JP4199898B2

JP4199898B2 - Agricultural product supply equipment

Info

Publication number: JP4199898B2
Application number: JP2000052792A
Authority: JP
Inventors: 稔栗原
Original assignee: 静岡シブヤ精機株式会社
Priority date: 2000-02-29
Filing date: 2000-02-29
Publication date: 2008-12-24
Anticipated expiration: 2020-02-29
Also published as: JP2001240229A

Description

【０００１】
【発明の属する技術分野】
本発明は、みかん、リンゴ、トマト等の農産物を選別して包装出荷する農産物の選別包装施設において好ましく用いられるもので、上流側の供給装置から一定間隔で送り出される農産物を、例えば選別コンベアの載置部に一個づつ確実に供給することのできる農産物の供給装置に関する。
【０００２】
【従来の技術】
一般的に、農産物の選別包装施設において、選別コンベアに対して農産物を手作業で供給することは従来から行われているが、農産物を自動で選別コンベアに供給する装置も、例えば実公平６−４７８４１号公報、特開昭６０−９４１８７号公報あるいは特開平５−１２４７２２号公報に開示されている。先ず、実公平６−４７８４１号公報に開示の青果物移送供給装置は、形状選別孔を有する選別コンベアの始端側に移送ローラ上で農産物をピッチ付けするピッチ付きローラコンベアを配置し、このピッチ付きローラコンベアの終端から農産物を選別コンベア上に放り出して直接落とすように構成したものである。
【０００３】
また、特開昭６０−９４１８７号公報に開示の果菜物の高速処理方法及び装置は、さら（受皿）を搬送方向に多数有する処理コンベアの前後に、個別のポケットを有する単数化コンベアを同期して回転駆動させ、ポケット内に入れられた果物を処理コンベアの受皿に直接供給するように構成したものである。さらに、特開平５−１２４７２２号公報に開示のバケットコンベアへの長尺青果物の供給調整装置は、選別コンベアの前段にローラコンベア（ピッチ付けコンベア）を設けて、ローラコンベアの終端側から選別コンベアのバケットに直接的に落とし込むように構成したものである。
【０００４】
【発明が解決しようとする課題】
しかしながら、これらの装置（供給装置という）にあっては、選別コンベアの始端側に、農産物を一定ピッチで搬送することのできるピッチ付けコンベア（ローラコンベアや棧付きコンベア）を配設し、このピッチ付けコンベアの終端側から、選別コンベアのバケット上に農産物を移送ガイド（シュート）を介してあるいは直接落とすことによって、農産物を選別コンベアの始端側に供給するように構成されているため、次のような問題点を有している。
【０００５】
すなわち、農産物が選別コンベアに供給される際に、農産物が受皿上でおどったり揺れたりしてその姿勢がピッチ付けコンベア時の状態と変わる場合があると共に、農産物が受皿上から飛び出したりはみ出すこともあって、農産物を傷め易い。また、これらの選別コンベア上における農産物の姿勢の変化や飛び出し等によって、この農産物の姿勢等を手作業で補正する作業が必要となり、農産物の選別包装作業の自動省力化を図ることが難しくなる。さらに、選別コンベアの始端側とこれより下流側の計測装置との間に、選別コンベア上に供給された農産物の揺れを解消できるような所定の距離を確保しなければならず、選別コンベア自体の機長が長くなって、選別包装施設の設置スペースに無駄が発生したりコストアップを招き易くなる。
【０００６】
また、農産物が受皿上の載置位置（略中央部）からはみ出す（外れる）と、例えば選別コンベアの所定位置に配置された計測装置のカメラの撮像に関する画角や照明の明るさが変わったりして、正確な画像を撮像することが難しく、農産物の等階級、重量あるいは内部品質等の計測精度に悪影響を与える場合があると共に、例えば選別作業の能率向上のために選別コンベアにおける計測装置への農産物の供給を高速で行うと、農産物の揺れが一層増して、近年のセンサ技術ではこれに対応することができず、結局選別コンベアの高速化が難しくなる。
【０００７】
一方、選別コンベアの受皿を深型に形成して、供給された際の農産物の飛び出し等を極力防止することも考えられるが、この場合は、カメラ等の光学センサで撮像する際に、農産物の露出部が少なくなって撮像視野が狭くなり、選別精度が劣るという問題点がある。つまり、この種の選別コンベアにおいては、受皿に農産物を安定した姿勢で供給するためには、受皿を深型とすれば良いが、光学センサで撮像するためには、受皿と農産物との接触面（露出部）をできるだけ少なくして、計測可能な撮像視野を広くするという、選別コンベアの受皿の設定に関して相反する機能が要求されることになり、現状このような機能を満足する供給装置が存在せず、その出現が望まれているのが実状である。
【０００８】
本発明は、このような事情に鑑みてなされたもので、請求項１記載の発明の目的は、上流側の供給コンベアから下流側の処理コンベアに、農産物の揺れや躍りを抑えると共に飛び出しを防止しかつ姿勢変化等がなく確実に供給し得る農産物の供給装置を提供することにある。また、請求項１記載の発明の他の目的は、下流側の処理コンベアの所定の載置位置に農産物をより確実に載置し得ると共に、処理コンンベアの機長を短くし、かつ、処理コンベア上での手作業による農産物の姿勢補正作業を不要にすると共に、農産物の処理コンベア上への略一定姿勢の供給により後工程の作業能率を向上させ得る農産物の供給装置を提供することにある。また、請求項１記載の発明のさらに他の目的は、視野拡大による計測精度の向上と安定供給の両者を同時に満足し得る農産物の供給装置を提供することにある。
【０００９】
また、請求項２記載の発明の目的は、請求項１記載の発明の目的に加え、処理コンベアの受皿に農産物を一個づつより確実に供給しかつ安定して搬送し得る農産物の供給装置を提供し、請求項３記載の発明の目的は、請求項２記載の発明の目的に加え、処理コンベア上の農産物の排出作業を確実かつ容易に行い得る農産物の供給装置を提供することにある。また、請求項４記載の発明の目的は、請求項１記載の発明の目的に加え、処理コンベアの構成を簡略化して安価に形成し得る農産物の供給装置を提供し、請求項５記載の発明の目的は、請求項１ないし４記載の発明の目的に加え、農産物の計測精度をより向上させ得る農産物の供給装置を提供することにある。また、請求項６記載の発明の目的は、請求項１ないし５記載の発明の目的に加え、農産物の選別作業をより効率的かつ精度良く行い得る農産物の供給装置を提供することにある。
【００１０】
【課題を解決するための手段】
かかる目的を達成すべく、本発明のうち請求項１記載の発明は、農産物が載せられる載置部の略中央に上下方向の貫通開口を有する受皿を多数備えた処理コンベアに、農産物を一定間隔で供給コンベアから送り出して、当該農産物を下流側の該処理コンベアの各受皿上に供給する農産物の供給装置であって、前記処理コンベアの搬送始端側の供給位置の下方に、農産物が前記供給コンベアから前記受皿上に供給された際に該農産物を前記貫通開口を介して吸引して前記載置部に吸引状態で載置させる単一の吸引装置を固定配置したことを特徴とする。
【００１１】
このように構成することにより、供給コンベアから送り出される農産物は、処理コンベアの搬送始端側の供給位置の受皿上に供給され、この供給された際に受皿上の農産物が貫通開口を介して、供給位置の下方に固定配置された単一の吸引装置で吸引されて受皿の載置部に吸引状態で載置される。この受皿上に供給された農産物が吸引作用で貫通開口部方向に吸引されて載置部に吸引状態で載置されることから、農産物が例えば処理コンベアの受皿上から飛び出すこともなくなり受皿に確実に供給されると共に、受皿の略中央部の載置部に安定載置されることから、例えば処理コンベアの高速化に対応できたり、処理コンベア上における農産物の人手による補正作業が不要となり、かつ処理コンベアの機長を短くできて設置スペースの効率化等が図れる。また、受皿の載置部に農産物が確実かつ安定した状態で載置されることから、後工程の作業能率向上が図れると共に、処理コンベアの受皿に対して視野拡大による計測精度の向上と安定供給の両者を同時に満足させることができる。
【００１２】
また、請求項２記載の発明は、処理コンベアが、農産物を一個づつ載せる多数の受皿を有するバケット式コンベアであることを特徴とする。このように構成することにより、バケット式コンベアの各受皿に農産物を一個づつより確実に供給して安定搬送することができる。
【００１３】
