have multiple rows of conveying paths Ra aligned horizontally and extending along the conveying direction, and the second conveying unit 4B is configured to have multiple rows of conveying paths Rb aligned horizontally. In this embodiment, seven conveying paths Ra and seven conveying paths Rb are provided. In FIG. 3, with respect to the forward direction in the conveying direction, the direction corresponding to the left side (the direction of arrow L) is defined as "left" and the direction corresponding to the right side (the direction of arrow R) is defined as "right." The seven conveying paths Ra are referred to as the first to seventh conveying paths Ra from the left, and the seven conveying paths Rb are referred to as the first to seventh conveying paths Rb from the left.

[0049] 3, the first conveying path Ra of the first conveying unit 4A is disposed at a position corresponding to the first conveying path Rb of the second conveying unit 4B, and the edamame G conveyed on the first conveying path Ra of the first conveying unit 4A are conveyed on the first conveying path Rb of the second conveying unit 4B. Similarly, the second to seventh conveying paths Ra of the first conveying unit 4A are disposed at positions corresponding to the second to seventh conveying paths Rb of the second conveying unit 4B, respectively.

[0050] The vertical walls 35 are disposed at positions corresponding to some of the vertical walls 41a of the first transport section 4A. Specifically, the first vertical wall 35 is disposed at a position corresponding to the vertical wall 41a between the second transport path Ra and the third transport path Ra, the second vertical wall 35 is disposed at a position corresponding to the vertical wall 41a between the fourth transport path Ra and the fifth transport path Ra, and the third vertical wall 35 is disposed at a position corresponding to the vertical wall 41a between the sixth transport path Ra and the seventh transport path Ra.

[0051] The downstream end of the first conveying section 4A is located above the upstream end of the second conveying section 4B, and a step is formed between the downstream end of the first conveying section 4A and the upstream end of the second conveying section 4B.

[0052] [Configuration of the non-separated product sorting section] Some edamame G have multiple pods connected via stalks, and some have a stalk with the stalk of another pod attached. The conveying section 4 is equipped with a non-separated product sorting section 70 (corresponding to the "sorting section" of the present invention) that sorts the edamame G supplied from the aligning section AL into separated products, which are separated into a single pod or a single pod and the stalk corresponding to the single pod, and non-separated products Ge, which are not separated products, such as those in which multiple pods are connected via stalks or those in which the stalk has the stalk of another pod attached, as shown by the symbol "Ge" in Figures 3 and 4.

[0053] The non-separated product sorting section 70 has a recovery section 71 that recovers non-separated products Ge, a non-separated product transport section 72 that transports non-separated products Ge to the recovery section 71, and a passing / falling section 73 that drops the separated products toward the second transport section 4B.

[0054] The recovery unit 71 is formed in a box shape with an open top and an opening 71M on the first transport unit 4A side. The recovery unit 71 is supported by left and right recovery support members 75 that support the recovery unit 71. It is located downstream of the first transport unit 4A and above the transport path Rb of the second transport unit 4B, and is attached in a state where it covers the second transport unit 4B from above.

[0055] The collection unit 71 is provided with a grippable handle 76 on the downstream side. The collection unit 71 is detachably supported on the collection support unit 75, and can be easily removed by gripping the handle 76.

[0056] The recovery support part 75 is supported by left and right covers 11 that cover the lower parts of the sliding surface part 3, the transport part 4, and the delivery part 5 from the left and right. The recovery support part 75 supports the left and right edge parts of the recovery part 71.

[0057] In this embodiment, the non-separated item conveying section 72 is integral with the vertical wall 41a of the first conveying section 4A, and is formed in the front portion of the vertical wall 41a. The non-separated item conveying section 72 is formed so as to extend further downstream from the downstream end of the first conveying section 4A.

[0058] The downstream end of the non-separated item conveying section 72 is formed to extend above the upstream (rear) edge in the conveying direction of the opening 71M of the recovery section 71. With this configuration, the downstream end of the non-separated item conveying section 72 overlaps with the recovery section 71 in a plan view.

[0059] The passing / falling section 73 is an opening surrounded by the downstream end of the first conveying section 4A and the non-separated item conveying section 72.

