Device for placing mushrooms in a container

Abstract

Device for placing mushrooms in a container, such as a tray, comprising: - A mushroom conveyor belt, • Provided with at least one opening for a mushroom, which opening can be divided into: ■ a first opening part, which is relatively large compared to a second opening part, for feeding the mushroom through the conveyor belt, and: ■ the second opening part, which is relatively small compared to the first opening part and connects thereto, for passing the stipe of a mushroom through and for at least partially supporting a cap of the mushroom along the circumference of the second opening part; • configured for transporting mushrooms in a mushroom transport direction; - a support for positioning the container at a filling location under the conveyor belt; - a pusher located at the filling location, for moving a mushroom carried by the conveyor belt from the second opening part to the first opening part, and thereby causing the mushroom to fall through the first opening part, when the said pusher is in an active-pushing orientation.

Description

[0001] Device for placing mushrooms in a container

[0002] The present invention relates to a device for placing mushrooms in a conveyor, and more in particular for discharging mushrooms from a harvesting conveyor. Fine solutions for this purpose are known from the European patent application EP23164209.1 and the international patent applications PCT / EP2022 / 052923 and PCT / EP2023 / 083009 from the same applicant. These applications provide satisfactory solutions when it comes to discharging mushrooms as such, but further room for improvement remained when it comes to the exact positioning of the mushrooms in the container.

[0003] These containers may in particular be the containers used to sell mushrooms in in supermarkets to consumers, also referred to as trays. These trays are usually provided with a transparent lid or a cling foil, through which the consumers can take a look at the product to be bought. A neat presentation of the mushrooms has appeared to be helpful when selling mushrooms. In particular it is desired when the caps of the mushrooms that form an upper layer in the container face the lid with their caps.

[0004] Solutions to obtain such arrangement in containers have been proposed. These solutions mainly comprise a robotic arm with a gripper or suction means in order to place the mushroom in the container. However, it has appeared that gripping the mushrooms without damaging them remains a challenge, and the complexity of the systems is high.

[0005] Therefore it is a goal of the present invention to provide a device for placing mushrooms in a container in a controlled manner, that is less complex, and more in particular to provide a useful alternative to the prior art.

[0006] The invention thereto proposes a device for placing mushrooms in a container, such as a tray, comprising a mushroom conveyor belt, provided with at least one opening for a mushroom, which opening can be divided into a first opening part, which is relatively large compared to a second opening part, for feeding the mushroom through the conveyor belt, and the second opening part, which is relatively small compared to the first opening part and connects thereto, for passing the stipe of a mushroom through and for at least partially supporting a cap of the mushroom along the circumference of the second opening part, configured for transporting mushrooms in a mushroom transport direction, a support for positioning the container at a filling location under the conveyor belt, a pusher located at the filling location, for moving a mushroom carried by the conveyor belt from the second opening part to the first opening part, and thereby causing the mushroom to fall through the first opening part, when the said pusher is in an active-pushing orientation. With “can be divided” is meant that it can be considered as comprising a first opening part and a second opening part. These parts altogether form one opening. In other words, the opening “is” divided into a first opening part and a second opening part.

[0007] The containers mentioned are preferably the sales containers used to sell mushrooms to consumers in a super market. The device according to the present invention may be used to completely fill the container, or in cooperation with other discharging means. In the latter case, it can be applied to at least fill the top layer of the container with mushrooms.

[0008] By letting the mushroom fall through the conveyor belt, the invention allows the smallest falling distance possible, compared to the solutions proposed so far. This falling distance is determined by the amount of mushrooms already present in the container and the distance between the bottom side of the mushroom conveyor and the mushroom container. Since the orientation of the mushrooms is mainly important for the upper later thereof, the falling distance in case of an empty container is less relevant than the falling distance for the top layer of mushrooms. The distance that is required depends on the height of the mushroom cap, and the device according to the invention may be dimensioned such that the falling height is just the height of the highest cap to be processed together with the mushroom conveyor belt thickness.

[0009] The pusher can be a stationary member and in that case discharge all mushrooms on the conveyor belt, but in a preferred embodiment, it may be movable between at least an activepushing orientation, in which it extends along the conveyor belt surface with at least one directional component transverse to the mushroom transport direction; and a passive orientation, in which it leaves a mushroom located in the second opening part during transport in the mushroom transport direction at the filling location in the second opening part. Herewith, mushrooms can be selectively discharged, or left on the conveyor belt. This feature can be used either to divert mushrooms to various containers, and / or to select mushrooms to be added to the container presently filled based on predetermined purposes.

