Discharge system for vegetable and fruit sorting device
The fruit sorting system optimizes discharge outlets using real-time data to minimize transport distance and power consumption, addressing inefficiencies in conventional systems by adapting to varying produce qualities and quantities.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2024065560
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-04-15
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-27
AI Technical Summary
Conventional fruit sorting devices face inefficiencies due to fixed discharge outlets, leading to extended sorting times and increased electricity consumption when produce quality and quantity vary by season or producer.
A fruit sorting system that automatically allocates optimal discharge outlets based on real-time sorting data, minimizing transport distance and power consumption by prioritizing high-volume grades and qualities to specific outlets.
Reduces sorting time and electricity use by dynamically adjusting discharge outlets, ensuring efficient operation regardless of seasonal or producer variations.
Smart Images
Figure 2025162331000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a fruit discharge system of a fruit sorting device that discharges fruits and vegetables to a predetermined outlet based on, for example, grade or quality during the sorting work of fruits and vegetables. [Background technology]
[0002] Conventionally, when sorting fruits and vegetables at sorting facilities, a sorting device is used that transports the fruits using a conveying device such as a PK conveyor using a piano key-shaped conveyor or a flat belt conveyor, and determines the grade and quality of the fruits and vegetables using, for example, an appearance inspection device or an internal quality inspection device, and then discharges each fruit and vegetable into a discharge outlet sorted by grade and quality based on the results of this determination.
[0003] As shown in Figure 4, such a fruit sorting device 100 includes an inspection device 104, such as an appearance inspection device or an internal quality inspection device, a conveying means 106, and multiple discharge outlets 102a to 102e. Fruit and vegetables inspected by the inspection device 104 are conveyed in one direction by the conveying means 106 and discharged to each of the discharge outlets 102a to 102e based on the inspection results by the inspection device 104.
[0004] For example, each outlet 102a to 102e is set to discharge fruits and vegetables with a high sugar content (outlet 102a), fruits and vegetables with a medium sugar content (outlet 102b), fruits and vegetables with a low sugar content (outlet 102c), fruits and vegetables that do not meet the standards (outlet 102d), and damaged fruits (outlet 102e). Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0005] In such a conventional fruit sorting device 100, the previously set discharge outlet is generally operated without being changed. Considering the flow of traffic after the sorting work, it is possible to set the outlet (e.g., outlet 102e) closest to the next work location to discharge fruits and vegetables of a grade and quality that will be discharged in large quantities (e.g., medium-quality fruits and vegetables), or conversely, to set the outlet (e.g., outlet 102a) closer to the inspection device 104 to discharge fruits and vegetables of a grade and quality that will be discharged in large quantities in order to shorten the transport distance of the fruits and vegetables after inspection, in order to shorten the time required for the sorting work and reduce the electricity required to transport the fruits and vegetables.
[0006] However, the grade and quality of produce discharged varies depending on the time of year and producer. Therefore, if the grade and quality of produce discharged at each outlet were fixed, depending on the time of year and producer, the time required for sorting could be extended and the electricity required to transport the produce could increase.
[0007] In view of the current situation, the present invention aims to provide a fruit sorting system and fruit sorting method that can automatically allocate the optimal discharge outlet for inspection, thereby shortening the time required for sorting work and reducing the amount of electricity required to transport fresh produce, regardless of the time of year or producer. [Means for solving the problem]
[0008] The present invention has been invented to solve the problems in the prior art as described above, and the fruit discharge system of the fruit sorting device of the present invention includes the following configuration.
[0009] [1] A fruit sorting system for sorting fruits and vegetables while transporting them by a transport means, which discharges the fruits and vegetables to different discharge outlets depending on the rank of the fruits and vegetables, a control device that stores previously acquired sorting data and sorts the rank of the fruits and vegetables based on the inspection results of the fruits and vegetables inspected by the fruits and vegetables inspection device; a sorting and discharging device having a plurality of discharge outlets and a discharge mechanism for discharging the fruits and vegetables to the discharge outlets; Equipped with The control device is configured to count the number of fruits and vegetables for each rank based on the sorting data at the start of the sorting operation, and assign ranks with the largest number of fruits and vegetables to the fruits and vegetables in order from the discharge outlet located upstream of the conveying means; A fruit discharge system characterized in that the control device is configured to control the sorting and discharge device based on the rank of the fruits and vegetables during the sorting operation, and discharge the fruits and vegetables to a discharge outlet corresponding to the rank of the fruits and vegetables.
