Sorting and boxing system

Abstract

To display the box quantity of agricultural products on an outer box when the agricultural products are boxed based on a total weight.SOLUTION: A sorting and boxing system includes: a weight measuring unit 113 that measures a weight of each of agricultural products; a plurality of pool conveyors 115 provided downstream of a sorting conveyor 111; a boxing area E corresponding to each of the pool conveyors; a label printer 138 that displays a box quantity on an outer box containing the agricultural products; and a control device capable of communicating with the weight measuring unit and the label printer. The control device includes: a calculation unit that calculates a storage weight that is a total weight of the agricultural products in each of the pool conveyors, based on the weight of the agricultural products acquired from the weight measuring unit, and counts the number of the agricultural products in each of the pool conveyors; a comparison unit that compares the storage weight of each of the pool conveyors with a packing weight that is a total weight determined for the outer box; and a designation unit that designates the counted number of the agricultural products on the label printer as the box quantity when the storage weight reaches the packing weight.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sorting and packing system for sorting and packing agricultural products into boxes. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, agricultural produce collection and shipping sites have been equipped with a sorting section that sorts agricultural produce brought in by producers and a boxing section that packs the sorted agricultural produce into boxes, and the boxed agricultural produce is then shipped. Patent Document 1 describes a sorting display device that includes a sorting means that sorts agricultural produce into multiple discharge paths set up according to class, and multiple monitors and labelers arranged corresponding to the multiple discharge paths. The monitors are devices that display identification information for agricultural products on the discharge paths, and the labelers are devices that print identification information for agricultural products on the discharge paths. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-23318 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the number of agricultural products to be packed into an outer box (the number of agricultural products to be packed) is predetermined for each grade, and this number is printed on an identification tag by a labeler. A packer picks up the required number of agricultural products from the discharge path and packs them into an outer box according to the number notation on the identification tag.

[0005] Depending on the type of agricultural produce, there may be a fixed-quantity boxing scenario in which only the total weight of the agricultural produce to be packed is predetermined, but the number of items packed is not. In the packing process for such fixed-quantity boxed agricultural produce, the agricultural produce is packed into the box while the outer box is placed on a scale and the total weight of the agricultural produce to be packed into the box is measured. In such cases, the number of items is not counted, and only the total weight is displayed on the outer box. Therefore, store staff at the shipping destination are unable to know the number of items packed until they open the outer box.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sorting and packing system that can display the number of agricultural products contained in an outer box when the agricultural products are packed based on the total weight. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the agricultural product sorting and packing system of the present invention is provided with a weight measuring unit that is provided on a transport route for the agricultural products and measures the weight of the transported agricultural products; a storage unit that stores the measured weight of the agricultural products; a packing area that places the stored agricultural products in an outer box; a display unit that displays the number of products in the outer box containing the agricultural products; and a control device that can communicate with the weight measuring unit and the display unit.The control device is characterized by having an arithmetic unit that calculates a stored weight, which is the total weight of the agricultural products stored in the storage unit, based on the weight of the agricultural products obtained from the weight measuring unit, and counts the number of stored agricultural products; a comparison unit that compares the stored weight with a packaging weight, which is the total weight of the agricultural products to be placed in the outer box; and a designation unit that, when the stored weight reaches the packaging weight, designates the counted number of agricultural products as the number of products in the display unit.

[0008] The sorting and packing system includes a size determination unit provided on the conveying path that determines the size of the agricultural products being conveyed, a plurality of the storage units, and a plurality of discharge units provided on the conveying path that correspond to each of the storage units, each of which is assigned a size of the agricultural product to be stored, and the control device controls the discharge units to store the agricultural product in the storage unit that corresponds to the size of the agricultural product obtained from the size determination unit.

[0009] In the above-mentioned sorting and packing system, the control device is characterized in that it varies the sizes assigned to each of the storage sections.