[0060] [Configuration of vibration generating mechanism] 4, the vibration generating mechanism 8 includes a drive device 81 made up of an electric motor and a rotating member 82 that generates vibrations. The rotating member 82 includes a rotation axis (not shown) at a position offset from the center position.

[0061] Although not described in detail, the rotating member 82 abuts against the abutment portion 42 provided at the bottom of the conveying portion 4, and is driven to rotate by the driving device 81, thereby generating vibrations in the conveying portion 4. The rotating member 82 also applies vibrations to the sliding surface portion 3 via the conveying portion 4.

[0062] [Operation of edamame in the alignment section and non-separated product sorting section] The edamame beans G are supplied from the supply unit 2 to the sliding surface 31 of the sliding surface unit 3. The edamame beans G supplied to the sliding surface 31 are slidably conveyed toward the sliding edge portion 34 by the vibration generated by the vibration generating mechanism 8.

[0063] If the edamame G are unseparated products Ge, when the edamame G fall from the sliding edge 34 onto the conveying path Ra of the first conveying section 4A, the multiple fruits (pods) are connected to one another and may get caught on the vertical wall 41a of the first conveying section 4A. In other words, the edamame G straddles the vertical wall 41a and sits on top. The edamame G that sits on the vertical wall 41a moves over the vertical wall 41a and is conveyed to the unseparated product conveying section 72. The edamame G conveyed to the unseparated product conveying section 72 enters the recovery section 71 through the opening 71M.

[0064] Edamame G that are not transported to the non-separated product transport section 72 fall between the vertical walls 41a, i.e., onto the transport path Ra. Edamame G that fall onto the transport path Ra move along the transport path Ra in the transport direction. Edamame G that reach the downstream end of the first transport section 4A fall into the second transport section 4B via the passing and falling section 73. In other words, the passing and falling section 73 mainly causes the separated products of the edamame G to fall downward.

[0065] The second conveying section 4B, which is provided below the passing and dropping section 73, conveys the edamame G that have dropped from the passing and dropping section, and aligns the edamame G by means of the vertical wall 41b so that the longitudinal direction of the edamame G is aligned along the conveying direction. In other words, the second conveying section 4B is configured as a post-sorting alignment section that aligns separated products of the edamame G. The edamame G are conveyed toward the sending section 5 in the second conveying section 4B, passing under the recovery section 71.

[0066] [Configuration of the sending unit] 5 and 6, the sending section 5 is located downstream of the conveying section 4. The sending section 5 sends out the edamame G conveyed from the conveying section 4 toward the light-receiving sorting section 6.

[0067] The delivery section 5 is equipped with a delivery device 51 that delivers the edamame G in the conveying direction, a vertical wall 52 that maintains the longitudinal direction of the edamame G along the conveying direction, and a regulating section 55 that prevents the edamame G from jumping out of the delivery section 5.

[0068] The delivery device 51 is a belt conveyor including an upstream rotor 51a, a downstream rotor 51b, and an endless belt 51c wound around these, and delivers the edamame G in the conveying direction at a speed faster than that of the conveying section 4. The upper surface of the endless belt 51c is configured to extend in a substantially horizontal direction.

[0069] A plurality of vertical walls 52 are provided above the delivery device 51 and extend along the conveyance direction.

[0070] 6, the vertical walls 52 are arranged at intervals in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and the edamame G are delivered by the delivery device 51 while being trapped between the vertical walls 52. The plurality of vertical walls 52 form a delivery path Rc for the edamame G in the delivery section 5. In other words, the delivery path Rc extends along the conveying direction, and the vertical walls 52 are provided on both sides of the delivery path Rc in the width direction.

[0071] In this embodiment, seven delivery paths Rc are provided. In the following description, in Fig. 6, the direction corresponding to the left side (the direction of arrow L) relative to the forward direction in the conveyance direction is referred to as "left" and the direction corresponding to the right side (the direction of arrow R) is referred to as "right," and the seven delivery paths Rc are referred to as the first to seventh delivery paths Rc in order from the left.

