Vibrating plate for sorting rod-like articles according to length and sorting apparatus having the vibrating plate

Abstract

To provide a vibrating plate for selecting the length of a rod-like article which does not fall into a selecting hole even when the rod-like article is strongly bent and long, and to provide a selecting device equipped with the vibrating plate.SOLUTION: The first conveying surface 31 serving as the upstream-side conveying surface of the first sorting hole 34b of the sorting section main body member 3 is horizontally disposed, the second conveying surface 32 in which the downstream-side conveying surface and the upstream-side conveying surface of the second sorting hole 34b are integrated is provided between the first sorting hole 35b and the second sorting hole 34b, and the conveying-direction downstream-side edge of the first sorting hole 34b is set to be the same height as or slightly lower than the first conveying surface 31.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vibrating plate for sorting rod-shaped articles such as wiener sausages by length, and a sorting device equipped with this vibrating plate. [Background technology]

[0002] Vienna sausages are produced, for example, as follows. That is, minced meat such as pork, beef, mutton, or horse meat, or minced meat such as poultry or rabbit, is kneaded with seasonings, spices, binders, antioxidants, etc., and the resulting raw material is stuffed into a casing such as a sheep intestine, and ligatures are formed at desired intervals to obtain raw linked wiener sausages.

[0003] The raw linked wiener sausages are hung on a rod in a loop shape and placed together with the rod in a smoking treatment device, where they are smoked and heated, and then dried to obtain linked wiener sausages. The chain of wiener sausages is cut at the ligated portions using a cutting device to separate them into individual wiener sausages (see Patent Document 1).

[0004] However, the cut products obtained using the above-mentioned cutting device may contain defective products other than good products that can be made into products, such as defective short wiener sausages that are shorter than specified because the linked wiener sausages have been cut at points other than the ligated parts or because the separated wiener sausages have broken during the process, or defective long wiener sausages that are longer than specified because the ligated parts have not been twisted sufficiently when the linked wiener sausages are produced or because the twist has returned to normal and adjacent wiener sausages are connected to each other. Therefore, unless the defective short and long wiener sausages are first removed, it is not possible to produce a product containing only non-defective products.

[0005] Therefore, the applicant of the present invention has already proposed a sorting device as shown in FIG. 13 (Patent Document 2). As shown in FIG. 13, this length sorting device 100 includes a sorting device main body 110 and a stand 120 that supports the sorting device main body 110 from below via a coil spring 130.

[0006] The stand 120 supports a storage box 121 for storing short wiener sausages S2 to be discharged from a discharge port 310, which will be described later. The sorting device main body 110 includes a vibration plate 200, a short product receiving portion 300 for receiving the short wiener sausages S2, and a vibration applying device 400.

[0007] The vibration plate 200 is provided with a rod-shaped article receiving section 210, a sorting section 220, and a discharge section 230, arranged from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction. The rod-shaped article receiving section 210 has a horizontal flat surface, which forms the same plane as a sorting hole upstream conveying surface 222 of the sorting hole 221 on the most upstream side of the sorting section 220 described below.

[0008] As shown in Figure 14, the sorting section 220 has multiple (only one shown in Figure 14) parallel partitions 240 of the same shape and size that divide the vibration plate 200 into multiple (only one shown in Figure 12) conveying lanes 250. Each conveying lane 250 has three sorting holes 221 formed by cutting and bending a plate material that will become the vibration plate 200, and the three sorting holes 221 are disposed intermittently on the conveying surface.

[0009] The sorting hole upstream conveying surface 222 of each sorting hole 221 is a horizontal flat surface, and the sorting hole downstream conveying surface 223 is an inclined surface that descends from the downstream end of the sorting hole 221 toward its downstream side, and the sorting hole downstream conveying surfaces 223 of the first and second sorting holes 221 from the upstream side are connected to the sorting hole upstream conveying surface 222 downstream of them, and the sorting hole downstream conveying surface 223 of the third sorting hole 221 is connected to a discharge section 230 that discharges long rod-like items S1 that do not fall into the sorting hole 221.

[0010] The short product receiving section 300 is box-shaped and receives the vibrating plate 200 from below, is fixed to the vibrating plate 200, receives the short wiener sausages S2 that have fallen into each sorting hole 221 from below, and has a bottom that forms an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the downstream side in the conveying direction, and is provided with a discharge outlet 310 at a position that faces the storage box 121 on the downstream side of the inclined surface from above. The vibration imparting device 400 is fixed to the underside of the short product receiving portion 300 and is adapted to impart vibration to the diaphragm 200 via the short product receiving portion 300 .