[0010] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned sorting and packing system, when the same size is assigned to two or more storage sections, the control device refers to the storage weights of the two or more storage sections, adds the weight of the agricultural product obtained from the weight measuring section to each of the calculated storage weights to calculate an added weight, and when the added weight exceeds the packaged weight, controls the discharge section to discharge the agricultural product into the storage section corresponding to the smallest added weight among the added weights that exceed the packaged weight. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the sorting and packing system of the present invention, when agricultural products are packaged based on total weight, the number of agricultural products contained can be displayed on the outer box. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing an outline of a sorting and packing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1A is a side view of a location where a determination device and a measurement device are provided in the sorting and packing system, and FIG. 1B is a side view of a packing area in the sorting and packing system. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the sorting and packing system. [Figure 4](a) an agricultural product information table possessed by the sorting control device of the sorting and encasing system; (b) a pool management table possessed by the sorting control device; and (c) an outer box management table possessed by the sorting control device. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the processing of the sorting control device. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the processing of the control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, a sorting and packing system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] [First embodiment] The sorting and encasing system 100 shown in Figure 1 is a system installed at a collection and shipping site for agricultural products W (Figure 2), and is a system that sorts and encases agricultural products W brought into the collection and shipping site. The agricultural products W handled by this sorting and encasing system 100 are, for example, onions, mandarin oranges, potatoes, etc., which are packed into outer boxes B (Figure 2) in fixed quantities based on a predetermined total weight. The sorting and encasing system 100 includes a sorting unit 110 and an encasing unit 130.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 1, the sorting unit 110 has the function of sorting agricultural products W brought into the collection and shipping area by size, and includes a sorting conveyor 111, a determination device 112, a measurement device 113, multiple discharge devices 114 (Fig. 2), multiple pool conveyors 115, and a sorting control device 150. Each component will be described below.

[0016] The sorting conveyor 111 functions as a conveying unit that conveys a plurality of agricultural products W in a single file at predetermined intervals in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The upstream end of the sorting conveyor 111 is connected to a supply unit (not shown), and agricultural products W brought into the collection and shipping area are supplied to the sorting conveyor 111 via the supply unit. As shown in FIG. 2, the sorting conveyor 111 includes a conveyor belt 116 on which the agricultural products W are placed, a motor (not shown) that drives the conveyor belt 116, and a conveyance control device (not shown) that controls the motor. The motor circulates the conveyor belt 116 at a constant speed based on an input signal input from the conveyance control device. In this embodiment, an upstream sorting conveyor 111a is provided upstream of a measuring device 113 (described below), and a downstream sorting conveyor 111b is provided downstream of the measuring device 113.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the assessment device 112 functions as a size assessment unit that assesses the size of the agricultural produce W and an external quality assessment unit that assesses the external quality. The size of the agricultural produce W is determined based on the external dimensions of the agricultural produce W, and is typically classified as L, M, or S. The external quality of the agricultural produce W is determined based on the amount of scratches and discoloration on the surface of the agricultural produce W, and is typically classified as excellent, good, fair, or below grade. The assessment device 112 typically includes a camera 117 and a computer 118 that can communicate with the camera 117 (hereinafter referred to as the "assessment computer 118 (assessment PC 118 in FIG. 2)"). The camera 117 is disposed above the conveyance path of the upstream sorting conveyor 111a and functions as an imaging unit that captures images of the agricultural produce W passing below it. The camera 117 captures images in synchronization with the passage of the agricultural produce W and inputs the generated images to the assessment computer 118. The determination computer 118 analyzes the image acquired from the camera 117 and determines the size and external quality of the agricultural produce W contained in the image. The determination computer 118 inputs determination information including the determined size and external quality to the sorting control device 150. Note that the determination device 112 is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be any device that can at least determine the size of the agricultural produce W.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the measuring device 113 functions as a weight measuring unit that measures the weight of the agricultural products W and is located downstream of the determining device 112 on the conveyance path of the sorting conveyor 111. The measuring device 113 includes an intermediate conveyor 111c, a weight sensor 119, and a measurement computer 120 (measurement PC 120 in FIG. 2). The intermediate conveyor 111c is a short-distance conveyor located between the upstream sorting conveyor 111a and the downstream sorting conveyor 111b. The intermediate conveyor 111c conveys the agricultural products W supplied from the upstream sorting conveyor 111a one by one and supplies the transported agricultural products W to the downstream sorting conveyor 111b. The weight sensor 119 detects the weight of the intermediate conveyor 111c on which the agricultural products W are placed and is typically a load cell located between the intermediate conveyor 111c and its frame (not shown). The weight sensor 119 inputs a signal corresponding to the detected weight to the measurement computer 120. The measurement computer 120 is a computer that calculates the weight of the agricultural produce W based on the signal input from the weight sensor 119, and inputs the calculated weight to the sorting control device 150. Note that the measuring device 113 is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be any device that measures the weight of the agricultural produce W.