[0072] The multiple sending-out paths Rc are each arranged at a position corresponding to the multiple rows of conveying paths Ra of the conveying unit 4. In the sending-out unit 5, the edamame G are inserted between the vertical walls 52, and are maintained in a position with their longitudinal direction aligned with the conveying direction. Specifically, the first sending-out path Rc is arranged at a position corresponding to the first conveying path Ra, and the edamame G conveyed on the first conveying path Ra enters the first sending-out path Rc and is sent out on the first sending-out path Rc toward the light-receiving sorting unit 6. Similarly, the second to seventh sending-out paths Rc are arranged at positions corresponding to the second to seventh conveying paths Ra, respectively.

[0073] The vertical wall 52 is supported by a first support member 53 provided on the upstream side of the upper edge of the vertical wall 52 and a second support member 54 provided on the downstream side of the upper edge of the vertical wall 52.

[0074] [Configuration of the Restriction Unit] 3 to 5, a regulating unit 55 is provided for each of the first to seventh delivery paths Rc. That is, seven regulating units 55 are provided, each covering one of the first to seventh delivery paths Rc from above. In the following description, in FIG. 3, the direction corresponding to the left side (the direction of arrow L) relative to the forward direction in the conveyance direction is referred to as the "left," and the direction corresponding to the right side (the direction of arrow R) is referred to as the "right," and the seven regulating units 55 are referred to as the first to seventh regulating units 55 from the left.

[0075] Each of the restricting portions 55 has a cover 55a and a restricting member 55b provided below the cover 55a. The restricting member 55b is curved in a U-shape so as to bulge downward. With this configuration, most of the restricting member 55b (at least the lower end) is located below the upper edge of the vertical wall 52.

[0076] The cover 55a is formed in a plate shape. Here, a swing shaft 56 is provided across the left and right recovery support parts 75. With this configuration, the swing shaft 56 is provided above the upstream end part of the delivery part 5 (delivery path Rc).

[0077] In each of the restricting portions 55, the upstream end portion of the cover body 55a of the restricting portion 55 is supported so as to be able to swing on the swing shaft 56. In other words, the swing shaft 56, which serves as the swing axis of the restricting portion 55, is disposed at the upstream end portion of the restricting portion 55.

[0078] Furthermore, the downstream end portion of the lid body 55a of the restricting portion 55 abuts against the upper surface of the first support member 53 from above.

[0079] With the above-described configuration, each regulating portion 55 is swingably supported at a location located above the vertical wall 52 in the upstream portion of the delivery section 5. Each regulating portion 55 is configured to be swingable up and down around the swing axis 56, which serves as the swing axis.

[0080] [Configuration of the light receiving and selecting unit] 5 and 6, the light-receiving sorting unit 6 includes upper and lower light-receiving units 61 that receive light reflected by the edamame soybeans G, a plurality of light sources 63 (corresponding to the "illumination unit" of the present invention) for irradiating the edamame G with light, a rejection device E that rejects defective edamame G, and an outer cover 60 that covers these. The light-receiving sorting unit 6 also includes an ECU 64 shown in FIG. 8. The ECU 64 is a processing device, and as shown in FIG. 8, the light-receiving sorting unit 6 includes a pass / fail determination unit P, which is a functional unit that is realized by the ECU 64 executing a program.

[0081] 5 and 6, the light receiving unit 61 is provided downstream of the downstream end of the delivery device 51. The edamame G delivered from the delivery device 51 falls freely in a parabolic curve from the downstream end of the delivery device 51 as shown by the arrow in FIG. 5, and passes through the measurement target area M.

[0082] Three light sources 63 are provided above and three below the measurement target area M. The light sources 63 illuminate the measurement target area M from above and below.

[0083] The upper and lower light receiving units 61 each include one light receiving device 61P above and one below the measurement target area M. Each light receiving device 61P receives light that is irradiated by a light source 63 and reflected by edamame beans G located in the measurement target area M. The upper and lower light receiving units 61 each include a transparent member 61T made of a plate-like member that transmits light between the upper light receiving device 61P and the measurement target area M, and between the lower light receiving device 61P and the measurement target area M.