[0011] This length sorting device 100 is configured as described above, and by setting the size of the sorting hole 221 to a size that allows short wiener sausages S2 that are shorter than the set length of good quality wiener sausages to fall into but does not allow long wiener sausages S1 that are longer than the set length of good quality wiener sausages to fall into, it is possible to sort short wiener sausages S2 as follows. That is, when cut products mixed with short wiener sausages S2 are placed on the rod-shaped part receiving portion 210 of the vibrating plate 200, the vibration of the vibrating plate 200 disperses the cut products on the rod-shaped part receiving portion 210, and the long wiener sausages S1 and short wiener sausages S2 enter the conveying lane 250 with their longitudinal directions aligned with the partitions 240.

[0012] The long wiener sausages S1 and short wiener sausages S2 that enter each conveying lane 250 are transported within the conveying lane 250 toward the discharge section 230, as shown in Figure 15. However, since the sorting section 220 is provided with a sorting hole 221, the long wiener sausages S1 and short wiener sausages S2 are sorted as follows. That is, even if the leading end of the short wiener sausage S2 reaches the downstream conveying surface 223 of the sorting hole 221, the center of gravity of the short wiener sausage S2 is located above the sorting hole 221, so the trailing end of the short wiener sausage S2 falls into the sorting hole 221. On the other hand, when the tip of the long wiener sausage S1 reaches the downstream conveying surface 223 of the sorting hole 221, its center of gravity is on the downstream conveying surface 223 side, so it does not fall into the sorting hole 221 and is discharged from the discharge section. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0013] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3851878 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-195872 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0014] In the case of the length sorting device 100 proposed above, it was found that, depending on the product rod, there is a high probability that the long wiener sausages S1 fall into the sorting holes 221. The inventors of the present invention have found through their investigation that while some wiener sausages are curved, the degree of curvature is not uniform even within the same lot, and that some sausages are more curved than others. In the case of the length sorting device 100, it has been found that long wieners S1 with a large degree of curvature are more likely to fall into the sorting hole 221. The inventor of the present invention further investigated the cause of this problem and concluded that the cause may be that, in the case of the length sorting device 100, the downstream conveying surface 223 of the upstream sorting hole 221 and the upstream conveying surface 222 of the downstream sorting hole 221 are provided continuously between the upstream sorting hole 221 and the downstream sorting hole 221.

[0015] In other words, once the tip of the long wiener sausage S1 clears the sorting hole 221 and the center of gravity clears the downstream edge of the sorting hole 221, it normally does not fall into the sorting hole 221 because the downstream conveying surface 223 is conveyed downstream by a downwardly inclined surface. However, in the case of a long wiener sausage S1 with a large degree of curvature, the curved long wiener sausage S1 straddles the upstream sorting hole 221 and the upstream conveying surface 222, which is horizontal to the downstream sorting hole 221, and vibration is applied only to the tip of the long wiener sausage S1, causing only the tip of the long wiener sausage S1 to bounce up with the upstream apex of the upstream conveying surface 222 as a fulcrum, and it is thought that it will fall into the upstream sorting hole 221.

[0016] The present invention has been made in consideration of such conventional problems, and aims to provide a vibrating plate for sorting rod-shaped items by length, which will prevent even long, strongly curved rod-shaped items from falling into the sorting hole, and a sorting device equipped with this vibrating plate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0017] In order to achieve the above object, the vibrating plate of the present invention comprises a rod-shaped article receiving section and a sorting section having a plurality of conveying lanes which are partitioned by a plurality of partitions and which convey the rod-shaped articles received in the rod-shaped article receiving section toward a conveying outlet in a state where the articles are individually sorted by applying vibrations, and one or more sorting holes of a size that allows short rod-shaped articles of a length equal to or less than a specified length to fall into are provided in the conveying direction of the conveying lane on the conveying surface of the conveying lane, and the rod-shaped articles that do not fall into these sorting holes are conveyed toward the conveying outlet. The vibrating plate sorts the length of the rod-like articles, and the conveying surface of the conveying lane is characterized in that the conveying surface downstream of the most upstream sorting hole is an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the downstream side at a steeper incline than the conveying surface upstream of the most upstream sorting hole, the conveying surface downstream of the most upstream sorting hole is on the same plane as the conveying surface upstream of the downstream sorting hole, and the upper edge of the downstream conveying surface is located at the same height as the imaginary extension plane of the conveying upstream conveying surface or at a position lower than the imaginary extension plane of the conveying upstream conveying surface. In the present invention, the number of the sorting holes is sufficient to sort and remove almost all short rod-shaped articles even if there is only one, but two or more holes may be provided to allow for more accurate sorting and removal.