[0019] 1 and 3, each of the discharge devices 114 functions as a discharge unit that discharges the agricultural produce W onto the corresponding pool conveyor 115. For example, the discharge devices 114 are pushers provided at each intersection of the sorting conveyor 111 and the pool conveyor 115. The discharge devices 114 are driven based on a discharge command input from the sorting control device 150, and discharge the agricultural produce W onto the pool conveyor 115.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the multiple pool conveyors 115 function as multiple storage sections that pool the agricultural products W while transporting the agricultural products W discharged from the sorting conveyor 111 toward the boxing section 130. The multiple pool conveyors 115 are disposed below the downstream sorting conveyor 111b so as to be perpendicular to the downstream sorting conveyor 111b. Each pool conveyor 115 includes an endless conveyor belt 121, a motor (not shown) that circulates the conveyor belt 121 at a constant speed, a gate 122 provided at the downstream end of the conveyor belt, and a storage control device (not shown) that controls the motor and the gate 122. The storage control device controls the opening and closing of the gate 122 based on an opening / closing command input from the sorting control device 150. When the gate 122 is closed, the agricultural products W on the conveyor belt 121 are blocked by the gate 122, resulting in the agricultural products W being pooled on the conveyor belt 121. On the other hand, when the gate 122 is open, the agricultural products W on the conveyor belt 121 pass through the gate 122 and are discharged into the boxing section 130.

[0021] In this embodiment, each pool conveyor 115 is assigned a size of the agricultural produce W to be transported. Specifically, the two rows of pool conveyors 115 located at the most downstream of the sorting conveyor 111 are assigned the S size. Hereinafter, each of the two rows of pool conveyors 115 will be referred to as the S size pool conveyor 115. The two rows of pool conveyors 115 located upstream of the S size pool conveyor 115 are assigned the M size. Hereinafter, each of the two rows of pool conveyors 115 will be referred to as the M size pool conveyor 115. The two rows of pool conveyors 115 located upstream of the M size pool conveyor 115 are assigned the L size. Hereinafter, each of the two rows of pool conveyors 115 will be referred to as the L size pool conveyor 115. Two sets of the two rows of L size pool conveyors 115 are provided. In this way, the multiple pool conveyors 115 are composed of multiple sets of pool conveyors 115 divided by the size of the agricultural produce W.

[0022] 3, the above-mentioned determination device 112, measurement device 113, multiple discharge devices 114, and multiple pool conveyors 115 are connected to a sorting control device 150. The sorting control device 150 is a computer (information processing device) equipped with an interface for connecting to these devices 112, 113, 114 and pool conveyors 115, a CPU, and a memory.

[0023] The memory of the sorting control device 150 has a produce information table. As shown in FIG. 4, the produce information table functions as a produce information storage unit that stores the produce information. The produce information includes the size and external quality of the produce W received from the determination device 112, and the weight of the produce W received from the measurement device 113. The size of the produce W is stored in a size field. The external quality of the produce W is stored in an external quality field. The weight of the produce W is stored in a weight field. These pieces of produce information are stored in association with the management number assigned to each piece of produce W. In this embodiment, a position field is also provided that stores the position of the produce W on the sorting conveyor 111. Here, the position of the produce W is typically the distance to the produce W when the center of the determination device 112 is used as the reference point (origin), and is updated in the tracking process described below.

[0024] A pool management table is also provided in the memory of the sorting control device 150. The pool management table is a table that functions as a pool information storage unit that stores information (hereinafter referred to as "pool information") for managing the pool status of each pool conveyor 115. The pool information includes the allocation size, number of pools, stored weight, and mode, and these pieces of information are associated with pool identification information.

[0025] The pool identification information is information for identifying each pool conveyor 115. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the pool identification information "P01", "P02", ... "P08" is assigned in order from the upstream pool conveyor 115. The pool identification information is stored in the pool ID field.

[0026] The allocation size is the size of the agricultural produce W allocated to the pool conveyor 115. As described above, in this embodiment, the L size is allocated to the pool conveyors 115 "P01" to "P04." The M size is allocated to the pool conveyors 115 "P05" and "P06." The S size is allocated to the pool conveyors 115 "P07" and "P08." The allocation size is registered in the allocation size field. As will be described later, the sorting control device 150 distributes and discharges the agricultural produce W based on the allocation size.

[0027] The number of pools is the number of agricultural products W pooled on the pool conveyor 115 (number of pools), and is stored in the number of pools field.

[0028] The pooled weight is the sum of the weights of the agricultural products W pooled on the pool conveyor 115, that is, the total weight of the pooled agricultural products W, and is stored in the pooled weight field.