[0010] [2] The fruit sorting system described in [1], characterized in that the sorting data is sorting data obtained during the most recent sorting operation, or sorting data obtained by selecting some of the fruits and vegetables and performing preliminary sorting before the sorting operation. [Effects of the Invention]
[0011] According to the present invention, the system is configured to automatically assign the optimal grade and quality to each outlet based on preliminary sorting or the most recent sorting data, eliminating the need for users to change settings each time, and ensuring a reduction in the time required for sorting work and the amount of electricity required to transport fresh produce. [Brief explanation of the drawings]
[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of a fruit sorting device including a fruit sorting system of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the structure of the conveying means for sorting fruit. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between each rank and the number of fruits and vegetables T. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a conventional fruit sorting device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments (examples) of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of a fruit sorting device including a fruit sorting system of the present invention.
[0014] 1, fruit sorting device 50 in this embodiment includes fruit and vegetable supplying means 22, fruit sorting conveying means 30, fruit and vegetable inspection device 40, and fruit removal system 10. In this embodiment, fruit and vegetable supplying means 22 and fruit sorting conveying means 30 constitute fruit and vegetable conveying device 20.
[0015] In this embodiment, the fruit and vegetable supply means 22 includes a hopper 24 into which the fruit and vegetable T is put by an operator, a supply conveying means 26 that removes the fruit and vegetable T stored in the hopper 24 and conveys it at a constant speed, and a chute 28 that is provided at the downstream end of the supply conveying means 26 and puts the fruit and vegetable T from the supply conveying means 26 into the sorting conveying means 30.
[0016] The fruit and vegetable supply means 22 is not particularly limited as long as it is configured to be able to supply fruit and vegetables T to the sorting conveying means 30 in approximately constant amounts, and any known supply means can be used, or the fruit and vegetables T may be placed directly on the sorting conveying means 30 by an operator.
[0017] The sorting conveying means 30 is composed of two flat belt conveyors 32, 32. The sorting conveying means 30 has an alignment section 30a that aligns the fruits and vegetables T, and a sorting section 30b that inspects the fruits and vegetables T using a fruit and vegetable inspection device described below and discharges the fruits and vegetables T to each discharge outlet according to the grade and quality (hereinafter simply referred to as "rank") of the fruits and vegetables T using the fruit discharge system 10.
[0018] In this specification, "rank" includes not only ranks based on quality such as sugar content, and ranks based on grades such as size, but also substandard and damaged fruits.
[0019] 2, in the fruit sorting conveying means 30 of this embodiment, the two flat belt conveyors 32, 32 are arranged in a substantially V-shape in the alignment section 30a. With this configuration, the fruits and vegetables T supplied to the fruit sorting conveying means 30 are aligned in the center of the width direction of the fruit sorting conveying means 30 according to their weight.
[0020] The inclination angle α of the two flat belt conveyors 32, 32 in the alignment section 30a is preferably changed as appropriate depending on the size of the fruits and vegetables T to be conveyed. With this configuration, the fruits and vegetables T come into contact with the two flat belt conveyors 32, 32 at two points, improving loading stability and making it easier to align the fruits and vegetables T near the center in the width direction of the sorting conveying means 30.
[0021] Furthermore, the sorting conveying means 30 is arranged so that the two flat belt conveyors 32, 32 are substantially horizontal in the sorting section 30b. By making the sorting section 30b flat in this way, the sorting conveying means 30 does not interfere with the inspection of the fruit or vegetable T by the fruit or vegetable inspection device 40 or the discharge operation of the fruit or vegetable T by the fruit discharge system 10.