[0010] The pusher may be stationary in the push-out orientation, relative to the filling location, wherein the speed of the mushroom conveyor belt relative to the pusher forces the mushrooms to be moved from the second opening part to the first opening part, or it may be movable relative to the filling location, with a directional component in or against the mushroom transport direction and / or a directional component perpendicular thereto. In such case, pushing the mushrooms is done based on a combined movement of the pusher and the mushroom conveyor belt, wherein the latter may even stand still. The combined movement even allows to determine a specific fall location within a container, as will be explained into more detail further on. The pusher may be configured to be located less than 1 cm from, preferably less than 0.5 cm from, and most preferably just along a conveyor belt surface at the top or bottom of the mushroom conveyor belt, in order to avoid cantilevering the mushroom when pushing.

[0011] The support may be designed to carry a top side of a container less than 3 cm below, preferably less than 1 cm below and further preferably just below the bottom of the mushroom conveyor belt surface. The exact height may be determined based on the height of the caps of the mushrooms to be treated, since this cap height determines the minimum falling height, in fact together with the length of the stipe below the mushroom conveyor belt. The support may have an adjustable height, that can even be adjustable during filling of a container.

[0012] Said support may comprise a conveyor for supplying and removing containers with at least one directional component transverse to the mushroom transport direction and the device according to the invention may comprise a control device for controlling the pusher and the container conveyor, configured to move the pusher with a directional component in or against the mushroom transport direction relative to the filling location, and the container conveyor in such a manner direction transverse to the mushroom transport direction, that mushrooms are distributed in a predetermined position and preferably evenly over the container surface.

[0013] The control device may be configured to control a mushroom conveyor belt to move at a substantially constant speed in a mushroom transport direction, and to transport the container conveyor back and forth with a directional component transverse to the mushroom transport direction, to evenly supply the container surface with mushrooms.

[0014] The controller may be configured to control the pusher to selectively drop mushrooms through the first part of an opening and leave other mushrooms on the conveyor belt, in particular on the basis of predetermined characteristics, such as size, weight and / or quality.

[0015] The mushroom conveyor belt may extend along different filling locations, in particular intended for filling containers with mushrooms with different properties. The container conveyor may also extend along multiple filling locations for filling containers with mushrooms from different mushroom conveyor belts.

[0016] The mushroom conveyor belt may have substantially drop-shaped or keyhole-shaped holes, in particular wherein a direction from the second opening part to the first opening part has a directional component against the conveying direction and / or transverse to the conveying direction has. Herein, the first opening part may have a cross-section between 20 and 80, in particular between 30 and 70, and even more in particular between 40 and 60 mm and the second opening part may have a minimum cross-section between 5 and 20, in particular between 10 and 20, and even more in particular between 15 and 20 mm.

[0017] The invention will be elucidated into more detail with reference to the following figures, wherein:

[0018] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a device according to the present invention.

[0019] Figure 1 shows a device 1 for placing mushrooms 2 in a container 3, formed by a tray, comprising a mushroom conveyor belt 4, provided with at least one opening 5 for a mushroom, which opening can be divided into a first opening part 5A, which is relatively large compared to a second opening part 5B, for feeding the mushroom 2 through the conveyor belt 4, and the second opening part 5B, which is relatively small compared to the first opening part 5A and connects thereto, for passing the stipe 2B of a mushroom 2 through and for at least partially supporting a cap 2A of the mushroom along the circumference 5C of the second opening part 5B, configured for transporting mushrooms 2 in a mushroom transport direction T, as well as a support 6 for positioning the container 3 at a filling location F under the conveyor belt 4. The device further comprises a pusher 7 located at the filling location F, for moving a mushroom 2 carried by the conveyor belt 4 from the second opening part 5B to the first opening part 5A, and thereby causing the mushroom 2 to fall through the first opening part 5A, when the said pusher 7 is in an active-pushing orientation 7A (as shown).

[0020] The pusher is movable between at least an active-pushing orientation 7A, in which it extends along the conveyor belt 4 surface with at least one directional component transverse to the mushroom transport direction T and a passive orientation 7B, in which it leaves a mushroom 2 located in the second opening part 5B during transport in the mushroom transport direction T at the filling location in the second opening part 5B.