[0029] The mode is the operating mode of the pool conveyor 115, and in the operating mode of pooling agricultural produce W, "pool" is stored in the mode field, and in the operating mode of discharging agricultural produce W to the packing section 130, "discharge" is stored in the mode field.

[0030] The memory of the sorting control device 150 also has an outer box management table. The outer box management table is a table that stores information for managing outer boxes B, and includes an outer box ID field, a quantity field, and a size field. The outer box ID field stores identification information assigned to the outer box B. The quantity field stores the number of agricultural products W packed in the outer box B. The outer quality field stores the size of the agricultural products W packed in the outer box B.

[0031] A program for sorting and packing the agricultural products W is stored in the memory of the sorting control device 150, and the program is executed by the CPU of the sorting control device 150. The processing of the sorting control device 150 will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 5, the CPU of the sorting control device 150 monitors inputs from the determination device 112 and the measurement device 113 (s10). If the CPU of the sorting control device 150 acquires agricultural product information from the determination device 112 or the measurement device 113 (s10: yes), it executes an agricultural product information registration process (s11). The agricultural product information registration process (s11) is a process for registering the acquired agricultural product information in the agricultural product information table. Specifically, each time assessment information (external quality and size) is acquired from the assessment device 112, a new record is added to the agricultural product information table, and the acquired assessment information is registered in each field. With the registration of this assessment information as a trigger, the registered agricultural product W becomes a tracking target, as described below. Furthermore, when weight is acquired from the measurement device 113, the position field of the agricultural product information table is referenced to identify the agricultural product W (record) located in the measurement device at that time, and the acquired weight is registered in the weight field of the agricultural product W.

[0033] Next, if the predetermined period has elapsed (s20: yes), the CPU of the sorting control device 150 executes a discharge process (s21) and a switching process (s22) in this order.

[0034] The discharge process (s21) is a process of discharging agricultural produce W transported by the sorting conveyor 111 onto a pool conveyor 115 corresponding to its size, and specifically includes tracking process, judgment process, command process, and pool information update process.

[0035] The tracking process is a process of tracking the position of the agricultural product W on the sorting conveyor 111. Here, since the sorting conveyor 111 transports the agricultural product W at a constant speed, the amount of movement of the agricultural product W calculated by multiplying the transport speed by the above-mentioned period is added to the value in the position field of each agricultural product W in the agricultural product information table, thereby updating the position of the agricultural product W.

[0036] The determination process is a process for determining whether or not the agricultural products W need to be discharged. Specifically, the size and position of each agricultural product W are extracted by referencing the size field and position field in the agricultural product information table. The pool conveyor 115 in the pool state is then identified by referencing the mode in the pool management table. Then, for each agricultural product W, the position of the pool conveyor 115 corresponding to that size is compared with the position of the agricultural product W, and if the two positions are close to each other, it is determined that discharge is necessary. In this case, command processing and pool information update processing are executed.

[0037] The command process is a process of inputting a discharge command to a predetermined discharge device 114. Here, the predetermined discharge device 114 is the discharge device 114 corresponding to the pool conveyor 115 that is determined to be close to the position of the agricultural product W in the above-mentioned determination process. In this way, the CPU of the sorting control device 150 functions as a discharge control unit that determines the pool conveyor 115 to discharge the agricultural product W from based on the size of the agricultural product W obtained from the determination device 112, and outputs a discharge command to the pool conveyor 115.

[0038] The pool information update process is a process for updating the number of pools and the stored weight of the pool conveyor 115 to which the agricultural produce W is discharged. Specifically, the weight of the agricultural produce W determined to need to be discharged in the above-mentioned determination process is extracted. The stored weight of the pool conveyor 115 to which the agricultural produce W is discharged is then extracted from the pool management table. The extracted weight of the agricultural produce W is then added to the stored weight, updating the stored weight of the pool conveyor 115. The number of entries in the pool conveyor 115 is also incremented. In this way, the sorting control device 150 functions as a calculation unit that accumulates the weight of the agricultural produce W and counts the accumulated number of agricultural products.

[0039] The switching process (s22) is a process for switching the operation of the pool conveyor 115. Specifically, the stored weight of each pool conveyor 115 is extracted from the pool management table, and it is determined whether the extracted stored weight reaches the packing weight. Here, the packing weight is a weight that is predetermined as the weight to be packed in the outer box B. If the determination result shows that the stored weight does not reach the packing weight, the operation mode is maintained. On the other hand, if the stored weight reaches the packing weight, the operation mode (FIG. 4(b)) of the pool conveyor 115 of the group to which the pool conveyor 115 belongs is switched. At this time, the number of pools and the allocation size are extracted from the record in which the stored weight reaches the packing weight, and the extracted number of pools and allocation size are registered in a newly added record in the outer box management table. Then, the number of pools and the stored weight of the record in the pool management table are cleared. In this way, the CPU of the sorting control device 150 functions as a comparison unit that compares the stored weight with the packing weight.

