Fruit and vegetable conveying device equipped with fruit and vegetable supply device

Abstract

To provide a vegetables and fruits supply device capable of preventing a plurality of vegetables and fruits T from coming into a state of being in contact with each other, when supplying the vegetables and fruits to a conveyance device, and to provide a vegetables and fruits conveyance device including the same.SOLUTION: A vegetables and fruits supply device which supplies vegetables and fruits to conveyance means continuously includes: a hopper in which vegetables and fruits are inputted; and a conveyance part for supply for taking out the vegetables and fruits stored in the hopper and conveying them. At a downstream end of the conveyance means for supply, a shooter is provided which reverses the conveyance direction of the vegetables and fruits and which allows the vegetables and fruits to drop naturally.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention is directed to a system for automatically feeding fruit and vegetables from a hopper into which the fruit and vegetables are put by an operator to a conveying device where the fruit and vegetables are sorted, for example. Blue The present invention relates to a fruit and vegetable conveying device equipped with a fruit supply device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, when sorting fruits and vegetables at a sorting facility or the like, a fruit and vegetable supplying device 100 has been used, which includes a hopper 102 into which a worker puts the fruits and vegetables T, a supply conveying means 104 that removes the fruits and vegetables T stored in the hopper 102 and conveys them at a constant speed, and a chute 108 that is provided at the downstream end 104a of the supply conveying means 104 and puts the fruits and vegetables T from the supply conveying means 104 into a sorting conveying means 110, as shown in Figure 4 (for example, Patent Document 1, etc.).

[0003] In such a fruit and vegetable supply device 100, holding mechanisms 105, such as ribs, bumps, or pleated protrusions, for supporting the fruit and vegetable T are provided at regular intervals on the supply conveying means 104, and the fruit and vegetable T taken out of the hopper 102 is conveyed diagonally upward, i.e., above the sorting conveying means 110, while being supported by these holding mechanisms 105.

[0004] The fruits or vegetables T conveyed to above the conveying means for fruit sorting 110 fall naturally as if rolling down the chute 108 and are supplied to the conveying means for fruit sorting 110. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-40556 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When such a fruit and vegetable supplying device 100 is used to supply fruit and vegetables T, multiple fruit and vegetables T may be supplied to the sorting conveying means 110 at the same time, and multiple fruit and vegetables T may be placed on the sorting conveying means 110 in a state of contact with each other.

[0007] If multiple fruits and vegetables T are placed on the sorting conveying means 110 in this state of contact, for example, a device for measuring the size of fruits and vegetables T will not only be unable to measure the individual sizes of the fruits and vegetables T, but may also recognize the multiple fruits and vegetables T as a single fruit and vegetable, resulting in an overestimation.

[0008] Furthermore, for example, when inspecting fruit and vegetables T using an internal quality inspection device or an external appearance inspection device, the position of the fruit and vegetables T may not be correctly recognized, the measurement timing may be incorrect, and the quality inspection of the fruit and vegetables T may not be performed correctly.

[0009] To prevent this from happening, Patent Document 1 uses a cutting conveyor to align the fruit and vegetables T, but it is not possible to completely prevent multiple fruit and vegetables T from coming into contact with each other.

[0010] In addition, as in Patent Document 1, a combination of multiple conveying means, such as a cutting conveyor and a PK conveyor, is used as a conveying means for sorting. However, when multiple conveying means are combined in this way, each conveying means requires power. Therefore, the multiple conveying means must be operated in coordination, making the conveying control of the conveying means for sorting complicated.

[0011] In view of the current situation, the present invention provides a fruit and vegetable supplying device that can prevent a plurality of fruit and vegetable pieces T from coming into contact with each other when supplying the fruit and vegetable pieces to a conveying device. Place The object of the present invention is to provide a fruit and vegetable conveying device equipped with

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide a fruit and vegetable conveying device that can align fruit and vegetables in the upstream section, has a shape suitable for discharging fruit and vegetables T in the downstream section, and is equipped with a fruit and vegetable supply device that can be controlled by a single power source. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] The present invention has been invented to solve the problems in the prior art as described above, and the fruits and vegetables of the present invention Transport The apparatus is a fruit and vegetable supplying apparatus that continuously supplies fruit and vegetables to a conveying means, and includes a hopper into which the fruit and vegetables are fed, and a supply conveying means that removes and conveys the fruit and vegetables stored in the hopper, and a chute at the downstream end of the supply conveying means that reverses the conveying direction of the fruit and vegetables and allows the fruit and vegetables to fall naturally. A fruit and vegetable supplying device; a conveying means for conveying the fruits and vegetables in a predetermined direction; A fruit and vegetable conveying device comprising: The conveying means has an alignment unit that aligns the fruits and vegetables, The alignment unit is configured to arrange two flat belt conveyors in a substantially V-shape. It is characterized by:

[0014] These fruits and vegetables Transport In the device, the downstream end of the chute can be formed to be inclined with respect to the conveying direction of the fruit or vegetable.

[0015] The shooter may be provided with one or more ridges along the conveying direction of the fruits and vegetables.

[0018] The conveying means has a flat portion downstream of the alignment portion, The flat portion can be configured to dispose two flat belt conveyors substantially horizontally.

[0019] The two flat belts of the two flat belt conveyors can be arranged in a twisted manner so as to be substantially V-shaped in the alignment section and substantially horizontal in the flat section.

[0020] The two flat belts can be configured to be driven by one motor.

[0021] Furthermore, the width of the flat belt of the flat belt conveyor and the width of the frame of the flat belt conveyor can be made substantially the same. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] According to the present invention, by using a chute to insert multiple fruits and vegetables into the conveying device while they are spaced apart from each other, or by staggering the timing at which the fruits and vegetables are inserted into the conveying device, it is possible to prevent the fruits and vegetables from coming into contact with each other when inserted into the conveying device.

[0023] Furthermore, according to the present invention, by arranging the two flat belts of the two flat belt conveyors in a twisted state, so that they are roughly V-shaped in the alignment section and horizontal in the flat section, it is possible to align the fruits and vegetables in the alignment section and to create a flat shape in the flat section that is suitable for discharging the fruits and vegetables T.

[0024] Furthermore, since the two flat belt conveyors can be driven by one motor, the conveyance control of the conveyance device can be simplified. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a fruit sorting device including a fruit and vegetable conveying device equipped with a fruit and vegetable supplying device of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the chute of the fruit and vegetable supplying device of Figure 1, where Figure 2(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view from the side, and Figure 2(b) is a schematic diagram showing the inner wall of the chute. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the structure of the fruit sorting conveying means. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a fruit and vegetable conveying device equipped with a conventional fruit and vegetable supplying device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments (examples) of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of a sorting device including a fruit and vegetable conveying device equipped with a fruit and vegetable supplying device of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the chute of the fruit and vegetable supplying device of Figure 1, where Figure 2(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view from the side and Figure 2(b) is a schematic diagram showing the inner wall of the chute.

[0027] 1, fruit sorting device 50 in this embodiment includes fruit and vegetable supplying device 10, fruit sorting conveying means 22, fruit and vegetable inspection device 30, and sorting and discharging device 40. In this embodiment, fruit and vegetable supplying device 10 and fruit sorting conveying means 22 constitute fruit and vegetable conveying device 20.

[0028] The fruit and vegetable supplying device 10 includes a hopper 12 into which fruit and vegetable T is put by an operator, a supply conveying means 14 that removes the fruit and vegetable T stored in the hopper 12 and conveys it at a constant speed, and a chute 18 that is provided at the downstream end 14a of the supply conveying means 14 and puts the fruit and vegetable T from the supply conveying means 14 into a sorting conveying means 22 described later.

[0029] The supply conveying means 14 is provided with a holding mechanism 15 for supporting each fruit or vegetable T. For example, when a flat belt conveyor is used as the supply conveying means 14, the holding mechanism 15 may be a rib, unevenness, pleated protrusions, or the like. Alternatively, when a roller conveyor is used as the supply conveying means 14, the holding mechanism 15 may be formed between the rollers.

[0030] Supply conveying means 14 is inclined so that downstream end 14a, which supplies fruit or vegetables T to sorting conveying means 22, is higher than upstream end 14b, which is connected to hopper 12. By inclining supply conveying means 14 in this manner, overlapping fruit or vegetables T that are not supported by holding mechanism 15 will roll toward upstream end 14b of supply conveying means 14 due to gravity.

[0031] As shown in Figure 2(a), the chute 18 is configured to reverse the conveying direction of the fruit and vegetables T and to allow the fruit and vegetables T to fall naturally into the sorting conveying means 22 by rolling along the inner wall of the chute 18.

