JP6607392B2 - Flower leaf lowering device and flower sorting machine equipped with the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a flower leaf lowering apparatus and a flower sorting machine, and more particularly to a lower leaf removing apparatus that removes the flower leaf lower leaves being conveyed.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a leaf removal apparatus that removes leaves from stems of chrysanthemums and other long-stemmed plants. In this case, after rotating a pair of upper and lower rotating brushes in which a large number of projecting pieces are planted, the chrysanthemum stalk is moved in the longitudinal direction of the stalk in a state of being sandwiched. As a result, the leaf is removed from the stem together with the leaf plate by the protruding piece.

  Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a leaf dropping machine that drops a flower leaf by contacting the base end portion of the flower bud while rotating a pair of upper and lower brush members.

  However, although the technique of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 uses an elastic material for the projecting piece, there is a problem that the stem is damaged because the lower leaf is taken like a stalk. Even when the brush is used for rubbing, as in Patent Document 2, there is a problem in that in the process of dropping the lower leaf, a large number of scratches are generated on the stem of the floret and the stem of the floret is damaged.

  On the other hand, as disclosed in Patent Document 3, the inventors bind an elastic string to a rotation shaft arranged so as to be orthogonal to the stem of the flower bud, and rotate the lower string to rotate the lower leaf. Propose to drop by shock.

Japanese Patent No. 2577695 No. 7-48038 Utility Model Registration No. 2548320

  By the way, in recent years, the locations and forms of florets are diversified, and the needs of florists retailers and florists purchasers are diversifying. Against this backdrop, there has been a need for farmers to ship the florets with different total lengths of the florets and under-leaf lengths of the florets according to the requests of the florists dealers.

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 3, in order to change the lower leaf removal range (length), an elastic string having a different length with respect to the rotation shaft is attached every time the lower leaf removal range is changed, or the rotation shaft Everything needs to be replaced. In addition, when the length of the elastic string changes, operations such as shaft height position adjustment, motor position adjustment, and operation confirmation are required, which is troublesome. Therefore, there was room for improvement.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a flower leaf lowering apparatus configured to be able to change the removal range of the lower leaves by a method easier than before.

  The floret lower leaf removal apparatus according to the present invention includes a rotating shaft that is substantially driven along the conveying direction of the floret and is driven to rotate by a driving unit, and a plurality of linear bodies whose base end portions are fixed to the rotating shaft. And a lower leaf taking part. The rotation axis is configured such that the inclination with respect to the conveyance direction can be adjusted, and an inclination adjusting means for adjusting the inclination of the rotation axis is provided. As described above, since the tilt of the rotation shaft is configured to be adjustable, the lower leaf removal range can be easily changed as compared with the related art.

  Specifically, the first aspect of the present invention is a lower leaf removing device for removing a lower leaf from a stem of a floret that is transported by arranging a transport path in a transport orthogonal direction perpendicular to the transport direction. A rotating shaft that extends substantially along the conveying direction of the groom, a drive unit that rotationally drives the rotating shaft, a base end portion fixed to the rotating shaft, and in the longitudinal direction of the rotating shaft A plurality of linear bodies arranged at a predetermined pitch along the plurality of linear bodies, and the plurality of linear bodies rotate integrally with the rotating shaft, and at the lower leaf area on the tip side of each linear body A lower leaf removing portion for removing a lower leaf of the flower bud, wherein the rotation shaft is configured to be adjustable in inclination with respect to the transport direction, and provided with an inclination adjusting means for adjusting the inclination of the rotation shaft. It is characterized by being.

  When the rotation axis is tilted with respect to the conveying direction by the inclination adjusting means, the rotation center of the lower leaf take-up part on one end side of the rotation shaft and the rotation center of the lower leaf take-up part on the other end side of the rotation shaft are It becomes different in the longitudinal direction. That is, the lower leaf can be taken at different positions in the longitudinal direction of the stem of the floret on one end side and the other end side of the rotating shaft. Therefore, the lower leaf removal range can be easily changed simply by adjusting the inclination of the rotating shaft by the inclination adjusting means. Thereby, for example, the lower leaf removal range can be adjusted more easily than in the past.

