Item sorting device

Abstract

To relax impact on an article as much as possible, in making collecting means 5 collect the article.SOLUTION: An article sorting device 2 comprises conveying means 3 that moves article supporting means 12 that supports a vegetable 1 (an article), collecting means 5 that collects the vegetable 1 that is ejected from a predetermined ejection position B of the conveying means 3, and operating means 13 that brings the article supporting means 12 from a supporting state into an ejecting state. A cushion member 31 formed of flexible raw materials having a cylindrical shape is arranged at an ejection position for the vegetable 1 dropping from the article supporting means 12 brought into the ejecting state at the ejection position B, and a belt conveyor 32 equipped with a conveying belt 32a made of flexible raw materials is provided between the cushion member 31 and the collecting means 5. When the article supporting means 12 is brought into the ejecting state at the ejection position B, the vegetable 1 drops on the cushion member 31 and further is conveyed to the collecting means 5 through the conveying belt 32a of the belt conveyor 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an item sorting device, and more particularly to an item sorting device equipped with a conveying means for moving an item support means that supports an item to convey the item, and a recovery means for recovering the item discharged at a required discharge position of the conveying means. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, vegetables and fruits have been classified into multiple classes according to size, sugar content, etc. before being shipped. An item sorting device for sorting such vegetables and fruits is provided with a conveying means for moving an item support means that supports the vegetables to convey the vegetables, a collecting means for collecting the vegetables discharged at a required discharge position of the conveying means, and an operating means for changing the item support means from a supported state to a discharge state at the discharge position (Patent Documents 1 to 3). In this type of article sorting device, when the article support means is in the discharge state, the vegetables fall directly into the recovery means, and there is a risk that the vegetables will be damaged by the impact of the fall, reducing their commercial value. To address this problem, for example, a known approach is to provide a shock-absorbing belt conveyor at the discharge position to cushion the impact on articles falling from the article support means (Patent Document 4). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 3-49848 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 3660810 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 4875426 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 53-156840 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, even the configuration of Patent Document 4 above cannot completely absorb the impact on the articles when they are dropped from the article support means onto the buffer belt conveyor, and further improvements are desired. In view of the above problems, the present invention provides an article sorting device capable of reducing, as much as possible, the impact on articles when the articles are collected into a collection means. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] That is, the object sorting device according to the invention of claim 1 is an object sorting device comprising: a conveying means for moving object support means which supports objects and conveys the objects; a recovering means for recovering objects discharged at a required discharge position of the conveying means; and an operating means for changing the object support means from a supporting state to a discharging state at the discharge position, a cushion member having a cylindrical shape and made of a flexible material, which is rotatable around a rotation axis, is provided at a discharge position of the transport means, and a belt conveyor including a transport belt provided between the cushion member and the recovery means is provided; When the article support means is placed in the discharge state at the discharge position, the articles drop onto the cushion member and are then transported to the recovery means via the transport belt of the belt conveyor. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the above invention, a cushion member made of a flexible material is provided at the discharge position of the article, so that the impact on the article dropped from the article support means is absorbed by the cushion member before the article is dropped onto the conveyor belt of the belt conveyor, which has a conveyor belt made of a flexible material, making it possible to mitigate the impact on the article as much as possible. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an article sorting device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] Side view of the article sorting device [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating an article support means; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the article support means and the actuation means. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the article supporting means and the returning means. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a cushion member and a belt conveyor; [Figure 7] 1 is a cross-sectional view of an article sorting device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating an article support means; [Figure 9] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an article support means. [Figure 10] 3 is a cross-sectional view of an article sorting device according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] The illustrated embodiment will now be described. Figs. 1 and 2 show an item sorting device 2 which sorts items such as vegetables 1 according to class, with Fig. 1 showing a plan view of the item sorting device 2 and Fig. 2 showing a side view. The vegetables 1 to be sorted by the item sorting device 2 of this embodiment are preferably long and thin vegetables 1 such as carrots and radishes, but other vegetables 1, agricultural products such as fruits, and even seafood such as fish can also be sorted. The item sorting device 2 includes a conveying means 3 for conveying the vegetables 1, a quality inspection means 4 for inspecting the vegetables 1 and determining the grade, a plurality of recovery means 5 for recovering the vegetables 1 discharged from the conveying means 3 according to the grade, and a control means 6 for controlling these. In addition, in FIG. 1 and the subsequent figures, only one recovery means 5 located on the upstream side of the transport means 3 is shown, and the remaining recovery means 3 are omitted from the illustration. In the item sorting device 2 of this embodiment, when an operator supplies vegetables 1 at supply position A set upstream of the conveying means 3, the quality inspection means 4 inspects the quality of the vegetables 1, such as their size and sugar content, and assigns them a grade depending on the inspection results. A plurality of collection means 5 are provided downstream of the quality inspection means 4 on the conveying means 3, and the conveying means 3 discharges the vegetables 1 at a position (discharge position B) of the collection means 5 corresponding to the class of the vegetables 1, so that each collection means 5 collects the vegetables 1 of each class. Incidentally, since the quality inspection means 4 is conventionally known, a more detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0009] The conveying means 3 includes a chain 11 arranged in parallel, an item support means 12 moved by the chain 11, an operating means 13 for operating the item support means 12 at the discharge position B to discharge the vegetables 1 to the collection means 5, and a return means 14 for returning the operated item support means 12. The chains 11 are arranged in parallel, and a circulation path is formed by a plurality of sprockets 15 as shown in Fig. 2. Of the sprockets 15, a required sprocket 15 is a drive sprocket 15a driven by a drive motor, and the drive sprocket 15a is provided with an encoder (not shown).