[0021] The pusher 7 can be stationary, at least in the push-out orientation, relative to the filling location, but in the embodiment shown it is, in the active-pushing orientation 7A movable relative to the filling location, with a directional component in M or against -M the mushroom transport direction T and / or a directional component D, -D perpendicular thereto. Movement from the active-pushing orientation 7A, to the passive orientation 7B maty be done by rotation R. The pusher 7 is configured to be located at a height H less than 1 cm from, preferably less than 0.5 cm from, and most preferably just along a conveyor belt surface at the top or bottom of the mushroom conveyor belt. The support is designed to carry a top side of a container at a height h less than 3 cm below, preferably less than 1 cm below and further preferably just below the bottom of the mushroom conveyor belt surface. This height may be adjustable in the direction A in order to allow mushroom stipes 2B to pass the walls of the container 3. The support comprises a container conveyor 6 for supplying and removing containers 3 with at least one directional component C or -C transverse to the mushroom transport direction T.

Claims

Claims1. Device for placing mushrooms in a container, such as a tray, comprising:- A mushroom conveyor belt, o Provided with at least one opening for a mushroom, which opening can be divided into:■ a first opening part, which is relatively large compared to a second opening part, for feeding the mushroom through the conveyor belt, and:■ the second opening part, which is relatively small compared to the first opening part and connects thereto, for passing the stipe of a mushroom through and for at least partially supporting a cap of the mushroom along the circumference of the second opening part; o configured for transporting mushrooms in a mushroom transport direction; a support for positioning the container at a filling location under the conveyor belt; a pusher located at the filling location, for moving a mushroom carried by the conveyor belt from the second opening part to the first opening part, and thereby causing the mushroom to fall through the first opening part, when the said pusher is in an active-pushing orientation .

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the pusher is movable between at least:- an active-pushing orientation, in which it extends along the conveyor belt surface with at least one directional component transverse to the mushroom transport direction; and- a passive orientation, in which it leaves a mushroom located in the second opening part during transport in the mushroom transport direction at the filling location in the second opening part.

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pusher is stationary, at least in the push-out orientation, relative to the filling location.

4. Device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least in the active-pushing orientation the pusher is movable relative to the filling location, with a directional component in or against the mushroom transport direction and / or a directional component perpendicular thereto.(including for determining the fall location in relation to the container)5. Device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the pusher is configured to be located less than 1 cm from, preferably less than 0.5 cm from, and most preferably just along a conveyor belt surface at the top or bottom of the mushroom conveyor belt.

6. Device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the support is designed to carry a top side of a container less than 3 cm below, preferably less than 1 cm below and further preferably just below the bottom of the mushroom conveyor belt surface.

7. Device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the support comprises a container conveyor for supplying and removing containers with at least one directional component transverse to the mushroom transport direction.

8. Device according to claims 4 and 7, further comprising a control device for controlling the pusher and the container conveyor, configured to move the pusher with a directional component in or against the mushroom transport direction relative to the filling location, and the container conveyor in such a manner direction transverse to the mushroom transport direction, that mushrooms are distributed in a predetermined position and preferably evenly over the container surface.

9. Device according to claim 8, wherein the control device is configured to control a mushroom conveyor belt to move at a substantially constant speed in a mushroom transport direction, and to transport the container conveyor back and forth with a directional component transverse to the mushroom transport direction, to evenly supply the container surface with mushrooms.

10. Device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the control device is configured to control the pusher to selectively drop mushrooms through the first part of an opening and leave other mushrooms on the conveyor belt, in particular on the basis of predetermined characteristics, such as size, weight and / or quality.

11. Device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the mushroom conveyor belt extends along different filling locations, in particular intended for filling containers with mushrooms with different properties.

12. Device according to claim 7, wherein the container conveyor extends along multiple filling locations for filling containers with mushrooms from different mushroom conveyor belts.

13. Device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the mushroom conveyor belt has substantially drop-shaped or keyhole-shaped holes, in particular wherein a direction from the second opening part to the first opening part has a directional component against the conveying direction and / or transverse to the conveying direction has.

14. Device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first opening part has a cross-section between 20 and 80, in particular between 30 and 70, and even more in particular between 40 and 60 mm.

15. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the second opening part has a minimum cross-section between 5 and 20, in particular between 10 and 20, and even more in particular between 15 and 20 mm.

Images