Lower conveying device for optical sorting machine

Abstract

To provide a lower transport device for an optical sorter that can improve the discrimination accuracy of the optical sorter compared to conventional devices, and also improve maintainability. [Solution] In the lower transport device 30 of an optical separator that transports sorted materials horizontally according to sorting categories based on predetermined conditions, the device includes a conveyor case 31 that slopes upward in the transport direction of the sorted materials, and flow conveyors FCa, FCb consisting of a drive shaft 32 and driven shafts 33a, 33b that are wound around a plurality of transport pieces within the conveyor case 31, wherein a plurality of flow conveyors FCa, FCb are provided according to the sorting categories of the sorted materials, the drive shaft 32 of the flow conveyors FCa, FCb is a common shaft for the plurality of flow conveyors FCa, FCb, and the driven shafts 33a, 33b of the flow conveyors FCa, FCb are independent shafts for each of the plurality of flow conveyors FCa, FCb.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a lower conveying device for a color sorter, which conveys grains sorted by the color sorter to an elevator below the color sorter.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in color sorters, a lower conveying device or a vibrating conveyor has been used as a relay conveyor in order to convey defective products that have been sorted and fallen from the sorting unit to an elevator.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which defective particles sorted by primary sorting are conveyed by a transverse conveyor as a lower conveying device (see reference numeral 20 in Fig. 2 of Patent Document 1) to the supply port of a secondary grain elevator for secondary sorting, and good particles sorted by secondary sorting are conveyed by a transverse conveyor as a lower conveying device (see reference numeral 18 in Fig. 2 of Patent Document 1) to the supply port of a primary grain elevator for primary sorting.

[0004] Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration in which a vibrating conveyor is disposed below a color sorting unit, and sorted into primary good products, primary defective products, and secondary good products, which are respectively supplied to a plurality of bucket conveyors according to purposes.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, in a lower conveying device such as the one disclosed in Patent Document 1, when defective particles are placed on the upper belt of the lower conveying device and conveyed, there is a risk that some of the defective particles may fall out during conveyance through the gap between the belt and the conveyor case at both ends of the upper belt in the conveying direction (the start and end of conveyance).

[0007] The fallen defective particles are not lifted to the upper belt side by the lower belt, but instead accumulate and pile up at the bottom of the conveyor case of the lower transport device. As the amount of accumulation increases, it can cause blockages, leading to system shutdowns and increased cleaning burdens.

[0008] Furthermore, in the case of a vibrating conveyor as disclosed in Patent Document 2, the vibrations generated by the vibrating conveyor may adversely affect the operation panel (control board, etc.), optical unit, and sorting unit. This increases the risk of malfunction or failure of each piece of equipment, as well as the risk of adversely affecting the imaging of raw materials, leading to misidentification, and the risk of mis-identification due to misalignment of the airflow in the sorting unit, leading to sorting errors.

[0009] Therefore, in view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a lower transport device for an optical sorter that can improve the discrimination accuracy of the optical sorter compared to conventional devices, and also improve maintainability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] To solve the above problems, a representative aspect of the present invention is a lower conveying device for an optical separator that transports sorted materials horizontally according to sorting categories based on predetermined conditions, comprising a flow conveyor consisting of a conveyor case that inclins upward in the direction of transport of the sorted materials, and a conveyor that is wound around a drive shaft and a driven shaft within the conveyor case and has a plurality of transport pieces, wherein a plurality of flow conveyors are provided according to the sorting categories of the sorted materials, the drive shaft of the flow conveyor is a common shaft among the plurality of flow conveyors, and the driven shaft of the flow conveyor is an independent shaft for each of the plurality of flow conveyors.

[0011] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the lengths of the multiple flow conveyors in the conveying direction may differ from one another.

[0012] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the inclination angles of the multiple flow conveyors in the conveying direction can be different from each other.

[0013] In one embodiment, the conveyor case may be equipped with an openable and closable lower shutter at the bottom of the conveyor.

[0014] In one embodiment, the conveyor may be provided with an openable and closable starting end shutter below the starting end, and the lower shutter and the starting end shutter may be configured to be openable and closable by a common pivot shaft. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, in a flow conveyor that slopes upward in the direction of transport of the sorted material, a structure is provided that has multiple transport paths having a common drive shaft and independent driven shafts, thereby improving the discrimination accuracy of the optical sorter compared to conventional methods, and also improving maintainability. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is a side perspective view showing the outline of a color sorter in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the lower conveying device in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a top perspective view of the lower conveying device in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a side perspective view of the lower conveying device in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a side perspective view of the lower conveying device in another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view of the lower conveying device in another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a top view of the lower conveying device in another embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0017] Hereinafter, a representative embodiment of the lower conveying device for a color sorter according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

[0018] As an example, the lower conveying device for a color sorter according to the present invention is used in a form incorporated in the lower part of a color sorter 1 as shown in FIG. 1. The color sorter 1 at least includes a lifting mechanism 10 that conveys objects to be sorted from the lower side to the upper side of the color sorter 1, a sorting mechanism (not shown) that optically sorts the objects to be sorted, and a lower conveying device 30 that is capable of conveying the objects sorted by the sorting mechanism to the lifting mechanism 10.