[0010] The article support means 12 are provided at equal intervals on the chain 11, and the movement path on the upper side of the figure in Fig. 2 by the chain 11 constitutes a conveying surface along which the vegetables 1 are conveyed, and this conveying surface forms a conveying path for the vegetables 1 by the conveying means 3. In contrast, the movement path on the lower side of the figure constitutes a return surface for circulating and returning to the conveying surface. The control means 6 stores the position of the item support means 12 using the encoder, and also stores the grade assigned by the quality inspection means 4 for each of the vegetables 1 supported by the item support means 12. When the item support means 12 reaches the discharge position B where the required collection means 5 is provided and the class of the vegetables 1 matches the class corresponding to the collection means 5, the control means 6 activates the operating means 13 to discharge the vegetables 1 from the item support means 12 to the collection means 5.

[0011] 3 to 5 are diagrams for explaining the article support means 12, and each of FIGS. 3 and 4 shows two article support means 12 adjacent to each other in the conveying direction. In FIG. 4, the article support means 12 on the left side of the figure is shown in a supporting state in which it supports vegetables 1, and the article support means 12 on the right side of the figure is shown in a discharging state in which it discharges vegetables 1. Rod-shaped stays 11a are provided at equal intervals between the chains 11 arranged in parallel to each other, and plate-shaped brackets 11b are provided between the stays 11a adjacent to each other in the conveying direction at positions that are both ends of the stays 11a. As shown in FIG. 3, the end of bracket 11b on the upstream side in the conveying direction is bent in a crank shape so that the end of bracket 11b located on the upstream side in the conveying direction does not interfere with the end of bracket 11b located on the downstream side.

[0012] The article support means 12 is composed of a swing shaft 16 perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying means 3, a plurality of comb-tooth-shaped members 17 fixed to the swing shaft 16, an arm 18 provided at the end of the swing shaft 16, and a holding means 19 for maintaining the comb-tooth-shaped members 17 in the supported state. The oscillating shaft 16 is rotatably arranged between the brackets 11b, and the comb-tooth member 17 is a rod-shaped member fixed at a predetermined interval to the oscillating shaft 16, with the tip of the comb-tooth member 17 facing upstream in the conveying direction. As shown in Figure 4, the comb-tooth-shaped member 17 has an approximately L-shape with the center protruding downward, and when a vegetable 1 is placed on the article support means 12 in a supporting state, the vegetable 1 is positioned at the bent part of the L-shape due to its own weight. From this state, when the item support means 12 is switched to the discharge state, the comb-tooth-shaped member 17 swings around the swing axis 16, and the tip moves downward and the comb-tooth-shaped member 17 tilts, causing the supported vegetables 1 to roll down toward the upstream side in the conveying direction.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 3, the arms 18 are fixed to both ends of the swing shaft 16, that is, at positions sandwiching the comb-tooth member 17, and a roller 18a is provided at the tip of each arm 18. When the article support means 12 is in the discharge state, the arm 18 faces upstream in the conveying direction, and when the article support means 12 is in the discharge state, it oscillates integrally with the comb-tooth-shaped member 17 by the oscillating shaft 16, and the roller 18a moves downward.

