Horizontal conveyor and sorter

Abstract

To provide a lateral feed conveyor and a sorter which can improve conveyance efficiency of a sorted object.SOLUTION: In a lateral feed conveyor 1 for conveying sorted objects sorted according to a predetermined condition for each sorting selection in a lateral direction, the lateral feed conveyor has a trough 30 including a plurality of gutters 31 to 34 for receiving the sorted objects for each of the sorting selections, and guiding conveyance of the sorted objects received for each of the sorting selections, the trough includes a bottom layer 39 arranged at the lowest part and a plurality of layers composed of one or a plurality of upper layers 38 arranged above the bottom layer, and the one or more gutters among the plurality of gutters 31 to 34 are formed in each of the plurality of layers.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lateral feed conveyor capable of transporting sorted objects in a lateral direction and a sorting machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Optical sorters have been known for some time now that sort raw materials consisting of grains such as rice and wheat, resin pellets, coffee beans, and other granular materials into good and bad products, or sort and remove foreign matter mixed into the raw materials. The sorting process is performed, for example, by any method that optically detects the color of the raw materials or foreign matter. An example of a color sorter that optically sorts raw materials is the device disclosed in Patent Document 1 listed below. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-092861 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The color sorter of Patent Document 1 is configured so that raw materials that are ultimately determined to be non-defective are discharged from a discharge trough for fine products located at a high position in the sorter, while raw materials that are ultimately determined to be defective are discharged from a discharge trough for defective products located at a low position in the sorter. The non-defective raw materials are then lifted to the high position in the sorter where the discharge trough for fine products is located by providing an elevator to the sorter.

[0005] If the discharge trough is provided at a high position above the sorter, for example, by arranging the raw material input section of a weighing machine or bagging machine in a subsequent process so that it is located below the discharge trough for fine products, it becomes possible to directly feed the raw material into the weighing machine or bagging machine. Therefore, with this color sorter, it is easy to transport the raw material between the devices used in the processes before and after the sorting process, and further, it is easy to determine the location of each device, including the sorter.

[0006] Therefore, in consideration of the existence of downstream processes related to the processing of defective products, it would be preferable to locate not only the discharge trough for fine products but also the discharge trough for defective products at a high position above the sorting machine. However, if the discharge trough for defective products is also located at a high position above the sorting machine, it will be necessary to use an elevator to lift not only raw materials that are judged to be good products, but also raw materials that are ultimately judged to be defective products to the high position above the sorting machine.

[0007] In a typical color sorter, the optically sorted raw materials, or the materials to be sorted, are separated into their respective sorting categories and placed on a conveyor located at a low position within the sorter. The raw material inlet of the elevator is located to the side of the conveyor. Each sorted raw material is transported horizontally on the conveyor, or in other words, fed laterally, until it reaches the raw material inlet of the corresponding elevator.

[0008] Therefore, if the discharge trough for the final defective products is also located at a high position above the sorter, not only will it be necessary to install an elevator for the final defective products, but it will also be necessary to provide a transport path for the final defective products to the elevator on the conveyor. For example, in the secondary sorting type color sorter disclosed in Patent Document 1, three elevators and three conveyor paths are provided, but if the discharge trough for the final defective products is also located at a high position above the sorter, it will be necessary to provide four paths on the conveyor that lead to each of the elevators.

[0009] However, increasing the number of conveyor paths inevitably reduces the width of each path, and the material transport efficiency of each path inevitably decreases. Depending on the expected amount of material to be transported, it is possible to design the width of paths that are expected to transport a large amount of material to be wider, but in that case the width of other paths must be narrowed, and the material transport efficiency of the narrowed paths will decrease.

[0010] On the other hand, it is possible to maintain the transport efficiency by widening the width of the conveyor as a whole, but if the overall width of the conveyor is widened, the width of the main body of the sorting machine on which the conveyor is mounted must also be widened accordingly. However, in light of the current trend, it is desirable to avoid designs that lead to an increase in the size of the sorting machine as much as possible.

[0011] Furthermore, in the secondary sorting type color sorter disclosed in Patent Document 1, primary defective products from the primary sorting must be transported to a chute for secondary sorting, while non-defective products from the secondary sorting must be transported to the chute for primary sorting again. In such a sorter, due to the layout of the elevator and optical unit, the transport path for primary defective products from the primary sorting and the transport path for non-defective products from the secondary sorting must intersect somewhere between the conveyor and each chute.

[0012] If these transport routes were to intersect with a downflow route through which the raw materials flow after being lifted by the elevator, the structure of each downflow route would become complicated, and therefore, the overall height of the elevator would have to be increased to ensure the downflow route.

[0013] Up to this point, we have explained the issues that arise when attempting to place the discharge trough for defective products at a high position on the sorting machine. However, even in conventional sorting machines where the discharge trough for defective products is placed at a low position, there is naturally the issue of further improving the transport efficiency of sorted raw materials.

[0014] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a lateral feed conveyor and a sorting machine that are small and have a simple structure yet have high transport efficiency for the objects to be sorted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] The invention related to (1) is a transverse conveyor that transports sorted materials sorted according to predetermined conditions horizontally for each sorting section, wherein the transverse conveyor receives the sorted materials for each sorting section and has a trough including multiple gutters that guide the transport of the sorted materials received for each sorting section, the trough is formed including multiple layers consisting of a bottom layer arranged at the bottom and one or more upper layers arranged above the bottom layer, and each of the multiple layers is formed with one or more of the multiple gutters.