[0040] Thereafter, the CPU of the sorting control device 150 inputs an open command to the gate 122 of the pool conveyor 115 to be switched, and inputs a close command to the gate 122 of the other pool conveyor 115. Before inputting the open command, the sorting control device 150 inputs a boxing preparation command to the packing control device 139. The packing preparation command is a command to prepare empty boxes B in a predetermined packing area E, and includes information that indicates the packing area E corresponding to the pool conveyor 115 of the set to be switched. As will be described later, when the packing preparation command is input, the packing control device 139 sends the outer box B containing agricultural produce that is in the predetermined packing area E to the carry-out conveyor 133, and sets the empty box B in the packing area E.

[0041] As described above, the sorting section 110 of the sorting and packing system of this embodiment sorts the agricultural products W brought in by producers according to their size, and when the total weight (storage weight) of the sorted agricultural products W reaches a predetermined weight (packaging weight), supplies the agricultural products W to the packing section 130.

[0042] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the packing section 130 has the function of packing the selected agricultural products W into outer boxes B, and is equipped with a supply conveyor 131, an output conveyor 132, an output conveyor 133, a discharge device 134, a barcode labeler 135, a plurality of first readers 136, a second reader 137, a label printer 138, and a packing control device 139.

[0043] The supply conveyor 131 is a roller conveyor that transports empty outer boxes B (hereinafter also referred to as "empty boxes B") to each of the packing areas E. The supply conveyor 131 may be a belt conveyor or another type of conveyor. Here, a packing area E is provided for each set of pool conveyors 115, and is provided at the downstream end of each set of pool conveyors 115. The supply conveyor 131 is controlled by a packing control device 139.

[0044] Each of the discharge devices 134 is a device that functions as an empty box discharge section that discharges empty boxes B transported by the supply conveyor 131 into a predetermined boxing area E, and a pusher is typically used. The multiple discharge devices 134 are controlled by a boxing control device 139.

[0045] The output conveyor 132 is provided in each boxing area E and is a conveyor that outputs outer boxes B containing agricultural produce W to a carry-out conveyor 133, which will be described later. In this embodiment, a roller conveyor is used as the output conveyor 132, but a belt conveyor or other type of conveyor may also be used. The output conveyor 132 is controlled by a boxing control device 139.

[0046] The discharge conveyor 133 is a conveyor that discharges the outer boxes B from the packing section 130. In this embodiment, a roller conveyor is used as the discharge conveyor 133, but a belt conveyor or other types of conveyor may also be used. The discharge conveyor 133 is controlled by a packing control device 139.

[0047] The barcode labeler 135 is a device that functions as an assigning unit that assigns an identification code to the outer box B. The identification code is typically a symbol such as a barcode in which identification information assigned to each outer box B is coded. The identification information is information for distinguishing the outer boxes B from one another, and in this embodiment, a serial number that is uniquely assigned to each outer box B is used. The barcode labeler 135 is provided on the upstream side of the supply conveyor 131, and attaches a label on which an identification code has been printed in advance (hereinafter referred to as a "code label") to the side of the outer box B.

[0048] Each of the first readers 136 functions as a first reading unit that reads identification information (hereinafter referred to as "outer box identification information") from the identification code of the outer box B sent out from the packing area E, and is disposed on the side of each output conveyor 132. Each of the first readers 136 inputs first read information including the read outer box identification information to the packing control device 139. The first read information includes the outer box identification information as well as the reader number assigned to the first reader 136. For example, an M first reader 136 is disposed corresponding to the M packing area E, and the M first reader 136 inputs the outer box identification information read from the outer box B and the reader number of the M first reader 136 to the packing control device 139. Each of the first readers 136 is disposed so that its reading window directly faces the position where the code label is affixed.

[0049] The second reader 137 is a device that functions as a second reading unit that reads outer box identification information from the identification code of the outer box B transported by the discharge conveyor 133, and inputs the second read information to the case packing control device 139. The second read information is the read outer box identification information. The second reader 137 is disposed on the side of the discharge conveyor 133, just before (directly upstream from) the label printer 138, and is installed so that its reading window directly faces the position where the code label is affixed.