[0014] The holding means 19 is composed of a mounting member 20 provided on one bracket 11b (the lower bracket 11b in Figure 3), a rotating shaft 21 rotatably provided with respect to the mounting member 20, an operating plate 22 provided on the upper end of the rotating shaft 21, a support plate 23 provided on the lower end of the rotating shaft 21, and a biasing means (not shown) for maintaining the operating plate 22 and support plate 23 in a supported state. The rotating shaft 21 is provided in the vertical direction in FIG. 4, and the operating plate 22 and the support plate 23 are elongated plate-like members and are provided at the upper and lower ends of the rotating shaft 21, respectively, facing approximately horizontally. The operating plate 22 and the support plate 23 are fixed so as to face in the same direction relative to the rotating shaft 21, and the operating plate 22 and the support plate 23 are biased by the biasing means so as to face in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction (the up-down direction in Figure 3). When the article support means 12 is in the supporting state, the support plate 23 supports the arm 18 adjacent to the comb-like member 17 from below, and holds the arm 18 and the comb-like member 17 so that they do not enter the discharging state. To change the article support means 12 from the supporting state to the discharging state, the end of the operating plate 22 is pressed to rotate it about the rotating shaft 21, and the support plate 23 is rotated integrally therewith. Then, the support plate 23 is released from below the arm 18, so that the arm 18 and the comb-tooth member 17 swing downwards due to their own weight, and the article support means 12 enters the discharge state.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the operating means 13 is provided along the transport path of the article supporting means 12, and is provided at each of the discharge positions B where the vegetables 1 are discharged to the collecting means 5. The operating means 13 is constituted by a solenoid provided above the article support means 12, and is adapted to raise and lower a release pin 13a at a position where the holding means 19 of the article support means 12 passes. When the release pin 13a is retracted to the raised position, the operating plate 22 of the holding means 19 does not come into contact with the release pin 13a even when the article support means 12 passes, so that the article support means 12 maintains its supporting state. On the other hand, if the release pin 13a is protruded to the lowered position, the operating plate 22 of the holding means 19 will come into contact with the release pin 13a and rotate when the article support means 12 passes, and the support plate 23 will be released from below the arm 18, thereby achieving the discharge state.

[0016] Here, the item support means 12, which has moved the height of the conveying surface to the downstream end in the conveying direction by the chain 11, moves along the sprocket 15, moves downward to a return height, and then moves toward the upstream side in the conveying direction. When the article support means 12 moves to the return height, it reverses, and the arm 18, together with the tip of the comb-like member 17, attempts to swing in the opposite direction to that before, returning to the supporting state. However, since the support plate 23 of the holding means 19 is oriented in the vertical direction shown in Figure 3 due to the biasing force of the biasing means, the arm 18 abuts against the support plate 23 from above (the back side), making it impossible for the comb-tooth-shaped member 17 and the arm 18 to return to the above-mentioned supported state. Therefore, as shown in Figure 5, the return means 14 consisting of a solenoid and a return pin 14a which is raised and lowered by the solenoid are provided on the return side of the item support means 12 on the chain 11, and more specifically, the return pin 14a is provided at a position where the holding means 19 passes. As a result, when the article support means 12 passes, the return means 14 (return pin 14 a ) rotates the operating plate 22 , causing the support plate 23 to separate from below the arm 18 . Then, the arm 18 swings together with the comb-tooth member 17, causing the tip to drop downward, and the roller 18a provided at the tip of the arm 18 collides with the bracket 11b, causing the article support means 12 to return to the supporting state.

[0017] The number of the collecting means 5 is the same as the number of classes given to the vegetables 1, and the conveying means 3 is provided with the same number of discharge positions B as the number of the collecting means 5. The recovery means 5 includes a curved section 5A consisting of a belt conveyor having a curved transport path, a straight section 5B consisting of a belt conveyor having a straight transport path, and a workbench 24 on which a worker packs the vegetables 1 into boxes. The curved section 5A is located between the conveying surface and the returning surface of the article support means 12 in the conveying means 3, and its upstream starting end is provided in the same direction as the conveying direction of the conveying means 3. The curved section 5A bends the conveying direction to a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying means 3, thereby changing the conveying direction of the vegetables 1 by 90° before delivering them to the straight section 5B. In this way, the curved portion 5A and the straight portion 5B allow the vegetables 1 transported by the transport belt 32a described later to be discharged to the side of the transport means 3 and transported to the vicinity of the work table 24.