また、請求項３記載の発明は、バケット式コンベアが、コンベアチェーンの搬送方向に所定間隔で設けられた取付台に、農産物が載置される受皿が左右あるいは左もしくは右のいずれか一側に傾倒可能に設けられていることを特徴とする。このように構成することにより、例えば計測装置で計測された農産物は、取付台に傾倒可能に設けられている受皿が所定位置で所定の形態で傾倒することによって、所定の受箱上に排出され、農産物の排出作業が確実かつ容易に行える。
【００１４】
また、請求項４記載の発明は、処理コンベアが、農産物が載せられる受皿を搬送手段に拘束されない状態で搬送するコンベアであることを特徴とする。このように構成することにより、処理コンベアとして、例えばフリートレイ式のコンベアを使用できて、その構成が簡略化されると共に、コスト低減が図れる。
【００１５】
また、請求項５記載の発明は、受皿の貫通開口が、受皿上に載せられた農産物を照明することで当該農産物の内部を透過した光を遮光状態で該受皿の底部側に設けられた受光装置に導くためのものであることを特徴とする。このように構成することにより、受皿上に載置された農産物は、その内部を照明光の光が透過し、この透過光が貫通開口を介して遮光状態で受皿下部の受光装置に導かれる。これにより、農産物を透過した光が、受光装置に確実に受光され、農産物の計測精度のより向上が図れる。
【００１６】
また、請求項６記載の発明は、処理コンベアが、農産物を選別する選別コンベアであることを特徴する。このように構成することにより、選別コンベアの各受皿上に農産物が確実かつ安定した状態で供給載置されることから、農産物の選別作業がより効率的かつ精度良く行え、選別包装施設における作業能率アップが図れる。
【００１７】
【発明の実施の形態】
以下、本発明の実施の形態の一例を図面に基づいて詳細に説明する。
図１〜図５は、本発明に係わる農産物の供給装置の一実施例を示し、図１がその正面図、図２が要部の拡大正面図、図３が図２の平面図、図４がバケット部分の断面図、図５が図４を側面から見た断面図である。
【００１８】
図１において、供給装置１は、フレームに回転可能に設けられた駆動スプロケット５と従動スプロケット６との間に配設されると共に、コンベアチェーン７を介して受皿８を有するバケット９が所定間隔で無端状に連結された処理コンベアとしての選別コンベア２と、この選別コンベア２の往路の上流側に連結された供給コンベア３と、該供給コンベア３と前記選別コンベア２の連結部分に配置された吸引装置４を有している。
【００１９】
また、前記選別コンベア２は、その吸引装置４の下流側にロードセル等からなる重量測定器１０が配置されると共に、この重量測定器１０の下流側に照明１３と受光装置１４からなる透過光検出装置１１が配置され、さらに透過光検出装置１１の下流側に複数の排出装置１５（排出ソレノイド）と受箱１６からなる排出部１２が設けられている。そして、後述する如く吸引装置４の作動で受皿８上に載置された農産物Ｗが選別コンベア２で下流側に搬送され、先ず重量測定器１０でその重量が計測され、次に透過光検出装置１１で内部品質等が計測されて選別され、この選別結果に基づいて所定の排出装置１５が作動して、所定の受箱１６上に排出されるように構成されている。
【００２０】
前記供給コンベア３は、その搬送方向に沿って所定の隙間を有して配置された多数の鼓型ローラ１７と、この鼓型ローラ１７を搬送方向に連結するコンベアチェーン１８等で形成され、前後の鼓型ローラ１７間に載置された農産物Ｗを一定のピッチで下流側に搬送するように構成されている。なお、この供給コンベア３と前記選別コンベア２は同期して作動するように設定されている。
【００２１】
前記吸引装置４は、図２及び図３に示すように、供給コンベア３の終端側３ａの下部の供給位置（搬送始端側）に配置され、全体の長さが選別コンベア２の略３個の連続する受皿８に対応する長さを有すると共に、その上面壁に吸引口１９ａを有する吸引室１９と、一端がこの吸引室１９の底壁に連結され他端がブロワー２０（図３参照）に連結された吸引管２１とで形成されている。この吸引装置４のブロワー２０が作動することによって、吸引管２１を介して吸引室１９内が吸引されて負圧となり、その結果、吸引口１９ａに連通する後述する受皿８の貫通開口２７を介して受皿８上の農産物Ｗが吸引されることになる。なお、図３に示すように、吸引室１９の吸引口１９ａの長さＬは、隣接する受皿８の後述する遮光筒８ｂ間の間隔寸法Ｌ１と略同一に設定されている。
【００２２】
ここで、選別コンベア２に配置されるバケット９の構造を図４及び図５に基づいて説明する。バケット９は、基本的に前記受皿８とこの受皿８が取り付けられる取付台２３を有し、受皿８は、中央部分が凹むと共に開口２４を有する皿部８ａと、この皿部８ａの下端に固定され内部孔２５を有する遮光筒８ｂと、皿部８ａの底部で遮光筒８ｂとの間に配置されたスポンジ等からなる遮光性のクッション材８ｃ等で形成されている。そして、皿部８ａの傾斜した外周面とクッション材８ｃの上面で農産物Ｗの載置面が形成されると共に、クッション材８ｃの中央部分に所定内径を有する貫通孔２６が形成されており、このクッション材８ｃの貫通孔２６及び遮光筒８ｂの内部孔２５が上下方向に連通して貫通開口２７を形成している。
【００２３】
一方、この受皿８が取り付けられる取付台２３は、底壁２３ａと両側壁２３ｂとで形成され、底壁２３ａには開口２８が設けられると共に、側壁２３ｂには軸孔２９と遊嵌孔３０が形成されている。軸孔２９にはスライダーバー３１の両端部が軸支され、このスライダーバー３１には、スプリング３２によって側壁２３ｂ方向に付勢されたスライダー３３が軸方向に移動可能に嵌装されている。また、側壁２３ｂの遊嵌孔３０には、バケット９をコンベアチェーン７に組み付けるための取付部材６２が挿通されており、この取付部材６２は取付ピン部材３４を介して、ナイロンレール等からなるレール６３の上面に支持されている。
【００２４】
前記スライダー３３は、その底面側から下方に突出した作動ピン３６を有し、この作動ピン３６は、取付台２３の前記開口２８内に移動可能に配置されると共に、作動ピン３６の下部には、該作動ピン３６の直進通路を挟む一側に直進ガイド３５が設けられ、他側に直進ガイド３５より短くかつカム面を有するカム式ガイド４１が設けられている。そして、スライダー３３の上部には、連結杆３７の下端がピン３８で回動可能に枢着され、この連結杆３７の他端は遮光筒８ｂの上部に設けたピン受部３９にピン４０を介して枢着されている。
【００２５】
また、前記カム式ガイド４１には、作動ピン３６をそのカム面に誘導する進路切替片４２が設けられ、この進路切替片４２は、通常作動ピン３６が直進できるように前記直進通路を開放し、カム式ガイド４１の始端部下方に配置された前記排出装置１５が作動して直進通路を閉じた際に、作動ピン３６をカム式ガイド４１のカム面に誘導する。この作動ピン３６のカム面への誘導によって、スライダー３３がスライダーバー３１に沿いつつスプリング３２の付勢力に抗して移動し、連結杆３７を介して受皿８が図４の二点鎖線で示す位置まで傾倒させられるように構成されている。
【００２６】
次に、上記供給装置１の動作について説明する。先ず、選別コンベア２及び供給コンベア３の作動状態において吸引装置４も作動状態とし、これらの状態で供給コンベア３で搬送されその終端側３ａから落下（放出）される農産物Ｗは、図１及び図２の矢印イの如く選別コンベア２の往路の搬送始端側（供給位置）に落下される。この落下された農産物Ｗは、供給コンベア３と選別コンベア２が同期して作動するように設定されていることから、農産物Ｗが供給コンベア３から一定ピッチで選別コンベア２のバケット９の受皿８上に供給される。
【００２７】
この時、受皿８上に供給される農産物Ｗは、その底部側が先ず受皿８の皿部８ａの外周の傾斜面に案内されながらクッション材８ｃ上に弾性力を受けつつ載置され、この載置と略同時に吸引装置４のブロワー２０の作動で、吸引管２１、遮光筒８ｂの内部孔２５及びクッション材８ｃの貫通孔２６からなる貫通開口２７を介して、農産物Ｗの底部が吸引されて貫通開口２７の中心位置、すなわち受皿８の略中央部（載置部）に吸引状態で載置される。これにより、農産物Ｗのクッション材８ｃ上への載置から中央部への吸引が瞬時に行われ、農産物Ｗのクッション材８ｃ上への載置位置に若干バラツキが発生する場合であっても、吸引作用によって中央部に確実に引き寄せることができ、落下される農産物Ｗが受皿８上に確実に供給されることになる。
【００２８】
そして、受皿８上に載置供給された農産物Ｗは、選別コンベア２で下流側に搬送されて重量測定器１０の位置でその重量が測定される。この重量測定は、バケット９の取付部材６２が、取付台２３の遊嵌孔３０に上下動自在に遊嵌されていることから、農産物Ｗが受皿８上に載置されたバケット９は、その重量に応じて下方に所定量撓み、この撓み量を重量測定器１０のロードセルが検出することによって行われる。