[0016] The invention related to (2) is a cross-feed conveyor described in (1) above, in which an opening is provided in the upper layer of the plurality of layers, and the sorted material passes through the opening and is transported to the trough formed below the opening.

[0017] The invention related to (3) is a cross-feed conveyor described in (1) or (2) above, in which the floor surface of the upper layer is arranged at a predetermined inclination angle with the conveying direction side of the sorted material facing downward relative to the floor surface of the bottom layer.

[0018] The invention according to (4) is a cross-feed conveyor according to any one of (1) to (3) above, wherein each of the plurality of gutters includes a gutter wall arranged so that the angle of the corner of the gutter is 45 degrees or more.

[0019] The invention related to (5) is a sorting machine having a sorting section that sorts input materials according to predetermined conditions, a lateral feed conveyor that transports the materials sorted by the sorting section in a lateral direction, and a lifting section that receives and lifts the materials transported by the lateral feed conveyor, wherein the lateral feed conveyor receives the materials to be sorted by sorting category and has a trough including a plurality of gutters that guide the materials by the sorting category, the trough is formed to include a plurality of layers, and each of the plurality of layers is formed with one or more of the plurality of gutters.

[0020] The invention related to (6) is a sorting machine described in (5) above, in which the trough has a plurality of outlets for sending the sorted material out of the cross-feed conveyor, each of the plurality of troughs is connected to one of the plurality of outlets at the end of each trough in the conveying direction, and the mutual arrangement positional relationship of the plurality of outlets is arranged based on the structure of at least one of the lifting section and the sorting section.

[0021] The invention related to (7) is a sorting machine described in (5) above, which has a discharge device that discharges the sorted materials lifted by the lifting section outside the sorting machine, the trough has multiple discharge outlets that send the sorted materials outside the cross-feed conveyor, each of the multiple troughs is connected to one of the multiple discharge outlets at the conveying direction side end of each trough, and the mutual positional relationship of the multiple discharge outlets is arranged based on the positional relationship of the discharge device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a unique effect of improving the efficiency of conveying the objects to be sorted without increasing the size of the sorting machine. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall perspective view showing an embodiment of a sorting machine according to the present invention from the upper right front direction. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a left side view for schematically explaining the internal structure of the embodiment of the sorting machine shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a front view for schematically explaining the internal structure of the embodiment of the sorting machine shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a trough included in a transverse conveyor according to the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment of the trough shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a top view of the trough lid shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a top view of the upper trough layer shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 8] FIG. 6 is a top view of the trough bottom layer shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 9] 5 is a schematic side view of the embodiment of the trough shown in FIG. 4 placed on a horizontal surface. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of another embodiment of a trough included in a transverse conveyor according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Next, an embodiment of a lateral feed conveyor and a sorting machine of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, a lateral feed conveyor 1 broadly refers to a conveying device that transports objects placed on a floor surface in a horizontal or approximately horizontal direction, i.e., sends them out horizontally. Also, a sorting machine 2 broadly refers to a device that sorts objects fed into the machine according to predetermined criteria.

[0025] In this embodiment, examples of materials that can be sorted by the sorting machine 2 include grains such as rice and wheat, resin pellets, coffee beans, and other granular raw materials, as well as foreign matter mixed into these raw materials. In the following description, the materials to be sorted may be simply referred to as "raw materials."

[0026] The sorter 2 in this embodiment is a color sorter that uses an optical device to detect the color of the object to be sorted, particularly the granular raw material, and sorts the raw material based on the detection results. However, the sorter 2 may be configured to sort raw material using any method other than an optical method.

[0027] 1 and 2, the sorting machine 2 has at least an elevator unit 4 located on the rear side of the sorting machine 2 and lifting the raw materials, an optical sorting unit 6 located on the front side of the elevator unit 4 and optically sorting the raw materials, and a cross-feed conveyor 1 located below the optical sorting unit 6 and returning the sorted raw materials to the elevator unit 4. In this embodiment, the optical sorting unit 6 sorts the input materials through a two-stage sorting process.

[0028] The lifting section 4 is also configured to include a plurality of bucket conveyors 9-12 used to lift raw materials. The raw materials lifted by each of the bucket conveyors 9-12 are classified according to the raw material sorting process and the sorting results. In this embodiment, the bucket conveyor 9 lifts secondary defective products b2 that have been determined to be defective in both the primary and secondary sorting processes, while the bucket conveyor 10 lifts raw materials that have not yet passed the primary sorting process. Furthermore, the bucket conveyor 11 lifts fine products g1 that have been determined to be non-defective in the primary sorting process, while the bucket conveyor 12 lifts primary defective products b1 that have been determined to be defective in the primary sorting process.

[0029] In this embodiment, the bucket conveyors 9 to 12 are arranged side by side in the width direction when viewed from the front of the sorting machine 2. The arrangement of the bucket conveyors 9 to 12 corresponds to the arrangement of the outlets for each sorting section of the cross-feed conveyor 1. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the bucket conveyors 9 to 12 are stored compactly inside the housing of the sorting machine 2.

[0030] The sorting machine 2 has an input hopper 13 that is provided at a low position of the sorting machine 2 behind the lifting unit 4 and is configured to allow raw material to be input from behind the sorting machine 2. The width dimension of the input hopper 13 is preferably within the range of the width dimension of the sorting machine 2 when viewed from the front.