[0018] As described above, the conveying means 3 changes the article support means 12 from a supporting state to a discharging state at the discharging position B, thereby discharging the vegetables 1 supported by the article support means 12 to the collecting means 5. When the article support means 12 is in the discharge state, the vegetables 1 roll down toward the upstream side in the conveying direction by the inclined comb-tooth member 17, but in the past, the vegetables 1 fell directly into the recovery means 5, which caused a problem that the vegetables 1 were damaged by the impact of falling. Therefore, in the item sorting device 2 of this embodiment, in order to cushion the impact of the drop on the vegetables 1, a cushion member 31 made of a flexible material that is cylindrical and rotatably arranged is provided at the discharge position B of the conveying means 3, which is the discharge position for the vegetables 1 dropping from the item support means 12 in the discharge state, and a belt conveyor 32 equipped with a conveying belt 32a made of a flexible material that is arranged between the cushion member 31 and the recovery means 5. By providing the above-mentioned configuration, when the item support means 12 is placed in the discharge state at the discharge position B as shown in Figure 4, the vegetables 1 fall onto the cushion member 31 and are then handed over to the collection means 5 via the conveyor belt 32a of the belt conveyor 32.

[0019] To explain in more detail below, the cushion member 31 is rotatably arranged around a first rotating shaft 31a, which is oriented perpendicular to the conveying direction and rotates in the clockwise direction as shown in FIG. 2 by a drive motor 33 provided below the cushion member 31. The length of the cushion member 31 is set to approximately the same width as the conveying means 3, and its top is set at a height such that it will not come into contact with the article support means 12 of the conveying means 3 when it passes through in a supported state. The cushion member 31 is configured to have shock absorbing properties as a whole, and in this embodiment, shock absorbing properties are ensured by forming the first rotating shaft 31a from a brush having multiple bristles made of a flexible material, for example, chemical fibers such as nylon, natural fibers, animal hair, etc. By constructing the cushion member 31 from a flexible material such as a brush in this manner, as shown by the dotted line in Figure 4, the vegetables 1 that fall onto the cushion member 31 at the discharge position are received by being buried in the cushion member 31 while the bristles of the brush are crushed, and by fully absorbing the impact on the vegetables 1 at that time, it is possible to minimize damage to the outer skin and internal damage, etc. Instead of the brush, the flexible material constituting the cushion member 31 may be a material with enhanced shock absorbing properties, such as by foaming a resin such as urethane, formed into a disk shape, and a configuration in which a plurality of such disks are provided along the first rotating shaft 31a. In other words, forming the cushion member 31 from a flexible material includes not only a mode in which shock absorbing properties are obtained by arranging the material like a brush, but also the use of a material that is itself flexible. Furthermore, the cushion member 31 is provided with a plurality of slits 31c along the first rotation shaft 31a, and the intervals and widths of the slits 31c are set to match the intervals and widths of the comb-tooth members 17. Disk-shaped side guides 31b having a larger diameter than the cushion member 31 are provided at both ends of the cushion member 31 to prevent the vegetables 1 that have fallen from the article support means 12 from falling from both ends of the cushion member 31. In this embodiment, the side guide 31b is fixed to the first rotating shaft 31a and is configured to rotate together with the cushion member 31, but the side guide 31b may be configured not to rotate and the cushion member 31 may rotate relative to the side guide 31b.

[0020] The belt conveyor 32 has a plurality of conveying belts 32a arranged at the position of the slits 31c formed in the cushion member 31, and one end of the conveying belts 32a is engaged with a first rotating shaft 31a of the cushion member 31, and the other end is engaged with a second rotating shaft 32b arranged adjacent to the cushion member 31. The conveyor belt 32a, like the cushion member 31, is made of a flexible material, and in this embodiment, soft rubber is used. The second rotating shaft 32b is provided at the same height as the rotating shaft 21 of the cushion member 31, and a pulley is provided on the second rotating shaft 32b at a position where the conveying belt 32a is attached so that the conveying surface on the upper surface of the conveying belt 32a is horizontal. Since the first rotating shaft 31a of the cushion member 31 is driven by the drive motor 33, the belt conveyor 32 operates in synchronization with the cushion member 31, and the vegetables 1 that fall onto the belt conveyor 32 are transported toward the right in Figure 4. By using the first rotation shaft 31 a of the cushion member 31 as the drive shaft of the belt conveyor 32 in this manner, it is possible to set the height of the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 32 to the center height of the cushion member 31 . The height of the upstream end of the first straight section 5A of the recovery means 5 is set to the same height as the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 32, so that the vegetables transported on the belt conveyor 32 are handed over to the rollers 5a of the recovery means 5.