【００２９】
重量測定器１０で重量測定された農産物Ｗは、選別コンベア２でさらに下流側に搬送されて透過光検出装置１１に供給され、農産物Ｗの内部品質が計測される。この内部品質の計測は、選別コンベア２の往路面より上方に設けた照明１３から所定の照明光を受皿８上の農産物Ｗに照射し、この照射した光の農産物Ｗの透過光を往路面の下方に配置した受光装置１４で受光することによって行われる。この時、受皿８上の農産物Ｗが遮光性を有するクッション材８ｃ上でかつ貫通開口２７上に載置されていることから、照明光のクッション材８ｃ内や遮光筒８ｂ内への浸入が防止（遮光）され、農産物Ｗを透過した透過光のみが貫通開口２７で案内されつつ受光装置１４に導かれ、農産物Ｗの内部品質が高精度に計測される。
【００３０】
この内部品質及び前記重量測定によって農産物Ｗの等階級が判定されることになる。なお、前記重量測定器１０の代わりに、図１の二点鎖線で示すように、カメラ４４と照明４５からなり受皿８上の農産物Ｗの外観品質を計測する外観計測装置４３を往路上に配置すれば、この外観品質と透過光検出装置１１による内部品質とで農産物Ｗの等階級等を判定することもできる。
【００３１】
そして、透過光検出装置１１で計測され等階級が判定された農産物Ｗは、選別コンベア２でさらに下流側に搬送されて排出部１２に供給される。この排出部１２に供給された農産物Ｗは、判定された等階級に対応した排出装置１５が作動することによって、対応する受箱１６に排出される。この時、前述したようにバケット９のスライダー３３の作動ピン３６が等階級に応じた排出装置１５の作動で、カム式ガイド４１のカム面に当接することによって、スライダー３３が軸方向に移動して、受皿８が搬送方向の右側もしくは左側に傾倒させられ、受皿８上の農産物Ｗが所定の受箱１６上に排出されることになる。
【００３２】
このように上記実施例の供給装置１にあっては、選別コンベア２の往路の搬送始端側で供給コンベア３との連結部分（供給位置）に、バケット９の受皿８に設けた貫通開口２７を吸引させる吸引装置４を設けているため、供給コンベア３から落下される農産物Ｗを受皿８で受け止めつつ瞬時に貫通開口２７部分に吸引させることができて、農産物Ｗを受皿８の略中央の載置部に確実に載置供給することができる。
【００３３】
特に、吸引装置４の吸引口１９ａの長さＬを、連続する２つの受皿８間の間隔寸法Ｌ１より大きく設定していることから、吸引口１９ａを遮光筒８ｂの下端に必ず位置させることができて、貫通開口２７の吸引を確実に行うことができる。その結果、農産物Ｗの受皿８への供給時の受皿８外への飛び出しは勿論のこと、載置供給時の農産物Ｗの躍りや供給コンベア３搬送時の姿勢（向き）の大きな変化を防止できて、受皿８上における農産物Ｗに安定した載置状態を得ることができる。
【００３４】
そして、農産物Ｗが受皿８上に安定して載置されることにより、次のような作用効果が得られる。すなわち、先ず受皿８上への安定載置により、選別コンベア２を高速化した際の受皿８上の農産物Ｗの揺れや姿勢の変化が抑制され、選別コンベア２の高速化に容易に対応できて、選別作業の能率アップを図ることができると共に、供給コンベア３から供給される農産物Ｗが、みかんやトマトあるいはリンゴ等の形状が異なる各種農産物であっても容易に対応して安定供給することができる。
【００３５】
また、選別コンベア２における農産物Ｗの姿勢補正作業や補給作業等の人手による作業が不要となり、選別包装施設における自動省力化をより一層図ることができると共に、選別コンベア２上の農産物の姿勢（向き）が揃えられることから、例えば選別コンベア２の下流側の受箱１６への排出姿勢をできるだけ揃えることができ、例えば箱詰め姿勢も揃えられてその補正の手間を省くこともできる。また、選別コンベア２に従来のように姿勢を安定されるための所定長さの搬送路を必要とせず、選別コンベア２自体の機長を短くできて、選別包装施設における設置スペースの有効活用とコストダウンが図れる。
【００３６】
また、上記実施例の供給装置１にあっては、受皿８を、皿部８ａと内部孔２５を有する遮光筒８ｂ及び貫通孔２６を有するクッション材８ｃ等で形成し、内部孔２５や貫通孔２６等によって貫通開口２７を形成しているため、クッション材８ｃや遮光筒８ｂで照明光を遮光しつつ農産物Ｗ内を透過した透過光のみを貫通開口２７を介して受光装置１４に良好に導くことができ、農産物Ｗの内部品質を高精度に計測することができる。
【００３７】
特に、受皿８の皿部８ａの下部に比較的大きな内径の内部孔２５と所定長さを有する遮光筒８ｂを設けていることから、この遮光筒８ｂで透過光を良好に導くことができて透過光検出装置１１の視野拡大が図れると共に、この遮光筒８ｂを介した吸引作用により農産物Ｗを確実に安定供給でき、結果として、従来困難であった視野拡大と安定供給を同時に達成することが可能になる。
【００３８】
図６〜図８は、本発明に係わる供給装置のそれぞれ他の実施の形態を示し、図６が吸引装置の他の実施例を示す図２と同様の正面図、図７は選別コンベアの他の実施例を示す要部正面図、図８は選別コンベアのさらに他の実施例を示す図４と同様の断面図である。以下、これらの実施例を上記実施例と同一部位には同一符号を付して説明する。
【００３９】
先ず、図６に示す実施例の吸引装置４の特徴は、吸引室１９の吸引口１９ａの上面に孔開き搬送帯４６を配置した点にあり、孔開き搬送帯４６には、バケット９のピッチに対応した孔４６ａが形成されている。そして、孔開き搬送帯４６は、一対のスプロケット４７ａ、４７ｂ間に懸架されて、例えば一方のスプロケット４７ａが選別コンベア２の駆動スプロケット５に連結されて同一ピッチで回動することにより、孔開き搬送帯４６の孔４６ａの移動と選別コンベア２の受皿８の遮光筒８ｂの移動とが同期するように設定されている。この実施例の吸引装置４によっても、供給コンベア３からの農産物Ｗの供給位置において、吸引口１９ａを受皿８の遮光筒８ｂに対応させて貫通開口２７を吸引することができ、上記実施例の吸引装置４と同様の作用効果を得ることができる。
【００４０】
また、図７に示す実施例の選別コンベア２の特徴は、前記受皿８を有するバケット９の代わりに、棧付きベルト４８と例えば丸形のフリートレイ４９を使用した点にある。棧付きベルト４８は、棧４８ａと孔４８ｂを有し、フリートレイ４９は、上面中央部分が窪んだ皿部４９ａと、この皿部４９ａの底部に上下方向に貫通する状態で形成された貫通孔４９ｂを有している。そして、フリートレイ４９の貫通孔４９ｂと棧付きベルト４８の孔４８ｂで前記貫通開口２７が形成され、この貫通開口２７が吸引装置４の吸引室１９に連通している。
【００４１】
この実施例の選別コンベア２においても、供給コンベア３からの農産物Ｗの供給位置において、フリートレイ４９の皿部４９ａに載置される農産物Ｗを吸引装置４で吸引して載置供給でき、上記実施例の選別コンベア２と同様の作用効果を得ることができる。なお、図の符号５０は、空のフレートレイ４９を選別コンベア２に一定ピッチで供給する空トレイ供給コンベアを示している。
【００４２】
さらに、図８に示す選別コンベア２の特徴は、上記受皿８を環状シール材５１と下部受座５２及びカバー５３とで形成すると共に、この受皿８を傾倒機構５４によって傾倒させるようにした点にある。すなわち、環状シール材５１は、底部中央に孔５１ａが形成されると共に底部外周に上方に向かうに従い順次肉薄となるシールリップ部５１ｂが形成され、この環状シール材５１の底部下面に下部受座５２の遮光筒部５２ａが嵌合固着されている。そして、この下部受座５２の平坦部５２ｂ上にスポンジ等からなる遮光性のカバー５３が嵌装されており、この実施例の場合、環状シール材５１の孔５１ａと下部受座５２の遮光筒部５２ａの内部孔によって貫通開口５５が形成されている。なお、下部受座５２の遮光筒部５２ａ下部には吸引装置４の吸引室１９が連結されている。
【００４３】
一方、傾倒機構５４は、受皿８の下部受座５２の外周端部下面に固定された受皿側ブケット５６と、コンベアチェーン７のリンク７ａに固定されたリンク側ブラケット５７と、傾倒防止用フック５８等を有している。そして、受皿側ブラケット５６とリンク側ブラケット５７はピン５９を介して連結され、傾倒防止用フック５８はピン６０を介してリンク側ブラケット５７に回動可能に連結されている。また、傾倒防止用フック５８は、その係合部が受皿側ブラケット５６に設けたピン６１に係合して受皿８の傾倒を阻止している。
【００４４】
この実施例の選別コンベア２によれば、排出装置１５が作動することにより、傾倒防止用フック５８がピン６１から外れて、例えば前述したバケット９のスライダー３３が所定方向に移動したり、あるいは図示しないガイドレールへの当接によって、受皿８が図の二点鎖線で示す位置まで傾倒し、受皿８上の農産物Ｗが受箱１６に排出されることになる。この実施例の選別コンベア２においても、上記実施例の選別コンベア２と同様の作用効果を得ることができる。