  The tilt adjusting means includes a bearing portion that rotatably supports one end portion of the rotating shaft, a moving portion in which the bearing portion is fixed integrally with movement, and movable in a conveyance orthogonal direction, and the moving portion is at a predetermined position. It is good also as having the movement control part which controls the movement of this moving part in the state which moved to.

  In this aspect, the bearing portion moves integrally with the moving portion, and is positioned by the movement restricting portion in the moved state. In this way, the tilt adjusting means can be realized.

  The inclination adjusting means adjusts the inclination of the rotating shaft with respect to the conveying direction by adjusting the position of the other end of the rotating shaft toward the tip of the groom with the one end of the rotating shaft as a fulcrum. Also good.

  According to this aspect, since the position of the one end portion of the rotating shaft is adjusted toward the floret tip side with the other end portion as a fulcrum, it is possible to adjust to increase the lower leaf taking range in the direction toward the floret tip side. Moreover, since the other end part of the said rotating shaft serves as a fulcrum, the flower bud base end position which can take a lower leaf can be decided.

  A second aspect of the present invention is a lower leaf removal device for removing a lower leaf from a stem of a flower bud that is conveyed in a conveyance path, in which the stem is arranged in a conveyance orthogonal direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction, A plurality of rotation shafts that are arranged at different positions in the range from the base end portion to the tip end portion of the flower bud stem on the road and that substantially extend along the conveying direction of the flower buds, and a drive that rotationally drives each of the rotation shafts And a plurality of linear bodies that are fixed to the respective rotation shafts at the base end portions and are arranged at a predetermined pitch along the longitudinal direction of the rotation shafts. A distal end closest to the distal end side of the floret, and a lower leaf removing portion that rotates integrally with each rotational shaft and removes the lower leaflet of the flower bud at the lower leaf removal region portion on the distal end side of each linear body The side rotation shaft is configured as a movable rotation shaft capable of adjusting the inclination of the tip side rotation shaft with respect to the transport direction, Tilt adjusting means for adjusting the inclination of the serial distal side rotating shaft, characterized in that is provided.

  In the second aspect, there is provided an inclination adjusting means for adjusting the inclination of the distal end side rotation axis closest to the distal end side of the groom, so as in the first aspect, by adjusting the inclination of the distal end side rotation axis by the inclination adjustment means. The lower leaf take range can be adjusted more easily on the tip side of the floret than in the prior art.

  Further, the lower leaf removal process can be dispersed in linear bodies fixed to a plurality of rotation shafts. In other words, the amount of lower leaf removal per linear body is smaller than when all lower leaves are removed with a linear body fixed to a single rotating body. Therefore, lower leaf removal leakage due to deformation of the linear body can be suppressed, and the lower leaf can be more reliably removed.

  The flower sorting machine according to the third aspect of the present invention includes a lower leaf removing device according to the first aspect or the second aspect, and a selection information acquiring unit that obtains selection information of the flower buds taken by the lower leaf removing device. And a sorting unit that sorts the florets based on the sorting information acquired by the sorting information acquisition unit.

  According to this aspect, since the flower sorting machine includes the lower leaf removing device described in the first or second aspect, a flower sorting machine configured to be able to adjust the removal range of the lower leaves more easily than in the past is provided. can do.

  According to the present invention, since the linear body is configured to be able to adjust the inclination of the rotating shaft fixed integrally with the rotation with respect to the conveying direction, the length of the linear body fixed to the rotating shaft is increased. In addition, the lower leaf removal range can be adjusted more easily than in the prior art.