[0050] The label printer 138 functions as a display unit that displays the number of agricultural products W in the outer box B, and prints the number specified by the boxing control device 139 on a label, and affixes the label (hereinafter referred to as the "number label") to the side of the outer box B. The label printer 138 is installed to the side of the discharge conveyor 133.

[0051] 3, the case packing control device 139 is communicably connected to and controls the supply conveyor 131, the plurality of output conveyors 132, the carry-out conveyor 133, the plurality of discharge devices 134, the plurality of first readers 136, the second reader 137, and the label printer 138. The case packing control device 139 executes the process shown in FIG.

[0052] When the boxing control device 139 receives a boxing preparation command from the sorting control device 150 (s30: yes), it executes a boxing preparation process (s31). The boxing preparation process (s31) is a process of preparing empty boxes B for the boxing area E specified in the boxing preparation command, and inputs a send-out command to the output conveyor 132 of the boxing area E, and inputs a carry-out command to the carry-out conveyor 133. The output conveyor 132 drives for a predetermined time based on the send-out command. As a result, outer boxes B containing agricultural products are sent from the boxing area E to the carry-out conveyor 133. The carry-out conveyor 133 drives based on the carry-out command until the outer boxes B are carried out. It is assumed that the conveyor stops temporarily at the installation position of the label printer 138 described below.

[0053] In the packing preparation process (s31), a supply command is further input to the supply conveyor 131, and a discharge command is input to the discharge device 134. The supply command is a command to supply empty boxes B to the packing area E specified in the packing preparation command. Furthermore, a discharge command is input to the discharge device 134 corresponding to that packing area E. Based on the supply command, the supply conveyor 131 transports the empty boxes B to a specified packing area E. Based on the discharge command, the discharge device 134 in that packing area E discharges the empty boxes B to the packing area E. As a result, the empty boxes B are set in the packing area E.

[0054] When the packing control device 139 receives the first read information (external box identification information and reader number) from the first reader 136 (s40: yes), it executes a registration process (s41) for the external box B. Specifically, when the packing control device 139 receives the first read information from the first reader 136, it transmits the received first read information to the sorting control device 150. The sorting control device 150 registers the external box identification information included in the first read information received from the packing control device 139 in a record to be newly added in the switching process (s22) in the external box management table.

[0055] When the packing control device 139 receives the outer box identification information from the second reader 137 (s50: yes), it inputs a print command to the label printer 138 (s51). The print command instructs the label printer 138 to print a specified number and size of agricultural produce W, and the number and size are obtained by sending an inquiry to the sorting and encasing device 150. Specifically, the packing control device 139 sends an inquiry including the outer box identification information received from the second reader 137 to the sorting and encasing device 150. Based on the inquiry received from the packing control device 139, the sorting and encasing device 150 extracts the number and size corresponding to the outer box identification information from the outer box management table and sends it to the packing control device 139. In this way, the packing control device 139 functions as a designation unit that designates the number and size of agricultural produce W to the label printer 138.

[0056] According to the sorting and packing system 100 of the first embodiment, agricultural products W can be packed by size, and information about the size and the number of agricultural products W packed is displayed on the outer box B. Therefore, store staff can know the number and size of the agricultural products W packed without opening the outer box B.

[0057] [Second embodiment] The sorting and packing system 100 of the second embodiment has the same hardware as that of the first embodiment, but differs in that the sizes assigned to each of the pool conveyors 115 vary in the second embodiment.

[0058] For example, if the proportion of medium-sized produce W determined by the determination device 112 is high, medium-sized produce is assigned to two sets of pool conveyors 115. If the proportion of medium-sized produce is significantly high, medium-sized produce is assigned to three sets of pool conveyors 115, and one of the remaining sets of pool conveyors 115 is assigned large-sized produce, and the other is assigned small-sized produce.

[0059] When changing the allocation size of each pool conveyor 115 based on the ratio of the size of the agricultural produce W as described above, the sorting control device 150, in the switching process (s22) of the above flow, refers to the agricultural produce information table, extracts agricultural produce information for a predetermined quantity (e.g., 100) of agricultural produce most recently registered, and counts the number of each size. Then, it calculates the ratio of each size and assigns sizes to the pool conveyor 115 to be switched based on that ratio. For example, if the ratio of M-size produce is high at the time of switching the pool conveyor 115 for P01, it assigns M-size produce to the pool conveyor 115 for P01 (it registers M-size produce in the allocation size field of the pool management table). Thereafter, if the ratio of M-size produce is also high at the time of switching the pool conveyor 115 for P02, it assigns M-size produce to the pool conveyor 115 for P02.