[0019] In the present embodiment, examples of objects that can be sorted by the color sorter 1 include grains such as rice and wheat, resin pellets, coffee beans, or other raw materials composed of granular materials, or foreign matter mixed into these raw materials.

[0020] As an example shown in Figure 1, the lifting mechanism 10 has a receiving section 11 that receives the materials to be sorted transported by the lower transport device 30, and an internal bucket conveyor (not shown) that scoops up and transports the materials to be sorted. The materials to be sorted supplied from the lifting mechanism 10 are transported to the sorting mechanism described above and sorted.

[0021] The bucket conveyors described above may be arranged individually or in multiples, depending on the type of material to be transported and the purpose of sorting. In this case, one of the bucket conveyors may be configured to discharge, for example, materials identified as defective from the optical sorter 1.

[0022] The sorting mechanism described above is a known mechanism and includes an optical detection unit that uses light to detect the quality of the sorted items and any foreign matter present, and a separation unit that sorts the items based on the detection results from the optical detection unit.

[0023] In the optical detection unit described above, an image of the raw material is acquired, and the quality of the material to be sorted is determined. Then, in the separation unit described above, good or bad products, or foreign matter mixed in with the raw material, are separated from the falling material using an air nozzle that injects a high-speed airflow. The sorted raw materials are configured to be sent to the lower conveying device 30 downstream via the corresponding hoppers.

[0024] Figures 2-4 show perspective views, plan views, and side views of the lower conveying device 30 of this embodiment, respectively. As shown in the figures, the lower conveying device 30 is equipped with a conveyor case 31 that slopes upward in the direction of conveying the sorted material. Inside the conveyor case 31 are two flow conveyors (first flow conveyor FCa, second flow conveyor FCb), each equipped with a conveyor (first conveyor 34a, second conveyor 34b) that is wound around a drive shaft 32 and driven shafts (first driven shaft 33a, second driven shaft 33b).

[0025] Multiple flow conveyors can be provided depending on the sorting categories of the materials to be sorted. In this embodiment, as shown in the figure, a first flow conveyor FCa and a second flow conveyor FCb are arranged. It is also possible to arrange three or more flow conveyors.

[0026] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, etc., it is possible to feed the sorted material (Oa in the figure) that has been determined to be defective in the primary sorting process into the first inlet 311a and use the first flow conveyor FCa as a primary sorted defective material route. The sorted material (Oa in the figure) that has been transported to the first flow conveyor FCa is then transported to the lifting mechanism 10 for secondary sorting.

[0027] On the other hand, sorted items (Ob shown in the figure) that are judged to be good products in the secondary sorting are fed in from the second inlet 311b, and the second flow conveyor FCb can be used as a secondary sorting good product path.

[0028] On the top plate 312 at the starting end of the conveyor case 31, inlets 311 (first inlet 311a, second inlet 311b) for receiving the sorted materials selected from the hopper are provided at corresponding positions on the flow conveyor (first flow conveyor FCa, second flow conveyor FCb).

[0029] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the drive shafts 32 of the flow conveyors FCa and FCb are positioned at the starting end of the conveyor case 31, and a motor 36 that provides rotational force to the drive shafts 32 is attached to one end of the drive shafts 32. The drive shafts 32 function as a common rotational shaft for multiple flow conveyors FCa and FCb.

[0030] On the other hand, the driven shafts 33a and 33b are provided downstream of the conveyor case 31 and are configured to rotate independently of each other, corresponding to the first flow conveyor FCa and the second flow conveyor FCb, respectively. Furthermore, the driven shafts 33a and 33b are each provided with tension adjustment means (first tension adjustment means 37a and second tension adjustment means 37b) as shown in Figure 2, etc., and by adjusting the biasing force of the springs, it is possible to adjust the tension of the conveyors (first conveyor 34a and second conveyor 34b), which will be described later.

[0031] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the above-mentioned conveyors 34a and 34b are composed of belts that extend parallel to the conveying direction and are wound between the drive shaft 32 and the driven shafts 33a and 33b.

[0032] Furthermore, as shown in the figure, the conveyors 34a and 34b are equipped with multiple conveying pieces (sweepers) 35 at predetermined intervals, and these conveying pieces 35 push out the sorted materials and transport them downstream.

