Fruit sorting device and method

Abstract

A fruit sorting apparatus (100) and method are provided, the fruit sorting apparatus (100) including a control unit (110), a conveying assembly (120), a detection assembly (160), a fruit placement tray (130), a plurality of fixing assemblies (150) and a plurality of detection units (140), wherein the control unit (110) is configured to receive a plurality of detection information and determine whether there is detection information of a fruit placement tray corresponding to the arrival signal based on the driving speed of the conveying assembly (120), the start time of the arrival signal, the distance between the detection unit (140) and the detection assembly (160), and time information of the detection information. The matching between the fruit placement tray (130) and the detection information is realized based on the starting time, the operating speed, the distance between the detection unit (140) and the detection assembly (160) and the time information, and a one-to-one correspondence between multiple detection information and multiple fruit placement trays (130) can be ensured, thereby avoiding the impact of the loss of the fruit placement tray (130) on the subsequent sorting, eliminating the problem of subsequent data disturbance as much as possible, and improving the accuracy of fruit sorting.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Technical Field FIELD OF THE INVENTION This application relates to the field of fruit sorting technology, and more particularly to fruit sorting devices and methods.

[0002] This application claims priority based on a Chinese patent application bearing application number 202110747514.3 and entitled "Fruit Sorting Apparatus and Method" filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on July 2, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0003] Fruit sorting machines are widely used in the fruit sorting field. Fruit trays are fixed to a conveying mechanism, which drives the fruit trays through different detection units in sequence to detect data such as visual, weighing, and internal quality of the fruit. The detection units are sequentially installed on the conveying mechanism, so that multiple fruit trays pass through the detection units in sequence as the conveying mechanism moves. The detection units detect and transmit the data to a control unit, which then performs final integration. Because each detection unit can independently detect the data of multiple fruit trays, barcodes are typically affixed to the fruit trays to identify the data of different fruit trays. The barcodes are then scanned to integrate the data, achieving multiple sorting. However, this method is cumbersome, and if a fruit tray is lost between two detection units, the data integration of the subsequent detection units will be disrupted. In other words, conventional fruit sorting machines are prone to data disruption during fruit sorting, resulting in poor final sorting accuracy. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a fruit sorting device and method that can receive detection information of fruit trays detected by a detection unit, and then match multiple detection information with the fruit trays, thereby eliminating the problem of subsequent data being distorted as much as possible and improving the accuracy of fruit sorting.

[0005] The embodiment of the present application is realized as follows.

[0006] Some embodiments of the present application provide a fruit sorting device for sorting fruits, the fruit sorting device including a control unit, a conveying assembly, a detection assembly, a fruit placement tray, a plurality of fixing assemblies, and a plurality of detection units, the fruit placement tray is configured to receive fruits, the fixing assemblies are configured to fix the fruit placement tray, the detection assembly is disposed at an input end of the conveying assembly and is connected to the control unit, the fixing assemblies detect an arrival signal moving to the input end, and the arrival signal including a start time is transmitted to the control unit, and the fixing assemblies are sequentially attached to the conveying assembly, and the fruit placement trays are placed by the conveying assembly. the control unit is connected to the detection units and the detection assembly, and is configured to receive the plurality of pieces of detection information and determine whether there is any detection information of the fruit tray corresponding to the arrival signal based on the operating speed of the conveying assembly, the start time of the arrival signal, the distance between the detection unit and the detection assembly, and the time information of the detection information.

[0007] In the present embodiment, fruit is placed on a fruit tray, which is fixed to a fixed assembly. The fixed assembly drives the fruit tray by a conveying assembly to pass through multiple detection units arranged in the extending direction of the conveying assembly in sequence. The input end and the position where the fruit tray is arranged on the fixed assembly can be understood as the starting position of the fruit tray's movement on the conveying assembly. Obtaining an arrival signal when the fixed assembly moves to the input end can be understood as obtaining the starting time of the movement of the fruit tray on the conveying assembly by the fixed assembly. Based on the starting time, the driving speed, and the distance between the detection units and the detection assembly, it can be determined whether there is fruit tray detection information corresponding to the arrival signal in the detection information detected by the detection units. In the embodiment of the present application, matching between the fruit tray and the detection information is realized based on the starting time, operating speed, distance between the detection unit and the detection assembly, and time information, and a one-to-one correspondence between multiple detection information and multiple fruit trays can be ensured, thereby avoiding the impact of the loss of the fruit tray on subsequent sorting, eliminating the problem of subsequent data disturbance as much as possible, and improving the accuracy of fruit sorting.

[0008] In an optional embodiment of the present application, the control unit is configured to calculate a travel time for the fixed assembly to move the fruit tray from the detection assembly to the detection unit based on the driving speed and the distance between the detection unit and the detection assembly, calculate an end time for the fixed assembly to move to the detection unit based on the start time of the arrival signal and the travel time, and determine whether there is detection information whose time information is the same as the end time.

[0009] In the embodiment of the present application, matching between the fruit tray and the detection information is realized based on the starting time, operating speed, distance between the detection unit and the detection assembly, and time information, and a one-to-one correspondence between multiple detection information and multiple fruit trays can be ensured, thereby avoiding the impact of the loss of the fruit tray on subsequent sorting, eliminating the problem of subsequent data disturbance as much as possible, and improving the accuracy of fruit sorting.

[0010] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, if there is a piece of detection information corresponding to the end time among the plurality of pieces of detection information, the detection information is recorded in the detection data of the fruit tray corresponding to the arrival signal.

[0011] The detection unit collects one piece of detection information at every preset time and transmits the detection information including the time information to the control unit. The control unit determines whether there is any detection information that is the same as the end time among the multiple detection information. If there is any detection information that is the same as the end time, the detection information is the detection data of the fruit tray and records the detection information in the detection data of the fruit tray.

[0012] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, if there is no detection information corresponding to the end time among the plurality of detection information, the detection data of the fruit tray corresponding to the arrival signal is discarded.

[0013] If there is no detection information corresponding to the end time in the multiple detection information, it is possible that the fruit tray was lost during the process of moving to the detection unit, or the fruit tray was not lost and the detection unit did not detect the detection information of the fruit tray. This indicates that there is no detection information of the fruit tray in the multiple detection information. In this case, the detection data of the fruit tray is discarded and the next sorting operation is not performed.

[0014] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, the conveying assembly includes a transmission chain and a drive wheel, the transmission chain being operably connected to the drive wheel, and a plurality of the fixing assemblies being sequentially attached to the transmission chain.

[0015] The plurality of fixed assemblies are attached to the transmission chain at equal intervals. The drive wheels drive the transmission chain to drive the fruit trays fixed to the fixed assemblies to pass through the plurality of detection units in sequence. The transmission by the drive wheels and the transmission chain can increase the stability of the conveying assembly during transmission and reduce the problem of slippage of the conveying assembly during transmission.

[0016] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, the power transmission chain includes a first power transmission chain and a second power transmission chain, an end of the first power transmission chain remote from the input end is arranged coaxially with one end of the second power transmission chain, and the second power transmission chain includes a first chain and a second chain, the first chain being arranged parallel to and spaced apart from the second chain to form a gap.

[0017] The first and second transmission chains are arranged coaxially, so that the first and second transmission chains can be driven simultaneously by the same drive wheel, and the first and second transmission chains can move synchronously. Here, the second transmission chain includes a first chain and a second chain, and the second transmission chain is implemented as a double chain. A gap is formed between the first and second chains, so that a portion of the fruit tray placed on the fixed assembly can be exposed, facilitating detection of information by the detection unit below.

[0018] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, the detection unit comprises a quality module arranged below the gap.