[0032] 2(b), the chute 18 is provided with a plurality of ridges 19 along the conveying direction of the fruit or vegetable T. By providing the ridges 19 in this manner, the fruit or vegetable T naturally move away from one another as they roll along the inner wall of the chute 18, preventing the fruit or vegetable T supplied from the chute 18 to the sorting conveying means 22 from coming into contact with one another. Although a plurality of ridges 19 are provided in this embodiment, only one ridge 19 may be provided.

[0033] 2(b), the downstream end 18a of the chute 18 is configured to be inclined with respect to the conveying direction of the fruit or vegetable T. Specifically, it is preferable to shape the downstream end 18a of the chute 18 so that the rolling distance of the fruit or vegetable T on the inner wall of the chute 18 is shorter on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the fruit sorting conveying means 22 than on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the fruit sorting conveying means 22. This configuration can shift the timing at which the fruit or vegetable T falls from the chute 18 to the fruit sorting conveying means 22, thereby preventing the fruit or vegetable T supplied to the fruit sorting conveying means 22 from coming into contact with each other.

[0034] The sorting conveying means 22 (conveying means) is composed of two flat belt conveyors 24, 24. The sorting conveying means 22 has an alignment section 20a that aligns the fruits and vegetables T, and a sorting section 20b that inspects the fruits and vegetables T using a fruit and vegetable inspection device described below and discharges the fruits and vegetables T to a discharge input section according to the rank of the fruits and vegetables T using a sorting discharge device.

[0035] 3, the conveying means for sorting 22 is arranged in the aligning section 20a so that the two flat belt conveyors 24, 24 form a substantially V-shape. With this configuration, the fruits and vegetables T supplied to the conveying means for sorting 22 are aligned at the center of the width of the conveying means for sorting 22 due to gravity.

[0036] The inclination angle α of the two flat belt conveyors 24, 24 in the alignment section 20a is preferably changed as appropriate depending on the size of the fruits and vegetables T to be conveyed. With this configuration, the fruits and vegetables T come into contact with the two flat belt conveyors 24, 24 at two points, which improves loading stability and makes it easier to align the fruits and vegetables T near the center in the width direction of the sorting conveying means 22.

[0037] Furthermore, the sorting conveying means 22 is arranged in the sorting section 20b so that the two flat belt conveyors 24, 24 are substantially horizontal. By making the sorting section 20b flat in this way, the sorting conveying means 22 does not interfere with the inspection of the fruit or vegetable T by the fruit or vegetable inspection device or the discharge operation of the fruit or vegetable T by the sorting and discharge device.

[0038] In this embodiment, the flat belts 25, 25 of the two flat belt conveyors 24, 24 are twisted and arranged so as to be substantially V-shaped in the aligning section 20a and substantially horizontal in the sorting section 20b.

[0039] With this configuration, the two flat belts 25, 25 form the sorting conveying means 22, which has a substantially V-shaped alignment section 20a and a substantially horizontal sorting section 20b. Furthermore, since the two flat belts 25, 25 are substantially horizontal in the alignment section 20a, the two flat belts 25, 25 can be configured to be driven by a single motor. This allows the conveying of the sorting conveying means 22 to be controlled by controlling a single power source, simplifying conveying control.

[0040] 3, the width of the flat belt 25 of the flat belt conveyor 24 and the width of the frame 26 of the flat belt conveyor 24 are configured to be approximately the same. This configuration can prevent the fruit or vegetable T from coming into contact with the frame 26 of the flat belt conveyor 24, and can avoid problems such as deceleration during conveyance due to the fruit or vegetable T coming into contact with the frame 26.

[0041] The fruit and vegetable inspection device 30 is a device that performs an external inspection of the fruit and vegetable T, an internal quality inspection, size detection, and the like.

[0042] The appearance inspection checks for the presence or absence of scratches that appear on the appearance of the fruit or vegetable T, and the presence or absence of abnormalities that appear on the surface or below the surface of the peel, such as water rot or abnormal dryness. Such appearance inspection can be performed using, for example, an inspection device using near-infrared spectroscopy or an inspection device using a visible light camera.