[0084] The rejecting device E blows air at defective edamame beans G sent out from the delivery device 51 to reject them. Multiple rejecting devices E are arranged side by side with gaps between them. In this embodiment, seven rejecting devices E are arranged. In the following explanation, the seven rejecting devices E in Figure 6 will be referred to as the first to seventh rejecting devices E, with the direction corresponding to the left side (the direction of arrow L) being the "left" and the direction corresponding to the right side (the direction of arrow R) being the "right" based on the forward direction in the conveying direction.

[0085] The plurality of delivery paths Rc of the delivery unit 5 are configured to be located at positions corresponding to the respective excluding devices E. Specifically, the first delivery path Rc is located at a position corresponding to the first excluding device E, and the edamame G delivered from the first delivery path Rc are removed by being blown with air by the first excluding device E. Similarly, the second to seventh delivery paths Rc are located at positions corresponding to the second to seventh excluding devices E, respectively.

[0086] The light reception information from the light receiving section 61 is sent to a quality determining section P of the ECU 64. The quality determining section P determines whether the edamame G is quality based on the light reception information from the light receiving section 61.

[0087] The rejection device E is configured to blow air toward the longitudinal center of edamame G that have been determined to be defective by the quality determination section P. The edamame G that have had air blown onto them have their falling path changed as shown by the dashed arrow in Figure 5, and are placed in basket C2 (see Figure 1). With this configuration, the rejection device E sorts the edamame G into good and defective products based on the determination result of the quality determination section P.

[0088] The non-defective edamame beans G are not subjected to air blowing by the excluding device E, and are sent to the manual sorting section 7. The edamame beans G sent to the manual sorting section 7 are sorted by an operator.

[0089] [Configuration of removal unit] As described above, the edamame G freely fall in a parabolic trajectory and pass through the measurement target area M, but may not reach the manual sorting unit 7 and remain as residue on the transparent member 61T. Also, mud and the like that had adhered to the edamame G may remain as residue on the transparent member 61T. The bean sorting machine 1 is provided with a removal unit 65 that removes residue remaining on the transparent member 61T of the light receiving unit 61.

[0090] As shown in Figures 5 to 7, the removal unit 65 has an air injection device 66 that injects air toward the transparent member 61T of the light receiving unit 61 to blow away any residue remaining on the transparent member 61T of the lower light receiving unit 61.

[0091] The air injection device 66 has a plurality of injection holes 66a through which air can be injected from an air pump (not shown). The plurality of injection holes 66a are arranged side by side.

[0092] 8, the ECU 64 is provided with a residual object determination unit T, which is a functional unit realized by executing a program. The residual object determination unit T determines that a residual object remains on the transparent member 61T of the light receiving unit 61 when it detects from the light receiving information of the light receiving unit 61 that an object that has not moved for more than a predetermined time (for example, one second) is present.

[0093] When the residue determination unit T determines that residue remains on the transparent member 61T of the light receiving unit 61, the removal unit 65 performs a process to remove the residue remaining on the transparent member 61T of the lower light receiving unit 61, that is, it sprays air from all of the spray holes 66a toward the transparent member 61T. At this time, air may be sprayed from the spray holes 66a by operating an air pump (not shown), or air may be sprayed from the spray holes 66a by opening a cover provided on the spray holes 66a while the air pump (not shown) is always operating.

[0094] When air is jetted from the jet holes 66a toward the transmissive member 61T, residues on the transmissive member 61T of the light receiving section 61 are removed by the jetted air.

[0095] [Configuration of the air blower] As shown in FIG. 5, on the side of the light receiving and selecting section 6 toward the sending section 5 (upstream side), a blowing section 67 that blows air toward the transmitting member 61T of the light receiving section 61 is provided.

[0096] The air blowing section 67 is disposed above the delivery device 51 (delivery path Rc) of the delivery section 5. The air blowing section 67 includes a rotary fan 68 that generates air by being rotationally driven by a drive device (not shown), and an air blowing cover 69 that covers the front side of the rotary fan 68 and has an opening below the rotary fan 68.