[0018] In the present invention, the dimensions of each part of the sorting hole are determined appropriately depending on the diameter and length of the rod-shaped item to be sorted, but it is preferable that the position lower than the imaginary extension plane be within 25% of the diameter of the rod-shaped item to be sorted. The width of the conveying lane is not particularly limited as long as it does not cause the rod-shaped object to become clogged in the conveying lane even when its longitudinal axis is oriented in a direction intersecting the conveying direction, and is determined appropriately depending on the diameter and length of the rod-shaped object to be sorted.For example, when sorting rod-shaped objects such as wiener sausages with a diameter of 20 to 30 mm, it is preferable that the width be 1.2 to 1.5 times the diameter of the wiener sausages.

[0019] The vibrating plate of the present invention may comprise a first discharge surface, a second discharge surface, and a guide wall, wherein the first discharge surface is either flush with the downstream conveying surface of the most downstream sorting hole or is connected to the downstream end of the downstream conveying surface in a state of being bent along a line perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying lane, and downstream of which it has a downstream edge that slopes from one side of the width direction of the vibrating plate to the other so that the distance from the downstream end of the downstream conveying surface increases, and the second discharge surface is formed as an inclined surface that bends along a line along the downstream edge of the first discharge surface and descends from the one side to the other, and the guide wall is raised from the peripheral edge of the second discharge surface in a state where the downstream end of the inclination of the second discharge surface is open so that the rod-shaped item that enters the second discharge surface from the first discharge surface is guided along the wall surface toward the downstream end of the inclination of the second discharge surface.

[0020] That is, with the above configuration, rod-shaped objects that do not fall into the sorting hole and reach the outlet of the conveying lane are conveyed in the direction of the second discharge surface due to the vibration. When the rod-shaped items reach the upstream end of the second conveying surface, they roll down along the inclination of the second conveying surface, with their radial surface aligned with the guide wall, and are discharged along the guide wall from a discharge outlet located on one side of the sorting device in the width direction, which is the inclination direction of the second discharge surface, due to the inclination of the second discharge surface. Therefore, the length of the sorting device in the conveying direction can be shortened, making it possible to install it in locations where there is insufficient installation space in the conveying direction, and even when transporting sorted items from the receiving section to another location, work can be done only from one side of the sorting device in the width direction, making it easier to work with.

[0021] The vibrating plate of the present invention may be configured such that the second discharge surface has a preliminary sorting hole near the guide wall at the downstream end of the incline into which the short rod-like articles can fall. In other words, with the above configuration, if a short rod-shaped object is discharged to the second discharge surface without falling into the sorting hole provided in the conveying lane, this short rod-shaped object will fall into the preliminary sorting hole. Therefore, more accurate selection is possible.

[0022] The vibrating plate of the present invention may be configured so that the first discharge surface has a conveying outlet of the conveying lane facing the preliminary sorting hole when viewed from the conveying direction, and an auxiliary sorting hole downstream of the conveying outlet of the conveying lane located on the other side end side of this conveying outlet, into which the short rod-shaped items can fall. In other words, when rod-shaped objects are discharged onto the first discharge surface from a conveying lane whose conveying outlet is located on one side of the preliminary sorting hole when viewed from the conveying direction, they enter the second discharge surface and roll from the discharged conveying outlet toward one side of the width of the vibrating plate until they hit the guide wall, and then they are moved along the guide wall toward the other side with their long axis direction changed so that it follows the guide wall.Therefore, even if short rod-shaped objects that cannot be sorted by the sorting hole enter the second discharge surface, they can be sorted through the preliminary discharge hole.

[0023] On the other hand, rod-shaped items discharged onto the first discharge surface from a conveying lane whose conveying outlet faces the preliminary sorting hole or is on the other side of the preliminary sorting hole when viewed from the conveying direction may be transported in the other direction from the preliminary sorting hole before hitting the guide wall. However, by providing an auxiliary sorting hole as described above, even if short rod-shaped items that could not be sorted by the sorting hole provided in the conveying lane are discharged to the first discharge surface among the rod-shaped items discharged from the outlet of the conveying lane at a position where the conveying outlet faces the preliminary sorting hole when viewed from the conveying direction, or at the other side of the preliminary sorting hole, they can still be sorted by the auxiliary sorting hole. Therefore, it is possible to prevent short stick-shaped articles from being discharged from the other end of the second discharge surface mixed with long stick-shaped articles.

[0024] In the vibration plate of the present invention, it is preferable that adjacent partition sections are arranged so that the upstream end of one partition section in the conveying direction is offset in the forward / backward direction relative to the upstream end of the other partition section in the conveying direction, and that each partition section has a tip inclined surface that gradually becomes higher from its tip toward the downstream side.