It is a side view which shows the whole structure of the flower sorter which concerns on embodiment. It is an enlarged side view of the lower leaf removal device vicinity. It is a top view of the head part in the state where the cover and upper unit of the lower leaf removal device were removed. It is a top view of the upper unit of a lower leaf taking device. It is a figure for demonstrating the attachment position of a rotating shaft, and a lower leaf removal area | region part, and is the conceptual diagram which looked at the lower leaf removal apparatus from the front. It is an enlarged side view of the lower leaf removing device front side in a state where the cover is removed. It is the enlarged plan view which fractured | ruptured a part of upper unit of a lower leaf taking apparatus. It is an enlarged side view of the lower leaf removal device rear side. It is a rear view of the upper unit of a lower leaf taking device. It is a rear view of the head part in the state which removed the cover and upper unit of the lower leaf removal apparatus. It is a top view of the head part in the state where the cover and upper unit of the lower leaf removal device were removed. It is a top view of the upper unit of a lower leaf taking device. It is an expansion perspective view of a rotating shaft and a linear body. It is a figure for demonstrating a lower leaf taking area | region part.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The following description of the preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention, its scope of application, or its application. In addition, the same code | symbol may be attached | subjected to the same or similar structure, and the detailed description may be abbreviate | omitted.

  First, with reference to FIG. 1, the whole structure of the flower sorter based on this embodiment is demonstrated in detail. As shown in FIG. 1, the flower sorting machine 1 includes a flower bed 10 on which an operator places a flower, a head unit 2 that removes the lower leaf in the course of carrying the flower, and the lower leaf is removed. And a sorting device 8 for sorting the florets.

<Configuration of head part>
Next, the configuration of the head unit 2 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the head unit 2 includes a head main body unit 3, a conveyance path 4 that conveys the floret 11 placed by an operator in the conveyance direction, and a tip portion of the floret 11 being conveyed. A position adjusting unit (not shown) for aligning the position, a lower leaf removing device 5 for removing the lower leaf of the flower bud, and an upper unit support portion 6 (see FIG. 4) for fixing and supporting the upper unit 51 of the lower leaf removing device 5. I have. In the present embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the direction in which the floret 11 is transported is referred to as the transport direction. Further, the front side (upstream side) in the transport direction may be referred to as front, and the back side (downstream side) in the transport direction may be referred to as rear. Furthermore, the distal end side of the floret 11 (stem 12) to be conveyed is referred to as left, and the proximal end side of the floret 11 is referred to as right.

  The head main body 3 is integrally formed with a pair of left and right upper frames 31 and 31 that extend obliquely rearward in the front-rear direction at the upper corners of the left and right ends, and to extend downward from the rear end of each upper frame 31. A pair of left and right vertical frames 32, 32, a pair of left and right vertical frames 32, 32 integrally formed so as to extend downward from an intermediate position in the transport direction of each upper frame 31, and front and rear vertical frames 32, 32. ,... Are provided with bottom frames 34, 34,. A head base portion 35 extending in the front-rear and left-right directions is fixed to the upper frames 31, 31. The head base portion 35 is formed with through holes 35a and 35a in the vertical direction at positions corresponding to a pair of front rotation shafts 52 and 52, which will be described later, and positions corresponding to a pair of rear rotation shafts 52 and 52, respectively. Has been.

  Further, the head body 3 includes a pair of front and rear bearings 36, 36,... Attached to the front and rear ends of each upper frame and a pair of front and rear shafts that are supported between the corresponding bearings 36, 36,. Chain drive shafts 37, 37 and a plurality of sprockets 38, 38,... More specifically, the sprockets 38 and 38 are fixed to the rear chain drive shaft 37 at two positions, that is, an intermediate position in the left-right direction and a position near the right end. Further, the front chain drive shaft 37 is fixed in a state in which sprockets 38, 38,... Are fitted at three positions, an intermediate position in the left-right direction, a position near the right end and the right end of the intermediate position. In the chain drive shaft 37 on the rear side, the fixing position of the sprocket 38 is not limited to the above two places (two pieces), but may be two places different from the above, and three or more places (three pieces apart from each other). Or more). Similarly, in the front chain drive shaft 37, the sprocket 38 may be fixed at two or four or more positions separated from each other.

  A sprocket 38 is provided at a position corresponding to the sprocket 38 near the right end of the front and rear chain drive shafts 37 at an intermediate position in the front-rear direction of the head body 3. Similarly, a sprocket 38 is provided at a position corresponding to the sprocket 38 on the right side of the intermediate position of the front chain drive shaft 37.