【００４５】
なお、上記実施例においては、吸引装置４の吸引口１９ａの長さＬを隣り合う受皿８の遮光筒８ｂ間の間隔寸法Ｌ１と略同一に設定したが、本発明はこれに限定されるものでもなく、例えば吸引口１９ａの長さＬ（大きさ）を１つの受皿８の遮光筒８ｂの内径より若干大きく設定する等、農産物Ｗの供給位置において、吸引口１９ａが少なくとも一つの遮光筒８ｂと確実に対向し得る適宜の大きさに設定することができるし、吸引室１９自体の形状も上記実施例に限定されず、適宜に設定することができる。また、上記実施例における選別コンベア２やバケット９及び受皿８の構成、受皿８の傾倒機構等も一例であって、本発明に係わる各発明の要旨を逸脱しない範囲において種々変更することができる。
【００４６】
【発明の効果】
以上詳述したように、請求項１記載の発明によれば、農産物が載せられる載置部の略中央に上下方向の貫通開口を有する受皿を多数備えた処理コンベアの搬送始端側の供給位置の下方に、農産物が供給コンベアから受皿上に供給された際に該農産物を受皿の貫通開口を介して吸引して受皿の載置部に吸引状態で載置させる単一の吸引装置を固定配置しているため、供給コンベアから処理コンベアの供給位置の受皿上に供給された農産物を供給位置の下方に固定配置された単一の吸引装置による貫通開口を介した吸引作用で受皿の載置部に吸引状態で載置させることから、供給コンベアから処理コンベアの受皿への農産物の載置供給時に、受皿外への飛び出しは勿論のこと、受皿上での農産物の躍りや姿勢の大きな変化を防止できて、農産物を受皿の載置部に確実かつ安定して載置供給することができると共に、処理コンベアの高速化に容易に対応できたり、処理コンベア上における農産物の人手による補正作業が不要となり、かつ処理コンベアの機長を短くできて設置スペースの効率化等を図ることができる。また、受皿の載置部に農産物が確実かつ安定した状態で載置されることから、後工程の作業能率向上が図れると共に、処理コンベアの受皿に対して視野拡大による計測精度の向上と安定供給の両者を同時に満足させることができる。
【００４７】
また、請求項２記載の発明によれば、請求項１記載の発明の効果に加え、処理コンベアとして農産物を一個づつ載せる多数の受皿を有するバケット式コンベアを使用するため、各受皿に農産物を一個づつより確実に供給して安定搬送することができる。
【００４８】
また、請求項３記載の発明によれば、請求項２記載の発明の効果に加え、バケット式コンベアの取付台に受皿が左右あるいは左もしくは右のいずれか一側に傾倒可能に設けられているため、例えば計測装置で計測された受皿上の農産物を、所定位置で所定の形態で傾倒させることができて、農産物を所定の受箱上に確実かつ容易に排出することができる。
【００４９】
また、請求項４記載の発明によれば、請求項１ないし３記載の発明の効果に加え、処理コンベアとして例えばフリートレイ式のコンベアを使用できるため、処理コンベア自体の構成を簡略化することができると共に、そのコスト低減を図ることができる。
【００５０】
また、請求項５記載の発明によれば、請求項１ないし４記載の発明の効果に加え、受皿の貫通開口によって農産物の内部を透過した光を遮光状態で受光装置に導くことができるため、農産物を透過した光が受光装置で確実かつ良好に受光され、農産物の計測精度をより向上させることができる。
【００５１】
また、請求項６記載の発明によれば、請求項１ないし５記載の発明の効果に加え、処理コンベアが農産物選別用の選別コンベアであるため、農産物を選別コンベアの各受皿上に確実かつ安定した状態で載置供給できて、農産物の選別作業がより効率的かつ精度良く行え、選別包装施設における作業能率アップを図ることができる等の効果を奏する。
【図面の簡単な説明】
【図１】本発明に係わる農産物の供給装置の一実施例を示す正面図
【図２】同その要部の拡大正面図
【図３】同図２の平面図
【図４】同バケット部分の断面図
【図５】同図４を側面から見た断面図
【図６】本発明に係わる供給装置の吸引装置の他の実施例を示す正面図
【図７】本発明に係わる供給装置の処理コンベアの他の実施例を示す正面図
【図８】本発明に係わる供給装置の処理コンベアのさらに他の実施例を示す要部断面図
【符号の説明】
１・・・・・・・・・・供給装置
２・・・・・・・・・・選別コンベア
３・・・・・・・・・・供給コンベア
４・・・・・・・・・・吸引装置
８・・・・・・・・・・受皿
８ａ・・・・・・・・・皿部
８ｂ・・・・・・・・・遮光筒
８ｃ・・・・・・・・・クッション材
９・・・・・・・・・・バケット
１０・・・・・・・・・重量測定器
１１・・・・・・・・・透過光検出装置
１２・・・・・・・・・排出部
１３・・・・・・・・・照明
１４・・・・・・・・・受光装置
１５・・・・・・・・・排出装置
１６・・・・・・・・・受箱
１９・・・・・・・・・吸引室
１９ａ・・・・・・・・吸引口
２０・・・・・・・・・ブロワー
２１・・・・・・・・・吸引管
２３・・・・・・・・・取付台
２５・・・・・・・・・内部孔
２６・・・・・・・・・貫通孔
２７・・・・・・・・・貫通開口
３３・・・・・・・・・スライダー
４３・・・・・・・・・外観計測装置
４６・・・・・・・・・孔開き搬送帯
４６ａ・・・・・・・・孔
４８・・・・・・・・・棧付きベルト
４８ｂ・・・・・・・・孔
４９・・・・・・・・・フリートレイ
４９ｂ・・・・・・・・貫通孔
５１・・・・・・・・・環状シール材
５１ａ・・・・・・・・孔
５２・・・・・・・・・下部受座
５２ａ・・・・・・・・遮光筒部
５４・・・・・・・・・傾倒機構
５５・・・・・・・・・貫通開口
Ｗ・・・・・・・・・・農産物[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is preferably used in an agricultural product sorting and packaging facility for sorting and shipping agricultural products such as mandarin oranges, apples, tomatoes, etc., and the agricultural products delivered at regular intervals from an upstream supply device are mounted on, for example, a sorting conveyor. The present invention relates to an agricultural product supply apparatus that can reliably supply one by one to a placement unit.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Generally, in agricultural product sorting and packaging facilities, it has been conventionally performed to manually supply agricultural products to a sorting conveyor. However, an apparatus for automatically supplying agricultural products to a sorting conveyor is also available, for example. No. 47841, JP-A-60-94187 or JP-A-5-124722. First, in the fruit and vegetable transport and supply apparatus disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-47841, a roller conveyor with a pitch for pitching agricultural products on a transfer roller is arranged on the start end side of a sorting conveyor having a shape sorting hole. Agricultural products are thrown out onto the sorting conveyor from the end of the conveyor and dropped directly.