[0025] In other words, with the above configuration, when the side wall of a conveyed rod-shaped object hits the tip of one of the partitions and attempts to rotate in either direction around the tip of the partition, the tips of adjacent partitions are offset in the front-to-rear direction, so the rod-shaped object will not straddle the tips of adjacent partitions and block the entrance to the conveying lane. Moreover, because the tip is provided with an inclined tip surface, the rod-shaped object will rotate more smoothly as it is lifted along the inclined tip surface. Therefore, the rod-shaped articles can be sorted and transported smoothly to one of the transport lanes without causing congestion at the entrance of the transport lane.

[0026] The angle of inclination of the tip inclined surface is not particularly limited as long as the object of the present invention can be achieved, but it is preferably 10° to 50° with respect to the horizontal plane. That is, if the inclination angle is too small, the rod-shaped object may climb too high on the inclined end surface, and the rod-shaped object S may not rotate, may not enter the conveying lane, and may be conveyed in a state of straddling the partitions. If the inclination angle is too large, the rod-shaped object may hit the inclined end surface, which may make the provision of the inclined end surface meaningless.

[0027] The length sorting device for rod-like articles of the present invention is characterized by comprising the above-mentioned vibrating plate of the present invention and vibration imparting means for imparting vibration to the vibrating plate.

[0028] In the present invention, examples of stick-shaped products include, but are not limited to, stick-shaped sausages such as wiener sausages and those sold under the trade name Paul Wiener, and stick-shaped foods such as tubed cheese and tubed kamaboko. [Effects of the Invention]

[0029] As described above, the vibrating plate of the present invention comprises a rod-shaped article receiving section and a sorting section having a plurality of conveying lanes separated by a plurality of partitions, which convey the rod-shaped articles received in the rod-shaped article receiving section toward a conveying outlet by applying vibration to the rod-shaped articles in a separately sorted state, and one or more sorting holes of a size that allows short rod-shaped articles of a length equal to or less than a specified length to fall into are provided in the conveying direction of the conveying lane on the conveying surface of the conveying lane, and the rod-shaped articles that do not fall into the sorting holes are conveyed toward the conveying outlet. The vibrating plate is configured to sort the length of the rod-like articles, and the conveying surface of the conveying lane is an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the downstream side at a steeper incline than the conveying surface upstream of the most upstream sorting hole, and the conveying surface downstream of the most upstream sorting hole is flush with the conveying surface upstream of the downstream sorting hole, and the upper edge of the downstream conveying surface is located at the same height as the imaginary extension plane of the conveying upstream surface or lower than the imaginary extension plane of the conveying upstream surface. Therefore, even if the rod-shaped item is long and has a large bend, the tip of the rod-shaped item is reliably received on the downstream conveying surface of the sorting hole and is reliably conveyed downstream, thereby increasing the accuracy of sorting between long and short rod-shaped items. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing a first embodiment of a vibrating plate for sorting rod-like objects by length and a sorting device equipped with this vibrating plate according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the length sorting device of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a sorting member used in the length sorting device of FIG. 1; [Figure 4] 4 is a side view of the sorting member of FIG. 3 as seen from the conveying outlet. [Figure 5] 4 is a partially cutaway front view of the sorting member of FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the main body of the sorting unit in FIG. 3. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line ZZ in FIG. [Figure 9] The members that form the first partition portion of the diaphragm in FIG. 1 are shown, with (a) being the first front end member, (b) being the first intermediate member, and (c) being the first rear end member. [Figure 10] The figures show the members that form the second partition section of the diaphragm in Figure 1, with (a) being the second front end member, (b) being the second middle member, and (c) being the second rear end member. [Figure 11] 1. The members that form the third partition portion of the diaphragm in FIG. 1 are shown, with FIG. 1(a) being the third front end member, FIG. 1(b) being the third intermediate member, and FIG. 1(c) being the third rear end member. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a diaphragm according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a front cross-sectional view of a conventional conveying device. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a main part of the transport device of FIG. [Figure 15]14 is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 13 illustrating the sorting of wiener sausages in the sorting section of the conveying device. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a vibrating plate and a length sorting device for rod-like articles using the vibrating plate of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show a first embodiment of a length sorting device according to the present invention.

[0032] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, this length sorting device 1 is designed to be used, for example, to sort long wiener sausages S1, which are defective rod-shaped items, from short wiener sausages S2, which are good items, and is equipped with a stainless steel vibrating plate 11a, a short item receiving portion 12, a vibration imparting device 13, and a stand 14.

[0033] The vibration plate 11a is formed by connecting a rod-shaped article receiving member 2 and a sorting section main body member 3. As shown in FIG. 1, the rod-shaped article receiving member 2 includes a receiving portion main body 21 and a pair of receiving portion rising walls 22.

[0034] The receiving body 21 is a flat plate made of stainless steel, and its upper surface is held horizontally. The pair of receiving portion rising walls 22 rise while sandwiching the receiving portion main body 21 from both sides in the width direction, and are fixed to the end edges of the receiving portion main body 21 by welding.