[0031] The input hopper 13 has a material supply port that supplies the input material to the next device, and the bucket conveyor 10 has a material receiving port that receives the material supplied from another device. The material supply port of the input hopper 13 is connected to the material receiving port of the bucket conveyor 10, and with this configuration, the material input into the input hopper 13 is lifted up to the interior upper part of the sorting machine 2 using the bucket conveyor 10.

[0032] The sorting machine 2 has storage tanks 14 and 15 that are located below the lifting unit 4 and above the optical sorting unit 6 and that temporarily store the raw materials pumped by the lifting unit 4. In this embodiment, which employs a two-stage sorting system, the storage tank 14 is a tank for primary sorting, and the storage tank 15 is a tank for secondary sorting.

[0033] The sorting machine 2 further has a defective product discharge gutter 16 connected to the bucket conveyor 9 for discharging secondary defective products b2 to the outside of the sorting machine 2, and a fine product discharge gutter 17 connected to the bucket conveyor 11 for discharging fine products to the outside of the sorting machine 2. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the defective product discharge gutter 16 is provided at a high point on the sorting machine 2, extending from the left side surface, and the fine product discharge gutter 17 is provided at a high point on the right side surface, extending toward the outside of the machine. However, the structures are not limited to those shown in these figures, and the discharge paths and discharge outlet locations of the discharge gutter 16, 17 can be set as desired depending on the dimensions of the sorting machine 2, the internal structure, etc.

[0034] Furthermore, it is preferable to position the channels of the discharge gutters 16 and 17 as close as possible to the inner end of the main body of the sorter 2, as this allows for more effective use of the space inside the machine. Such a positioning also prevents the channels from intersecting with the path of the raw materials heading toward the optical sorting unit 6. For example, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, most of the channels of the discharge gutters 16 and 17 are positioned near the front, rear, left, and right ends of the machine. This positioning of the channels allows for a larger area in the center of the sorter 2 to be used for arranging the storage tanks 14 and 15 and the devices that form the intermediate paths from these tanks to the optical sorting unit 6.

[0035] The discharge gutters 16 and 17 may be provided with a plurality of discharge outlets and discharge paths leading to each discharge outlet for one bucket conveyor. In this case, the discharge gutters may also be provided with path switching means for switching the open / closed state of the discharge paths leading to each discharge outlet, such as a valve for opening and closing a predetermined path or a device having a similar function. With this configuration, the discharge outlet from which the raw materials are discharged can be changed as needed in response to the operation of the path switching means.

[0036] The sorter 2 has rotary valves 18 and 19 that constantly control the flow rates of the raw materials supplied from the storage tanks 14 and 15, respectively. The sorter 2 also has chutes 20 and 21 that are provided with a predetermined slope and serve as paths for the raw materials to slide down. In this embodiment, the outlet of the storage tank 14 is connected to the inlet of the rotary valve 18, which in turn is connected to the inlet of the chute 20. Similarly, the outlet of the storage tank 15 is connected to the inlet of the rotary valve 19, and the outlet of the rotary valve 18 is connected to the inlet of the chute 21. An optical sorting unit 6 is provided below the chutes 20 and 21, and the raw materials released from the lower ends of the chutes 20 and 21 are transported to the optical sorting unit 6.

[0037] The optical sorting unit 6 is configured to include a light detection unit 22 and an ejector 23. The optical sorting unit 6 including the light detection unit 22 and the ejector 23 can, for example, optically detect a plurality of raw materials falling in a line in the width direction of the sorter 2, and appropriately repel the raw materials with air.

[0038] 3, the optical sorting unit 6 is divided into a primary sorting unit 24 and a secondary sorting unit 25 depending on the widthwise position when viewed from the front of the sorting machine 2. The primary sorting unit 24 sorts raw materials supplied from the storage tank 14 for primary sorting, and the secondary sorting unit 25 sorts raw materials supplied from the storage tank 15 for secondary sorting. The primary sorting unit 24 and the secondary sorting unit 25 have substantially the same structure except for the chute surface.

[0039] In this embodiment, the light detection unit 22 can be a known unit equipped with a sensor such as a CCD line sensor, a light source such as a fluorescent lamp, and a background as a background device or means. As shown in FIG. 2, the light detection units 22 used in this embodiment are arranged in pairs, sandwiching the chutes 20 and 21 from the front and back. Each pair of light detection units 22 includes a sensor 22a, a mirror 22b, a light source 22c, and a background 22d. Each pair of light detection units 22 captures an image of the raw materials dropping from the bottom ends of the chutes 20 and 21 at a detection position, and determines whether the raw materials are good or bad, or whether any foreign matter has been mixed in the raw materials, based on the obtained image signal.

[0040] The ejector 23 is not limited to one configured to eject the raw material by air, but may be configured to eject the raw material by using, for example, a leaf spring driven by a solenoid or the like.

[0041] 2, the sensor 22a, mirror 22b, light source 22c, and background 22d are denoted by reference numerals only for the light detection unit 22 arranged on the front side of the sorting machine 2. However, the configuration of the light detection unit 22 arranged on the rear side of the sorting machine 2, for which no reference numerals are assigned, is the same as the configuration of the light detection unit 22 on the front side.

[0042] The sorting machine 2 has a plurality of discharge hoppers (which may also be referred to as discharge troughs) 26-29 arranged below the optical sorting unit 6. More specifically, below the primary sorting unit 24, discharge hopper 26 is arranged at a position where it can receive raw materials sorted as primary non-defective products g1 as a result of the primary sorting, and discharge hopper 27 is arranged at a position where it can receive raw materials sorted as primary defective products b1. Similarly, below the secondary sorting unit 25, discharge hopper 28 is arranged at a position where it can receive raw materials sorted as secondary non-defective products g2 as a result of the secondary sorting, and discharge hopper 29 is arranged at a position where it can receive raw materials sorted as secondary defective products b2.

