JP6410013B2 - Article sorting device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an article sorting apparatus, and more specifically, places and conveys articles on each bucket provided on a conveyor, and discharges articles after sorting the articles on each bucket according to differences in quality and the like. The present invention relates to an article sorting apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an article sorting apparatus that includes a large number of buckets provided on a conveyor, and sorts and outputs agricultural products according to differences in quality, etc. while placing and transporting agricultural products in each bucket ( For example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 5377111

By the way, in the article sorting apparatus of the above-mentioned patent document 1, since the mud and moisture of agricultural products and the liquid that exudes from agricultural products adhere to the bucket, it is necessary to periodically wash the bucket. In Patent Document 1, a technique is disclosed in which a bucket is configured by a pair of rollers and an endless belt stretched over the rollers. However, when the bucket having such a configuration is repeatedly washed, a rotating member such as a roller deteriorates. As a result, there is a problem that the product life is shortened. In addition, since the endless belt must be formed of a flexible member, there is a problem that durability is poor and replacement frequency is high.
Furthermore, in the case of using an inspection apparatus that inspects the internal quality of agricultural products using transmitted light, it is necessary to arrange light projecting means and light receiving means. In this case, in the configuration using the endless belt described above, since the endless belt exists in the vertical position, the inspection light is projected from above to the produce on the endless belt, and the transmission destination is received from above. It will be. In this case, since the inspection light is directly incident on the light receiving means, a configuration that eliminates disturbances such as providing a filter that cuts the wavelength of the inspection light on the light receiving means is required, and the manufacturing cost of the article sorting device increases. There is a problem.

In view of the circumstances described above, the present invention provides a transport conveyor provided over a required region, a plurality of transport conveyors provided along the transport direction on the transport conveyor, and a bucket having a mounting member for mounting an article, and the above description A placement member moving means for moving the placement member in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the transport conveyor, and placing the article on the placement member of each bucket and transporting the article on the bucket according to the sorting category In the article sorting device that discharges to the side of the conveyor,
The bucket includes the mounting member configured to be bendable and a support member that guides the movement of the mounting member in a direction intersecting the transport conveyor, and the supporting member moves in the horizontal direction of the mounting member. And a second guide portion for guiding the movement of the mounting member downward from the first guide portion, and the first guide portion of the support member. The article is placed and transported by the above-described placement member located at the position, and the article on the placement member is transported by moving the placement member on which the article is placed from the first guide part to the second guide part. It is discharged to the side of the conveyor.

  According to the configuration described above, the configuration of the bucket can be simplified and the durability of the bucket can be improved.

The top view which shows one Example of this invention. The top view of the bucket in FIG. Sectional drawing of the principal part which follows the III-III line | wire of FIG. The top view of the principal part of FIG. Sectional drawing of the principal part in alignment with the VV line | wire of FIG. The top view which shows the other Example of the bucket of this invention. The top view which shows the other Example of the bucket of this invention. It is a side view of the principal part which shows the other Example of the bucket of this invention, Fig.8 (a) shows a thing with a crank shape of a supporting member, FIG.8 (b) shows that a supporting member has a substantially S shape. Show.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the illustrated embodiment. In FIG. 1, the article sorting device 1 sorts agricultural products F such as apples and mandarin oranges into eight equal classes according to the difference in appearance and quality. Yes. The article sorting apparatus 1 includes a transport conveyor 2 that is arranged and circulated over a required area, and a plurality of buckets 3 that are provided at equal intervals along the transport direction of the transport conveyor 2 and on which the agricultural products F are placed. I have. The upstream region in the transport path of the transport conveyor 2 is the manual selection unit A, the adjacent downstream region is the inspection unit B, and the adjacent downstream region of the inspection unit B is the sorting discharge unit. C.

A container conveyor 4 is disposed along the transfer conveyor 2 at a position adjacent to one side (the upper side in FIG. 1) of the manual selection unit A, and a plurality of operations are performed across the container conveyor 4 and the manual selection unit A. Person is arranged. In the inspection section B, an appearance inspection device 6 and a quality inspection device 7 are sequentially arranged on the conveyance path of the conveyance conveyor 1, and a control device 8 to which the inspection results by both inspection devices 6 and 7 are transmitted is also arranged. Yes. Eight branching conveyors 11A to 11H are provided in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying conveyor 2 at one position adjacent to the conveying conveyor 2 serving as the sorting discharge unit C, and a plurality of operations are performed around these branches. Person is arranged. In addition, although the number of branch conveyors corresponding to eight types of equal classes is provided, the number may be increased or decreased by associating a plurality of branch conveyors with one equal class. Also, the setting of equal classes is not limited to eight.