[0019] The quality module is installed below the gap formed between the first and second chains. The quality module is primarily intended to receive the spectrum from the lamp source that has passed through the fruit tray. The lamp source is installed above the fruit tray. Receiving the spectrum from the bottom of the fruit tray allows the fruit to make good contact with the soft layer inside the fruit tray, blocking most of the non-transmitted light and reducing the impact of the non-transmitted light on the spectrum transmitted through the fruit. If the quality module were installed above or to the side of the fruit tray, a lot of natural light and diffuse reflected light would enter the quality module, affecting the detection accuracy of the quality module.

[0020] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, a detection hole is provided at the bottom of the fruit tray, and the detection hole is provided corresponding to the gap.

[0021] In order to improve the accuracy of the spectrum received by the quality module, a detection hole is provided at the bottom of the fruit tray, which increases the light transmittance and prevents the thickness of the fruit tray from weakening the intensity of the spectrum received by the quality module.

[0022] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, the power transmission chain further includes a third power transmission chain, one end of which is arranged coaxially with the end of the second power transmission chain remote from the first power transmission chain.

[0023] The third transmission chain may be implemented as a single chain. The second transmission chain is mainly installed to receive the spectrum from below the fruit tray. Because the double chain system is more expensive than the single chain system, the double chain system is used only at the quality module detection point.

[0024] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, the detection unit further includes an image acquisition module and a weighing module, and the image acquisition module and the weighing module are disposed below the first transmission chain.

[0025] The image acquisition module is mainly for collecting image information of the fruit, and the weighing module is mainly for weighing the fruit.

[0026] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, the fruit sorting device further includes a sorting module disposed below the third transmission chain.

[0027] The sorting module mainly integrates data from the quality module, the image acquisition module and the weighing module to obtain the overall data of the fruit, and sorts the level of the fruit based on the integrated overall data.

[0028] In an optional embodiment of the present application, the fixing assembly includes a mounting plate and a stopper portion, the mounting plate is attached to the conveying assembly, and the stopper portion is connected to the mounting plate and can abut against the fruit placing tray so as to move the fruit placing tray by the conveying assembly.

[0029] The mounting plate is attached to the second transmission chain, and the stopper portion is configured to abut against the fruit tray so that the fruit tray can be moved mainly on the second transmission chain.

[0030] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, the stopper portion has a stopper surface that can come into contact with the fruit tray.

[0031] In the process of transferring the fruit tray from the first transmission chain to the second transmission chain, the stopper surface gradually abuts against the fruit tray, thereby moving the fruit tray along the second transmission chain 1244.

[0032] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, the shape of the stop surface matches the shape of the fruit tray.

[0033] The shape of the stopper surface is adapted to the shape of the fruit tray, thereby ensuring complete contact between the stopper surface and the fruit tray, improving the stability of the fruit tray during transmission, and reducing the problem of slippage of the fruit tray caused by local contact between the stopper surface and the fruit tray.

[0034] In an optional embodiment of the present application, the fixing assembly includes a bottom plate and a stopper plate, the bottom plate is attached to the conveying assembly, the stopper plate is connected to the bottom plate, the stopper plates and the bottom plates of two adjacent fixing assemblies form a fixed storage portion, and the fruit placing tray is attached within the fixed storage portion.

[0035] During the process of transmitting the fruit tray by the first transmission chain or the third transmission chain, the bottom plate is mainly used to place the fruit tray, and the stopper plates of the two adjacent first fixing members limit the position of the fruit tray from the front and back of the fruit tray, thereby ensuring the transportation of the fruit tray by the first transmission chain or the third transmission chain.

[0036] In an optional embodiment of the present application, the detection assembly includes a detection switch and a detection disk, the detection disk is arranged coaxially with the conveying assembly, the detection disk is provided with a plurality of detection openings, the number of the detection openings is the same as the number of the fixed assemblies, and the detection switch detects an incoming signal indicating that the fixed assembly has moved to the input end when the detection opening moves to a position corresponding to the detection switch.

[0037] The detection switch may be a photoelectric switch. When the detection aperture rotates to the position of the detection switch, a signal from the photoelectric switch is emitted from the detection aperture. When the detection disk rotates to a portion between two detection apertures, the photoelectric switch receives a feedback signal. This makes it possible to determine whether any detection aperture has passed through the detection switch. This makes it possible to determine whether the fixed assembly has moved to the input end by detecting whether the detection aperture has moved to the detection switch.

[0038] Some other embodiments of the present application provide a fruit sorting method applicable to a fruit sorting device including a conveying assembly, a fruit placement tray, a plurality of fixed assemblies, and a plurality of detection units, wherein the plurality of fixed assemblies are sequentially attached to the conveying assembly, and the plurality of detection units are arranged corresponding to the conveying assemblies, the fruit sorting method including the steps of: acquiring an arrival signal including time information when the fixed assembly moves to an input end; acquiring an operating speed of the conveying assembly; acquiring detection information including time information collected by the detection unit at predetermined time intervals; acquiring a distance between the detection assembly and the detection unit; and determining whether there is detection information of the fruit placement tray corresponding to the arrival signal based on the operating speed of the conveying assembly, the time information of the arrival signal, the distance between the detection unit and the detection assembly, and the time information of the detection information.

[0039] The matching between the fruit tray and the detection information is realized based on the starting time, operating speed, distance between the detection unit and the detection assembly, and time information, and a one-to-one correspondence between multiple detection information and multiple fruit trays can be ensured, thereby avoiding the impact of the loss of the fruit tray on subsequent sorting, eliminating the problem of subsequent data disturbance as much as possible, and improving the accuracy of fruit sorting.

[0040] In an optional embodiment of the present application, the step of determining whether there is detection information of the fruit tray corresponding to the arrival signal based on the operating speed of the conveying assembly, the time information of the arrival signal, the distance between the detection unit and the detection assembly, and the time information of the detection information includes the steps of calculating a travel time for the fixed assembly to move the fruit tray from the detection assembly to the detection unit based on the operating speed and the distance between the detection unit and the detection assembly, calculating an end time for the fixed assembly to move the fruit tray from the detection assembly to the detection unit based on the time information of the arrival signal and the travel time, and determining whether there is detection information with the same end time among the multiple pieces of detection information.

[0041] In the embodiments of the present application, matching between the fruit tray and the detection information is realized based on the starting time, operating speed, distance between the detection unit and the detection assembly, and time information, and a one-to-one correspondence between multiple detection information and multiple fruit trays can be ensured, thereby avoiding the impact of the loss of the fruit tray on subsequent sorting, eliminating the problem of subsequent data disturbance as much as possible, and improving the accuracy of fruit sorting.

[0042] In an optional embodiment of the present application, the step of determining whether there is detection information with the same end time among the plurality of detection information includes the step of determining whether there is detection information with the same end time among the plurality of detection information, and if there is, the step of recording the detection information with the same end time in the detection data of the fruit tray corresponding to the arrival signal.

[0043] The detection unit collects one piece of detection information at every preset time and transmits the detection information including the time information to the control unit. The control unit determines whether there is any detection information that is the same as the end time among the multiple detection information. If there is any detection information that is the same as the end time, the detection information is the detection data of the fruit tray and records the detection information in the detection data of the fruit tray.

[0044] In an optional embodiment of the present application, the step of determining whether there is detection information with the same end time among the plurality of detection information includes a step of discarding the detection data of the fruit tray corresponding to the arrival signal if there is not.

[0045] If there is no detection information corresponding to the end time in the multiple detection information, it is possible that the fruit tray was lost during the process of moving to the detection unit, or the fruit tray was not lost and the detection unit did not detect the detection information of the fruit tray. This indicates that there is no detection information of the fruit tray in the multiple detection information. In this case, the detection data of the fruit tray is discarded and the next sorting operation is not performed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0046] In order to more clearly explain the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly explain the drawings necessary for describing the embodiments. The following drawings only illustrate some embodiments of the present application and should not be considered as limiting the scope, and those skilled in the art can obtain other related drawings based on these drawings without using inventive ability.