[0043] The cross-feed conveyor 1, as one embodiment of the present invention, is positioned below the discharge hoppers 26-29, and can receive the raw materials selected by the optical sorting unit 6 through the discharge hoppers 26-29 in a separated state into primary good products g1, primary defective products b1, secondary good products g2, and secondary defective products b2.

[0044] The transverse conveyor 1 includes at least a trough 30 as shown in Fig. 4 as a component thereof. As shown in Fig. 5 and other figures, the trough 30 has a plurality of troughs 31-34 formed therein corresponding to the positions at which the raw materials are dropped from the discharge hoppers 26-29. The troughs 31-34 receive the objects sorted by the optical sorting unit 6 and serve to guide the objects so that they can be transported smoothly on the trough 30. The transverse conveyor 1 may also be a vibrating conveyor equipped with a vibration mechanism that vibrates the bottom surface of the trough 30.

[0045] The positions where the troughs 31 to 34 are formed in the trough 30 of the transverse conveyor 1 correspond to the positions of the discharge outlets through which the sorted raw materials are discharged from the discharge hoppers 26 to 29. The raw materials sorted by the optical sorting unit 6 are supplied onto predetermined troughs that lead to one of the bucket conveyors 9 to 12, which are their respective transport destinations.

[0046] The trough 30 of the transverse conveyor 1 includes a trough main body 36 in which the gutters 31 to 34 are formed, and a lid 37 that partially covers the upper surface of the trough 30. In the trough main body 36, the gutters 31 to 34 are separated into multiple layers, i.e., arranged at different heights. At least one of the gutters 31 to 34 is formed in each layer of the trough main body 36.

[0047] In this embodiment, the trough body 36 is divided into two layers, an upper layer 38 and a bottom layer 39, as shown in Fig. 5. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the layer disposed at the lowest (bottom) part of the trough body 36 will be referred to as the bottom layer, and all layers disposed above the bottom layer will be referred to as upper layers.

[0048] Gutters 31 and 32 are formed in the upper layer 38 of the trough main body 36. The gutter 31 receives primary non-defective products (excellent products) g1 from the discharge hopper 26 and serves as a conveying path for sending the received primary non-defective products g1 toward the bucket conveyor 11. The gutter 32 receives primary defective products b1 from the discharge hopper 27 and serves as a conveying path for sending the received primary defective products b1 to the bucket conveyor 12.

[0049] On the other hand, gutters 33 and 34 are formed in the bottom layer 39. The gutter 33 receives the secondary non-defective products g2 from the discharge hopper 28 and serves as a conveying path for sending the received secondary non-defective products g2 toward the bucket conveyor 10. The gutter 34 receives the secondary defective products b2 from the discharge hopper 29 and serves as a conveying path for sending the received secondary defective products b2 to the bucket conveyor 9.

[0050] Fig. 4 shows the trough 30 assembled integrally by covering the trough body 36 with the lid 37. On the other hand, Figs. 5 and 6 to 8 show the lid 37 and the upper and bottom layers 38 and 39 of the trough body 36 separately, which constitute the trough 30. Note that the depiction of the bottom layer 39 of the trough body 36 in Figs. 5 and 8 corresponds to the overall configuration of the trough body 36 with the components of the upper layer 38 hidden.

[0051] In addition, the arrows g1, b1, g2, and b2 shown by partially dashed lines in Figure 5 respectively indicate the flow of the primary good products g1, primary defective products b1, secondary good products g2, and secondary defective products b2 falling from the discharge hoppers 26-29 until they reach the floor surface of the designated troughs 31-34.

[0052] The gutter walls that define the gutters 31 to 34 are appropriately installed on the surface of the upper layer 38 or the bottom layer 39 of the trough main body 36. In addition, the end walls provided on the edge portions of the trough main body 36 may be used as part of the gutter walls.

[0053] The lid portion 37 of the trough body 36 has a plurality of openings 41 to 44 corresponding to the positions where the raw materials are dropped from the discharge hoppers 26 to 29. That is, the plurality of openings 41 to 44 are provided on the surface of the lid portion 37 at positions that correspond to approximately vertically below the discharge ports of the discharge hoppers 26 to 29 when the cross-feed conveyor 1 is properly installed in the sorting machine 2.

[0054] The openings 41-44 form holes that penetrate vertically from the top surface to the bottom surface of the lid portion 37, and the sorted raw materials dropped from the discharge hoppers 26-29 pass through these holes. In the case of the lid portion 37 in this embodiment, in relation to the path of the raw materials sorted by the primary sorting, opening 41 is provided below the position of the discharge outlet of discharge hopper 26, and opening 42 is provided below the position of the discharge outlet of discharge hopper 27. In relation to the path of the raw materials sorted by the secondary sorting, opening 43 is provided below the position of the discharge outlet of discharge hopper 28, and opening 44 is provided below the position of the discharge outlet of discharge hopper 29.

[0055] The trough 30 of the transverse conveyor 1 has outlets 45-48 that send out the sorted raw materials from the gutters 31-34 provided in the trough 30 to the raw material receiving ports provided in the bucket conveyors 9-12 that receive the sorted raw materials. The outlets 45-48 are preferably arranged side by side at one widthwise end of the trough 30. The outlets 45-48 are each directly connected to the raw material receiving ports of the bucket conveyors 9-12, or indirectly connected via other connecting elements. The outlets 45-48 each have a connecting element that allows them to be directly connected to the raw material receiving ports of the bucket conveyors 9-12, or are configured to be indirectly connected to the raw material receiving ports of the bucket conveyors 9-12 via other connecting elements.