When each container 12 storing a plurality of agricultural products F is supplied to the supply position D by the container conveyor 4, each operator of the manual selection unit A takes out the agricultural products F one by one from each container 12, and the direction of the arrow It is placed on each bucket 3 of the conveyor 2 that is traveling. At that time, the worker visually determines the grade of the produce F and places it on the bucket 3, and the bucket 3 is placed on the transport conveyor 2 in a direction (width) perpendicular to the transport direction according to the difference in the grade. Direction).
As will be described in detail later, the bucket 3 of this embodiment is attached to the transport conveyor 2 so as to be movable with respect to the transport conveyor 2 in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction. Then, the operator of the manual selection unit A moves the bucket 3 to one of three positions in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction according to the grade in which each farm product F is visually determined. Specifically, the agricultural product F determined to have a good grade moves the bucket 3 to a position closer to the one side (left end) on the conveyor 2 in FIG. 3, and the agricultural product F determined to have an excellent grade is a conveyor. The bucket 3 is moved to the position on the other side (the right end) on 2, and the agricultural product F whose grade is determined to be excellent is moved to the center on the conveyor 2. In this embodiment, there are three positions where the bucket 3 is moved, but the number may be increased or decreased according to the equal class to be set.

As described above, in the manual selection unit A, the worker places the farm products F on the bucket 3 one by one, and moves each bucket 3 to a predetermined position in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction according to the difference in size. . Thereafter, the agricultural products F on the bucket 3 transported in the inspection section B are first inspected for appearance by the appearance inspection device 6 and then subjected to an internal quality inspection regarding the internal quality such as sugar content and the presence or absence of spoilage by the quality inspection device 7. To be done. The inspection results of both inspection devices 6 and 7 for the agricultural product F on each bucket 3 are sequentially input to the control device 8.
The control device 8 classifies the agricultural products F on each bucket 3 into eight types of equal classes based on the results of the appearance inspection and the internal quality inspection. And the control apparatus 8 controls the action | operation of the drive means 13 arrange | positioned at the sorting discharge part C, when each bucket 3 which mounted the agricultural product F passes the sorting discharge part C, and eight types of equal classes Accordingly, the agricultural products F on the buckets 3 are discharged onto the branch conveyors 11A to 11H. The agricultural products F discharged onto the branch conveyors 11A to 11H are then stored in containers or boxes (not shown) by the operator for the agricultural products F on the branch conveyors 11A to 11H.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the bucket 3 of this embodiment is provided on the lower frame 15, which is located on the lower side and is movable in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveyor 2. An upper frame 16 that can move in the same direction as the conveying direction of the conveyor 2, and a mounting member 17 and a back supporter 18 that are attached to the upper frame 16 so as to be movable in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveyor 2. I have.
The lower frame 15 is formed in a rectangular frame shape, and a plate-shaped guide plate 21 is horizontally connected to the inner side thereof. Further, leg portions 15 </ b> A extending downward are formed at the four corners of the bottom surface of the lower frame 15.

A set of two guide shafts 14 and 14 are attached to a pair of left and right endless chains 2A and 2B constituting the conveyor 2. A pair of left and right leg portions 15A of the lower frame 15 are provided with through holes in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and the pair of guide shafts 14 and 14 are slid into the through holes of the pair of left and right leg portions 15A. It penetrates freely. Since the guide shafts 14 and 14 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying conveyor 2, the lower frame 15, the upper frame 16, the mounting member 17 and the back supporter 18 are orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveying conveyor 2. You can move in the direction you want. That is, the bucket 3 is guided by the guide shafts 14 and 14 and can move in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transport conveyor 2. Therefore, after the worker places the produce F on the placement member 17 of the bucket 3 in the manual selection unit A, the bucket 3 is moved to one of the one end side, the other end side, or the center of the both guide shafts 14, 14. Can be made.