[0047] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram of a fruit sorting device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 2] 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a fruit sorting device according to an embodiment of the present application in a first direction; [Figure 3] 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a fruit sorting device according to an embodiment of the present application in a second direction; FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the positions of a fruit tray, a quality module and a lamp source according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 5] 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a fruit tray of a fruit sorting device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 6] 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a first fixing member of a fruit sorting device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 7]1 is a structural schematic diagram of a fruit sorting device according to an embodiment of the present application when a fruit placement tray is fixed by a first fixing member. [Figure 8] 3 is a structural schematic diagram of a second fixing member of the fruit sorting device according to the embodiment of the present application; FIG. [Figure 9] 3 is a structural schematic diagram of a fruit sorting device according to an embodiment of the present application, in which a fruit-mounting tray is fixed by a second fixing member; FIG. [Figure 10] 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a detection assembly of a fruit sorting device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 11] 4 is a flowchart of a fruit sorting method according to another embodiment of the present application. [Figure 12] 1 is a flowchart of sub-steps of step S500 of a fruit sorting method according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 13] 1 is a flowchart of sub-steps of step S530 of a fruit sorting method according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0048] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Of course, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, and do not include all of the embodiments. Generally, the components of the embodiments of the present application described and illustrated in the drawings herein can be arranged and designed in a variety of different configurations.

[0049] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application shown in the drawings merely illustrates selected embodiments of the present application and does not limit the scope of the application to be protected. All other embodiments that a person skilled in the art can obtain based on the embodiments of the present application without using his or her inventive abilities fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0050] It should be noted that like symbols refer to like things in the drawings, so that if something is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined or interpreted in other drawings.

[0051] In the description of this application, directions or positional relationships expressed by terms such as "upper," "lower," "inner," and "outer" are based on the drawings or are the normal arrangement directions or positional relationships of the inventive products, and are merely for the purpose of conveniently and simply describing this application. They do not expressly or imply that the relevant devices or elements necessarily have a specific orientation, or are configured or operated in a specific direction, and therefore do not limit this application.

[0052] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc. are used solely to distinguish between descriptions and do not express or imply relative importance.

[0053] It should be noted that, unless there is a contradiction, the features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other.

[0054] The fruit sorting device and method according to the embodiments of the present application receive detection information of the fruit tray detected by the detection unit, and then match the multiple detection information with the fruit tray, thereby eliminating the problem of subsequent data being distorted as much as possible and improving the accuracy of fruit sorting.

[0055] An embodiment of the present application will be described. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, this embodiment provides a fruit sorting device 100 for sorting fruit. After receiving detection information of a fruit tray 130 detected by a detection unit 140, the fruit sorting device 100 of this embodiment matches the plurality of pieces of detection information with the fruit tray 130. This can minimize the problem of subsequent data being corrupted and improve the accuracy of fruit sorting.

[0056] In this embodiment, the fruit sorting apparatus 100 includes a control unit 110, a conveying assembly 120, a detection assembly 160, a fruit placement tray 130, a plurality of fixing assemblies 150, and a plurality of detection units 140. The fruit placement tray 130 is configured to receive fruit, and the fixing assembly 150 is configured to fix the fruit placement tray 130.

[0057] The detection assembly 160 is disposed at the input end of the conveying assembly 120. The detection assembly 160 is connected to the control unit 110 and detects an arrival signal when the fixed assembly 150 moves to the input end, and transmits the arrival signal including the start time to the control unit 110. The multiple fixed assemblies 150 are sequentially attached to the conveying assembly 120. The conveying assembly 120 drives the multiple fruit placement trays 130 to pass through the multiple detection units 140 in sequence. The multiple detection units 140 are connected to the control unit 110. The detection units 140 are configured to collect detection information of the fruit placement trays 130 at preset time intervals and transmit the detection information including time information to the control unit 110.

[0058] The control unit 110 is connected to the detection unit 140 and the detection assembly 160 and is configured to receive multiple detection information and determine whether there is detection information of the fruit tray 130 corresponding to the arrival signal based on the operating speed of the conveying assembly 120, the starting time of the arrival signal, the distance between the detection unit 140 and the detection assembly 160, and the time information in the detection information.

[0059] In this embodiment, fruit is placed on the fruit tray 130, which is fixed to the fixing assembly 150. The fixing assembly 150 drives the fruit tray 130 by the conveying assembly 120 to pass through multiple detection units 140 arranged in the extension direction of the conveying assembly 120 in sequence. The input end and the position where the fruit tray 130 is arranged on the fixing assembly 150 can be understood as the starting position of the movement of the fruit tray 130 on the conveying assembly 120. Obtaining an arrival signal when the fixing assembly 150 moves to the input end can be understood as obtaining the starting time of the movement of the fruit tray 130 on the conveying assembly 120 by the fixing assembly 150. Based on the starting time, the driving speed, and the distance between the detection unit 140 and the detection assembly 160, it can be determined whether there is detection information of the fruit tray 130 corresponding to the arrival signal in the detection information detected by the detection unit 140. In this embodiment, based on the starting time, operating speed, distance between the detection unit 140 and the detection assembly 160, and time information, matching between the fruit tray 130 and the detection information is realized, and a one-to-one correspondence between multiple detection information and multiple fruit trays 130 can be ensured, thereby avoiding the impact of the loss of the fruit tray 130 on subsequent sorting, eliminating the problem of subsequent data disturbance as much as possible, and improving the accuracy of fruit sorting.

[0060] It should be noted that there may be multiple detection units 140. The control unit 110 processes the detection information detected by the same detection unit 140 in the same manner after receiving the detection information, thereby realizing multiple fruit sorting.

[0061] The driving speed may be preset or may be directly acquired by the control unit 110 from the conveying assembly 120. Typically, to facilitate collection of detection information by the detection unit 140, the conveying assembly 120 moves at a constant speed, i.e., the driving speed is set to a constant value. When the fruit sorting apparatus 100 is started, the control unit 110 controls the conveying assembly 120 to convey the fruit tray 130 at the driving speed in accordance with the start-up instruction. Alternatively, after the fruit sorting apparatus 100 is started, the control unit 110 may directly detect the driving speed of the conveying assembly 120. The multiple fixed assemblies 150 are arranged at equal intervals on the conveying assembly 120. The time interval between two adjacent fixed assemblies 150 passing the detection unit 140 can be calculated from the driving speed of the conveying assembly 120 and the distance between two adjacent fixed assemblies 150. Here, the time interval may be set to a preset time. That is, when each of the fixed assemblies 150 moves toward the detection unit 140, the detection unit 140 collects the detection information once.

[0062] For example, if the driving speed is 20 mm / sec and the distance between two adjacent fixed assemblies 150 is 40 mm, the time interval calculated from the driving speed and the distance between the two adjacent fixed assemblies 150 is 2 seconds. One detection unit 140 can obtain detection information once every two seconds (one piece of detection information can be obtained every two seconds).

[0063] Of course, to improve the detection effect of the detection unit 140, the preset time may be smaller than the time interval, as long as the time interval is an integer multiple of the preset time. That is, the preset time may be half, one-third, etc. of the time interval. That is, the time interval may be 1 second, 0.5 seconds, etc.

[0064] The plurality of fixing assemblies 150 are uniformly arranged on the conveying assembly 120. The distance between the detection assembly 160 and the detection unit 140 can be calculated based on the number of fixing assemblies 150 between the detection assembly 160 and the detection unit 140.

[0065] For ease of understanding, a specific description will be given using the detection unit 140 closest to the detection assembly 160 as an example. For example, when a fixed assembly 150 moves to the detection assembly 160, the current fixed assembly 150 is numbered, and the multiple fixed assemblies 150 are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc. based on the order in which they pass the detection assembly 160. When calculating the distance between the detection assembly 160 and the detection unit 140, the current detection assembly 160 detects the arrival signal of one fixed assembly 150, and the fixed assembly 150 located at the current detection assembly 160 is recorded as number 6, for example. Meanwhile, assuming that the current number 3 fixed assembly 150 moves to the detection unit 140, there are three intervals between the detection assembly 160 and the detection unit 140, and the distance between the detection assembly 160 and the detection unit 140 is 120 mm, which is 3 x 40 mm.