[0060] As another example, when switching the pool conveyor 115, a size may be assigned to the pool conveyor 115 based on the size of the following agricultural product W. Specifically, when switching the pool conveyor 115 for P01, the size of the next agricultural product W approaching P01 may be extracted from the agricultural product information table, and that size may be assigned to P01.

[0061] According to the second embodiment of the sorting and packing system 100, the pool conveyor 115 can be operated efficiently by varying the allocation size of the pool conveyor 115, and for example, the occurrence of the pool conveyor 115 waiting to be discharged can be reduced.

[0062] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the sorting and packing system of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be modified as follows, for example.

[0063] <Variation 1> The conveyor belt 116 of the sorting conveyor 111 in the above embodiment may have a plurality of placement sections arranged in series on which the agricultural products W are placed. The placement sections may be cups on which the agricultural products W are placed, or recesses formed by connecting a plurality of pairs of rollers connected by a shaft in the conveyance direction. In this modified embodiment, the measuring device 113 may be a device that measures the weight of the cup in which the agricultural products W are placed, or a device that measures the weight of a receiving section provided in the recess. That is, the measuring section may be provided on the sorting conveyor 111. Furthermore, the discharge section may have a tilting structure that tilts the cup or the pair of rollers relative to the pool conveyor 115. That is, the discharge section may be provided on the sorting conveyor 111.

[0064] <Variation 2> In the above embodiment, one sorting conveyor 111 is provided in the sorting unit 110, but multiple sorting conveyors may be provided in the sorting unit 110. The multiple sorting conveyors are installed parallel to each other. In such a modified embodiment, each sorting conveyor is provided with an evaluation device, a measurement device, and multiple discharge devices. In addition, the pool conveyor 115 is installed perpendicular to the multiple sorting conveyors.

[0065] <Variation 3> In the above embodiment, the label printer 138 is used as the display unit, but the display unit may be a printer that prints the number directly on the side of the outer box B.

[0066] <Variation 4> In the above embodiment, the size of the agricultural produce W is determined by the determination device 112, but the size of the agricultural produce W may also be determined based on the weight of the agricultural produce W measured by the measurement device 113. In such a modified embodiment, the determination device 112 may be omitted.

[0067] <Variation 5> In the above embodiment, the intermediate conveyor 111c and a load cell are used to detect the weight of the agricultural products W on the intermediate conveyor 111c. However, the detection of the weight is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various detection methods can be adopted. For example, a pickup device that picks up the agricultural products W on the sorting conveyor 111 and a sensor that detects the weight of the picked-up agricultural products W may be used. The pickup device moves on the sorting conveyor 111 at the same speed as the sorting conveyor 111 and picks up the agricultural products W on the sorting conveyor 111. At this time, the sensor detects the weight of the agricultural products W and inputs a signal to the measurement computer. The pickup device then places the picked-up agricultural products W on the sorting conveyor 111.

[0068] <Variation 6> In the above embodiment, a gate 122 is provided at the downstream end of each pool conveyor 115, and the discharge of the agricultural produce W to the packing section 130 is controlled by opening and closing the gate 122, but the gate 122 is not an essential component. For example, the conveyor belt of the pool conveyor 115 may be stopped when the agricultural produce W is pooled, and a motor may be controlled to drive the conveyor belt of the pool conveyor 115 when the agricultural produce W is discharged to the packing section 130.

[0069] <Variation 7> In the first embodiment, L size produce W is assigned to two sets of pool conveyors 115, and one of the pool conveyors 115 in each set is in a pooled state, so there are two pool conveyors 115 that are candidates for discharge of L size produce W. In this case, the pool conveyor 115 that is considered to be the most efficient is selected as the pool conveyor 115 to discharge the produce to. In the second embodiment, in order to quickly change the size allocation to the pool conveyors 115, control may be performed to discharge the produce W in a concentrated manner onto one of the pool conveyors 115.

[0070] <Variation 8> In the above embodiment, each pool conveyor 115 is assigned a size of the agricultural produce W, but an external quality may also be assigned. That is, the agricultural produce W may be sorted and packed into boxes based on the class (size and external quality). In this case, an external quality field is added to the pool management table, and external quality is added to the outer box management table, and the size and external quality (class) of the contained agricultural produce W are displayed on the outer box B.