[0022] In this embodiment, the flat belts 33, 33 of the two flat belt conveyors 32, 32 are twisted and arranged so as to be substantially V-shaped in the aligning section 30a and substantially horizontal in the sorting section 30b.
[0023] With this configuration, the two flat belts 33, 33 form a sorting conveying means 30 with a substantially V-shaped alignment section 30a and a substantially horizontal sorting section 30b. Furthermore, because the two flat belts 33, 33 are substantially horizontal in the alignment section 30a, the two flat belts 33, 33 can be configured to be driven by a single motor. This allows the conveying of the sorting conveying means 30 to be controlled by controlling a single power source, simplifying conveying control.
[0024] 3, the width of the flat belt 33 of the flat belt conveyor 32 and the width of the frame 34 of the flat belt conveyor 32 are configured to be approximately the same. This configuration can prevent the fruit or vegetable T from coming into contact with the frame 34 of the flat belt conveyor 32, and can avoid problems such as deceleration during conveyance due to the fruit or vegetable T coming into contact with the frame 34.
[0025] The fruit and vegetable inspection device 40 is a device that performs an external inspection of the fruit and vegetable T, an internal quality inspection, size detection, and the like.
[0026] The appearance inspection checks for the presence or absence of scratches that appear on the appearance of the fruit or vegetable T, and the presence or absence of abnormalities that appear on the surface or below the surface of the peel, such as water rot or abnormal dryness. Such appearance inspection can be performed using, for example, an inspection device using near-infrared spectroscopy or an inspection device using a visible light camera.
[0027] In the internal quality inspection, the internal quality of the fruit or vegetable T is inspected, such as sugar content, acidity, ripeness, and internal damage. Such internal quality can be inspected using, for example, an inspection device using near-infrared spectroscopy or an inspection device using ultrasound.
[0028] The size detection for detecting the size of the fruit or vegetable T can be performed using, for example, a detection device that uses image analysis with a visible light camera, a detection device that uses a displacement sensor, or a detection device that uses a photoelectric sensor.
[0029] The fruit and vegetable inspection device 40 may be one that performs at least one of appearance inspection, internal quality inspection, and size detection. Alternatively, the fruit and vegetable inspection device 40 may be configured by combining an appearance inspection device, an internal quality inspection device, and a size detection device.
[0030] The fruit discharge system 10 includes a sorting and discharge device 12 and a control device 18. The control device 18 ranks the fruit or vegetable T based on the inspection results such as the quality and size of the fruit or vegetable T inspected by the fruit or vegetable inspection device 40, and controls the sorting and discharging device 12 according to the rank.
[0031] Such a control device 18 can be, for example, a computer including an arithmetic unit, a storage device, an input / output device, etc. The computer may be an embedded system using a microcontroller or the like, or a personal computer or the like.
[0032] The sorting and discharging device 12 includes a plurality of discharge ports 14a to 14e and a discharge mechanism 16 for discharging the fruits and vegetables T to each of the discharge ports 14a to 14e. The discharge mechanism 16 is not particularly limited, but is configured, for example, to spray air onto the fruits and vegetables T or press an arm against the fruits and vegetables T, thereby discharging the fruits and vegetables T from above the sorting conveying means 30 to each discharge outlet 14a to 14e.
[0033] In the sorting device 50 of this embodiment, which is configured as described above, when the sorting operation begins, the control device 18 is configured to automatically assign ranks to the fruits and vegetables T discharged from each of the discharge outlets 14a to 14e based on the sorting data stored in the control device 18.
[0034] Specifically, the control device 18 counts the number of fruits and vegetables T by rank based on sorting data acquired in advance, such as sorting data acquired during the most recent sorting operation or sorting data acquired by selecting some fruits and vegetables and performing preliminary sorting before the sorting operation. Note that the sorting data only needs to include data that indicates the number of fruits and vegetables T by rank, and may be, for example, simply the number of fruits and vegetables by rank during preliminary sorting, or data that records information such as size and sugar content for each fruit and vegetable T.