[0066] In this embodiment, for an arriving signal that includes a starting time, the time when the detection assembly 160 detects the arriving signal at the same time as the fixed assembly 150 detects the arriving signal is recorded, and the time when the arriving signal is detected is the starting time of the arriving signal.

[0067] For example, if the start time of fruit sorting apparatus 100 is time 0, and detection assembly 160 detects exactly one arriving signal at this time, the start time of the arriving signal will be 0. The arriving signal with the start time is 0 seconds - signal 1. Because fixed assemblies 150 are uniformly arranged on conveying assembly 120, the arriving signals with the start time detected by the detection assembly are 0 seconds - signal 1, 2 seconds - signal 2, 4 seconds - signal 3, 6 seconds - signal 4, etc.

[0068] For the detection information including time information, when the detection unit 140 detects the detection information of the fruit tray 130, the time when the detection information is detected is recorded at the same time, and the time when the detection information is detected is the time information of the detection information. For ease of understanding, a specific description will be given using the detection unit 140 closest to the detection assembly 160 as an example. For example, in the process of the detection unit 140 obtaining the detection information at predetermined time intervals, the detection unit 140 records the time when the detection information is received at the same time as recording the detection information, and transmits it to the control unit 110. The detection information received by the control unit is 0 seconds - information 1, 2 seconds - information 2, 4 seconds - information 3, 6 seconds - information 4, etc.

[0069] In this embodiment, the control unit 110 is configured to calculate the movement time of the fruit tray 130 from the detection assembly 160 to the detection unit 140 by the fixed assembly 150 based on the driving speed and the distance between the detection unit 140 and the detection assembly 160, and further calculate the end time of the movement of the fixed assembly 150 to the detection unit 140 based on the start time and movement time of the arrival signal, and determine whether there is any detection information whose time information is the same as the end time.

[0070] In this embodiment, after obtaining the operating speed of the conveying assembly 120, the travel time required for the fixed assembly 150 to move from the input end to the detection unit 140 is calculated from the operating speed and the distance between the detection unit 140 and the detection assembly 160. The end time of the fixed assembly 150 moving to the detection unit 140 is calculated from the start time at the input end of the fixed assembly 150, and the end time is obtained by adding the travel time to the start time. Based on the end time, it can be determined whether there is any detection information with the same time information as the end time among the multiple detection information. This detection information is the detection information of the fruit tray 130 detected by the detection unit 140 when the fixed assembly 150 moved to the detection unit 140.

[0071] In this embodiment, if there is detection information corresponding to the end time among the plurality of detection information, the detection information is recorded in the detection data of the fruit tray 130 corresponding to the arrival signal.

[0072] The detection unit 140 collects one piece of detection information at each preset time and transmits the detection information including the time information to the control unit 110. The control unit 110 determines whether there is any detection information with the same time as the end point among the multiple pieces of detection information, and if there is any detection information with the same time as the end point, the control unit 110 determines that the detection information is the detection data of the fruit tray 130 and records the detection information in the detection data of the fruit tray 130.

[0073] In this embodiment, if there is no detection information corresponding to the end time among the plurality of detection information, the detection data of the fruit tray 130 corresponding to the arrival signal is discarded.

[0074] If there is no detection information corresponding to the end time among the multiple pieces of detection information, it is possible that the fruit tray 130 was lost during the process of moving to the detection unit 140, or that the fruit tray 130 was not lost and the detection unit 140 did not detect the detection information of the fruit tray 130. This indicates that there is no detection information of the fruit tray 130 among the multiple pieces of detection information. In this case, the detection data of the fruit tray 130 is discarded and the next sorting operation is not performed.

[0075] In this embodiment, there may be a plurality of detection units 140. After receiving the detection data of the same detection unit 140, the control unit 110 performs matching in the above manner for each of them.

[0076] To facilitate understanding of the process of matching the detection information with the fruit tray 130, a specific example will be described in which the fruit tray 130 fixed to the fixing assembly 150 passes through the detection unit 140, which is closest to the detection assembly 160, during the transport of the transport assembly 120. After the fruit sorting device 100 is started, the detection unit 140 detects multiple pieces of detection information including time information, such as 0 seconds—information 1, 2 seconds—information 2, 4 seconds—information 3, 6 seconds—information 4, 8 seconds—information 5, 10 seconds—information 6, 12 seconds—information 7, 14 seconds—information 8, etc.

[0077] For example, when the corresponding fixed assembly 150 moves to the detection assembly 160, the arrival signal including the start time detected by the detection assembly 160 is set to 6 seconds-signal 4. Based on the driving speed of 20 mm / s and the distance between the detection unit 140 and the detection assembly 160 of 120 mm, the movement time is calculated to be 6 seconds. Furthermore, by adding the movement time of 6 seconds to the start time of 6 seconds detected by the detection assembly 160, the time information is calculated to be 12 seconds. Then, it is determined whether there is any detection information with time information of 12 seconds in the detection information including time information detected by the detection unit 140. If the detection information including 12 seconds-information 7 is found, it is determined that information 7 is the detection information of the fruit tray 130, and information 7 is recorded in the detection data of the fruit tray 130.

[0078] If the fruit tray 130 passes through another detection unit 140, the calculation is the same as the above method. Because the positions of different detection units 140 and 160 are different, the calculated travel time will be different. You can refer to the detection information above.

[0079] 2 and 3, in this embodiment, the conveying assembly 120 includes a transmission chain 124 and a drive wheel 122. The transmission chain 124 is operably connected to the drive wheel 122, and a plurality of fixing assemblies 150 are sequentially attached to the transmission chain 124.

[0080] In this embodiment, a plurality of fixing assemblies 150 are attached at equal intervals to the transmission chain 124. Driven by the drive wheels 122, the transmission chain 124 drives the fruit placement trays 130 fixed to the fixing assemblies 150 to pass through the plurality of detection units 140 in sequence. The transmission between the drive wheels 122 and the transmission chain 124 can increase the stability of the conveying assembly 120 during transmission and reduce slippage problems of the conveying assembly 120 during transmission.

[0081] In this embodiment, the power transmission chain 124 includes a first power transmission chain 1242 and a second power transmission chain 1244. An end of the first power transmission chain 1242 remote from the input end is disposed coaxially with one end of the second power transmission chain 1244. The second power transmission chain 1244 includes a first chain 1245 and a second chain 1246. The first chain 1245 is disposed parallel to and spaced apart from the second chain 1246 to form a gap.

[0082] In this embodiment, the first transmission chain 1242 and the second transmission chain 1244 are installed coaxially, so that the first transmission chain 1242 and the second transmission chain 1244 can be driven simultaneously by the same driving wheel 122. This allows the first transmission chain 1242 and the second transmission chain 1244 to move synchronously, thereby realizing different sorting functions for fruit.

[0083] Here, the second transmission chain 1244 includes a first chain 1245 and a second chain 1246, and is realized as a double chain system, with a gap formed between the first chain 1245 and the second chain 1246. This allows a portion of the fruit tray 130 placed on the fixing assembly 150 to be exposed, making it easier for the detection unit 140 below to detect information.

[0084] In this embodiment, the first transmission chain 1242 is implemented in a single-chain transmission manner, and the second transmission chain 1244 is implemented in a double-chain transmission manner. Since the first transmission chain 1242 and the second transmission chain 1244 have different structures, the fixing assembly 150 of the first transmission chain 1242 and the fixing assembly 150 of the second transmission chain 1244 have different structures. As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the detection unit 140 includes a quality module 142, which is disposed below the gap.