[0003]
In addition, the high speed processing method and apparatus for fruit vegetables disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-94187 synchronizes a singularized conveyor having individual pockets before and after a processing conveyor having a large number of trays in the conveying direction. The fruit placed in the pocket is directly driven to the tray of the processing conveyor. Further, the apparatus for adjusting the supply of long fruits and vegetables to a bucket conveyor disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-124722 is provided with a roller conveyor (pitching conveyor) in the preceding stage of the sorting conveyor, It is configured to drop directly into the bucket.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in these devices (referred to as supply devices), a pitching conveyor (roller conveyor or ridged conveyor) capable of transporting agricultural products at a constant pitch is disposed on the start end side of the sorting conveyor. Since the agricultural product is supplied to the starting end side of the sorting conveyor by dropping it directly onto the bucket of the sorting conveyor via the transfer guide (chute) or directly from the end side of the attaching conveyor, Has the following problems.
[0005]
That is, when agricultural products are supplied to the sorting conveyor, the agricultural products may move or shake on the tray, and the posture may change from the state at the time of the pitching conveyor, and the agricultural products may jump out of the tray. It is easy to damage agricultural products. In addition, due to the change in the posture of the agricultural products on the sorting conveyor and the jumping out of the agricultural products, it is necessary to manually correct the posture of the agricultural products and the like, and it is difficult to achieve automatic labor saving in the sorting and packaging operation of the agricultural products. Furthermore, a predetermined distance must be ensured between the starting end side of the sorting conveyor and the measuring device downstream of the sorting conveyor so that the shaking of the agricultural products supplied on the sorting conveyor can be eliminated. The captain becomes longer, and the installation space of the sorting and packaging facility is wasted and the cost is likely to increase.
[0006]
In addition, when the agricultural product protrudes (displaces) from the placement position (substantially central portion) on the tray, for example, the angle of view and the brightness of the illumination of the camera of the measuring device arranged at a predetermined position of the sorting conveyor may change. Therefore, it is difficult to capture an accurate image, which may adversely affect the measurement accuracy such as the class, weight, or internal quality of agricultural products. For example, to improve the efficiency of sorting work, If the supply of agricultural products is performed at high speed, the shaking of the agricultural products will increase further, and recent sensor technology will not be able to cope with this, and eventually it will be difficult to increase the speed of the sorting conveyor.
[0007]
On the other hand, it is conceivable to form the tray of the sorting conveyor in a deep shape to prevent the agricultural products from popping out as much as possible, but in this case, when imaging with an optical sensor such as a camera, There are problems that the exposed area is reduced, the imaging field of view is narrowed, and the sorting accuracy is inferior. That is, in this type of sorting conveyor, in order to supply agricultural products to the receiving tray in a stable posture, the receiving tray may be a deep type, but in order to take an image with an optical sensor, the contact surface between the receiving tray and the agricultural products A contradictory function regarding the setting of the tray of the sorting conveyor is required to reduce the (exposed part) as much as possible and widen the measurable imaging field of view, and there are currently supply devices that satisfy such a function. However, the reality is that its appearance is desired.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and the object of the invention according to claim 1 is to prevent the agricultural products from shaking and jumping from the upstream supply conveyor to the downstream processing conveyor, and to prevent jumping out. In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide an agricultural product supply device that can be reliably supplied without any change in posture. Another object of the invention of claim 1 is that the agricultural products can be more reliably placed at a predetermined placement position on the downstream processing conveyor, the machine length of the processing conveyor is shortened, and the processing conveyor is It is an object of the present invention to provide an agricultural product supply apparatus that eliminates the need to manually correct the posture of agricultural products in the above process and can improve the work efficiency of the subsequent process by supplying the agricultural products to the processing conveyor with a substantially constant posture. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an agricultural product supply apparatus capable of simultaneously satisfying both improvement in measurement accuracy by field of view expansion and stable supply.
[0009]
In addition to the object of the invention described in claim 1, the object of the invention described in claim 2 is to provide an agricultural product supply apparatus that can reliably supply and stably transport agricultural products one by one to the tray of the processing conveyor. In addition to the object of the invention described in claim 2, an object of the invention described in claim 3 is to provide an agricultural product supply apparatus capable of reliably and easily discharging the agricultural product on the processing conveyor. In addition to the object of the invention described in claim 1, the object of the invention described in claim 4 is to provide an agricultural product supply apparatus that can be formed at a low cost by simplifying the configuration of the processing conveyor. An object of the present invention is to provide an agricultural product supply apparatus capable of further improving the measurement accuracy of agricultural products in addition to the objects of the inventions of claims 1 to 4. Further, an object of the invention described in claim 6 is to provide an agricultural product supply apparatus capable of performing the sorting operation of agricultural products more efficiently and accurately in addition to the objects of the inventions described in claims 1 to 5.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  In order to achieve this object, the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention isIn the processing conveyor equipped with a number of trays having through-openings in the vertical direction in the approximate center of the placement part on which the agricultural products are placed,Agricultural products at regular intervalssoSend out from the supply conveyordo it,The agricultural productsTheProcessing conveyorOn each saucerAn agricultural product supply device for supplying toAboveOn the conveyor conveyor start sideSupply positionBelowAgricultural products from the supply conveyorOn the saucerWhen suppliedProduceAboveSuction through through openingAnd place it in the suction state on the mounting section described aboveSuction deviceFixed placementIt is characterized by that.
[0011]
  By configuring in this way, agricultural products sent out from the supply conveyorOf the supply position on the conveyance start sideOn the saucerSupplyAnd thisWhen suppliedAgricultural products on the saucer through the through openingA single, fixedly located below the feeding positionAspirated by a suction device and placed on the trayIn suction statePlaced. On this saucerSupplyAgricultural products are sucked by the suction action toward the through openingIn the suction state on the mounting partSince it is placed, the agricultural products do not jump out of the receiving tray of the processing conveyor, for example, and are reliably supplied to the receiving tray.PartTherefore, it is possible to cope with, for example, speeding up of the processing conveyor, no need for manual correction of agricultural products on the processing conveyor, and the length of the processing conveyor can be shortened. Efficiency can be improved. Also, the saucerPlacement partSince the agricultural products are placed in a reliable and stable state, the work efficiency of the post-process can be improved, and the improvement of the measurement accuracy and the stable supply can be satisfied simultaneously by expanding the field of view for the tray of the processing conveyor. Can do.
[0012]
The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the processing conveyor is a bucket type conveyor having a large number of receiving trays on which agricultural products are placed one by one. By comprising in this way, an agricultural product can be more reliably supplied to each tray of a bucket type conveyor one by one, and it can convey stably.
[0013]
  Further, in the invention according to claim 3, the bucket type conveyor is mounted on a mounting base provided at a predetermined interval in the conveying direction of the conveyor chain, and the tray on which the agricultural product is placed is on either the left or right side or the left or right side. It is provided so that it can be tilted. By configuring in this way, for example, agricultural products measured by the measuring deviceA saucer that can be tiltedIs tilted in a predetermined form at a predetermined position to be discharged onto a predetermined receiving box, and the agricultural product can be discharged reliably and easily.