[0097] 7, a notch 69a is formed in the lower portion of the blower cover 69, into which the upper edge of the vertical wall 52 fits. By fitting the upper edge of the vertical wall 52 into the notch 69a, the height position of the upper edge of the vertical wall 52 is configured to be higher than the height position of the lower end of the blower cover 69.

[0098] 5, a number of holes 60a are formed in the outer cover 60 at a position corresponding to the rear position of the rotary fan 68. When the rotary fan 68 is driven to rotate, air is sent from the holes 60a formed in the outer cover 60 toward the opening of the air supply cover 69. The air sent from the air supply unit 67 allows the edamame G to efficiently reach the manual sorting unit 7 from the downstream end of the delivery device 51, and it is possible to reduce the inconvenience of the edamame G remaining in the transparent member 61T of the light receiving unit 61.

[0099] [Another embodiment] Hereinafter, another embodiment in which the above embodiment is modified will be exemplified.

[0100] (1) In the above embodiment, an example configuration including the collection unit 71 and the non-separated item transport unit 72 that transports the non-separated item Ge to the collection unit 71 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, a configuration including only the non-separated item transport unit 72 may also be used.

[0101] (2) In the above embodiment, the non-separable item conveying section 72 is described as being integrally formed with the vertical wall 41, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the vertical wall 41 and the non-separable item conveying section 72 may be formed separately.

[0102] (3) In the above embodiment, a configuration in which a vertical wall 35 is provided on the sliding surface 31 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and a configuration in which a vertical wall 35 is not provided may also be used.

[0103] (4) In the above embodiment, the second conveying section 4B is described as being configured as a post-sorting alignment section that aligns separated edamame G using vertical wall 41b, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the second conveying section 4B may be configured without vertical wall 41b.

[0104] (5) In the above embodiment, the restricting portion 55 is supported above the vertical wall 52 of the delivery portion 5. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the restricting portion 55 may be supported in the center portion of the vertical wall 52 of the delivery portion 5 in the up-down direction.

[0105] (6) In the above embodiment, the restricting unit 55 is provided separately for each of the first to seventh delivery paths Rc, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the restricting unit 55 may be integrally configured to cover the tops of all of the first to seventh delivery paths Rc.

[0106] (7) In the above embodiment, the swing shaft 56 is provided above the upstream end portion of the delivery section 5 (delivery path Rc), and the upstream end portion of the regulating section 55 is swingably supported by the swing shaft 56. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the swing shaft 56 may be provided in the center of the delivery section 5 (delivery path Rc) in the conveying direction, and the downstream end portion of the regulating section 55 may be swingably supported by the swing shaft 56.

[0107] (8) In the above embodiment, the restricting portion 55 includes the lid 55a and the restricting member 55b. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the restricting portion 55 may be configured only with the lid 55a without the restricting member 55b.

[0108] (9) In the above embodiment, the restricting member 55b is curved in a U-shape so as to bulge downward, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the restricting member 55b may be a rectangular pillar member or the like extending along the conveying direction of the delivery unit 5.

[0109] (10) In the above embodiment, the removal unit 65 is configured to inject air from the injection holes 66a when the residue determination unit T determines that residue remains in the transparent member 61T of the light receiving unit 61. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the removal unit 65 may be configured to always inject air from the injection holes 66a.

[0110] (11) In the above embodiment, the upper and lower light receiving units 61 are configured to include a transparent member 61T, which is a plate-like member that transmits light, between the light receiving device 61P and the measurement target region M. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the light receiving unit 61 may be configured not to include the transparent member 61T. In this case, the remover 65 may be configured to remove any residue remaining on the light receiving device 61P.

[0111] (12) In the above embodiment, the removal unit 65 is configured to inject air from all of the injection holes 66a toward the transparent member 61T, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the residue determination unit T may be configured to be able to identify locations on the transparent member 61T where residue remains, and the removal unit 65 may be configured so that only the injection holes 66a at positions corresponding to the locations identified as containing residue inject air.

[0112] (13) In the above embodiment, the removal unit 65 is configured to remove residue remaining on the transparent member 61T of the lower light receiving unit 61. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the removal unit 65 may be configured to remove residue remaining by adhering to the transparent member 61T of the upper light receiving unit 61, or may be configured to perform a process to remove residue from both the upper and lower light receiving units.