[0085] In this embodiment, the quality module 142 is positioned below the gap formed between the first chain 1245 and the second chain 1246. The quality module 142 is primarily intended to receive the spectrum from the lamp source 170 that has passed through the fruit tray 130. The lamp source 170 is installed above the fruit tray 130. Receiving the spectrum from the bottom of the fruit tray 130 allows the fruit to better contact the soft layer within the fruit tray 130, blocking most of the non-transmitted light and reducing the impact of the non-transmitted light on the spectrum transmitted through the fruit. If the quality module 142 were installed above or to the side of the fruit tray 130, a large amount of natural light and diffusely reflected light would enter the quality module 142, affecting the detection accuracy of the quality module 142.

[0086] Furthermore, receiving the spectrum from the bottom of the fruit tray 130 allows light to be irradiated from the center of the fruit regardless of the fruit's size, making it suitable for both large and small fruits. In contrast, receiving the spectrum from above or from the side imposes light below the center of the fruit for large fruits and above the center of the fruit for small fruits, resulting in poor flexibility. In this case, it is necessary to design fruit trays 130 with different specifications to accommodate fruits of different sizes. Smaller fruits may fall directly onto the fruit tray 130, and reducing the size of the fruit tray 130 would result in excessive light leakage and make detection impossible.

[0087] As shown in Fig. 5, in this embodiment, detection holes 132 are provided at the bottom of the fruit tray 130. The detection holes 132 are provided at corresponding intervals. "Along" means that the vertical projection of the detection holes 132 overlaps with the interval. The detection holes 132 are provided at the bottom of the fruit tray 130 to improve the accuracy of receiving the spectrum of the quality module 142. This improves light transmittance and prevents the thickness of the fruit tray 130 from weakening the intensity of the spectrum received by the quality module 142.

[0088] To improve the quality of the spectrum received by the quality module 142, the detection hole 132 is located as close as possible to the center of the fruit tray 130 to allow as much spectrum as possible to pass through.

[0089] Furthermore, the diameter of the detection hole 132 must not be too large. If the diameter of the detection hole 132 is too large, small fruits may fall through the detection hole 132. The diameter of the detection hole 132 is set to be suitable for the diameter of the fruit.

[0090] Additionally, the distance between the first chain 1245 and the second chain 1246 should not be too small or too large. If the distance between the first chain 1245 and the second chain 1246 is too large, it may be difficult to secure the fruit tray 130 by the securing assemblies 150 on the first chain 1245 and the second chain 1246, and if the distance between the first chain 1245 and the second chain 1246 is too small, the light source may not be able to pass completely through the gap.

[0091] In this embodiment, the power transmission chain 124 further includes a third power transmission chain 1248. One end of the third power transmission chain 1248 is disposed coaxially with the end of the second power transmission chain 1244 remote from the first power transmission chain 1242.

[0092] In this embodiment, the first transmission chain 1242, the second transmission chain 1244, and the third transmission chain 1248 are arranged in this order. The input end is provided at the end of the first transmission chain 1242 that is farther from the second transmission chain 1244. After the fruit tray 130 is placed at the input end, it is driven by the first transmission chain 1242, the second transmission chain 1244, and the third transmission chain 1248 in this order.

[0093] Here, the third transmission chain 1248 may be implemented as a single chain. The reason for installing the second transmission chain 1244 is mainly to receive the spectrum from below the fruit tray 130. Since implementing a double chain system is more expensive than a single chain system, in this embodiment, the double chain system is used for transmission only at the detection point of the quality module 142.

[0094] In this embodiment, the first power transmission chain 1242 and the third power transmission chain 1248 may have the same structure.

[0095] In this embodiment, the first power transmission chain 1242 is coaxially connected to the second power transmission chain 1244. The end of the second power transmission chain 1244 remote from the first power transmission chain 1242 is coaxially connected to the third power transmission chain 1248. The drive wheel 122 is operably connected to the first power transmission chain 1242 and drives the first power transmission chain 1242 to rotate. The first power transmission chain 1242 rotates the second power transmission chain 1244 via a transmission shaft connected to the second power transmission chain 1244. The second power transmission chain 1244 rotates the third power transmission chain 1248 via a transmission shaft connected to the third power transmission chain 1248. This achieves synchronous rotation of the first power transmission chain 1242, the second power transmission chain 1244, and the third power transmission chain 1248.

[0096] In this embodiment, the detection unit 140 further includes an image acquisition module 144 and a weighing module 146. The image acquisition module 144 and the weighing module 146 are disposed below the first transmission chain 1242. The fruit sorting apparatus 100 may further include a sorting module 148. The sorting module 148 is disposed below the third transmission chain 1248.

[0097] The image acquisition module 144 mainly collects image information of the fruit, the weighing module 146 mainly weighs the fruit, and the sorting module 148 mainly integrates data from the quality module 142, the image acquisition module 144, and the weighing module 146 to obtain overall data of the fruit, and sorts the level of the fruit based on the integrated overall data.

[0098] 6 and 7 , in this embodiment, the first power transmission chain 1242 has the same structure as the third power transmission chain 1248, and the second power transmission chain 1244 has a different structure from the first power transmission chain 1242 and the third power transmission chain 1248. Therefore, the structure of the fastening assembly 150 in the first power transmission chain 1242 is the same as the structure of the fastening assembly 150 in the third power transmission chain 1248, and the fastening assembly 150 in the second power transmission chain 1244 has a different structure. To be able to distinguish between the two different fastening assemblies 150, the fastening assemblies 150 in the first power transmission chain 1242 and the third power transmission chain 1248 are defined as first fastening members 152, and the fastening assembly 150 in the second power transmission chain 1244 is defined as second fastening members 154.

[0099] In this embodiment, the fixing assembly 150 includes a bottom plate 1521 and a stopper plate 1523. The bottom plate 1521 is attached to the conveying assembly 120, and the stopper plate 1523 is connected to the bottom plate 1521. The stopper plates 1523 and the bottom plates 1521 of two adjacent fixing assemblies 150 form a fixed storage section, and the fruit tray 130 is attached to the fixed storage section.

[0100] In this embodiment, the first fixing member 152 includes a bottom plate 1521 and a stopper plate 1523. The bottom plate 1521 is attached to the first transmission chain 1242 or the third transmission chain 1248. The fruit tray 130 is disposed in the fixed receiving section. During the process of transmitting the fruit tray 130 via the first transmission chain 1242 or the third transmission chain 1248, the bottom plate 1521 mainly serves to support the fruit tray 130, and the stopper plates 1523 of the two adjacent first fixing members 152 limit the position of the fruit tray 130 from the front and rear, ensuring the transport of the fruit tray 130 via the first transmission chain 1242 or the third transmission chain 1248.

[0101] In order to enhance the effect of restricting the position of the stopper plate 1523 relative to the fruit tray 130, the stopper plate 1523 and the bottom plate 1521 are arranged perpendicular to each other.

[0102] Of course, in other embodiments of the present application, the stopper plate 1523 may be installed at other angles relative to the bottom plate 1521 as long as it can achieve the position limiting function for the fruit tray 130.

[0103] 8 and 9, in this embodiment, the fixing assembly 150 includes a mounting plate 1542 and a stopper portion 1544. The mounting plate 1542 is attached to the conveying assembly 120, and the stopper portion 1544 is connected to the mounting plate 1542. The stopper portion 1544 is configured to abut against the fruit tray 130 so as to allow the fruit tray 130 to be moved by the conveying assembly 120.

[0104] In this embodiment, the second fixing member 154 includes a mounting plate 1542 and a stopper portion 1544. The mounting plate 1542 is attached to the second transmission chain 1244, and the stopper portion 1544 is mainly configured to abut against the fruit tray 130 so as to move the fruit tray 130 via the second transmission chain 1244.