[0014]
The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the processing conveyor is a conveyor that conveys the tray on which the agricultural product is placed without being restrained by the conveying means. With this configuration, for example, a free tray type conveyor can be used as the processing conveyor, and the configuration can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.
[0015]
Further, in the invention according to claim 5, the light receiving light provided on the bottom side of the saucer in a state where the through-opening of the saucer illuminates the agricultural product placed on the saucer so that the light transmitted through the farm product is blocked. It is for guiding to an apparatus. By configuring in this way, the agricultural product placed on the saucer transmits the light of the illumination light through the inside, and this transmitted light is guided to the light receiving device at the lower part of the saucer through the through opening. Thereby, the light which permeate | transmitted the agricultural product is reliably received by the light-receiving device, and the measurement precision of agricultural products can be improved more.
[0016]
The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the processing conveyor is a sorting conveyor for sorting agricultural products. With this configuration, the produce is supplied and placed in a stable and stable state on each tray of the sorting conveyor, so that the sorting of the produce can be performed more efficiently and accurately, and the work efficiency in the sorting and packaging facility is improved. I can plan up.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
1 to 5 show an embodiment of an agricultural product supply apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is a front view thereof, FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of essential parts, FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. Is a cross-sectional view of the bucket portion, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of FIG.
[0018]
In FIG. 1, a supply device 1 is disposed between a drive sprocket 5 and a driven sprocket 6 rotatably provided on a frame, and buckets 9 having a tray 8 are arranged at predetermined intervals via a conveyor chain 7. Sorting conveyor 2 as a processing conveyor connected endlessly, supply conveyor 3 connected to the upstream side of the forward path of the sorting conveyor 2, and suction arranged at the connecting portion of the supply conveyor 3 and the sorting conveyor 2 It has a device 4.
[0019]
  The sorting conveyor 2 is connected to the downstream side of the suction device 4 from a load cell or the like.BecomeA weight measuring device 10 is arranged, a transmitted light detecting device 11 including an illumination 13 and a light receiving device 14 is arranged on the downstream side of the weight measuring device 10, and a plurality of discharging devices are further arranged on the downstream side of the transmitted light detecting device 11. A discharge portion 12 including 15 (discharge solenoid) and a receiving box 16 is provided. Then, as will be described later, the agricultural product W placed on the receiving tray 8 by the operation of the suction device 4 is conveyed downstream by the sorting conveyor 2, and the weight is first measured by the weight measuring device 10, and then the transmitted light detection device. 11, the internal quality and the like are measured and sorted, and a predetermined discharge device 15 is operated based on the result of the selection, and is discharged onto a predetermined receiving box 16.
[0020]
The supply conveyor 3 is formed by a large number of drum-shaped rollers 17 arranged with a predetermined gap along the conveying direction, and a conveyor chain 18 that connects the drum-shaped rollers 17 in the conveying direction. The agricultural product W placed between the drum-type rollers 17 is conveyed downstream at a constant pitch. The supply conveyor 3 and the sorting conveyor 2 are set to operate in synchronization.
[0021]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the suction device 4 is disposed at the supply position (conveyance start end side) below the end side 3a of the supply conveyor 3, and the overall length is approximately three of the sorting conveyor 2. The suction chamber 19 has a length corresponding to the continuous tray 8 and has a suction port 19a on the top wall thereof, one end connected to the bottom wall of the suction chamber 19 and the other end connected to the blower 20 (see FIG. 3). It is formed with the connected suction pipe 21. When the blower 20 of the suction device 4 is operated, the inside of the suction chamber 19 is sucked through the suction pipe 21 and becomes negative pressure. As a result, the suction chamber 19 communicates with the suction port 19a through a through-opening 27 of the tray 8 described later. Thus, the agricultural product W on the tray 8 is sucked. As shown in FIG. 3, the length L of the suction port 19a of the suction chamber 19 is set to be substantially the same as the interval dimension L1 between the light shielding cylinders 8b described later of the adjacent trays 8.
[0022]
Here, the structure of the bucket 9 arrange | positioned at the selection conveyor 2 is demonstrated based on FIG.4 and FIG.5. The bucket 9 basically includes the tray 8 and a mounting base 23 to which the tray 8 is attached. The tray 8 is fixed to the tray portion 8a having a recessed central portion and an opening 24, and a lower end of the tray portion 8a. The light shielding cylinder 8b having the inner hole 25 and the light shielding cushion material 8c made of a sponge or the like disposed between the bottom of the dish portion 8a and the light shielding cylinder 8b are formed. And the mounting surface of the agricultural product W is formed by the inclined outer peripheral surface of the dish part 8a and the upper surface of the cushion material 8c, and the through-hole 26 having a predetermined inner diameter is formed in the central portion of the cushion material 8c. The through hole 26 of the cushion material 8c and the inner hole 25 of the light shielding cylinder 8b communicate with each other in the vertical direction to form a through opening 27.
[0023]
On the other hand, the mounting base 23 to which the tray 8 is attached is formed by a bottom wall 23a and both side walls 23b. The bottom wall 23a has an opening 28, and the side wall 23b has a shaft hole 29 and a loose fitting hole 30. Is formed. Both end portions of a slider bar 31 are pivotally supported in the shaft hole 29, and a slider 33 urged in the direction of the side wall 23 b by a spring 32 is fitted to the slider bar 31 so as to be movable in the axial direction. An attachment member 62 for assembling the bucket 9 to the conveyor chain 7 is inserted into the loose fitting hole 30 of the side wall 23b. The attachment member 62 is a rail made of nylon rail or the like via an attachment pin member 34. 63 is supported on the upper surface.
[0024]
The slider 33 has an operating pin 36 that protrudes downward from the bottom surface side. The operating pin 36 is movably disposed in the opening 28 of the mounting base 23, and below the operating pin 36. A rectilinear guide 35 is provided on one side of the operating pin 36 across the rectilinear path, and a cam type guide 41 having a cam surface shorter than the rectilinear guide 35 is provided on the other side. The lower end of the connecting rod 37 is pivotally attached to the upper portion of the slider 33 by a pin 38, and the other end of the connecting rod 37 is connected to a pin receiving portion 39 provided at the upper portion of the light shielding cylinder 8b. It is pivoted through.
[0025]
The cam guide 41 is provided with a path switching piece 42 for guiding the operating pin 36 to the cam surface. The path switching piece 42 opens the straight path so that the normal operating pin 36 can go straight. The operating pin 36 is guided to the cam surface of the cam-type guide 41 when the discharge device 15 disposed below the start end of the cam-type guide 41 is operated to close the straight path. Due to the guide of the operating pin 36 to the cam surface, the slider 33 moves along the slider bar 31 against the urging force of the spring 32, and the tray 8 is shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. It is configured to be tilted to a position.
[0026]
Next, the operation of the supply device 1 will be described. First, in the operation state of the sorting conveyor 2 and the supply conveyor 3, the suction device 4 is also in the operation state. In these states, the produce W that is transported by the supply conveyor 3 and dropped (released) from the terminal side 3a is shown in FIGS. As indicated by the arrow a in FIG. 2, it is dropped to the conveyance start end side (supply position) of the forward path of the sorting conveyor 2. Since the fallen agricultural product W is set so that the supply conveyor 3 and the sorting conveyor 2 operate in synchronization, the agricultural product W is placed on the tray 8 of the bucket 9 of the sorting conveyor 2 at a constant pitch from the supply conveyor 3. To be supplied.
[0027]
  At this time, the agricultural product W to be supplied onto the tray 8 is placed while receiving the elastic force on the cushioning material 8c while the bottom side is first guided by the inclined surface of the outer periphery of the tray portion 8a of the tray 8. At the same time as the blower 20 of the suction device 4 is operated, the bottom of the produce W is sucked and penetrated through the through-opening 27 including the suction tube 21, the inner hole 25 of the light shielding cylinder 8b, and the through-hole 26 of the cushioning material 8c. It is placed in a suction state at the center position of the opening 27, that is, at the substantially central portion (mounting portion) of the tray 8. As a result, the suction of the produce W on the cushioning material 8c is instantaneously sucked to the central portion, and the placement position of the produce W on the cushioning material 8c slightly varies.KiEven if this occurs, it can be surely drawn to the center by the suction action, and the fallen agricultural product W is reliably supplied onto the tray 8.