[0056] The paths of the gutters 31 and 32 formed in the upper layer 38 of the trough body 36 and the width of these paths may be designed and formed arbitrarily as long as they lead to the delivery ports 47 and 48, respectively.

[0057] Raw materials selected as primary non-defective products g1 that fall from the discharge hopper 26 pass through an opening 41 provided in the lid portion 37 and are transferred onto the path floor surface of the gutter 31. That is, the gutter 31 receives the falling primary non-defective products g1 in an area 51 that is approximately directly below the position where the opening 41 of the lid portion 37 is located. Meanwhile, raw materials selected as primary defective products that fall from the discharge hopper 27 pass through an opening 42 provided in the lid portion 37 and are transferred onto the path floor surface of the gutter 32. That is, the gutter 32 receives the falling primary defective products b1 in an area 52 that is approximately directly below the position where the opening 42 of the lid portion 37 is located.

[0058] The primary non-defective products g1 received by the gutter 31 in the area 51 are transported along the path of the gutter 31 and are ultimately sent out from the outlet 47 to the raw material receiving port of the bucket conveyor 11. The arrow g1 in FIG. 7 shows the transport flow of the primary non-defective products g1 within the gutter 31. On the other hand, the primary defective products b1 received by the gutter 32 in the area 51 are transported along the path of the gutter 32 and are ultimately sent out from the outlet 48 to the raw material receiving port of the bucket conveyor 12. The arrow b1 in FIG. 7 shows the transport flow of the primary defective products b1 within the gutter 32.

[0059] In addition to the gutters 31 and 32, openings 53 and 54 are provided on the floor surface of the upper layer 38 of the trough body 36. Opening 53 is formed at a position below, and preferably vertically below, the position of opening 43 when the lid 37 is properly installed to cover the trough body 36. Opening 54 is formed at a position below, and preferably vertically below, the position of opening 44 when the lid 37 is properly installed to cover the trough body 36.

[0060] With this configuration, raw materials selected as secondary non-defective products g2 that fall from discharge hopper 28 pass through opening 43 and then through opening 53. Furthermore, raw materials selected as secondary defective products b2 that fall from discharge hopper 29 pass through opening 44 and then through opening 54.

[0061] The structure and arrangement of the openings 53, 54 and the troughs 31, 32, both of which are provided on the floor of the upper layer 38, may be determined arbitrarily as long as different types of raw materials are not mixed together. For example, walls 53a, 54a may be provided on the floor of the upper layer 38 to surround the peripheries of the openings 53, 54. By providing such walls 53a, 54a, the internal space of the trough 30 can be utilized more effectively.

[0062] The paths of the gutters 33 and 34 formed in the bottom layer 39 of the trough body 36 and the widths of these paths may also be designed and formed arbitrarily as long as they lead to the respective delivery ports.

[0063] Raw materials selected as secondary non-defective products g2 that fall from the discharge hopper 28 pass through the openings 43 and 53 and reach the path floor surface of the gutter 33. That is, the gutter 33 receives the falling secondary non-defective products g2 in an area 63 (see FIG. 8) that is substantially directly below the positions where the openings 43, 53 of the lid 37 and the upper layer 38 are located. Also, raw materials selected as secondary defective products b2 that fall from the discharge hopper 29 pass through the openings 44 and 54 and reach the path floor surface of the gutter 34. That is, the gutter 34 receives the falling secondary defective products b2 in an area 64 (see FIG. 8) that is substantially directly below the positions where the openings 44, 54 of the lid 37 and the upper layer 38 are located.

[0064] The secondary non-defective products g2 received by the gutter 33 in the area 63 are transported along the path of the gutter 33 and are ultimately sent out from the delivery opening 46 to the raw material receiving opening of the bucket conveyor 10. The arrow g2 in FIG. 8 indicates the transport flow of the secondary non-defective products g2 within the gutter 33. On the other hand, the secondary defective products b2 received by the gutter 34 in the area 64 are transported along the path of the gutter 34 and are ultimately sent out from the delivery opening 45 to the raw material receiving opening of the bucket conveyor 9. The arrow b2 in FIG. 8 indicates the transport flow of the secondary defective products b2 within the gutter 34.

[0065] Regarding the path of each gutter 31-34, it is preferable to determine which of the outlets 45-48 will be the outlet, i.e., the destination of the raw materials, taking into consideration the arrangement of the components within the sorting machine 2, such as the lifting section 4, the optical sorting section 6, the storage tanks 14, 15, the defective product discharge gutter 16, and the fine product discharge gutter 17.

[0066] In this embodiment, the components in the sorter 2 used in the primary sorting process and the preceding stages (particularly the bucket conveyor 10, storage tank 14, rotary valve 18, chute 20 in the lifting unit 4, and primary sorting section 24 in the optical sorting unit 6) are arranged on the left side in the width direction as viewed from the front, compared to the components used in the secondary sorting process and the preceding stages (bucket conveyor 12, storage tank 15, rotary valve 19, chute 21, and secondary sorting section 25). Therefore, the outlet 46 of the gutter 33, which serves as the transport path for secondary non-defective products g2 that will be subjected to another primary sorting process, is arranged on the left side in the width direction as viewed from the front, of the outlet 48 of the gutter 32, which serves as the transport path for primary defective products b1 that will then be subjected to secondary sorting.