[0035] As shown in Figures 1, 3 to 5, the sorting section main body member 3 includes a sorting surface 3a, a pair of sorting section rising walls 3b, two first partition sections 36, two second partition sections 37, five third partition sections 38, a first discharge surface 3c, a second discharge surface 3d, and a guide wall 3e. The pair of sorting section rising walls 3b rise up while sandwiching the sorting surface 3a and the first discharge surface 3c described below from both sides in the width direction, and are welded and fixed to the edges of the sorting surface 3a and the first discharge surface 3c.

[0036] As shown in Figures 5 to 7, the sorting surface 3a is formed by punching and press-forming a single stainless steel plate so that the first conveying surface 31, the second conveying surface 32, the third conveying surface 33, the first discharge surface 3c and the second discharge surface 3d are integrated, and as shown in Figures 1 and 3, a first elongated hole 34 for forming a sorting hole is provided between the first conveying surface 31 and the second conveying surface 32, and a second elongated hole 35 is provided between the second conveying surface 32 and the third conveying surface 33. The first conveying surface 31 serves as an upstream conveying surface of a first sorting hole 34b, which will be described later, and is horizontal and located in the same plane as the receiving body 21.

[0037] In addition, the first elongated hole 34 and the second elongated hole 35 are each provided with a guide inclined surface 34a, 35a at their downstream edge in the conveying direction, which is formed by cutting and bending downward with this edge as a fulcrum. The lengths of the first elongated hole 34 and the second elongated hole 35 in the conveying direction are the same as the first sorting hole 34b and the second sorting hole 35b described below, and are determined appropriately depending on the length of the rod-shaped items to be sorted.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 7, the upstream edge of the second conveying surface 32 coincides with the imaginary extension plane X of the first conveying surface 31, and the second conveying surface 32 is an inclined surface that descends from the upstream edge toward the downstream side at an inclination angle of approximately 15°. As shown in FIG. 7, the upstream edge of the third conveying surface 33 is substantially aligned with the imaginary extension plane Y of the second conveying surface 32, and is an inclined surface that slopes downward at a slightly steeper angle than the second conveying surface 32.

[0039] The sorting surface 3a is divided into conveying lanes L of the same width by two first partition sections 36, two second partition sections 37, and five third partition sections 38 between the sorting section rising walls 3b, including the first conveying surface 31, the second conveying surface 32, the third conveying surface 33, the first long hole 34, and the second long hole 35, and is divided so that the first long hole 34 becomes the first sorting hole 34b and the second long hole 35 becomes the second sorting hole 35b. In addition, the first partition section 36, the second partition section 37, and the third partition section 38 have overall lengths in the order of first partition section 36 > second partition section 37 > third partition section 38, and the tip position of the second partition section 37 is located further rearward in the conveying direction than the tip position of the first partition section 36, and the tip position of the third partition section 38 is located further rearward in the conveying direction than the tip position of the third partition section 38.

[0040] Furthermore, the first partition section 36, the second partition section 37, and the third partition section 38 are arranged such that the first partition section 36 and the first partition section 36, the second partition section 37 and the second partition section 37, and the third partition section 38 and the third partition section 38 are not adjacent to each other. To explain in more detail, the first partition section 36 is formed by intermittently welding and fixing a first leading edge member 36a, a first intermediate member 36b, and a first trailing edge member 36c, which are punched out of stainless steel plate, to the sorting surface 3a with gaps formed therebetween, as shown in Figure 9. The first tip member 36a has a tip inclined surface 36d that gradually rises at an angle of about 25° relative to the first conveying surface 31.

[0041] The upstream ends of the first intermediate member 36b and the first rear end member 36c are fixed by welding to the guide inclined surfaces 34a, 35a. In addition, the first leading end member 36a, the first intermediate member 36b and the first trailing end member 36c each have a notch S that forms a gap between them and the sorting surface 3a when they are welded and fixed together, allowing cleaning water to pass through.

[0042] The second partition section 37 is formed by intermittently welding and fixing a second front end member 37a, a second intermediate member 37b, and a second rear end member 37c, which are punched out of stainless steel plate, to the sorting surface 3a with gaps formed between them, as shown in Figure 10. The second tip member 37a has a tip inclined surface 37d that gradually rises at an angle of approximately 25° relative to the first conveying surface 31, and its tip is welded and fixed to the first conveying surface 31 in a state where it is shifted rearward in the conveying direction from the tip of the first tip member 36a.