  The rear vertical frames 32, 32 of the head main body 3 are attached and fixed to the upper end of the front vertical frame of a frame body 80a of the sorting device 8 described later. Further, the rear chain drive shaft 37 is connected to a sprocket 81 provided on the upper front side of the sorting device 8 described later on the left outer side of the flower sorting machine 1 so as to be integrally rotatable.

  The conveyance path 4 includes a plurality of endless chains 41, 41,... That are wound around corresponding sprockets 38, 38,. A plurality of feed pins 42, 42,... Projecting upward (outside in the turning direction of the endless chain 41) are fixed to each endless chain 41 so as to move and be integrated at equal intervals. Further, the transport path 4 is provided with a thin plate-like chain cover 43 extending in the transport direction on the transport path surface along each endless chain 41, and the stem 12 (hereinafter referred to as the flower bud 11) transported along the transport path 4. , Also simply referred to as stem 12). At the rear ends of the chain covers 43, 43 provided at the intermediate position in the left-right direction and the position near the right end of the head body 3, flower guide rods 44, 44 extending toward the rear are integrally projected. ing.

  Further, at the middle position in the left-right direction of the head main body 3, there is provided a flower restraining portion 45 that extends along the transport path 4 and presses the tip of the stem 12. The flower holding portion 45 is a tip portion of the stem 12 when the base end portion of the stem 12 is cut by a cutting portion 58 of the lower leaf taking device 5 described later, or when the lower leaf taking portion 53 is taken. Hold down. Thereby, it can prevent that the position shift and rotation of the floret 11 arise. In addition, the existing technique can be applied to the shape of the flower restraining portion 45. Although not shown, for example, the flower restraining part 45 may be made of a resin or rubber plate material, and the flower restraining part 45 is a flexible or elastically deformable flower restraining plate extending along the conveying path 4. The roller structure may be configured to rotate around the axis extending in the left-right direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the upper unit support portion 6 has an L-shaped outer shape in plan view, a support portion upper frame 61 composed of three grid-like frames, a corner portion of the support portion upper frame 61, and a head. A plurality of support part vertical frames 63, 63,... (See FIG. 6) that integrally connect the left and right upper frames 31, 31 of the main body part 3 in the vertical direction.

-Configuration of lower leaf removal device-
Next, the configuration of the lower leaf removing device 5 will be described in detail.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lower leaf removing device 5 includes four rotating shafts 52, 52,... That substantially extend along the conveying direction of the floret 11, and four that rotationally drive each rotating shaft. .., Four lower leaf removing parts 53, 53,... Fixed to the respective rotating shafts 52, and a cutting part 58 for cutting the stem 12 closer to the base end part. As will be described later, the rear rotating shafts 52 and 52 can be adjusted in inclination with respect to the conveying direction by the inclination adjusting means 7, and the rotating shaft substantially along the conveying direction is in this conveying direction. It is also a concept that includes a rotation axis that is slightly tilted.

  The four rotary shafts 52, 52, ... are composed of a pair of upper and lower front rotary shafts 52, 52 and a pair of upper and lower rear rotary shafts 52, 52. Moreover, the four rotating shafts 52, 52,... Are cylindrical metal bars. Although not shown in the drawings, the rotating shaft 52 may be a cylindrical metal rod or other material for weight reduction. The lower leaf removal device 5 is covered with the upper unit 51 (see FIG. 2).

  The cutting unit 58 includes a circular saw 58a that cuts the stem 12, and a motor 58b that rotationally drives the circular saw, and a pair of front rotary shafts 52, 52 at a position on the front side (upstream side) in the conveying direction. It is fixedly attached to an iron plate 66 fixed to the vertical frame 63.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the pair of upper and lower front rotating shafts 52 and 52 have the same horizontal position at the intermediate position between the proximal end portion 12 a of the stem 12 of the flower bud 11 and the first intermediate portion 12 b of the stem 12. The stem 12 is provided so as to be spaced apart in the vertical direction. Similarly, the pair of upper and lower rear rotating shafts 52, 52 are arranged on the rear side of the front rotating shafts 52, 52, and the third intermediate portion 12 c on the stem proximal end side with respect to the first intermediate portion 12 b of the stem 12. In the middle position with the fourth middle portion 12d on the stem tip side from the first middle portion 12b, the left and right direction positions are the same, and the stem 12 is spaced apart in the vertical direction. In addition, the position in the left-right direction is the same concept including what is substantially the same position. That is, it is a concept that includes those in which the positions in the left and right directions are slightly shifted due to manufacturing errors, assembly errors, and the like.