[0105] In this embodiment, second fixing members 154 are disposed on both the first chain 1245 and the second chain 1246 of the second transmission chain 1244. The second fixing members 154 on the first chain 1245 are disposed in a one-to-one correspondence with the second fixing members 154 on the second chain 1246. That is, the second fixing members 154 on the first chain 1245 and the second fixing members 154 on the second chain 1246, which are located at the same position, jointly fix the fruit tray 130.

[0106] That is, the two second fixing members 154 at the same position are configured to fix the fruit tray 130 from different positions on the fruit tray 130 and move the fruit tray 130 to the second transmission chain 1244 .

[0107] The spacing distance between the first fixed members 152 in the first power transmission chain 1242 is the same as the spacing distance between the second fixed members 154 in the second power transmission chain 1244. Just as the first fixed members 152 move to the transmission shaft between the first power transmission chain 1242 and the second power transmission chain 1244, the second fixed members 154 in the second power transmission chain 1244 rotate from below the second power transmission chain 1244 to above the second power transmission chain 1244. At the same speed, the first fixed members 152 gradually rotate below the first power transmission chain 1242, and the stopper portions 1544 of the second fixed members 154 gradually come into contact with the fruit tray 130. This transfers the fruit tray 130 from the first power transmission chain 1242 to the second power transmission chain 1244.

[0108] In this embodiment, the gaps between the first and third transmission chains 1242, 1248 and the second transmission chain 1244 are set to correspond to each other, thereby preventing interference between the first and second fixing members 152, 154 when the fruit tray 130 is transferred from the first transmission chain 1242 to the second transmission chain 1244 and from the second transmission chain 1244 to the third transmission chain 1248.

[0109] In this embodiment, the stopper portion 1544 has a stopper surface 1546 that can abut against the fruit tray 130. During the process of transferring the fruit tray 130 from the first transmission chain 1242 to the second transmission chain 1244, the stopper surface 1546 gradually abuts against the fruit tray 130, thereby moving the fruit tray 130 along the second transmission chain 1244.

[0110] In this embodiment, the shape of the stopper surface 1546 is adapted to the shape of the fruit tray 130, thereby ensuring full contact between the stopper surface 1546 and the fruit tray 130, improving the stability of the fruit tray 130 during transmission, and reducing the problem of slippage of the fruit tray 130 due to local contact between the stopper surface 1546 and the fruit tray 130.

[0111] For example, if the fruit tray 130 is circular, the stopper surface 1546 is also circular. If the fruit tray 130 is rectangular, the stopper surface 1546 is also rectangular. It is sufficient to ensure complete contact between the stopper surface 1546 and the fruit tray 130.

[0112] In this embodiment, in order to increase the contact area between the second fixing member 154 and the bottom of the fruit tray 130, the second fixing member 154 further includes a connecting plate 1548. The connecting plate 1548 is attached to the second transmission chain 1244 and is spaced apart from the mounting plate 1542.

[0113] In this embodiment, when the fruit tray 130 is on the first transmission chain 1242, the fruit tray 130 is clamped between two adjacent first fixing members 152. When the fruit tray 130 moves along the transmission shaft of the first transmission chain 1242 and the second transmission chain 1244, the stopper plate 1523 of the first fixing member 152, which fixes the front of the fruit tray 130 on the first transmission chain 1242, gradually moves downward on the first transmission chain 1242 and disengages from the fruit tray 130, and the stopper surface 1546 of the second transmission chain 1244 moves until it contacts the fruit tray 130, causing the second transmission chain 1244 to drive the fruit tray 130. When the fruit tray 130 moves to the transmission shaft of the second transmission chain 1244 and the third transmission chain 1248, the first fixing member 152 of the third transmission chain 1248 similarly moves to the connection between the second transmission chain 1244 and the third transmission chain 1248, restricting the position of the fruit tray 130 in front of the fruit tray 130 and preventing the fruit tray 130 from jumping out of the third transmission chain 1248. During the transmission process, the second fixing member 154 of the second transmission chain 1244 gradually rotates downward of the second transmission chain 1244, and the other first fixing member 152 of the third transmission chain 1248 rotates upward of the third transmission chain 1248, fixing the fruit tray 130.

[0114] 10 , in this embodiment, the detection assembly 160 includes a detection switch 162 and a detection disk 164. The detection disk 164 is disposed coaxially with the conveying assembly 120. The detection disk 164 is provided with a plurality of detection openings 166. The number of the detection openings 166 is the same as the number of the fixed assemblies 150. When the detection opening 166 moves to a position corresponding to the detection switch 162, the detection switch 162 can detect an incoming signal indicating that the fixed assembly 150 has moved to the input end.

[0115] In this embodiment, the transport assembly 120 includes a first power transmission chain 1242, a second power transmission chain 1244, and a third power transmission chain 1248, and the detection assembly 160 is disposed on the first power transmission chain 1242, so the number of detection openings 166 needs to be the same as the number of first fixed members 152 on the first power transmission chain 1242. The detection disk 164 is disposed coaxially with the end of the first power transmission chain 1242 remote from the second power transmission chain 1244.

[0116] Here, the detection switch 162 may be a photoelectric switch. When the detection opening 166 rotates to the position of the detection switch 162, a signal from the photoelectric switch is emitted from the detection opening 166. When the detection disk 164 rotates to a portion between the two detection openings 166 (when the detection disk 164 rotates and the portion between the two detection openings 166 is positioned at the position of the detection switch 162), the photoelectric switch receives a feedback signal. This makes it possible to determine whether any of the detection openings 166 has passed through the detection switch 162. By detecting whether the detection opening 166 has moved to the detection switch 162, it can be determined whether the fixing assembly 150 has moved to the input end.

[0117] The operating principle of the fruit sorting apparatus 100 according to this embodiment is as follows: After obtaining the operating speed of the conveying assembly 120, the moving time required for the fixed assembly 150 to move from the input side to the detection unit 140 is calculated based on the operating speed and the distance between the detection unit 140 and the detection assembly 160. The end time of the fixed assembly 150 moving to the detection unit 140 is calculated from the start time at the input end of the fixed assembly 150, and the end time is obtained by adding the moving time to the start time. Based on the end time, it is determined whether there is any detection information with the same time information as the end time among the multiple detection information, and this detection information is the detection information of the fruit tray 130 detected by the detection unit 140 when the fixed assembly 150 moved to the detection unit 140.

[0118] As described above, in the fruit sorting apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, fruits are placed on the fruit tray 130, which is fixed to the fixed assembly 150. The fixed assembly 150 drives the fruit tray 130 by the conveying assembly 120 to pass through the plurality of detection units 140 arranged in the extension direction of the conveying assembly 120. The input end and the position where the fruit tray 130 is located on the fixed assembly 150 can be understood as the starting position of the movement of the fruit tray 130 on the conveying assembly 120. Obtaining an arrival signal when the fixed assembly 150 moves to the input end can be understood as obtaining the starting time of the movement of the fruit tray 130 on the conveying assembly 120 by the fixed assembly 150. Based on the starting time, the driving speed, and the distance between the detection unit 140 and the detection assembly 160, it can be determined whether the detection information detected by the detection unit 140 contains detection information of the fruit tray 130 corresponding to the arrival signal. In this embodiment, matching between the fruit tray 130 and the detection information can be achieved based on the starting time, operating speed, distance between the detection unit 140 and the detection assembly 160, and time information, thereby realizing one-to-one correspondence between multiple detection information and multiple fruit trays 130, avoiding the impact of the loss of the fruit tray 130 on subsequent sorting, minimizing the problem of subsequent data disturbance, and improving the accuracy of fruit sorting.

[0119] Next, another embodiment of the present application will be described. This embodiment provides a fruit sorting method that receives detection information of the fruit tray 130 detected by the detection unit 140, and then matches the multiple detection information with the fruit tray 130, thereby minimizing the problem of subsequent data corruption and improving the accuracy of fruit sorting.

[0120] For the sake of simplicity, any points not mentioned in this embodiment may be referred to in the above-mentioned fruit sorting device embodiment of this application.