[0021] The operation of the article sorting device 2 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described below. First, as shown in Fig. 1, an operator supplies vegetables 1 one by one to the article support means 12 of the conveying means 3 at a supply position A on the upstream side of the conveying means 3. At this time, if the vegetable 1 is a long and thin vegetable 1 such as a carrot, it is placed so that its orientation is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying means 3. The conveying means 3 moves the article support means 12, and as the vegetables 1 pass through the quality inspection means 4, the quality inspection means 4 inspects the size and sugar content of the vegetables 1 and assigns an appropriate grade to each vegetable 1. The control means 6 memorizes the class assigned to the vegetable 1, and when the item support means 12 supporting the vegetable 1 approaches the discharge position B where the collection means 5 is provided, the control means 6 controls whether or not to operate the operating means 13 at the discharge position B. If the class of the vegetables 1 supported by the item support means 12 does not match the class assigned to the collection means 5 at the discharge position B, the control means 6 does not operate the operating means 13, and therefore the item support means 12 passes through the discharge position B while maintaining the supported state.

[0022] In contrast, when the class of the vegetable 1 supported by the item support means 12 matches the class assigned to the collection means 5 at the discharge position B, the control means 6 activates the operating means 13 to change the item support means 12 from the support state to the discharge state. As shown in FIG. 4, when the article supporting means 12 approaches the upstream side of the discharge position B, the control means 6 actuates the solenoid serving as the actuating means 13 to cause the release pin 13a to protrude downward. As a result, the operating plate 22 provided on the holding means 19 of the article support means 12 about to pass rotates while colliding with the release pin 13a, and the support plate 23 supporting the arm 18 rotates integrally therewith. As a result, the support plate 23 is released from below the arm 18, and the arm 18 swings integrally with the comb-like member 17 around the swing shaft 16, so that the tip of the comb-like member 17 moves downward to an ejection state.

[0023] When the article support means 12 is put into the discharging state and the comb-tooth members 17 are tilted, the vegetables 1 that were supported by the comb-tooth members 17 until then roll down toward the upstream side in the conveying direction. At the discharge position B of the conveying means 3, the cushion member 31 is provided below the moving item support means 12, and the vegetables 1 that roll down from the item support means 12 in the discharge state to the upstream side in the conveying direction will collide with the cushion member 31. Here, in this embodiment, when the item support means 12 is in the discharge state and the tip of the comb-tooth member 17 oscillates, the comb-tooth member 17 passes through the slit 31c formed in the cushion member 31, so that the oscillation is not hindered by the cushion member 31. Since the tip of the comb-tooth-shaped member 17 passes through the slit 31c of the cushion member 31 in this manner, even if the vegetables 1 that were previously placed on the comb-tooth-shaped member 17 roll toward the upstream side of the conveying direction, they can be immediately caused to collide with the cushion member 31, and the impact on the vegetables 1 due to the collision is mitigated as much as possible.

[0024] The vegetables 1 that roll down from the article support means 12 towards the cushion member 31 fall towards the belt conveyor 32 because the cushion member 31 is rotating clockwise in FIG. The conveyor belt 32a constituting the belt conveyor 32 is also made of a soft material, so that the impact on the vegetables 1 that have fallen from the cushion member 31 onto the belt conveyor 32 is reduced. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the height of the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 32 is the same as the height of the first rotating shaft 32a of the cushion member 31, so that the drop from the cushion member 31 to the belt conveyor 32 is reduced, thereby mitigating the impact on the falling vegetables 1. The vegetables 1 that have fallen onto the belt conveyor 32 are then transferred to the recovery means 5, and a worker packs the vegetables 1 into boxes on a work table 24 provided downstream of the roller conveyor.