A pair of guide shafts 22 and 22 are attached to the left and right sides of the lower frame 15 in the same direction as the transport direction. On the other hand, the front and rear side walls 16A and 16B of the upper frame 16 are provided with two sets of through-holes at the left and right ends facing each other. The pair of guide shafts 22 and 22 are slidably passed through these two sets of through holes. Accordingly, the upper frame 16 and the mounting member 17, the back supporter 18, and the like provided on the upper frame 16 are guided by the guide shafts 22 and 22 and can move in the same direction as the transport direction of the transport conveyor 2.
A pair of L-shaped support members 23, 23 are attached to the front and rear side walls 16 </ b> A, 16 </ b> B of the upper frame 16 so as to face each other, and a direction orthogonal to the transport direction by the pair of support members 23, 23. The mounting member 17 is held movably.
In the L-shaped support members 23, 23, the upper horizontal portion 23A is slightly above the upper surface of the upper frame 26, and the vertical portion 23B extending vertically downward is separated from one side of the conveyor 2 by a predetermined distance. As shown, the side walls 16A and 16B are connected. And the L-shaped guide groove 23a, 23a along the horizontal part 23A and the vertical part 23B is formed in the inner surface which the support members 23 and 23 oppose, The pair of guide groove 23a, 23a of those opposing positions forms Both side portions of the mounting member 17 are held. The placement member 17 is guided by the guide grooves 23 a and 23 a and is moved on the upper frame 16 in a direction perpendicular to the transport conveyor 2 and in a vertical direction. The guide groove 23a in the horizontal portion 23A serves as a first guide portion for guiding the placement member 17, and the guide groove 23a in the vertical portion 23B serves as a second guide portion for guiding the placement member 17. Yes. Note that the boundary portion between the first guide portion and the second guide portion in the guide groove 23a is formed in a smooth arc shape, and the placement member 17 can move smoothly across the first guide portion and the second guide portion. It is like that.

The mounting member 17 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of strip-shaped members 25 having the same shape and a plurality of connecting pins 26 that connect the adjacent strip-shaped members 25 and 25 so as to be able to swing with each other. Yes. The mounting member 17 is formed in a flat plate shape and can be bent. In short, the mounting member 17 is formed in a caterpillar shape in which the front end and the rear end are not connected. Both end portions of the connecting pin 26 connecting the adjacent strip-like members 25, 25 are protruded outward from both ends of the strip-like member 25, and both ends of the protruding connecting pin 26 are each of the support members. 23 and 23 are inserted into opposing guide grooves 23a.
Thereby, the mounting member 17 is guided by the guide grooves 23a and 23a, and is moved between the horizontal portion 23A and the vertical portion 23B. And when the mounting member 17 exists in the horizontal part 23A of the guide grooves 23a and 23a, the mounting member 17 is maintained horizontal and the produce F is mounted on the mounting member 17 of the state. It has become. And when the drive means 13 is operated, the mounting member 17 in a state where the agricultural product F is mounted is advanced toward one side of the conveyor 2 via the back supporter 18. Thereby, the mounting member 17 is advanced from the horizontal portion 23A to the vertical portion 23B along the guide grooves 23a and 23a. That is, since the placing member 17 places the agricultural product F and is moved in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, the agricultural product F on the placing member 17 is transferred from the placing member 17 (on the bucket 3) to the conveying conveyor 2. It is designed to be discharged to one side. The agricultural products F discharged from the placing member 17 are placed on the branch conveyors 11A to 11H.
A through hole is formed at a predetermined position near the rear end 17 </ b> B of the mounting member 17, and this through hole serves as a light receiving hole 17 </ b> A through which the inspection light L emitted from the quality inspection device 7 passes.
Next, the drive means 13 for moving the mounting member 17 forward and backward and the configuration around it will be described. Guide shafts 27 and 27 are attached to the bottom of the upper frame 16 in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, and a rectangular parallelepiped slider 28 is slidably fitted to the guide shafts 27 and 27. A movable plate 31 is connected to the upper portion of the slider 28 via two connecting members 29, 29, and the rear end 17 </ b> B of the mounting member 17 is connected to the front end of the movable plate 31. The back supporter 18 is connected to the front end of the movable plate 31 via a bracket. The front surface of the back supporter 18 is formed in an arc shape in accordance with the appearance of the agricultural product F. When the worker places the produce F on the placement member 17 in the manual selection unit A, the outer periphery of the produce F is brought into contact with the front surface of the back supporter 18. As a result, the agricultural product F on the mounting member 17 is supported on the side by the back supporter 18, and the agricultural product F is positioned on the light receiving hole 17A.
When the slider 28 is moved along the guide shaft 27 by the driving means 13, the movable plate 31, the mounting member 17 connected thereto, and the back supporter 18 are moved in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction. . At this time, as described above, the mounting member 17 is moved along the guide grooves 23a and 23a of the support member 23 between the horizontal portion 23A and the vertical portion 23B.