[0067] For the same reason, in this embodiment, taking into consideration the relative positional relationship between the defective product discharge gutter 16 and the fine product discharge gutter 17 in the width direction when viewed from the front, the outlet 45 of the gutter 34, which serves as the transport path for the secondary defective products b2, is positioned to the left of the outlet 47 of the gutter 31, which serves as the transport path for the fine products g1, in the width direction when viewed from the front.

[0068] By determining the locations of the discharge outlets 45 to 48 in this manner, the flow path leading to the primary or secondary sorting section within the sorting machine 2 does not need to be structured to intersect with other paths midway through the flow path, and a simple structure is sufficient.

[0069] The path of each gutter disposed on the floor surfaces of the upper layer 38 and bottom layer 39 constituting the trough body 36 is defined by providing gutter walls on both widths of the path. As mentioned above, the path of each gutter can be designed with some freedom, but it is particularly preferable to set the path so that the angle between the two gutter walls that define the path, i.e., the corner of each gutter, is 45 degrees or more with respect to the direction of material transport (arrow D shown in Figure 7). For example, as shown in Figure 7, the path of the gutter 32 is set so that the angle θ1 between the gutter wall 32a and the gutter wall 32b, which is also the end wall of the trough body 36, is θ1 ≧ 45 degrees.

[0070] In this way, by making the angle of the corners of each gutter 45 degrees or more, it is possible to effectively prevent raw materials such as grains from being transported smoothly and some of them from becoming stagnant in the gutter, which would result in a decrease in transport performance.

[0071] More specific values ​​of the angle of the recessed corners in each trough can be determined appropriately depending on various conditions such as the layout of the route, the type of raw material being handled, the gradient of the cross-feed conveyor 1 when installed inside the sorting machine 2, and the performance of the vibration mechanism provided on the cross-feed conveyor 1.

[0072] Furthermore, it is preferable that the transverse conveyor 1 inside the sorting machine 2 is arranged in a state in which it is tilted downward to some extent so that the direction of the destination of the raw materials faces, as shown in Figure 2. By installing the transverse conveyor 1 inclined vertically inside the sorting machine 2 in this way, the transverse conveyor 1 can transport the received raw materials more smoothly to the bucket conveyors 9 to 12.

[0073] 9, the floor surface of the upper layer 38 may be configured to have a predetermined inclination angle (θ2) with respect to the floor surface (H1) of the bottom layer 39 when the trough 30 is placed on a horizontal plane (H0). The floor surface of the upper layer 38 is inclined downward from the source side of the raw material, i.e., the side where areas 51, 52, 63, and 64 for receiving raw material from the discharge hoppers 26-29 are located, to the destination side of the raw material, i.e., the side connected to the delivery ports 45-48.

[0074] 9, when the trough 30 is placed on a horizontal plane, the floor surface H1 of the bottom layer 39 is also arranged parallel to the horizontal plane H0, but the floor surface of the upper layer 38 is arranged at an angle of θ2 with respect to the horizontal plane H0 and the floor surface H1 of the bottom layer 39. With this configuration, the amount of material transported by the transverse conveyor 1 can be increased without expanding the path width of each trough provided in the trough 30.

[0075] A suitable value for angle θ2 may vary depending on various conditions, but is, for example, approximately θ2 = 2°. Various conditions that affect the determination of the value of angle θ2 include, for example, the layout of the path provided in the trough 30, the type of raw material being handled, the gradient of the transverse conveyor 1 itself when installed in the sorting machine 2, and the performance of the vibration mechanism provided in the transverse conveyor 1.

[0076] When the trough 30 is placed on a horizontal plane H0, the floor surface of the bottom layer 39 may be configured to have a predetermined downward inclination angle (here, θb) relative to the horizontal plane H0. In such a case, the upper layer 38 is disposed in the trough body 36 at an angle of θ2 degrees relative to the floor surface of the lower layer and θb+θ2 degrees relative to the horizontal plane. Also, when the trough 30 has a structure having multiple upper layers 38, each layer can be disposed in the trough body 36 from a similar perspective so that the higher the upper layer 38, the greater the angle of inclination relative to the horizontal plane.

[0077] According to this embodiment, the products of the primary sorting are transported and processed in the upper layer 38 of the trough main body 36, and the products of the secondary sorting are transported and processed in the bottom layer 39. However, the structures of the transverse conveyor 1 and the sorter 2 in relation to the transport and processing of the sorted products are not limited to this. For example, the transverse conveyor 1 and the sorter 2 may be configured to transport and process the products of the primary sorting in the bottom layer 39 and the products of the secondary sorting in the upper layer 38. The manufacturer or user of the transverse conveyor 1 and the sorter 2 can freely decide which layer in the trough 30 each sorted product will be transported and processed in, depending on the layout of the paths provided in the trough 30 and the structure of the sorter 2, particularly the lifting unit 4 and the optical sorting unit 6.

[0078] In the sorting machine 2, it is preferable that all raw materials discharged from the discharge hoppers 26 to 29 pass through the openings 41 to 44 of the lid portion 37, which are located substantially directly below the discharge outlets of the discharge hoppers. However, due to the influence of external disturbances, some of the raw materials may not pass through the openings 41 to 44 and may end up scattering on the surface of the lid portion 37. To prepare for such an occurrence, it is preferable to provide a gutter 66 on the surface of the lid portion 37 to guide the scattered raw materials to an appropriate outlet.