  Here, in FIG. 5, the rotation locus | trajectory of several linear body 53a, 53a, ... is shown typically. A solid line circle (diameter: L1) is a rotation locus of the lower leaflet portions 53, 53 (linear bodies 53a, 53a,...) Fixed to the pair of front rotation shafts 52, 52, and a one-dot chain line circle (diameter: L2) is a rotation locus of the lower leaflet portions 53, 53 (linear bodies 53a, 53a,...) Fixed to the pair of rear rotation shafts 52, 52. As shown in FIG. 5, the rotation range (rotation radius) of the linear body 53a fixed to the rotation shaft 52 on the front upper side (upper right side in FIG. 5) and the rotation shaft 52 on the rear upper side (left upper side in FIG. 5). It is configured to have an overlapping area AR1 that overlaps with the rotation range (rotation radius) of the linear body 53a fixed to. Similarly, the rotation range (rotation radius) of the linear body 53a fixed to the rotation shaft 52 on the lower front side (lower right side in FIG. 5) and the rotation shaft 52 on the lower rear side (lower left side in FIG. 5). It is configured to have an overlapping area AR1 that overlaps the rotation range (rotation radius) of the fixed linear body 53a.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the motor 56 to which the base end portion of the front upper rotary shaft 52 is connected is fixed to an iron plate 64 fixed to the support portion upper frame 61. A base end portion of each rotating shaft 52 and an output shaft 56a of each motor 56 are coupled by a connection joint 57 so as to be integrally rotatable. Further, the front end portion of the upper rotating shaft 52 is pivotally supported by a bearing 59 fixed to the support portion upper frame 61 via an iron plate 65.

  The motor 56 to which the base end portion of the rotating shaft 52 on the lower front side is connected is fixed to an iron plate 39 that is fixed to the head base portion 35 in a side view. Further, the front end portion of the front lower rotary shaft 52 is pivotally supported by a bearing 59 fixed to the head base portion 35 via an iron plate 35b.

  In the following, the swing mechanism of the rear upper and rear lower rotating shafts 52, 52 will be described in detail. Here, since both the rear upper and lower rotary shafts 52 and 52 have the same structure, the rear upper rotary shaft 52 will be described in detail first, and the rear lower rotary shaft 52 is different. In some cases, the description of the overlapping configuration may be omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the motor 56 to which the base end portion of the rotation shaft 52 on the upper rear side is drivingly connected can swing around the swing center in the vertical direction with respect to the support upper frame 61. It is supported.

  More specifically, an L-shaped lower L-shaped plate 67 covering the upper side and the rear side of the motor 56 is fixed to the motor 56 in a state where the output shaft 56a is penetrated. An L-shaped upper L-shaped plate 68 extending downward and having a lower end folded back forward is fixed to the support portion upper frame 61. In the lower plate 68a of the upper L-shaped plate 68 and the upper plate 67a of the lower L-shaped plate 67, vertical screw through holes (not shown) are formed at the respective center positions. Then, the lower plate 68a of the upper L-shaped plate 68 and the upper plate 67a of the lower L-shaped plate 67 are screwed with bolts 69b and nuts 69c with a spacer 69a interposed therebetween, thereby constituting a support structure. Has been. With this support structure, the motor 56 is supported by the support portion upper frame 61 so as to be swingable in a horizontal plane with the positions of the bolt 69b and the nut 69c as the swing center.

  Further, the tip end portion (the right end portion in FIGS. 7 and 8) of the upper rear rotating shaft 52 is pivotally supported by a bearing 59, and the bearing 59 moves the tip end portion of the rotating shaft 52 in the left-right direction so that the rotating shaft 52 is moved. It is fixed to an inclination adjusting means 7 for adjusting the inclination of.