[0071] <Variation 9> The sorting and encasing system 100 of the above embodiment is equipped with four sets of pool conveyors 115, but may be three or fewer sets of pool conveyors 115, or may be five or more sets of pool conveyors 115. Furthermore, one set of pool conveyors 115 may be made up of one pool conveyor 115, or may be made up of three or more pool conveyors 115.

[0072] <Modification 10> The sorting and packing system 100 of the above embodiment is equipped with a sorting control device 150 that controls the sorting section 110 and a packing control device 139 that controls the packing section 130, but the sorting control device 150 and the packing control device 139 may also be integrated into a single control device that controls the sorting section 110 and the packing section 130.

[0073] <Variation 11> In the first embodiment, the L-sized pool conveyors 115 that pool L-sized agricultural products W are designated P01 to P04, and the agricultural products W can be discharged onto two of these L-sized pool conveyors 115. Here, the sorting control device 150 may determine to which L-sized pool conveyor 115 the L-sized agricultural products W should be discharged, for example, based on the weight measured by the measuring device 113.

[0074] Specifically, in the above-mentioned determination process, the CPU of the sorting control device 150 identifies the pool conveyor 115 corresponding to the size of the agricultural product W. At this time, if there are two L-sized pool conveyors 115 corresponding to the L-sized agricultural product W (referred to as the "first agricultural product W") as described above, the CPU refers to the stored weight of each L-sized pool conveyor 115. Then, an added weight is calculated by adding the weight of the first agricultural product W to each stored weight. Here, if both added weights exceed the package weight, the L-sized pool conveyor 115 corresponding to the added weight closest to the package weight is determined as the discharge destination for the first agricultural product W. On the other hand, if one added weight exceeds the package weight, the L-sized pool conveyor 115 corresponding to that added weight is determined as the discharge destination. On the other hand, if neither added weight exceeds the package weight, an arbitrary L-sized pool conveyor 115 is determined as the discharge destination.

[0075] The discharge destination is determined similarly for other agricultural products W (referred to as "second agricultural products W") following the first agricultural product W. If the first agricultural product W and the second agricultural product W are to be discharged to the same destination, for example, the one whose added weight is closer to the packaged weight is given priority, and the other is discharged to another L pool conveyor 115. In this way, in this modified example, by selecting the discharge destination pool conveyor 115 taking into account the weight of the other following agricultural products W, it is possible to bring the weight closer to the packaged weight. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 100 Sorting and Packaging System 111 Transport equipment 112 Judgment device 113 Measuring Equipment 114 Ejection device 115 Pool Conveyor 131 Supply Conveyor 132 Outgoing conveyor 133 Discharge Conveyor 136 First Leader 137 Second Leader 138 Label Printer 139 Cartoning control device 150 Sorting control device E Packaging area

Claims

1. a weight measuring unit provided on a conveying path of the agricultural produce to measure the weight of the conveyed agricultural produce; a storage unit for storing the agricultural products whose weights have been measured; a boxing area in which the stored agricultural products are packed into outer boxes; a display unit that displays the number of pieces on the outer box containing the agricultural products; a control device capable of communicating with the weight measuring unit and the display unit; Equipped with The control device a calculation unit that calculates a storage weight, which is the total weight of the agricultural products stored in the storage unit, based on the weight of the agricultural products acquired from the weight measurement unit, and counts the number of the stored agricultural products; a comparison unit that compares the stored weight with a package weight, which is the total weight of the agricultural products to be packed in the outer box; a designation unit that designates the counted number of agricultural products as the number of produce to be packed on the display unit when the stored weight reaches the package weight; A sorting and packaging system.

2. a size determination unit provided on the conveying path to determine the size of the conveyed agricultural product; A plurality of the storage sections; a plurality of discharge units provided on the transport path and corresponding to the storage units; Equipped with Each of the storage sections is assigned a size of the agricultural produce to be stored therein, The sorting and packing system according to claim 1 , wherein the control device controls the discharge unit to store the agricultural product in a storage unit corresponding to the size of the agricultural product obtained from the size determination unit.

3. 3. The sorting and packing system according to claim 2, wherein the control device varies the size assigned to each of the storage sections.

4. The control device When two or more reservoirs are assigned the same size, The stored weights of the two or more storage units are referenced, and the weights of the agricultural products obtained from the weight measuring unit are added to each of the referenced stored weights to obtain an added weight. If the added weight exceeds the package weight, 4. The sorting and packing system according to claim 3, wherein the discharge unit is controlled to discharge the agricultural produce into the storage unit corresponding to the smallest added weight among the added weights that exceed the package weight.

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