[0028]
Then, the agricultural product W placed and supplied on the tray 8 is conveyed downstream by the sorting conveyor 2 and its weight is measured at the position of the weight measuring device 10. In this weight measurement, since the mounting member 62 of the bucket 9 is loosely fitted in the loose fitting hole 30 of the mounting base 23 so as to be movable up and down, the bucket 9 on which the produce W is placed on the tray 8 is This is performed by bending a predetermined amount downward according to the weight, and detecting the amount of deflection by the load cell of the weight measuring device 10.
[0029]
  The agricultural product W whose weight has been measured by the weight measuring device 10 is further conveyed downstream by the sorting conveyor 2 and supplied to the transmitted light detection device 11, and the internal quality of the agricultural product W is measured. The internal quality is measured by irradiating the produce W on the receiving tray 8 with predetermined illumination light from the illumination 13 provided above the outbound path surface of the sorting conveyor 2, and transmitting the transmitted light of the agricultural product W of the irradiated light on the outbound path surface. This is performed by receiving light with the light receiving device 14 disposed below. At this time, the agricultural product W on the saucer 8 has a light-shielding cushion material 8cSince it is placed on the through opening 27, the cushioning material 8 for the illumination light is used.cIntrusion into the light shielding cylinder 8b is prevented (light shielding), and only the transmitted light that has passed through the agricultural product W is guided to the light receiving device 14 while being guided by the through opening 27, and the internal quality of the agricultural product W is measured with high accuracy. The
[0030]
Based on the internal quality and the weight measurement, the class of the agricultural product W is determined. In place of the weight measuring device 10, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, an appearance measuring device 43, which includes a camera 44 and an illumination 45 and measures the appearance quality of the produce W on the tray 8, is arranged on the forward path. By doing so, it is possible to determine the equal class of the produce W based on the appearance quality and the internal quality of the transmitted light detection device 11.
[0031]
  And transmitted lightdetectionThe agricultural products W measured by the apparatus 11 and determined to have an equal class are conveyed further downstream by the sorting conveyor 2 and supplied to the discharge unit 12. The agricultural product W supplied to the discharge unit 12 is discharged into the corresponding receiving box 16 by the operation of the discharge device 15 corresponding to the determined equal class. At this time, as described above, the operation pin 36 of the slider 33 of the bucket 9 is brought into contact with the cam surface of the cam type guide 41 by the operation of the discharge device 15 corresponding to the equal class, so that the slider 33 moves in the axial direction. Thus, the tray 8 is tilted to the right or left in the transport direction, and the agricultural product W on the tray 8 is discharged onto a predetermined receiving box 16.
[0032]
Thus, in the supply apparatus 1 of the said Example, the through-opening 27 provided in the saucer 8 of the bucket 9 in the connection part (supply position) with the supply conveyor 3 in the conveyance start end side of the going path of the selection conveyor 2 is provided. Since the suction device 4 for sucking is provided, the agricultural product W dropped from the supply conveyor 3 can be instantaneously sucked into the through-opening 27 portion while being received by the receiving tray 8, and the agricultural product W is placed at the substantially center of the receiving tray 8. It is possible to reliably mount and supply the mounting portion.
[0033]
In particular, since the length L of the suction port 19a of the suction device 4 is set to be larger than the distance L1 between two consecutive trays 8, the suction port 19a must be positioned at the lower end of the light shielding cylinder 8b. Thus, the through opening 27 can be reliably sucked. As a result, it is possible not only to jump out of the tray 8 when the agricultural product W is supplied to the tray 8 but also to prevent a jump of the agricultural product W during loading and a large change in posture (orientation) when the supply conveyor 3 is transported. Thus, it is possible to obtain a stable placement state on the produce W on the tray 8.
[0034]
And the following effects are obtained by the agricultural product W being stably mounted on the saucer 8. That is, the stable placement on the receiving tray 8 first suppresses the swing of the produce W on the receiving tray 8 and the change in posture when the sorting conveyor 2 is speeded up, and can easily cope with the speeding up of the sorting conveyor 2. In addition to improving the efficiency of the sorting operation, the agricultural products W supplied from the supply conveyor 3 can be easily and stably supplied even if they are various agricultural products having different shapes such as oranges, tomatoes or apples. it can.
[0035]
Further, manual work such as posture correction work and replenishment work of the produce W on the sorting conveyor 2 is not required, and automatic labor saving in the sorting and packaging facility can be further promoted, and the posture (direction) of the produce on the sorting conveyor 2 can be further improved. ) Are aligned, for example, the discharge posture to the receiving box 16 on the downstream side of the sorting conveyor 2 can be aligned as much as possible. For example, the packing posture can be aligned and the labor of correction can be saved. In addition, the sorting conveyor 2 does not require a predetermined length of the conveying path for stabilizing the posture as in the prior art, the length of the sorting conveyor 2 itself can be shortened, and the effective use and cost of the installation space in the sorting and packaging facility can be reduced. You can go down.
[0036]
  Moreover, in the supply apparatus 1 of the said Example, the saucer 8 is formed with the light shielding cylinder 8b which has the tray part 8a and the internal hole 25, the cushioning material 8c which has the through-hole 26, etc., and the internal hole 25 or the through-hole Since the through opening 27 is formed by 26 or the like, the cushion material 8cOnly the transmitted light transmitted through the agricultural product W while shielding the illumination light with the light shielding cylinder 8b can be guided to the light receiving device 14 through the through opening 27, and the internal quality of the agricultural product W can be measured with high accuracy. Can do.
[0037]
In particular, since the inner hole 25 having a relatively large inner diameter and the light shielding cylinder 8b having a predetermined length are provided at the lower part of the tray portion 8a of the tray 8, the transmitted light can be guided well by the light shielding cylinder 8b. The field of view of the transmitted light detection device 11 can be expanded, and the agricultural product W can be reliably and stably supplied by the suction action through the light shielding cylinder 8b. As a result, it is possible to simultaneously achieve the field expansion and stable supply that have been difficult in the past. It becomes possible.
[0038]
6 to 8 show other embodiments of the supply device according to the present invention, FIG. 6 is a front view similar to FIG. 2 showing another embodiment of the suction device, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 4 showing still another embodiment of the sorting conveyor. In the following, these embodiments will be described with the same reference numerals assigned to the same portions as the above-described embodiments.
[0039]
First, the suction device 4 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 is characterized in that a perforated transport band 46 is disposed on the upper surface of the suction port 19 a of the suction chamber 19. The hole 46a corresponding to is formed. The perforated transport belt 46 is suspended between a pair of sprockets 47a and 47b, and, for example, one sprocket 47a is connected to the drive sprocket 5 of the sorting conveyor 2 and rotated at the same pitch so that the perforated transport belt 46 is transported. The movement of the hole 46a of the belt 46 and the movement of the light shielding cylinder 8b of the tray 8 of the sorting conveyor 2 are set to be synchronized. Also with the suction device 4 of this embodiment, the through-opening 27 can be sucked at the supply position of the produce W from the supply conveyor 3 with the suction port 19a corresponding to the light shielding cylinder 8b of the receiving tray 8, The same effect as the suction device 4 can be obtained.
[0040]
7 is characterized in that a hooked belt 48 and, for example, a round free tray 49 are used instead of the bucket 9 having the tray 8. The hooked belt 48 has a hook 48a and a hole 48b, and the free tray 49 has a dish part 49a whose upper surface center part is depressed, and a through-hole formed in a state of vertically passing through the bottom part of the dish part 49a. 49b. The through opening 27 is formed by the through hole 49 b of the free tray 49 and the hole 48 b of the hooked belt 48, and the through opening 27 communicates with the suction chamber 19 of the suction device 4.
[0041]
Also in the sorting conveyor 2 of this embodiment, the agricultural product W placed on the dish portion 49a of the free tray 49 can be sucked and placed by the suction device 4 at the supply position of the agricultural product W from the supply conveyor 3. The same effect as the sorting conveyor 2 of the embodiment can be obtained. Note that reference numeral 50 in the figure denotes an empty tray supply conveyor that supplies empty freight trays 49 to the sorting conveyor 2 at a constant pitch.