[0025] According to the above embodiment, even if the item support means 12 is in a discharge state at the discharge position B set at the required position of the conveying means 3 and the vegetables 1 are discharged, the impact of the drop of the discharged vegetables 1 is cushioned by the cushion member 31 made of a flexible material, and the vegetables 1 then fall onto the belt conveyor 32 equipped with a conveying belt 32a made of an even more flexible material, thereby minimizing the impact until they are collected by the collection means 5. In particular, in this embodiment, the comb-tooth-shaped member 17 of the item support means 12 passes through the slits 31c provided in the cushion member 31, so that even when the item support means 12 is in the discharge state and the comb-tooth-shaped member 17 oscillates, there is no interference between the comb-tooth-shaped member 17 and the cushion member 31, and the vegetables 1 rolling off the comb-tooth-shaped member 17 immediately come into contact with the cushion member 31, thereby mitigating the impact of the fall. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the conveying belt 32a of the belt conveyor 32 is arranged between the first rotating shaft 31a of the cushion member 31 and the second rotating shaft 32b arranged at the same height as the first rotating shaft 31a, so that the drop of the vegetables 1 that collide with the upper part of the cushion member 31 and fall onto the belt conveyor 32 can be reduced and the impact of the fall can be mitigated.

[0026] 7 to 9 show an article sorting device 102 according to the second embodiment, which is equipped with conveying means 103 having a different configuration from the conveying means 3 of the first embodiment. In the following explanation, explanations of configurations common to the first embodiment will be omitted, and reference numerals obtained by adding 100 to the reference numerals used in the first embodiment will be used. The conveying means 103 of the second embodiment has an article support means 112 between chains 111 which has a configuration different from that of the first embodiment, and in this embodiment, apples 101 are conveyed as articles. The article support means 112 supports the apple 101 by a pair of cups 117 that are arranged to be openable and closable, and the apple 101 is dropped from the cups 117 by changing the cups 117 from a supported state to a discharge state by an operating means 113 arranged at a discharge position B. The item sorting device 102 of this embodiment also has a cushion member 31 and a belt conveyor 32 below the above-mentioned discharge position B, but the cushion member 131 and belt conveyor 132 of this embodiment are arranged to discharge the apples 101 that have fallen from the item support means 112 in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.

[0027] The article support means 112 includes a pair of cups 117 that can be opened and closed, a holding means 119 that holds the cups 117 in a supported state, and an actuation means 113 that operates the holding means 119 to move the cups 117 from the supported state to a discharge state. The cups 117 are shaped so that a recess is formed in the center when in a supported state, and the base of each cup 117 is swingably connected to a mounting plate 111a connected to a chain 111. The holding means 119 is composed of a rod-shaped oscillating shaft 119a provided between the mounting plates 111a, a locking claw 119b provided in the center of the oscillating shaft 119a, and a lever 119c provided at one end of the oscillating shaft 119a. As shown in FIG. 9, when the cup 117 is in a supported state, the locking claw 119b supports the cup 117 from below, thereby maintaining the supported state of the cup 117. 8 and 9, the lever 119c protrudes upward from the pivot shaft 119a, and when the lever 119c is pressed, the pivot shaft 119a rotates clockwise in FIG. When the swing shaft 119a rotates, the locking claw 119b is released from below the cup 117, the cup 117 is opened by its own weight, and the article supporting means 112 is placed in an ejection state.

[0028] The operating means 113 is composed of a solenoid provided at the discharge position B, and the solenoid rotates a knocker 113a provided at the tip of a rotating shaft. The knocker 113a is provided at a position where the lever 119c provided on the article support means 112 passing through the discharge position B passes, and when the article support means 112 is to be maintained in the supporting state, the knocker 113a is kept retracted. To put the article support means 112 in a discharge state at discharge position B, the operating means 113 protrudes the knocker 113a, and causes the lever 119c of the article support means 112 passing through to collide with the knocker 113a. Then, the lever 119c rotates and the locking claw 119b is released from the cup 117, the cup 117 is opened and placed in a discharge state, and the apple 101 falls downward.

[0029] The cushion member 131 of this embodiment has the same structure as the cushion member 31 of the first embodiment, except that the first rotating shaft 131 a is provided in the same direction as the conveying direction of the conveying means 103 . The center of cushion member 131 is set at a position slightly offset from the division position between cups 117 in article support means 112, and specifically, in Figure 7, it is located at a position offset to the left of the division position. Although not shown, slits are formed at predetermined intervals in the cushion member 131, and the conveyor belts 132a constituting the belt conveyor 132 are provided at the positions of the slits. The conveyor belt 132a of the belt conveyor 132 is provided between a first rotating shaft 131a of the cushion member 131 and a second rotating shaft 132b that is provided at the same height as the first rotating shaft 131a and is provided to the right of the cushion member 131 in the figure. The cushion member 131 is rotated in the clockwise direction by the driving means (not shown), and the conveying direction of the belt conveyor 132 is accordingly from left to right in the figure.