[0121] The specific steps of the fruit sorting method are as follows:

[0122] As shown in FIG. 11, step S100 obtains an arrival signal including a start time when the fixed assembly 150 moves to the input side.

[0123] In this embodiment, for an arriving signal that includes a starting time, the time when the detection assembly 160 detects the arriving signal at the same time as the fixed assembly 150 detects the arriving signal is recorded, and the time when the arriving signal is detected is the starting time of the arriving signal.

[0124] Step S200 obtains the operating speed of the transport assembly 120.

[0125] In this embodiment, the driving speed may be preset or may be directly obtained by the control unit 110 from the conveying assembly 120. When the fruit sorting apparatus 100 is started up, the control unit 110 controls the conveying assembly 120 to convey the fruit tray 130 at the driving speed according to the start-up instruction. Alternatively, after the fruit sorting apparatus 100 is started up, the control unit 110 may directly detect the driving speed of the conveying assembly 120.

[0126] Step S300 obtains detection information including time information collected by the detection unit 140 at every preset time.

[0127] In this embodiment, for detection information including time information, the detection unit 140 records the time when it detects the detection information of the fruit tray 130 at the same time, and the time when it detects the detection information is the time information of the detection information.

[0128] The multiple fixed assemblies 150 are arranged at intervals on the transport assembly 120. The time interval between two adjacent fixed assemblies 150 passing the detection unit 140 can be calculated from the operating speed of the transport assembly 120 and the distance between two adjacent fixed assemblies 150. Here, the time interval may be set to a preset time. In other words, when each fixed assembly 150 moves toward the detection unit 140, the detection unit 140 collects detection information once.

[0129] Step S400 obtains the distance between the detection assembly 160 and the detection unit 140.

[0130] In this embodiment, the multiple fixing assemblies 150 are arranged at equal intervals on the conveying assembly 120, and the distance between the fixing assemblies 150 is constant. The distance between the detection assembly 160 and the detection unit 140 is calculated based on the number of fixing assemblies 150 between the detection assembly 160 and the detection unit 140.

[0131] Step S500 determines whether there is detection information of the fruit tray 130 corresponding to the arrival signal based on the operating speed of the conveying assembly 120, the time information of the arrival signal, the distance between the detection unit 140 and the detection assembly 160, and the time information of the detection information. In this embodiment, matching between the fruit tray 130 and the detection information is realized based on the starting time, operating speed, distance between the detection unit 140 and the detection assembly 160, and time information, and a one-to-one correspondence between multiple detection information and multiple fruit trays 130 can be ensured, thereby avoiding the impact of the loss of the fruit tray 130 on subsequent sorting, minimizing the problem of subsequent data disturbance as much as possible, and improving the accuracy of fruit sorting.

[0132] As shown in FIG. 12, step S500 includes step S510, step S520, and step S530.

[0133] Step S510 calculates the moving time for moving the fruit tray 130 from the detection assembly 160 to the detection unit 140 by the fixing assembly 150 based on the driving speed and the distance between the detection unit 140 and the detection assembly 160.

[0134] In this embodiment, after obtaining the operating speed of the conveying assembly 120, the travel time required for the fixed assembly 150 to move from the input end to the detection unit 140 is calculated from the operating speed and the distance between the detection unit 140 and the detection assembly 160.

[0135] Step S520 calculates the end time of the fruit tray 130 moving from the detection assembly 160 to the detection unit 140 by the fixing assembly 150 based on the time information of the arrival signal and the moving time.

[0136] The end time when the fixed assembly 150 moves to the detection unit 140 is calculated from the start time at the input end of the fixed assembly 150, and the end time is obtained by adding the movement time to the start time.

[0137] In step S530, it is determined whether or not there is any detection information with the same end point time among the plurality of pieces of detection information.

[0138] Based on the end time, it is determined whether there is any detection information among the multiple detection information whose time information is the same as the end time, and the detection information is the detection information of the fruit tray 130 detected by the detection unit 140 when the fixing assembly 150 moves to the detection unit 140.

[0139] As shown in FIG. 13, step S530 includes step S532, step S534, and step S536.

[0140] In step S532, it is determined whether or not there is detection information with the same end point time among the plurality of pieces of detection information.

[0141] In this embodiment, the detection unit 140 collects one piece of detection information at each preset time, and transmits the detection information including time information to the control unit 110. The control unit 110 determines whether there is any detection information with the same end time among the multiple detection information.

[0142] In step S534, if there is detection information identical to the end time, the detection information identical to the end time is recorded in the detection data of the fruit tray 130 corresponding to the arrival signal.

[0143] If there is detection information that is the same as the end time, that detection information is the detection data of the fruit placement tray 130, and that detection information is recorded in the detection data of the fruit placement tray 130.

[0144] In step S536, if there is no detection information that is the same as the end time, the detection data of the fruit tray 130 that corresponds to the arrival signal is discarded.

[0145] If there is no detection information corresponding to the end time among the multiple pieces of detection information, it is possible that the fruit tray 130 was lost during the process of moving to the detection unit 140, or that the fruit tray 130 was not lost and the detection unit 140 did not detect the detection information of the fruit tray 130. This indicates that there is no detection information of the fruit tray 130 among the multiple pieces of detection information. In this case, the detection data of the fruit tray 130 is discarded and the next sorting operation is not performed.

[0146] For example, the distance between the image acquisition module 144 and the detection assembly 160 is X number of stationary assemblies 150, the distance between the weighing module 146 and the detection assembly 160 is Y number of stationary assemblies 150, the distance between the quality module 142 and the detection assembly 160 is Z number of stationary assemblies 150, and the distance between the sorting module and the detection assembly is M number of stationary assemblies 150.

[0147] Each time the fixed assembly 150 moves towards the detection assembly 160, the detection assembly 160 detects one incoming signal and sends it to the control unit 110. The control unit 110 obtains one detection data from the image acquisition module 144, the weighing module 146, and the quality module 142.

[0148] Also, for example, if the incoming signal is N, the data output by the image acquisition module 144 is An, the data output by the weighing module 146 is Bn, and the data output by the quality module 142 is Cn.

[0149] After integration using the fruit sorting method of this embodiment, if the arrival signal of a certain fixed assembly 150 is N, the corresponding data of the image acquisition module 144, the weighing module 146 and the quality module 142 are An+X, Bn+Y and Cn+Z respectively, and the three data are integrated into Dn and sent to the sorting module 148. The sorting module 148 performs level sorting based on Dn.

[0150] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application and does not limit the scope of protection of the present application. Those skilled in the art may modify or replace the technical solutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, and these modifications or replacements are also included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application is subject to the content set forth in the claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0151] This application relates to the technical field of fruit sorting and discloses a fruit sorting apparatus and method. The fruit sorting apparatus includes a control unit, a conveying assembly, a detection assembly, fruit trays, multiple fixing assemblies, and multiple detection units. The control unit is configured to receive multiple detection information and determine whether there is fruit tray detection information corresponding to the arrival signal based on the driving speed of the conveying assembly, the start time of the arrival signal, the distance between the detection unit and the detection assembly, and the time information of the detection information. In this embodiment, the fruit trays are matched with the detection information based on the start time, driving speed, the distance between the detection unit and the detection assembly, and the time information, ensuring a one-to-one correspondence between the multiple detection information and the multiple fruit trays. This prevents the loss of fruit trays from affecting subsequent sorting, minimizes the problem of subsequent data corruption, and improves the accuracy of fruit sorting.