[0042]
  Furthermore, the sorting conveyor 2 shown in FIG. 8 is characterized in that the tray 8 is formed of an annular seal material 51, a lower seat 52 and a cover 53, and the tray 8 is tilted by a tilting mechanism 54. is there. That is, the annular seal material 51 has a hole 51a formed in the center of the bottom portion and a seal lip portion 51b that gradually decreases in thickness toward the upper periphery of the bottom portion. A lower seat 52 is formed on the bottom surface of the bottom portion of the annular seal material 51. The light shielding cylinder 52a is fitted and fixed. A light-shielding cover 53 made of sponge or the like is fitted on the flat portion 52b of the lower receiving seat 52. In this embodiment, the hole 51a of the annular sealing material 51 and the light-shielding cylinder of the lower receiving seat 52 are mounted. A through opening 55 is formed by the internal hole of the portion 52a. The light shielding cylinder 52 of the lower seat 52aA suction chamber 19 of the suction device 4 is connected to the lower part.
[0043]
On the other hand, the tilting mechanism 54 includes a saucer-side bucket 56 fixed to the lower surface of the outer peripheral end of the lower seat 52 of the tray 8, a link-side bracket 57 fixed to the link 7 a of the conveyor chain 7, and a tilt-preventing hook 58. Etc. The saucer side bracket 56 and the link side bracket 57 are connected via a pin 59, and the tilt prevention hook 58 is rotatably connected to the link side bracket 57 via a pin 60. In addition, the hook 58 for tilt prevention engages with a pin 61 provided on the tray bracket 56 to prevent the tray 8 from tilting.
[0044]
According to the sorting conveyor 2 of this embodiment, when the discharge device 15 is operated, the tilt-preventing hook 58 is detached from the pin 61, and the slider 33 of the bucket 9 described above moves in a predetermined direction, or is illustrated in the figure. Due to the contact with the guide rail that is not, the tray 8 is tilted to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in the figure, and the agricultural product W on the tray 8 is discharged to the tray 16. Also in the sorting conveyor 2 of this embodiment, the same effect as the sorting conveyor 2 of the above embodiment can be obtained.
[0045]
  In addition, in the said Example, although the length L of the suction opening 19a of the suction device 4 was set substantially the same as the space | interval dimension L1 between the light shielding cylinders 8b of the adjacent saucer 8, this invention is limited to this. Rather, for example, the suction port 19a has at least one light shielding cylinder at the supply position of the produce W, for example, the length L (size) of the suction opening 19a is set slightly larger than the inner diameter of the light shielding cylinder 8b of one tray 8.8bThe suction chamber 19 itself is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be set appropriately. The configurations of the sorting conveyor 2, the bucket 9 and the tray 8, the tilting mechanism of the tray 8 and the like in the above embodiment are also examples, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of each invention according to the present invention.
[0046]
【The invention's effect】
  As described in detail above, according to the invention described in claim 1,When the agricultural products are supplied from the supply conveyor onto the tray, below the supply position on the conveyance start end side of the processing conveyor having a large number of trays having through-openings in the vertical direction in the approximate center of the placing portion on which the agricultural products are placed. A single suction device that sucks agricultural products through the through-opening of the saucer and places the produce in a suction state on the placement part of the saucer is fixedly arranged.Because from the supply conveyorA single product fixedly arranged below the supply position for the agricultural product supplied on the tray at the supply position of the processing conveyorBy the suction action through the through opening by the suction deviceSince it is placed in a suction state on the receiving part of the saucer, when the agricultural product is placed and supplied from the supply conveyor to the saucer of the processing conveyor, not only jumping out of the saucer, but also the jump and posture of the agricultural product on the saucer Can prevent large changes inIt is possible to reliably and stably place and supply the receiving part of the receiving tray, to easily cope with the speeding up of the processing conveyor, and to eliminate the need for manual correction of agricultural products on the processing conveyor. The captain can be shortened and the installation space can be made more efficient. In addition, since agricultural products are placed in a stable and stable state on the receiving tray mounting section, it is possible to improve the work efficiency of the post-process and to improve the measurement accuracy and stable supply by expanding the field of view to the receiving tray of the processing conveyor. Both can be satisfied at the same time.
[0047]
Further, according to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, since a bucket type conveyor having a large number of receiving trays for placing agricultural products one by one is used as a processing conveyor, one agricultural product is provided for each receiving tray. Therefore, it can be supplied more reliably and stably conveyed.
[0048]
  Further, according to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 2, the mounting base for the bucket type conveyorInSince the saucer is provided so that it can be tilted to the left or right or to the left or right, for example, the agricultural product on the saucer measured by the measuring device can be tilted in a predetermined form at a predetermined position. Can be reliably and easily discharged onto a predetermined receiving box.
[0049]
Further, according to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the effects of the inventions described in claims 1 to 3, for example, a free tray type conveyor can be used as the processing conveyor, so that the configuration of the processing conveyor itself can be simplified. In addition, the cost can be reduced.
[0050]
According to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the effects of the invention described in claims 1 to 4, the light transmitted through the agricultural product by the through-opening of the tray can be guided to the light receiving device in a light-shielded state. The light that has passed through the agricultural product is reliably and satisfactorily received by the light receiving device, and the measurement accuracy of the agricultural product can be further improved.
[0051]
According to the invention described in claim 6, in addition to the effects of the inventions described in claims 1 to 5, since the processing conveyor is a sorting conveyor for sorting produce, the produce is reliably and stably placed on each tray of the sorting conveyor. In this state, the product can be placed and supplied, and the sorting operation of agricultural products can be performed more efficiently and accurately, and the work efficiency can be improved in the sorting and packaging facility.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of an agricultural product supply apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of the main part of the same.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the bucket portion.
5 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 as viewed from the side.
FIG. 6 is a front view showing another embodiment of the suction device of the supply device according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a front view showing another embodiment of the processing conveyor of the supply device according to the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part showing still another embodiment of the processing conveyor of the supply apparatus according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
  1 ... Supply device
  2 ... Sorting conveyor
  3 ... Supply conveyor
  4 ... Aspiration device
  8 ... Sauce pan
  8a ... Plate part
  8b ...Shading tube
  8c ...Cushion material
  9 ... Bucket
  10 .... Weighing instrument
  11 .... Transmission light detector
  12 ..... discharge part
  13 .... Lighting
  14 ... light receiving device
  15 ······ Discharge device
  16 ········ box
  19 ... Suction chamber
  19a ... Suction port
  20 ・・・・・・・・ Blower
  21 ・・・・・・・・・ Suction tube
  23 .... Mounting base
  25 ..... Internal hole
  26 ・・・・・・・・・ Through hole
  27 ・・・・・・・・・ Through opening
  33 ... Slider
  43 ... Appearance measuring device
  46 ..... Hole transport belt
  46a ... hole
  48 ・・・・・・・・・ Belted belt
  48b ... hole
  49 ... Free tray
  49b ... through hole
  51 ・・・・・・・・・ Annular sealing material
  51a ... hole
  52 .... Lower seat
  52a ... Shading tube
  54 ..... Tilt mechanism
  55 ・・・・・・・・・ Through opening
  W ... Agricultural products

Claims

The process conveyor with a number of pan having a through opening in the vertical direction substantially in the center of the mounting part produce is placed, and out feed from the feed conveyor to produce at regular intervals, the agricultural products downstream of the process conveyor a supply device for agricultural products supplied on each receiving tray, below the supply position of the transport starting end side of the processing conveyor, the through opening the agricultural when agricultural products are supplied on the receiving tray from the feed conveyor A supply device for agricultural products, wherein a single suction device that is sucked through and placed in the suction section in a suction state is fixedly arranged .

2. The agricultural product supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing conveyor is a bucket type conveyor having a large number of trays on which agricultural products are placed one by one.

The bucket type conveyor is provided on a mounting base provided at a predetermined interval in the conveying direction of the conveyor chain so that a tray on which agricultural products are placed can be tilted to either the left or right side or the left or right side. The agricultural product supply device according to claim 2, wherein

The said processing conveyor is a conveyor which conveys the tray on which an agricultural product is mounted in the state which is not restrained by a conveyance means, The supply apparatus of the agricultural products of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned.

The through-opening of the saucer is for illuminating the agricultural product placed on the saucer to guide light transmitted through the produce to a light receiving device provided on the bottom side of the saucer in a light-shielded state. The agricultural product supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The agricultural product supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing conveyor is a sorting conveyor for sorting agricultural products.