  The inclination adjusting means 7 includes a rectangular plate-shaped moving portion 70 having a slide bush 71 fixed to the front side of the upper end portion, and a bearing 59 is fixed to the rear surface of the lower end portion at the center in the left-right direction of the moving portion 70. A pair of pillow units 72, 72 are fixed to the rear end of the support unit upper frame 61 at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction. A guide rod 73 extending in the left-right direction along the rear end of the support portion upper frame 61 is bridged between the pair of pillow units 72, 72. The guide rod 73 is inserted into the slide bush 71 so as to be swingable. Has been. Thereby, the moving part 70 is supported so that it can move to the left-right direction along the guide rod 73 between a pair of pillow-shaped units 72 and 72. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 9, a lever handle 75 is engaged and supported at the upper right corner of the moving unit 70 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction within the vertical plane. The lever handle 75 extends upward from the base end portion, and is then bent in the right direction. A grip portion 75a is provided at the right tip portion. On the right side of the right pillow unit 72 at the rear end of the support unit upper frame 61, an L-shaped fixing plate 76 having an L-shaped cross section is attached and fixed after extending in the vertical and horizontal directions.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the upper plate portion of the fixed plate 76 includes a plurality of through holes 77 a, 77 a,... Formed at a predetermined pitch in the left-right direction at positions corresponding to the lever handle 75 in the front-rear direction. A locked portion 77 is provided. On the lower surface of the lever handle 75, a pin-shaped locking portion 75b of a size that can be inserted into the through holes 77a, 77a,.

  And the inclination with respect to the conveyance direction of the floret 11 on the conveyance path 4 is adjusted by moving the moving part 70 along the guide rod 73. As shown in FIG. Further, when the moving portion 70 moves to a predetermined position, the locking portion 75b of the lever handle 75 is inserted into the through hole 77a of the locked portion 77 of the upper plate portion of the fixing plate 76 in that state. The moving unit 70 is fixed at a predetermined position to restrict the movement, and the inclination of the rotary shaft 52 is locked and fixed. For example, FIGS. 3 and 4 show a state in which the moving part 70 is moved to the right end of the guide rod 73 and the locking part 75b of the lever handle 75 and the locked part 77 are locked at that position. 11 and 12 show a state in which the moving part 70 is moved to the intermediate position in the left-right direction of the guide rod 73, and the locking part 75b of the lever handle 75 and the locked part 77 are locked. Show.

  The structure of the swing mechanism of the rear lower rotary shaft 52 is shown in FIGS. 8 and 10 and the like. The swing mechanism of the rear upper rotary shaft 52 is different from the swing mechanism of the tilt adjusting means 7 in that the bearing 59 is the moving part 70. Is different in that it is provided on the front surface of the lower end at the center in the left-right direction. The rest of the configuration is the same, and detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  For example, two through-holes 52a and 52a that penetrate in the axial diameter direction and are aligned in the axial longitudinal direction are provided at an intermediate position in the axial longitudinal direction of each rotary shaft 52, and the two through-holes 52a and 52a are provided. Are provided at four positions in the longitudinal direction at a predetermined pitch.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the base ends of the two linear bodies 53a and 53a are fixed to the two through holes 52a and 52a, respectively. More specifically, the two linear bodies 53a and 53a (hereinafter also simply referred to as linear bodies 53a) are each formed of two through holes 52a and 52a (hereinafter simply referred to as through holes 52a) from different directions. In other words, after passing through one of the through-holes 52a, the U-turn is inserted so as to pass through the other through-hole 52a, and the base end is positioned at a position where the line lengths after the U-turn are equal to each other. It is fixed with a binding band 53b or the like.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, between the pair of front rotating shafts 52, 52, the through holes 52 a, 52 a,... Are provided at positions corresponding to the front through holes 35 a of the head base portion 35. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper and lower rotary shafts 52, 52 are configured such that the positions of the through holes 52a, 52a,. Thereby, even when the length of both linear bodies 53a, 53a,... Between the pair of front rotation shafts 52, 52 is longer than ½ of the distance between the rotation shaft centers, the upper and lower rotation shafts 52, It is possible to prevent the linear bodies 53a, 53a,... Arranged in 52 from colliding with each other or tangling. Returning to FIG. 3, in the pair of rear rotating shafts 52, 52, the through holes 52 a, 52 a,... Are provided at positions corresponding to the rear through holes 35 a of the head base portion 35. Moreover, although not shown in figure, similarly to a pair of front side rotating shafts 52 and 52, it is comprised so that the position of the through-holes 52a, 52a, ... in the front-back direction may not overlap with the upper and lower rotating shafts 52 and 52.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the length from the base end to the tip end of the fixed linear bodies 53a, 53a,. , 52 are equal to each other, and each length is longer than ½ of the distance between the upper and lower rotating shaft centers. Further, the lengths of the linear bodies 53a, 53a,... Fixed to the pair of rear rotating shafts 52, 52,... Are the same as the linear bodies 53a, 53a fixed to the pair of front rotating shafts 52, 52,. ,... Are set shorter (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