An engaging pin 28A is coupled to the lower surface of the slider 28 vertically downward, and the engaging pin 28A is engaged with the guide groove 21A of the guide plate 21 of the lower frame 15. The guide groove 21A includes an orthogonal guide portion 21a in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction and a retreat guide portion 21b that is continuous from the orthogonal guide portion 21a and is inclined obliquely rearward with respect to the transport direction.
When the bucket 3 is moved through the sorting and discharging portion C, if the solenoid 35 of the driving means 13 is operated by the control device 8, the engaging pin 28A engages with the switching guide 34 and then the guide of the fixed oblique guide 32. It comes in contact with the surface. Then, first, since the engaging pin 28 is slid in the orthogonal guide portion 21a of the guide groove 21A, the slider 28, the movable plate 31, the mounting member 17, and the back supporter 18 are along the guide surface of the fixed oblique guide 32. Is moved along a direction orthogonal to the transport direction. Thereafter, since the engagement pin 28 slides in the backward guide portion 21b of the guide groove 21A, the slider 28, the movable plate 31, the mounting member 17, and the back supporter 18 move in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction, and at the same time, The frame 16 is moved toward the rear in the transport direction.
Therefore, the placement member 17 is advanced from the horizontal portion 23A toward the vertical portion 23B along the guide groove 23a, and the agricultural product F placed on the horizontal portion 23A of the placement member 17 is moved along the guide groove 23a. Discharged to one side. At that time, the produce F discharged from the placement member 17 is moved in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction by the retraction guide portion 21b of the guide groove 21A. Thereby, the relative speed in the conveyance direction of the agricultural products F on the bucket 3 and the branch conveyors 11A to 11H when the farm products F are discharged from the placing member 17 to the branch conveyors 11A to 11H is substantially reduced. ing. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the agricultural product F discharged from the bucket 3 in the sorting discharge unit C from rolling onto the branch conveyors 11A to 11H from rolling.

  Eight sets of driving means 13 of this embodiment are arranged on the transport path of the transport conveyor 2 in accordance with the positions of the branch conveyors 11A to 11H in the sorting and discharging unit C. The driving means 13 includes a switching guide 34 that can be switched between a stop position and an operating position, a solenoid 35 that switches the switching guide 34 to a stop position and an operating position, and a horizontal position slightly downstream of the switching guide 34 in the transport direction. And a fixed oblique guide 32 fixed to. The operation of the solenoid 35 is controlled by the control device 8. When the control device 8 operates the solenoid 35, the switching guide 34 is switched from the stop position to the operation position. Then, the lower end portion of the engagement pin 28 </ b> A of the bucket 3 comes into contact with the switching guide 34, so that the engagement pin 28 </ b> A is moved toward the fixed oblique guide 32. As a result, the engagement pin 28A abuts against the guide surface of the fixed oblique guide 32 and is moved along the guide surface in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transport conveyor 2 and in a direction that moves obliquely backward. That is, the engaging pin 28A slides in the guide groove 21A from the orthogonal guide portion 21a to the retreat guide portion 21b.

Therefore, as described above, the upper frame 16 and the placement member 17 in the bucket 3 are moved in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction, and the placement member 17 is also moved in the backward direction while being moved in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. Is done. Therefore, the mounting member 17 is advanced in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction and a direction backwardly retracted, and the agricultural product F placed thereon is discharged from the mounting member 17 onto the branch conveyors 11A to 11H. It has become.
Further, a returning fixed oblique guide 37 is arranged on the lower side of the transport conveyor 2 on the downstream side of the sorting and discharging unit C. Each bucket 3 from which the placing member 17 is moved forward in the sorting discharge section C and the agricultural products F are discharged is conveyed to the position of the fixed fixed oblique guide 37 as the conveyance conveyor 2 travels. 3 is moved toward the other side of the transport conveyor 2 on the opposite side to the branch conveyors 11A to 11H. As a result, the mounting member 17 and the back supporter 18 that have been moved forward are retracted and returned to the retracted position shown in FIGS. Thus, the agricultural product F can be mounted on the mounting member 17 by returning the mounting member 17 of the bucket 3 to the retracted position.