[0043] The second intermediate member 37b has the same shape as the first intermediate member 36b, and is welded and fixed to the sorting surface 3a at a position that three-dimensionally overlaps with the first intermediate member 36b when viewed in the width direction of the diaphragm 11a. The second rear end member 37c has the same shape as the first rear end member 36c, and is welded and fixed to the sorting surface 3a at a position that three-dimensionally overlaps with the first rear end member 36c when viewed in the width direction of the diaphragm 11a.

[0044] The third partition section 38 is formed by intermittently welding and fixing a third front end member 38a, a third intermediate member 38b, and a third rear end member 38c, which are punched out of stainless steel plate, to the sorting surface 3a with gaps formed between them, as shown in Figure 11. The third tip member 38a has a tip inclined surface 38d that gradually rises at an angle of approximately 25° relative to the first conveying surface 31, and its tip is welded and fixed to the first conveying surface 31 in a state where it is shifted rearward in the conveying direction from the tip of the second tip member 37a.

[0045] The third intermediate member 38b is fixed by welding to the second conveying surface 32 so that its upstream end faces the guide inclined surfaces 34a, 35a of the first elongated hole 34 and its downstream end faces above the second elongated hole 35. The third rear end member 38c is welded and fixed onto the third conveying surface 33 so that its upper edge overlaps three-dimensionally with the upper edges of the downstream ends of the first rear end member 36c and the second rear end member 37c when viewed from the width direction of the vibration plate 11a.

[0046] The first discharge surface 3c is connected to the third conveying surface 33 so as to be flush with the third conveying surface 33, and is inclined relative to the downstream end of the third conveying surface 33 so that the distance between the downstream edge 3f and the downstream end 33a of the third conveying surface 33 gradually increases from one side of the vibration plate 11a to the other side in the width direction.

[0047] The second discharge surface 3d is connected to the first discharge surface 3c, bending downward at an inclination angle of 3° or more relative to the first discharge surface 3c along the downstream edge 3f of the first discharge surface 3c, and its width gradually increases from one side of the length sorting device 1 to the other side, so that long wiener sausages S1 (which may include short wiener sausages S2 that were not sorted at the first sorting hole 34b and the second sorting hole 35b) that have entered the second discharge surface 3d from the first discharge surface 3c slide down toward the guide wall 3e, deflect them so that their long axes are aligned with the guide wall 3e, and transport them toward the other side of the second discharge surface 3d while aligned with the guide wall 3e.

[0048] In addition, the second discharge surface 3d is open on the other side, and the long wiener sausages S1 are dropped from this open end 30 and stored in the long product storage box 15 supported by the stand 14, and as shown in Figure 1, a preliminary sorting hole 39d is provided near the open end 30. As shown in FIG. 8, the preliminary sorting hole 39a has a guide inclined surface 39b formed by cutting and raising the second discharge surface 3d so as to be continuous with the downstream edge in the conveying direction of the second discharge surface 3d.

[0049] As shown in Figure 2, the short product receiving section 12 is configured to receive the vibration plate 11a from below, and similar to the short product receiving section 300 of the prior art, it receives the short wiener sausages S2 that have fallen into the first sorting hole 34b and the second sorting hole 35b from below, and the interior is divided vertically by the sieve section 16. The sieve portion 16 has sieve holes (not shown) large enough to prevent the short wiener sausages S2 from passing through, and its upper surface is connected to the short wiener sausage discharge port 12c of the short product receiving portion 12. In other words, the wiener sausages that fall into the first sorting hole 34b and the second sorting hole 35b may contain not only short wiener sausages S2, but also scrap wiener sausages (hereinafter referred to as "scrap wiener sausages") that are shorter or finer than the short wiener sausages S2, although this is not shown in the figure. The scrap wiener sausages are received on the sieve section 16 together with the short wiener sausages S2, and as the vibration occurs, they are transported in the direction of the short wiener sausage discharge outlet 12c in the same manner as the short wiener sausages S2, pass through the sieve holes, are received at the bottom of the short product receiving section 12, and are received in the scrap storage box 12b supported on the stand 14 through the discharge outlet 12a located downstream in the transport direction. The vibration imparting device 13 is attached to the underside of the short product receiving portion 12 and is adapted to impart vibration to the short product receiving portion 12 and the diaphragm 11a received by the short product receiving portion 12.

[0050] The stand 14 supports the diaphragm 11a, the short product receiving portion 12, and the vibration imparting device 13 from below via a coil spring 14a.