[0043] In the internal quality inspection, the internal quality of the fruit or vegetable T is inspected, such as sugar content, acidity, ripeness, and internal damage. Such internal quality can be inspected using, for example, an inspection device using near-infrared spectroscopy or an inspection device using ultrasound.

[0044] The size detection for detecting the size of the fruit or vegetable T can be performed using, for example, a detection device that uses image analysis with a visible light camera, a detection device that uses a displacement sensor, or a detection device that uses a photoelectric sensor.

[0045] The fruit and vegetable inspection device 30 may be any device that performs at least one of appearance inspection, internal quality inspection, and size detection. Alternatively, the fruit and vegetable inspection device 30 may be configured by combining an appearance inspection device, an internal quality inspection device, and a size detection device.

[0046] The sorting and discharging device 40 sorts the rank of the fruit or vegetable T based on the quality, size, etc. of the fruit or vegetable T inspected by the fruit or vegetable inspection device 30, and the discharging mechanism 42 discharges the fruit or vegetable T to the discharge and input sections 44a to 44f according to the rank.

[0047] The discharge mechanism 42 is not particularly limited, but is configured, for example, to eject the fruits and vegetables T from the sorting conveying means 22 into the discharge and input sections 44a to 44f by spraying air onto the fruits and vegetables T or pressing an arm against the fruits and vegetables T.

[0048] Each of the discharge input sections 44a to 44f can be classified into ranks of the fruits and vegetables T, for example, large, medium, and small according to the size of the fruits and vegetables T, or into excellent, good, and fair according to the quality of the fruits and vegetables T, or classification can be performed using a combination thereof. Note that, although six discharge input sections are provided in this embodiment, the number is not limited to six, and any number of discharge input sections, such as one or more, can be provided.

[0049] The above describes a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the above embodiment, an example of application to a fruit and vegetable sorting device is shown, but various modifications are possible within the scope of the purpose of the present invention, such as application to a fruit and vegetable processing device, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 10 Fruits and vegetables supply device 12 Hopper 14 Supply conveying means 14a downstream end 14b Upstream end 15 Holding mechanism 18 Shooter 18a downstream end 19 Convex portion 20 Fruit and vegetable conveying device 20 Fruit sorting conveying means 20a Alignment section 20b Fruit Sorting Department 22 Fruit sorting conveying means 24 Flat belt conveyor 25 Flat belt 26 frames 30 Fruit and vegetable inspection equipment 40 Sorting and discharge device 42 Ejection mechanism 44a Discharge and input section 44b Discharge and input section 44c Discharge and input section 44d Discharge and input section 44e Discharge / input section 44f Discharge / input section 50 Fruit sorting equipment 100 Fruit and vegetable supply equipment 102 Hopper 104 Supply conveying means 104a downstream end 105 Hold mechanism 108 Shooter 110 Fruit sorting conveying means

Claims

1. A fruit and vegetable supplying device that continuously supplies fruit and vegetables to a conveying means, comprising: a hopper into which the fruit and vegetables are fed; and a supply conveying means that removes and conveys the fruit and vegetables stored in the hopper, and a chute at the downstream end of the supply conveying means that reverses the conveying direction of the fruit and vegetables and allows the fruit and vegetables to fall naturally; a conveying means for conveying the fruits and vegetables in a predetermined direction; A fruit and vegetable conveying device comprising: The conveying means has an alignment unit that aligns the fruits and vegetables, The fruit and vegetable conveying device is characterized in that the alignment unit is configured to arrange two flat belt conveyors in a substantially V-shape.

2. 2. The fruit and vegetable conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the downstream end of the chute is formed to be inclined with respect to the conveying direction of the fruit and vegetable.

3. 3. The fruit and vegetable conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the chute is provided with one or more ridges along the direction in which the fruit and vegetable are conveyed.

4. the conveying means has a flat portion downstream of the alignment portion, 4. The fruit and vegetable conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the flat portion is configured to arrange two flat belt conveyors substantially horizontally.

5. The fruit and vegetable conveying device according to claim 4, characterized in that the two flat belts of the two flat belt conveyors are twisted and arranged so that they are approximately V-shaped in the alignment section and approximately horizontal in the flat section.

6. 6. The fruit and vegetable conveying device according to claim 5, wherein the two flat belts are driven by a single motor.

7. 7. The fruit and vegetable conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the width of the flat belt of the flat belt conveyor and the width of a frame of the flat belt conveyor are substantially the same.

Images