  Next, the appearance inspection apparatus 6 and the quality inspection apparatus 7 in the inspection unit B will be described. The appearance inspection device 6 is configured to photograph the agricultural product F on the bucket 3 with a camera (not shown), and the captured image of the agricultural product F is transmitted to the control device 8. At the upstream position of the camera, a photoelectric sensor is provided for detecting the position of the bucket 3 moved by the operator based on the visual judgment in the manual selection unit A, and the detection result is transmitted to the control device 8. It has become so. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the quality inspection device 7 that performs the internal quality inspection of the agricultural product F is disposed above the bucket 3 and irradiates the inspection light L toward the agricultural product F on the bucket 3. And a sensor 39 disposed on the lower side of the bucket 3 so as to face the light source 38.

A pair of regulating grooves 40A and 40B having a U-shaped cross section along the transport direction of the transport conveyor 2 are fixed at positions below the guide shafts 14 and 14 extending from the upstream position of the appearance inspection apparatus 6 to the quality inspection apparatus 7. Are arranged. On the other hand, on the lower frame 15 of the bucket 3, a roller 41 is rotatably attached to the lower end of one leg 12A. The upstream end of each regulation groove 40A, 40B is an introduction portion that expands in a C shape toward both sides in the transport direction. When each bucket 3 is conveyed to the position of the appearance inspection device 6, the roller 41 of the bucket 3 is inserted into the introduction portion of the restriction groove 40B and then engaged with the restriction groove 40B, and the lower end of the engagement pin 28A. The part engages with the other restriction groove 40A. As described above, the engagement pin 28A engages with the restriction groove 40A and the roller 41 engages with the restriction groove 40B, so that the bucket 3 cannot move in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. The bucket 3 is moved to the position of the quality inspection device 7 and passes therethrough.
At that time, the inspection light L is irradiated from the light source 38 of the quality inspection device 7 toward the agricultural product F on the bucket 3. At this time, as described above, since the light receiving hole 17A is formed in the mounting member 17 of the bucket 3, the inspection light L that has passed through the produce F passes through the light receiving hole 17A and is received by the sensor 39 on the lower side. It is to be detected. That is, by positioning the bucket 2 in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction by the regulation grooves 40A and 40B, the light receiving hole 17A of the bucket 3 and the agricultural product F on the bucket 3 are aligned with the irradiation position of the inspection light L. ing.
The detection result detected by the lower sensor 39 is transmitted to the control device 8. The control device 8 is based on the inspection results of the photoelectric sensor, the appearance inspection device 6 and the quality inspection device 7. Thus, the produce F on each bucket 3 that has passed through the inspection section C is divided into eight types of equal classes. In addition, as shown also in FIG. 1, since the regulation grooves 40A and 40B are arranged only in the region of the inspection unit B, when the bucket 3 passes the inspection unit B, each bucket 3 is in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction. It becomes possible to move.
When the control unit 8 passes the inspection unit C and the bucket 3 is conveyed to the sorting and discharging unit C, the solenoid F of the driving means 13 corresponding to each class of the farm products F on the already-divided buckets 3. 35 is activated. Therefore, since the switching guide 34 is switched to the operating position, the engaging pin 28A of the bucket 3 contacts the switching guide 34 and then contacts the fixed oblique guide 32. Therefore, as described above, the placement member 17 of the bucket 3 is also moved in a direction that moves obliquely backward after being moved in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction. Thereby, the agricultural products F on the mounting member 17 are discharged to any of the branch conveyors 11A to 11H corresponding to the eight types of equal classes.

As described above, in this embodiment, the configuration of the bucket 3 is simplified as compared with the conventional case, and the durability of the bucket 3 can be improved as compared with the conventional case. Further, the quality inspection apparatus 7 is configured to perform an internal quality inspection of the agricultural product F using inspection light that is transmitted light, and the inspection light L can be received by the sensor 39 on the lower side of the bucket 3.
Further, when the agricultural product F is discharged from the placement member 17 of the bucket 3 to the branch conveyors 11A to 11H, the bucket 3 is moved in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction and retracted by the guide groove 21A and the engagement pin 28A of the driving means 13. It is designed to move in the direction you want. Therefore, when the agricultural product F is discharged from the placement member 17 of the bucket 3 to the branch conveyors 11A to 11H, the relative speed in the transport direction can be reduced. Therefore, the agricultural product F can be discharged reliably and smoothly without rolling from the mounting member 17 to the branch conveyors 11A to 11H, and the agricultural product F can be prevented from being damaged.