[0051] This length sorting device 1 is configured as described above and therefore has the following operational effects. (1) The long wiener sausage S1 or the short wiener sausage S2 placed on the receiving body 21 is transported from the receiving body 21 toward the sorting surface 3a by the vibrations applied from the vibration applying device 13 to the vibration plate 11a. Next, the long wiener sausage S1 or short wiener sausage S2 transported to the sorting surface 3a side first collides with the tip of either the first partition section 36, the second partition section 37, or the third partition section 38, and then rotates around the tip so that its long axis follows the conveying direction of the conveying lane L, or enters directly into the conveying lane L. Therefore, the long wiener sausage S1 or the short wiener sausage S2 does not straddle the space between the adjacent first partition section 36 or second partition section 37 and the tip of the third partition section 38, thereby blocking the entrance to the conveying lane L. (2) The first partition section 36, the second partition section 37 and the third partition section 38 each have a tip inclined surface 36d (37d, 38d) at their tip, so that the long wiener sausage S1 or the short wiener sausage S2 that comes into contact with the tip rides up onto the respective tip inclined surface 36d (37d, 38d), making it easier to rotate, and sorting into the conveying lane L can be done more quickly and reliably. (3) The short wiener sausages S2 and scrap wiener sausages sorted into each conveying lane L fall into the short product receiving section 12 through the first sorting hole 34b and the second sorting hole 35b, since the first sorting hole 34b and the second sorting hole 35b are provided in each conveying lane L. The short product receiving section 12 is equipped with a sieve section 16 connected to the short wiener sausage discharge outlet 12c, so that the scrap wiener sausages mixed with the short wiener sausages S2 are sieved out by the sieve section 16, and only the short wiener sausages S2 are discharged from the short wiener sausage discharge outlet 12c, and the scrap wiener sausages that pass through the sieve holes of the sieve section 16 enter the scrap storage box 12b via the scrap discharge outlet 12a, and the short wiener sausages S2 are transported on the sieve section 16 toward the short wiener sausage discharge outlet 12c and are received as good products from the short wiener sausage discharge outlet 12c in a good product storage container not shown. (4) The long wiener sausages S1 pass over the first sorting hole 34b and the second sorting hole 35b and are conveyed to the third conveying surface 33, the first discharge surface 3c, and the second discharge surface 3d. Moreover, the upstream edge of the second conveying surface 32 coincides with the imaginary extension plane X of the first conveying surface 31, and the second conveying surface 32 is an inclined surface that slopes downward in the conveying direction, and there is no horizontal surface as in the conventional system. Therefore, vibration is applied only to the tip of the long wiener sausage S1, and only the tip of the long wiener sausage S1 bounces up with the upstream apex of the upstream conveying surface 222 as a fulcrum, and the long wiener sausage S1 does not fall into the upstream sorting hole 221. (5) Since the discharge outlet 30 is provided on the side of the length sorting device 1, the longitudinal dimension of the vibration plate 11a can be shortened and the long product storage box 15 can be moved from the side, improving workability.

[0052] FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a diaphragm according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 12, this vibrating plate 11b is similar to the above-mentioned vibrating plate 11a, except that the receiving body 21 of the rod-shaped article receiving portion 29 and the sorting surface 3a are formed integrally from a single stainless steel plate by punching and pressing, and an auxiliary sorting hole 39c is provided at a position on the first discharge surface 3c facing the exit of the conveying lane L closest to the open end 30. Therefore, components similar to those of the diaphragm 11a are given the same reference numerals as those of the diaphragm 11a.

[0053] This vibration plate 11b is formed by integrally forming the receiving body 21 and the sorting surface 3a, which may cause some problems in terms of maintainability, but it is possible to reduce costs by reducing the number of parts. Furthermore, with the above-mentioned vibration plate 11a, the short wiener sausages S2 that could not be sorted out by the first sorting hole 34b and the second sorting hole 35b enter the second discharge surface 3d and are almost completely sorted out and removed by the preliminary sorting hole 39a while being transported along the guide wall 3e, but the short wiener sausages S2 that enter the second discharge surface 3d from the first discharge surface 3c from the transport lane L closest to the discharge outlet 30 may slide downstream of the preliminary sorting hole 39a of the second discharge surface 3d and may not be properly sorted out and removed by the preliminary sorting hole 39a.

[0054] However, since this vibration plate 11b is provided with auxiliary sorting holes 39c, the short wiener sausages S2 that have entered the first discharge surface 3c from the conveying lane L closest to the discharge outlet 30 are sorted and removed by the auxiliary sorting holes 39c.

[0055] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the downstream edge of the first slot (first sorting hole) coincides with the imaginary extension of the first conveying surface, and the downstream edge of the second slot (first sorting hole) coincides with the imaginary extension of the second conveying surface. However, the downstream edge of the first slot (first sorting hole) or the downstream edge of the second slot (first sorting hole) may be located below the imaginary extension of the first conveying surface or the imaginary extension of the second conveying surface, as long as it is within 25% of the diameter of the rod-like object to be sorted. In the above embodiment, the conveying lanes are formed by dividing them with three types of dividers of different lengths, but two types, or four or more types may be used. The number of dividers is also determined appropriately depending on various conditions such as the width of the sorting device and the diameter and length of the rod-shaped members to be sorted.