[0079] The gutter 66 has a gutter wall 68 that serves to smoothly guide the raw material scattered on the surface of the lid portion 37 to the delivery port. By providing the gutter wall 68, the scattered raw material is efficiently transported in the direction S of the delivery port.

[0080] In the trough 30 of this embodiment, the quality of the scattered raw material as a whole is considered to be equivalent to secondary non-defective products g2, and the gutter 66 guides the scattered raw material to the outlet 46 leading to the bucket conveyor 10. However, this is not a limitation, and the outlet to which the scattered raw material is guided onto the surface of the lid 37 may be determined arbitrarily. As an example, if it is desired to select raw material using as strict standards as possible, the quality of the scattered raw material can be considered to be equivalent to secondary defective products b2, and the gutter 66 can guide the scattered raw material to the outlet 45 leading to the bucket conveyor 9.

[0081] Next, the process of sorting raw materials when using an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Raw materials to be sorted are fed into a feed hopper 13 located at a low point in the sorter 2 and behind the lifting unit 4, and then lifted by a bucket conveyor 10. The lifted raw materials are stored in a storage tank 14 and then supplied to a chute 20 at a constant flow rate via a rotary valve 18.

[0082] The raw materials falling on the chute 20 are then detected and sorted by the optical detection unit 22 in the primary sorting section 24 of the optical sorting unit 6. Raw materials sorted as primary non-defective products g1 fall via a discharge hopper 26 onto a gutter 31 provided in the trough 30 of the transverse conveyor 1. On the other hand, raw materials sorted as primary defective products b1 are repelled by the ejector 23 and fall via a discharge hopper 27 onto a gutter 32 provided in the trough 30 of the transverse conveyor 1.

[0083] The primary non-defective products g1 that have fallen onto the trough 31 are transported to the bucket conveyor 11 of the lifting section 4. Thereafter, the primary non-defective products g1 are lifted by the bucket conveyor 11, pass through the fine product discharge trough 17 that is provided to extend from a high point of the sorting machine 2 to the outside, and are finally discharged outside the sorting machine 2 as fine products.

[0084] Meanwhile, the primary defective products b1 that have fallen onto the trough 32 are transported to the bucket conveyor 12 of the lifting section 4, and then the primary defective products b1 are lifted up by the bucket conveyor 12. The lifted primary defective products b1 are stored in the storage tank 15, and then supplied to the chute 21 at a constant flow rate via the rotary valve 19.

[0085] The raw materials falling on the chute 21 are detected and sorted by the optical detection unit 22 in the secondary sorting unit 25 of the optical sorting unit 6. Raw materials sorted as secondary non-defective products g2 fall via a discharge hopper 28 onto a gutter 33 provided in the trough 30 of the transverse conveyor 1. On the other hand, raw materials sorted as secondary defective products b2 are repelled by the ejector 23 and fall via a discharge hopper 29 onto a gutter 34 provided in the trough 30 of the transverse conveyor 1.

[0086] The secondary non-defective products g2 that have fallen onto the gutter 33 are transported to the bucket conveyor 10 of the lifting unit 4. Thereafter, the secondary non-defective products g2 are lifted by the bucket conveyor 10 together with new raw materials that are being fed into the feeding hopper 13. The secondary non-defective products b2 that are lifted together with the new raw materials are stored in the storage tank 14, and then undergo re-sorting in the primary sorting unit 24 of the optical sorting unit 6.

[0087] Meanwhile, the secondary defective products b2 that have fallen onto the gutter 34 are transported to the bucket conveyor 9 of the lifting section 4. Thereafter, the secondary defective products b2 are lifted up by the bucket conveyor 9, pass through the defective product discharge gutter 16 that is provided to extend from a high point of the sorting machine 2 to the outside, and are finally discharged outside the sorting machine 2.

[0088] In the above embodiment, a sorting machine having four adjacently arranged bucket conveyors 9 to 12 is used as the lifting section 4. However, the number of adjacently arranged bucket conveyors can be changed as appropriate. Also, it goes without saying that the bucket conveyors can be replaced with other lifting devices or lifting means having equivalent functions.

[0089] Next, another embodiment of the transverse conveyor according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 10. The structure of the trough used in this embodiment will be mainly described, but parts or portions common to the components of the trough 30 used in the previous embodiment will be designated by the same reference numerals and redundant description will be omitted. The embodiment described below is one embodiment of a transverse conveyor that can be mounted on a sorting machine in which three bucket conveyors are arranged adjacent to each other as the lifting unit 4.

[0090] The trough 30, shown in its separated state in FIG. 10, also includes a lid portion 37 and a trough body portion 36, which is comprised of multiple layers, namely an upper layer 38 and a bottom layer 39.

[0091] In this embodiment, the upper layer 38 is provided with a gutter 33 as a conveying path for receiving the secondary non-defective products g2 that have passed through the opening 43 provided in the lid portion 37 and sending them out toward the outlet 46 for the secondary non-defective products g2. Meanwhile, the bottom layer 39 is provided with a gutter 31 as a conveying path for receiving the primary non-defective products g1 that have passed through the opening 41 and sending them out toward the outlet 47, and a gutter 32 as a conveying path for receiving the primary defective products b1 that have passed through the opening 42 and sending them out toward the outlet 48. However, the layer in which the gutterings 31-33 are arranged and the specific paths of the respective gutterings can be arbitrarily designed and formed as long as the appropriate storage in the sorter 2 of the transverse conveyor 1 and smooth transport of the raw materials are achieved. Therefore, the arrangement layer of the gutterings 31-33 and the specific shape of the paths in this embodiment are not limited to the example structure shown in FIG. 10 .