Next, FIG. 6 shows another embodiment relating to the bucket 3. The bucket 3 shown in FIG. 6 is an improved portion around the light receiving hole 17 </ b> A in the mounting member 17. More specifically, an arcuate support member 44 is disposed along the light receiving hole 17A so as to face the back supporter 18, and is fixed to the strip-shaped member 25 adjacent to the light receiving hole 17A. In addition, a light shielding member 45 is attached to the outer surface adjacent to the light receiving hole 17A. The other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, and the corresponding members are assigned the same numbers.
In the bucket 3 of FIG. 6, since the support member 44 is connected to the mounting member 17, when the agricultural product F is mounted on the mounting member 17, the agricultural product F is transferred by the back supporter 18 and the support member 44. It can be surely placed on the placement member 17. Further, since the light shielding member 45 is disposed around the light receiving hole 17A, only the inspection light transmitted through the agricultural product F is received by the sensor 39.

Next, FIG. 7 shows another embodiment relating to the bucket 3, and in this embodiment, the mounting member 17 of the bucket 3 is improved. That is, the mounting member 17 of this embodiment uses a belt-like resin sheet 48 instead of the plurality of strip-like members 25 in the first embodiment, and the resin sheet 48 is flattened by a plurality of connecting pins 26. It is comprised so that it may become a shape. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the corresponding members are denoted by the same member numbers.
Even with such a configuration, it is possible to obtain the same operations and effects as the first embodiment described above. The belt-shaped resin sheet 48 is not limited to any material as long as it is a sheet having flexibility, and may be a metal net, for example.

Further, FIGS. 8A and 8B show another embodiment relating to the support member 23 attached to the upper frame 16 of the bucket 3. That is, FIG. 8A shows a case where the crank-shaped support member 23 is used, and the guide groove 23a is also formed along the crank shape.
FIG. 8B shows a case where the support member 23 having a gentle S-shape is used, and the guide groove 23a is also formed in accordance with the shape. Moreover, in the said Example, although the angle which the horizontal part 23A and the vertical part 23B make is set to 90 degree | times, it is not restricted to this, An acute angle or an obtuse angle may be sufficient.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the guide grooves 23a and 23a are formed in the pair of support members 23 and 23, and both ends of the connecting pin 26 of the mounting member 17 are engaged with both of them. The support member 23 may be omitted, and the mounting pin 26 may be held in a cantilever state to hold the mounting member.
The driving of the guide pin 28A is not limited to the guide. For example, driving means such as an air cylinder is provided in each bucket, and the engagement pin 28A is reciprocated in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. Also good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Article selection apparatus 2 ... Conveyance conveyor 3 ... Bucket 11A-11H ... Branch conveyor 13 ... Drive means 17 ... Mounting member 23 ... Supporting member 23A ... Horizontal part (1st guide part)
23B Vertical section (second guide section) F Agricultural products (articles)

Claims (3)

A conveying conveyor provided over a required area, a plurality of conveying conveyors provided in the conveying direction along the conveying direction, a bucket having a placing member for placing an article, and the above-described placing member intersecting the conveying direction of the conveying conveyor A placement member moving means for moving in a direction to move, and placing the articles on the placement members of each bucket and transporting the articles on the bucket to the side of the conveyor according to the sorting category In the article sorting apparatus
The bucket includes the mounting member configured to be bendable and a support member that guides the movement of the mounting member in a direction intersecting the transport conveyor, and the supporting member moves in the horizontal direction of the mounting member. And a second guide part that guides the movement of the placement member downward from the first guide part continuously from the first guide part,
The article is placed and transported by the placement member located at the first guide portion of the support member, and the placement member on which the article is placed is moved from the first guide portion to the second guide portion. An article sorting device for discharging an article on a placement member to a side of a conveyor.   A first guide portion and a second guide portion of the support member are each formed in a straight line, and an article inspection device for inspecting an article is provided on a transport path of the transport conveyor. A light source that projects inspection light from above onto the article placed on the article, and a sensor that is disposed below the bucket and receives inspection light that has passed through the article, and further includes the mounting member described above The article sorting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a through-hole through which inspection light transmitted through the article placed on the bucket passes.   The mounting member includes a plurality of strip-shaped members and a plurality of pins that connect adjacent strip-shaped members so as to be swingable with each other, and both ends of each pin protrude outward from the strip-shaped members. The supporting member is composed of a pair of supporting members opposed to each other, and guide grooves serving as the first guide portion and the second guide portion are formed on the opposing surfaces of the supporting members, and the strip shape The article sorting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein both ends of the pin protruding from the member are engaged with guide grooves of the pair of support members.