[0056] In the above embodiment, the sorting section is formed by punching and press-forming a single stainless steel plate, but the members that become the first conveying surface, the second conveying surface, the third conveying surface, the first discharge surface and the second discharge surface may each be formed by punching a stainless steel plate, and then welding and fixing each member together with the rising wall to form the first conveying surface, the second conveying surface, the third conveying surface, the first discharge surface and the second discharge surface. In the above embodiment, long wiener sausages, short wiener sausages, and scrap wiener sausages can be sorted out simultaneously, but it is also possible to first use the vibrating plate of the present invention to sort out long wiener sausages that would be defective and short wiener sausages and scrap wiener sausages that would be good products, and then use a second vibrating plate with a sorting hole that is large enough to allow only the scrap wiener sausages to fall through but not the short wiener sausages to fall through to sort out and remove the scrap wiener sausages, thereby obtaining only the good short wiener sausages. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1 Length sorting device S1 Long wiener sausage (rod-shaped item) S2 Short Vienna sausage (rod-shaped item) 11a, 11b diaphragm 12 Short product receiving part 12a Outlet 12b Waste collection box 12c Short Wiener Sausage Discharge Port 13 Vibration device 14 Mounting stand 14a Coil spring 15 Long item storage box 16 Phloem 2 Rod-shaped item receiving member 21 Receiving part body 22 Receiving section rising wall 29 Rod-shaped object receiving part 3. Sorting section main body 3a Sorting surface 3b Sorting section rising wall 3c 1st discharge surface 3d 2nd discharge surface 3e Guide Wall 3f downstream edge 30 Open end (discharge port) 31 First conveying surface 32 Second conveying surface 33 Third conveying surface 33a downstream end 34 1st long hole 34a Induction slope 34b First sorting hole 35 2nd long hole 35a Induction slope 35b Second sorting hole 36 First partition 36a First tip member 36b First intermediate member 36c First rear end member 36d tip inclined surface 37 Second partition 37a Second tip member 37b Second intermediate member 37c Second rear end member 37d tip inclined surface 38 Third partition 38a Third tip member 38b Third intermediate member 38c Third rear end member 38d tip inclined surface 39a Preliminary sorting hole 39b Guidance slope 39c Auxiliary sorting hole 39d tip inclined surface X, Y virtual extension plane L transport lane S notch

Claims

1. A rod-shaped article receiving portion; a sorting unit having a plurality of conveying lanes that are partitioned by a plurality of partitions and that convey the rod-shaped articles received in the rod-shaped article receiving unit toward a conveying outlet in an individually sorted state by applying vibration; One or more sorting holes of a size that allows short rod-shaped items having a length equal to or less than a specified length to fall into are provided on the conveying surface of the conveying lane in the conveying direction of the conveying lane, A vibration plate for sorting the length of the rod-like objects, which is configured to transport the rod-like objects that do not fall into the sorting hole to the transport outlet side, The conveying surface of the conveying lane is an inclined surface that is inclined downward toward the downstream side at a steeper incline than the conveying surface upstream of the sorting hole on the most upstream side, The downstream conveying surface of the most upstream sorting hole is flush with the upstream conveying surface of the downstream sorting hole, and A vibrating plate characterized in that the upper edge of the downstream conveying surface is located at the same height as an imaginary extension of the upstream conveying surface or at a position lower than the imaginary extension of the upstream conveying surface.

2. a first discharge surface, a second discharge surface, and a guide wall; The first discharge surface is flush with the downstream conveying surface of the most downstream sorting hole, or is bent along a line perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying lane and connected to the downstream end of the downstream conveying surface, and a downstream edge inclined from one side to the other side in the width direction of the vibration plate so that the distance from the downstream end of the downstream conveying surface increases, the second discharge surface is bent along a line segment along the downstream edge of the first discharge surface and is formed as an inclined surface that descends from the one side to the other side, The vibrating plate described in claim 1, wherein the guide wall is raised from the peripheral edge of the second discharge surface, leaving the downstream end of the inclination of the second discharge surface open, so that the rod-shaped item that enters the second discharge surface from the first discharge surface is guided along the wall surface toward the downstream end of the inclination of the second discharge surface.

3. 3. The vibrating plate according to claim 2, wherein the second discharge surface is provided with a pre-sorting hole near the guide wall at the downstream end of the inclination, into which the short rod-like articles can fall.

4. The vibration plate described in claim 1, wherein adjacent partition sections are arranged so that the upstream end of one partition section in the conveying direction is offset in the front-to-rear direction relative to the upstream end of the other partition section in the conveying direction, and each has a tip inclined surface that gradually becomes higher from its tip toward the downstream side.

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