[0030] According to the second embodiment of the item sorting device 102 having the above-mentioned configuration, when an apple 101 is supported by the item support means 112 which is in the above-mentioned supporting state in the conveying means 103, the quality inspection means assigns the required grade to the apple 101. When the desired equal-class apples 101 approach the position of the corresponding equal-class collecting means 105, the operating means 113 provided at the discharge position B is operated, and the knocker 113a is brought into a protruding state. When the knocker 113a presses the lever 119c of the holding means 119 constituting the article support means 112 and the swing shaft 119a rotates, the locking claw 119b is released from the cup 117, and the cup 117 is opened downward. As a result, article support means 112 enters the discharge state, and apple 101 supported by cup 117 falls downward and collides with cushion member 131 provided at discharge position B. However, since cushion member 131 is made of a flexible material, the impact of the fall on apple 101 is mitigated. In addition, cushion member 131 rotates clockwise in Figure 7 and its center is located at a position offset from the center of conveying means 103, so that the fallen apple 101 rolls to the right side in the figure after colliding with cushion member 131. The rolling apple 101 then falls onto a belt conveyor 132, but since the conveyor belt 132a is also made of a flexible material, the impact on the apple 101 is cushioned. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 132 is at the same height as the first rotating shaft 131a of the cushion member 131, so that the drop from the cushion member 131 to the belt conveyor 132 is small, and the impact on the apples 101 is mitigated.

[0031] 10 shows an article sorting device 202 according to the third embodiment, which is equipped with a conveying means 203 having a different configuration from the conveying means 3, 103 of the first and second embodiments. In the following explanation, explanations of configurations common to the first and second embodiments will be omitted, and reference numerals obtained by adding 200 to the reference numerals used in the first embodiment will be used. The conveying means 203 of the third embodiment is configured such that a roughly rod-shaped support member 217 protrudes laterally (to the right side in this embodiment) from the conveyor chain 211, and an article 201 (e.g., a mandarin orange) is supported by a plurality of support members 217 aligned in the conveying direction, and the plurality of support members 217 constitute the article support means 212. The support members 217 are swingably mounted on the ends of stays 211a mounted on the upper part of the conveyor chain 211, and countless protrusions made of a soft material are formed on the upper surface of each support member 217, so that the article 201 is supported by these countless protrusions. In the case of a long and thin object 201 such as a carrot, one carrot is supported by, for example, about 5 to 7 support members 217, and in the case of a fruit such as an apple 101, it is supported by about 3 to 4 support members 217.

[0032] The swing shaft 216 which holds the support member 217 so that it can swing is positioned offset toward the conveyor chain 211 (hereinafter referred to as the inside) relative to the support member 217. As a result, when the support member 217 is swung, the opposite side (hereinafter referred to as the outside) of the conveyor chain 211 moves downward due to its own weight, causing the item 201 supported approximately in the center of the support member 217 to roll down to the outside. An engagement pin 217a is provided on the support member 217 inwardly of the swing shaft 216, and a holding means 219 for holding the support member 217 in a supported state is constituted by a lock lever swingably provided on the stay 211a. The holding means 219 consisting of the lock lever has an engagement portion 219a formed at its tip, which is engaged with an engagement pin 217a of the support member 217, thereby holding the support member 217 in a supported state. In the supported state, the inner end of the lock lever is spaced upward from the stay 211a, and when this inner end is pressed downward, the lock lever swings and the engagement portion 219a disengages from the engagement pin 217a of the support member 217. Then, the support member 217 swings about the swing shaft 119a, and the outer end portion descends to an inclined ejection state, causing the supported article 201 to roll outward.

[0033] The operating means 213 is constituted by a solenoid provided in accordance with the discharge position B, and has a knocker 213a which is rotated by the solenoid. The knocker 213a is provided at a position where the holding means 219 (lock lever) of the article support means 212 passing through the discharge position B passes, and when the article support means 212 is to be maintained in the supporting state, the knocker 213a is kept retracted. When the knocker 213a is protruded, the holding means 219 (lock lever) of the article support means 212 passing through collides with the knocker 213a, causing the lock lever to swing and the engagement portion 219a to disengage from the engagement pin 217a, causing the support member 217 to swing to an ejection state.