[0035] The control device 18 then assigns ranks to the fruits T with the greatest number of pieces, starting from the discharge outlet 14a located upstream of the sorting conveying means 30. In this embodiment, fruits and vegetables T with a high sugar content are ranked A, fruits and vegetables T with a medium sugar content are ranked B, fruits and vegetables T with a low sugar content are ranked C, fruits and vegetables T that do not meet the standards are ranked D, and damaged fruits are ranked E.
[0036] In this case, if the number of fruits and vegetables T of each rank is distributed as shown in Figure 3, the control device 18 assigns rank B to the discharge outlet 14a, rank C to the discharge outlet 14b, rank D to the discharge outlet 14c, rank A to the discharge outlet 14d, and rank E to the discharge outlet 14e.
[0037] The control device 18 controls the sorting and discharge device 12 based on the rank of the sorted fruit or vegetable T and the rank assigned to each discharge outlet as described above, and discharges the fruit or vegetable T to a discharge outlet corresponding to the rank of the fruit or vegetable T.
[0038] This configuration can minimize the distance over which the fruit or vegetable T is transported by the fruit sorting transport means 30 during the fruit sorting operation, thereby minimizing the time required for the fruit sorting operation.
[0039] When the current consumed by the sorting conveying means 30 was measured, it increased by about 3% when a 3 kg weight was loaded compared to when it was operated with nothing loaded. In other words, by keeping the sorting conveying means 30 as empty as possible, it is possible to reduce the power consumption during the sorting process.
[0040] Therefore, as described above, by minimizing the distance over which the fruit or vegetable T is transported by the transport means for fruit sorting 30 during the fruit sorting operation, it is possible to reduce the power consumption during the sensor operation. Furthermore, by minimizing the time required for sorting work and the distance transported by the sorting conveying means 30, the load on the sorting conveying means 30 can also be reduced, which leads to a longer lifespan of the sorting conveying means 30 and ultimately to a longer lifespan of the sorting device 50.
[0041] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the object of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]
[0042] 10 Fruiting System 12 Sorting and discharge device 14a Outlet 14b Outlet 14c outlet 14d outlet 14e Outlet 16 Ejection mechanism 18 Control Device 20 Fruit and vegetable conveying device 22 Fruits and vegetables supply means 24 Hopper 26 Supply conveyance means 28 Shooter 30 Fruit sorting conveying means 30a Alignment section 30b Fruit Sorting Department 32 Flat belt conveyor 33 Flat belt 34 frames 40 Fruit and vegetable inspection equipment 50 Fruit sorting equipment 100 Fruit sorting equipment 102a Outlet 102b Outlet 102c outlet 102d outlet 102e Outlet 104 Inspection equipment 106 Transportation
Claims
1. A fruit sorting system for sorting fruits and vegetables while transporting the fruits and vegetables by a transport means, the fruit sorting system discharging the fruits and vegetables to different outlets depending on the rank of the fruits and vegetables, a control device that stores previously acquired sorting data and sorts the rank of the fruits and vegetables based on the inspection results of the fruits and vegetables inspected by the fruits and vegetables inspection device; a sorting and discharging device having a plurality of discharge outlets and a discharge mechanism for discharging the fruits and vegetables to the discharge outlets; Equipped with The control device is configured to count the number of fruits and vegetables for each rank based on the sorting data at the start of the sorting operation, and assign ranks with the largest number of fruits and vegetables to the fruits and vegetables in order from the discharge outlet located upstream of the conveying means; A fruit discharge system characterized in that the control device is configured to control the sorting and discharge device based on the rank of the fruits and vegetables during the sorting operation, and discharge the fruits and vegetables to a discharge outlet corresponding to the rank of the fruits and vegetables.
2. The fruit sorting system described in claim 1, characterized in that the sorting data is sorting data obtained during the most recent sorting operation, or sorting data obtained by selecting some of the fruits and vegetables and performing preliminary sorting before the sorting operation.