[0033] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the conveyor case 31 of this embodiment is provided with lower shutters (first lower shutter 38a, second lower shutter 38b) that can be opened and closed via pivot shafts (first pivot shaft 39a, second pivot shaft 39b) on the bottom plate 313 located below each conveyor 34a, 34b. These lower shutters 38a, 38b are closed when the flow conveyors FCa, FCb are in operation and opened when they are stopped, making it possible to clean and repair the inside of the flow conveyors FCa, FCb.

[0034] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, a fitting plate 381 is attached to the upper surface of the lower shutters 38a and 38b, which fits into the opening formed in the bottom plate 313. This allows the fitting plate 381 to fit into the opening in the bottom plate 313 when the lower shutters 38a and 38b are closed, making it possible to create a flat surface on which the conveying pieces 35 of each conveyor 34a and 34b slide.

[0035] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the starting ends of the flow conveyors FCa and FCb are equipped with starting end shutters 40a and 40b that can be opened and closed using the same pivot shafts 39a and 39b as the lower shutters 38a and 38b. This allows for cleaning and repair of the inside of the flow conveyors FCa and FCb, especially the starting ends, by opening the shutters when the flow conveyors FCa and FCb are stopped.

[0036] (Another embodiment) The lower transport device 30 of this embodiment has been described above, but the invention is not necessarily limited to the embodiment described above.

[0037] For example, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, instead of the aforementioned starting end shutters 40a and 40b, the starting end of the first flow conveyor FCa and the starting end of the second flow conveyor FCb can be configured to be opened and closed by screws or the like using a common component, an integrated starting end shutter 50.

[0038] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, it is also possible to set the length of the first flow conveyor FCa in the conveying direction and the length of the second flow conveyor FCb in the conveying direction to different arbitrary lengths.

[0039] This makes it possible, for example, to use either the first flow conveyor FCa or the second flow conveyor FCb as a transport route to the lifting mechanism 10, and the other as a discharge route to the outside of the machine.

[0040] Furthermore, although not shown in the diagram, it is also possible to set the inclination angle of the first flow conveyor FCa in the conveying direction and the inclination angle of the second flow conveyor FCb in the conveying direction to different arbitrary angles.

[0041] Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the lower shutters 38a and 38b were configured to be openable and closable as separate components corresponding to the first flow conveyor FCa and the second flow conveyor FCb, respectively. However, it is also possible to configure the lower shutters 38a and 38b as an integrated structure so that they can be opened and closed simultaneously.

[0042] Although embodiments and alternative embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments of the invention described above are for the purpose of facilitating understanding of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from its spirit, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof. Furthermore, the combination or omission of each component described in the claims and specification is possible to the extent that at least a part of the above-mentioned problems can be solved or at least a part of the effects can be achieved. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0043] 1. Optical sorter 10 Lifting mechanism 11 Receiving Section 30 Lower conveying device 31 Conveyor Cases 311a Inlet (First inlet) 311b Inflow section (second inflow section) 312 Top plate 313 Bottom plate 32 drive shafts 33a Driven shaft (first driven shaft) 33b Driven axis (second driven axis) 34a Conveyor (First Conveyor) 34b Conveyor (Second Conveyor) 35 Conveyor pieces 36 Motors 37a Tension adjustment means (first tension adjustment means) 37b Tension adjustment means (second tension adjustment means) 38a Lower shutter (first lower shutter) 38b Lower shutter (second lower shutter) 381 Interlocking plate 39a Pivot axis (first pivot axis) 39b Rotating axis (second rotating axis) 40a Starting end shutter (first starting end shutter) 40b Starting point shutter (second starting point shutter) 50 Integrated starting end shutter FCa flow conveyor (first flow conveyor) FCb flow conveyor (second flow conveyor)

Claims

1. In the lower conveying device of an optical sorter that conveys sorted items horizontally according to sorting categories based on predetermined conditions, The flow conveyor comprises a conveyor case that is inclined upward in the direction of transport of the sorted material, and a conveyor that is wound around a drive shaft and a driven shaft within the conveyor case and has a plurality of transport pieces. Multiple flow conveyors are provided according to the sorting categories of the items to be sorted. The drive shaft of the flow conveyor is a shaft common to multiple flow conveyors. The driven shafts of the flow conveyors are independent shafts for each of the multiple flow conveyors. A lower conveying device for an optical sorter, characterized by the following features.

2. The lengths of the multiple flow conveyors in the conveying direction are different from each other. The lower conveying device for the optical sorting machine according to feature 1.

3. The inclination angles of the multiple flow conveyors in the conveying direction are different from each other. The lower conveying device for an optical sorter according to feature 1 or 2.

4. The conveyor case is equipped with an openable and closable lower shutter at the bottom of the conveyor. The lower conveying device for the optical sorting machine according to feature 1.

5. The conveyor case is equipped with an openable and closable starting end shutter located below the starting end of the conveyor. The lower shutter and the starting end shutter can be opened and closed by a common pivot shaft. The lower conveying device for the optical sorting machine according to feature 4.

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