[0092] 10, the opening 44, which forms a passage hole for the secondary defective products b2 dropping from the discharge hopper 29, is configured to be connected to the discharge chute on the back side of the lid 37. The discharge chute serves as a sliding flow path for discharging the secondary defective products b2 out of the sorting machine 2. If the sorting machine 2 is equipped with a defective product discharge gutter at a low position in the main body, the lower end of the discharge chute, i.e., the outlet side end, may be configured to be connectable to the defective product discharge gutter of the sorting machine 2. Alternatively, the cross-feed conveyor 1 and the sorting machine 2 may be configured so that the lower end of the discharge chute itself protrudes outside the sorting machine 2, allowing the secondary defective products b2 to be directly discharged out of the sorting machine 2.

[0093] The transverse conveyor 1 having the trough 30 having the structure shown in Fig. 10 can be mounted on a conventional sorting machine body as long as it is formed in a shape and dimensions that fit into the accommodation space of the transverse conveyor of a sorting machine having a conventional structure, such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1. In other words, even in an existing sorting machine, the raw material transport efficiency can be improved by simply replacing the transverse conveyor to be mounted with the one according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0094] The number of levels of the trough 30 of the transverse conveyor 1 according to the present invention and the number of gutters provided in each level can be determined arbitrarily depending on the number of sorting operations performed by the sorting machine, the number of sorting categories of raw materials at each sorting stage, etc. Increasing the number of levels and gutters provided in the trough 30 can increase the efficiency of raw material transport.

[0095] The weight of the entire transverse conveyor 1 may also increase as the number of floors and troughs increases. However, to prevent a decrease in conveying efficiency due to the increase in weight, the vibration frequency generated by the vibration mechanism provided in the transverse conveyor 1 can also be increased, thereby maintaining or increasing the conveying efficiency compared to a conveyor of normal weight. Alternatively, by reducing the weight of the transverse conveyor 1, a predetermined conveying efficiency can be maintained without excessively increasing the vibration frequency provided by the vibration mechanism. The weight of the transverse conveyor 1 can be reduced, for example, by partially removing material from the floor surface or trough walls of the trough 30, or by using materials that are as light as possible while maintaining the necessary strength for the material constituting the trough 30.

[0096] Although the configuration and operation of the embodiment of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment described with reference to the drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and substitutions to the configuration are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 1. Horizontal feed conveyor 2. Sorting machine 4 Lifting section 6 Optical sorting unit 9~12 Bucket conveyor 13 Feeding hopper 14, 15 Storage tank 16 Defective product discharge trough 17 Fine product discharge gutter 18, 19 Rotary valve 20, 21 shots 22 Light detection unit 23 Ejector 24 Primary Sorting Department 25 Secondary Sorting Section 26~29 Discharge hopper 30 Trough 31~34 Gutter 32a, 32b gutter wall 36 Trough body 37 Lid 38 Upper layer 39 Bottom layer 41~44 Opening 45~48 outlet 53, 54 Opening

Claims

1. In a horizontal conveyor that transports objects sorted according to predetermined conditions in a horizontal direction for each sorting section, the transverse conveyor receives the objects for each sorting section and has a trough including a plurality of channels that guide the conveyance of the objects received for each sorting section; the trough is formed including a plurality of layers consisting of a bottom layer disposed at the lowest position and one or more upper layers disposed above the bottom layer, one or more of the plurality of gutterings is formed in each of the plurality of layers, and an opening is provided in the upper layer of the plurality of layers; The objects to be sorted pass through the opening and are transferred to the trough formed below the opening. A transverse feed conveyor characterized by:

2. The floor surface of the upper layer is arranged at a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the floor surface of the bottom layer, with the conveying direction side of the objects to be sorted pointing downward. The transverse conveyor according to claim 1.

3. Each of the plurality of gutters includes a gutter wall arranged so that the angle of the corner of the gutter is 45 degrees or more. The transverse conveyor according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a sorting unit that sorts input items according to predetermined conditions; a lateral feed conveyor that conveys the objects sorted by the sorting unit in a lateral direction; a lifting unit that receives and lifts the objects to be sorted transported by the transverse conveyor, the transverse conveyor has a trough including a plurality of channels that receive the objects to be sorted for each sorting section and guide them for each sorting section; the trough is formed including a plurality of layers consisting of a bottom layer disposed at the lowest position and one or more upper layers disposed above the bottom layer, one or more of the plurality of gutterings is formed in each of the plurality of layers, and an opening is provided in the upper layer of the plurality of layers; The objects to be sorted pass through the opening and are transferred to the trough formed below the opening. A sorting machine characterized by:

5. the trough has a plurality of outlets for sending the objects to the outside of the transverse conveyor, each of the plurality of gutterings is connected to one of the plurality of delivery ports at a conveyance direction side end of the gutter; The mutual arrangement positional relationship of the plurality of outlets is determined based on the structure of at least one of the lifting unit and the sorting unit. The sorting machine according to claim 4.

6. a discharge device that discharges the objects to be sorted lifted by the lifting unit to the outside of the sorting machine, the trough has a plurality of outlets for sending the objects to the outside of the transverse conveyor, each of the plurality of gutterings is connected to one of the plurality of delivery ports at a conveyance direction side end of the gutter; The relative positions of the plurality of outlets are determined based on the positions of the discharge devices. The sorting machine according to claim 4.

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