[0034] The article selecting device 102 of this embodiment is provided with two cushion members 231A, 231B, one above the other, at the discharge position B where the article 201 falls from the article support means 212. The upper cushion member 231A is provided at a position where the article 201 rolls down from the article support means 212, and the lower cushion member 231B is provided at a position where the article 201 that collides with the upper cushion member 231A rolls down. Slits are formed in the upper cushion member 231A and the lower cushion member 231B, and by forming these slits at offset positions, a part of the upper cushion member 231A is overlapped on the lower cushion member 231B. This makes it possible to bring the upper cushion member 231A and the lower cushion member 231B closer to each other.

[0035] At the position of the slit formed in the lower cushion member 231B, a conveyor belt 232a is attached between a first rotating shaft 231a of the lower cushion member 231B and a second rotating shaft 232b provided on the outside, thereby forming a belt conveyor 232. Similarly to the second embodiment, the first rotating shaft 231a of the cushion member 231 and the second rotating shaft 232b of the belt conveyor 232 are provided in the same direction as the conveying direction of the conveying means 203, and the cushion member 231 rotates clockwise as shown in the figure. With this configuration, when an item 201 is discharged from the item support means 212 in a discharging state to the outside of the conveying means 203, the item 201 falls onto the two cushion members 231A, 231B, and is then sent out toward the outside of the conveying means 203 by the belt conveyor 232, and is collected by the collection means 5 (not shown).

[0036] According to this embodiment, the article 201 rolling off the article support means 212 in the discharge state is received by a plurality of cushion members 231A, 231B provided above and below, thereby mitigating the impact on the article 201, and then the article 201 is dropped onto the belt conveyor 232 as in the first and second embodiments, thereby making it possible to mitigate the impact on the article 201 as much as possible. In addition, the first and second embodiments may also be provided with two cushion members, one above and one below, as in the third embodiment, or conversely, the third embodiment may be configured with a single cushion member, as in the first and second embodiments.

[0037] In each of the above embodiments, an item sorting device that sorts items such as carrots and apples has been described. However, if the conveying means 3 is configured to drop and discharge items from the item support means 12, it is possible to provide the cushion member 31 or belt conveyor 32 described above to reduce the impact on the falling items. In the first to third embodiments, the rotation shaft 32a of the belt conveyor 32 is also used as the rotation shaft 31a of the cushion member 31, but the cushion member 31 and the belt conveyor 32 may be separate bodies. However, it is preferable to arrange them in consideration of the drop from the cushion member 31 to the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 32. Furthermore, in the first to third embodiments, the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 32 is horizontal, but it may be inclined, for example, so as to rise toward the downstream side in the conveying direction, to reduce excessive rolling of articles falling from the cushion member 31 onto the belt conveyor 32. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1 Vegetables (items) 2 Item sorting device 3. Means of transportation 4. Means of quality inspection 5 Recovery means 12 Item support means 13 Operating means 17 Comb-shaped member 31 cushion member 31a first rotating shaft 32 Belt conveyor 32a Conveyor belt 32b Second rotation axis

Claims

1. An article sorting device comprising: a conveying means for moving an article support means for supporting an article to convey the article; a recovering means for recovering an article discharged at a required discharge position of the conveying means; and an operating means for changing the article support means from a supporting state at the discharge position to a discharge state, a cushion member having a cylindrical shape and made of a flexible material, which is rotatable around a rotation axis, is provided at a discharge position of the transport means, and a belt conveyor including a transport belt provided between the cushion member and the recovery means is provided; When the article support means is placed in the discharge state at the discharge position, the article falls onto the cushion member and is then transported to the recovery means via the conveyor belt of the belt conveyor.

2. A plurality of slits are provided in the cushion member along an axial direction of a rotation shaft of the cushion member, 2. The item sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the belt conveyor is composed of a plurality of transport belts, each of which is arranged at the position of the slit in the cushion member, and each of which is wound around a rotating shaft of the cushion member.

3. the cushion member is provided below a conveying path of the conveying means, and the rotation axis of the cushion member is provided in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of the conveying means; the article support means includes a swing shaft provided perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying means, and a plurality of comb-shaped members fixed to the swing shaft and provided in accordance with the intervals of the slits of the cushion member; The item sorting device described in claim 2, characterized in that when the operating means changes the item support means from the support state to the discharge state, the comb-tooth-shaped member swings around the swing axis to drop the item toward the cushion member, and at that time the comb-tooth-shaped member passes through the slits of the cushion member.

4. 4. The article selecting device according to claim 1, wherein the cushion member is formed of a brush having a plurality of bristles planted therein.

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