[0152] It goes without saying that the fruit sorting apparatus and method of the present application are reproducible and applicable to various industries. For example, the fruit sorting apparatus of the present application can be applied to the fruit sorting field. [Explanation of symbols]

[0153] 100...Fruit sorting device 110...Control unit 120...Transport assembly 122...Drive wheel 124...Transmission chain 1242...First transmission chain 1244...Second transmission chain 1245...1st Chain 1246...Second Chain 1248...Third transmission chain 130...Fruit tray 132...Detection hole 140...Detection unit 142...Quality Module 144...Image acquisition module 146...Weighing module 148...Sorting module 150...Fixed assembly 152...first fixing member 1521…Bottom plate 1523...Stopper plate 154...Second fixing member 1542...Mounting plate 1544...Stopper part 1546...Stopper surface 1548...Connection plate 160…Detection assembly 162...Detection switch 164...Detection disk 166...Detection aperture 170...Lamp source

Claims

1. A fruit sorting device (100) for sorting fruit, comprising: The system includes a control unit (110), a conveying assembly (120), a detection assembly (160), a fruit placement tray (130), a plurality of fixing assemblies (150), and a plurality of detection units (140), The fruit tray (130) is configured to accommodate fruit; the fastening assembly (150) is configured to fasten the fruit tray (130); the detection assembly (160) is disposed at the input end of the conveying assembly (120) and is connected to the control unit (110), and detects an arrival signal when the fixing assembly (150) moves to the input end, and transmits the arrival signal including a start time to the control unit (110); The plurality of fixing assemblies (150) are sequentially attached to the conveying assembly (120), and the conveying assembly (120) drives the plurality of fruit trays (130) to pass the plurality of detection units (140) in sequence; The plurality of detection units (140) are connected to the control unit (110), and the detection units (140) are configured to collect detection information of the fruit tray (130) once every preset time and transmit the detection information including time information to the control unit (110); The control unit (110) is connected to the detection unit (140) and the detection assembly (160) and is configured to receive a plurality of detection information and determine whether the detection information of the fruit tray (130) corresponds to the arrival signal based on the operating speed of the conveying assembly (120), the start time of the arrival signal, the distance between the detection unit (140) and the detection assembly (160), and time information of the detection information. A fruit sorting device characterized by the above.

2. The control unit (110) is configured to calculate a travel time for the fixing assembly (150) to move the fruit tray (130) from the detection assembly (160) to the detection unit (140) based on the driving speed and the distance between the detection unit (140) and the detection assembly (160), calculate an end time at which the fixing assembly (150) moves to the detection unit (140) based on the start time of the arrival signal and the travel time, and determine whether there is detection information whose time information is the same as the end time.

2. The fruit sorting device of claim 1.

3. If there is a piece of detection information corresponding to the end time among the plurality of pieces of detection information, the detection information is recorded in the detection data of the fruit tray (130) corresponding to the arrival signal.

3. A fruit sorting device according to claim 2.

4. If there is no detection information corresponding to the end time among the plurality of detection information, the detection data of the fruit tray (130) corresponding to the arrival signal is discarded.

3. A fruit sorting device according to claim 2.

5. The conveying assembly (120) includes a transmission chain (124) and a drive wheel (122), the transmission chain (124) is operably connected to the drive wheel (122), and a plurality of the fixing assemblies (150) are sequentially attached to the transmission chain (124).

2. The fruit sorting device of claim 1.

6. The power transmission chain (124) includes a first power transmission chain (1242) and a second power transmission chain (1244), an end of the first power transmission chain (1242) remote from the input end is coaxially disposed with one end of the second power transmission chain (1244); The second transmission chain (1244) includes a first chain (1245) and a second chain (1246), and the first chain (1245) is arranged parallel to the second chain (1246) at a distance from the second chain (1246) to form a gap.

6. A fruit sorting device according to claim 5.

7. The detection unit (140) includes a quality module (142) positioned below the gap.

7. A fruit sorting machine according to claim 6.

8. A detection hole (132) is provided at the bottom of the fruit tray (130), and the detection hole (132) is provided corresponding to the gap.

8. A fruit sorting machine according to claim 7.

9. The power transmission chain (124) further includes a third power transmission chain (1248); One end of the third power transmission chain (1248) is arranged coaxially with the end of the second power transmission chain (1244) remote from the first power transmission chain (1242).

9. A fruit sorting machine according to claim 8.

10. The detection unit (140) further includes an image acquisition module (144) and a weighing module (146); The image acquisition module (144) and the weighing module (146) are disposed below the first transmission chain (1242).

10. A fruit sorting device according to claim 9.

11. The fruit sorting device further includes a sorting module (148) disposed below the third transmission chain (1248).

11. A fruit sorting device according to claim 10.

12. The fixing assembly (150) includes a mounting plate (1542) and a stopper portion (1544); The mounting plate (1542) is attached to the carriage assembly (120); The stopper portion (1544) is connected to the mounting plate (1542) and can abut against the fruit tray (130) so as to move the fruit tray (130) by the conveying assembly (120). A fruit sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. The stopper portion (1544) has a stopper surface (1546) that can come into contact with the fruit tray (130).

13. A fruit sorting machine according to claim 12.

14. The shape of the stopper surface (1546) matches the shape of the fruit tray (130).

14. A fruit sorting device according to claim 13.

15. The fixing assembly (150) includes a bottom plate (1521) and a stopper plate (1523), The bottom plate (1521) is attached to the transport assembly (120), The stopper plate (1523) is connected to the bottom plate (1521), The stopper plate (1523) and the bottom plate (1521) of two adjacent fixing assemblies (150) form a fixed receiving portion, and the fruit tray (130) is mounted in the fixed receiving portion. A fruit sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

16. The detection assembly (160) includes a detection switch (162) and a detection disk (164); the detection disk (164) is arranged coaxially with the transport assembly (120), the detection disk (164) is provided with a plurality of detection openings (166), the number of the detection openings (166) is the same as the number of the fixing assemblies (150); The detection switch (162) detects an incoming signal indicating that the fixed assembly (150) has moved to the input end when the detection opening (166) moves to a position corresponding to the detection switch (162). A fruit sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

17. A fruit sorting method for a fruit sorting device (100) including a conveying assembly (120), a fruit placement tray (130), a detection assembly (160), a plurality of fixing assemblies (150), and a plurality of detection units (140), wherein the plurality of fixing assemblies (150) are sequentially attached to the conveying assembly (120), the plurality of detection units (140) are arranged corresponding to the conveying assemblies (120), and the detection assembly (160) is arranged at an input end of the conveying assembly (120), acquiring an arrival signal including time information when the fixed assembly (150) moves to the input end; obtaining an operating speed of the transport assembly (120); acquiring detection information including time information collected by the detection unit (140) at predetermined time intervals; obtaining a distance between the detection assembly (160) and the detection unit (140); and determining whether there is detection information of the fruit tray (130) corresponding to the arrival signal based on the operating speed of the conveying assembly (120), time information of the arrival signal, the distance between the detection unit (140) and the detection assembly (160), and time information of the detection information. A method for sorting fruits.

18. determining whether there is detection information of the fruit tray (130) corresponding to the arrival signal based on the operating speed of the conveying assembly (120), time information of the arrival signal, the distance between the detection unit (140) and the detection assembly (160), and time information of the detection information, calculating a travel time for moving the fruit tray (130) from the detection assembly (160) to the detection unit (140) by the fixing assembly (150) based on the driving speed and the distance between the detection unit (140) and the detection assembly (160); calculating an end time of the movement of the fruit tray (130) from the detection assembly (160) to the detection unit (140) by the fixing assembly (150) based on the time information of the arrival signal and the movement time; and determining whether there is detection information having the same end point time among the plurality of pieces of detection information.

18. The method of claim 17.

19. The step of determining whether there is detection information having the same end point time among the plurality of pieces of detection information includes: determining whether there is detection information having the same end point time among the plurality of pieces of detection information; In some cases, recording the same detection information as the end time in the detection data of the fruit tray (130) corresponding to the arrival signal.

19. The method of claim 18.

20. The step of determining whether there is detection information having the same end point time among the plurality of pieces of detection information includes: If not, discarding the detection data of the fruit tray (130) corresponding to the arrival signal.

20. The method of claim 19.

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