[0113] (14) In the above embodiment, a configuration in which the blower section 67 is provided is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the configuration may also be one in which the blower section 67 is not provided.

[0114] (15) In the above embodiment, the light receiving unit 61 is described as having a light receiving device 61P that receives light irradiated by the light source 63 and reflected by the edamame beans G located in the measurement target area M. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the light receiving unit 61 may be configured to have a photographing device such as a camera instead of the light receiving device 61P.

[0115] The configurations disclosed in the above embodiments (including other embodiments, the same applies hereinafter) can be applied in combination with the configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no contradiction occurs. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0116] The present invention can be used as a bean sorter for sorting beans such as peas, kidney beans, broad beans, and peanuts in addition to edamame. [Explanation of symbols]

[0117] 1:Bean sorting machine 3:Sliding surface part 4: Transport section 4B: Second conveying section (post-sorting alignment section) 31: Sliding surface 34:Sliding edge 35: Vertical wall 41(41a,41b): Vertical wall 52: Vertical wall 61: Light receiving part 63: Light source (lighting part) 70: Non-separated product sorting section (sorting section) 71: Recovery Department 72: Non-separated product conveying section 73: Passing fall section AL: Alignment section E: Rejection device (good / bad sorting section) M: Measurement target area P: Good / bad judgement section G: Edamame (sorted beans)

Claims

1. an alignment unit that aligns the supplied objects to be sorted while conveying the objects so that the longitudinal direction of the objects is aligned with the conveying direction; A sorting unit that sorts the objects to be sorted supplied from the alignment unit into separated products separated into a single pod portion or a single pod portion and a fruit stalk corresponding to the single pod portion, and non-separated products other than the separated products; an illumination unit that illuminates a measurement target area; a light receiving unit that receives light that is irradiated by the illumination unit and reflected by the objects to be sorted that are located in the measurement target area; a quality determination unit that determines whether the objects to be sorted are good or bad based on the light reception information from the light receiving unit; and a quality sorting section that sorts the objects into good and bad products based on the results of the judgment by the quality judging section.

2. The pulse sorter according to claim 1 , wherein the sorting unit includes a collection unit that collects the non-separated products, and an non-separated product transport unit that transports the non-separated products to the collection unit.

3. the alignment unit has a conveyance path extending along the conveyance direction, and a sliding surface unit provided above the conveyance path and slidingly moving the sorted objects toward the conveyance path, the conveying path has vertical walls provided on both sides in a width direction of the conveying path and extending along a conveying direction of the objects to be sorted, The pulse sorter according to claim 2, wherein the non-separated product conveying section is integrally formed with the vertical wall.

4. The conveying path is provided in a plurality of rows arranged side by side, the sliding surface portion is located at a downstream end of the sliding surface portion in the conveying direction and has sliding edges provided respectively for the plurality of conveying paths, 4. The bean sorter according to claim 3, wherein the sliding edge portions extend obliquely in a direction intersecting with a direction in which adjacent sliding edge portions extend.

5. a plurality of vertical walls provided on an upper surface of the sliding surface portion and extending along the conveying direction of the conveying path; the vertical walls are provided between the plurality of conveying paths, The pulse sorter according to claim 4 , wherein the vertical wall is disposed at a position corresponding to a part of the vertical walls.

6. The bean sorter according to claim 5, wherein the vertical wall is disposed between adjacent sliding edge portions on the upper surface of the sliding surface portion.

7. The pulse sorter according to claim 2 , wherein a downstream end of the non-separated product conveying section in the conveying direction overlaps with the collecting section in a plan view.

8. The pulse sorter according to claim 2, wherein the collecting section is detachably attached.

9. The pulse sorter according to claim 1 , wherein the sorting section has a passing / falling section through which the separated products from the sorted objects fall downward.

10. A bean sorting machine as described in claim 9, further comprising a post-sorting alignment section that is provided below the passing and dropping section and that aligns the sorted objects so that their longitudinal directions are aligned with the conveying direction while transporting the sorted objects that have fallen from the passing and dropping section.

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