<Configuration of sorting device>
Returning to FIG. 1, the sorting device 8 is hung around the sorting main body 80, the four sprockets 81, 81,. , A main body motor 83 for driving and rotating the conveyor 82, and a plurality of support arms 84, 84,. The sorting main body 80 is surrounded by a rectangular box-shaped frame 80a, and casters 80b are attached to the lower corners of the front, rear, left and right.

  Each support arm 84 has a base portion 84a (see FIG. 2) fixed to the transport conveyor 82, and a base end portion fixed to the base portion 84a, and an arm portion 84b (substantially V-shaped from the base portion 84a toward the rear side). 2). Each support arm 84 is configured to rotate integrally with the rotation of the conveyor 82. Further, the arm portion 84b of the support arm 84 is configured to be able to pass through the gap portion in the left-right direction of the flower guide guide 44 of the head portion 2 from the bottom to the top.

  Further, the sorting device 8 includes a weight sensor unit 85 as a sorting information acquisition unit, a plurality of passage sensor units 86, 86,..., A plurality of housing units 87, 87,. And a control unit 88. The sorting unit includes a plurality of passage sensor units 86, 86,..., A plurality of storage units 87, 87,.

  The weight sensor unit 85 detects the weight of the groom 11 in the process of being conveyed by each support arm 84. An existing weighing technique can be applied to the weight sensor unit 85.

  The passage sensor portions 86, 86,... Are provided so as to correspond to the respective accommodating portions 87, and detect passage of the respective support arms 84.

  Based on the weight information of the floret 11 detected by the weight sensor unit 85 and the passage information of each support arm 84 from the passage sensor units 86, 86,..., The control unit 88 lowers the corresponding support arm 84 downward. It is turned and the control is performed so that the flower bud 11 on the support arm 84 is accommodated in the appropriate accommodating portion 87 based on the weight information.

  Below, operation | movement of the flower sorter 1 is demonstrated in detail.

<Preparation>
The operator adjusts the inclination of the pair of rear rotating shafts 52 and 52 by the inclination adjusting means 7 before operating the flower sorting machine 1 as necessary. Specifically, the operator lifts the lever handle 75 and moves the moving unit 70 to a desired position in the left-right direction while sliding on the guide rod 73. Then, the lever handle 75 is lowered at the position after the movement, and the locking portion 75b is locked to one through hole 77a of the locked portion 77, thereby positioning the moving portion 70 (bearing 59) at a desired position. be able to. At this time, the motor 56 rotates about the center of the support structure on the extension line of the rotating shaft 52 as a fulcrum. Therefore, on the base end side (motor 56 side) of the rear rotation shaft 52, the rotation center position of the lower leaf taking part 53 in the floret longitudinal direction hardly moves. Thereby, since the area | region which can take a lower leaf leaf in the base end part side of the rear side rotating shaft 52 can be decided previously, the merit that the motor 56 should just be positioned according to the position of the cutting part 58, for example. There is.

  In the present invention, the rotation axis is not limited to the rotation axis 52 but is a concept including a rotation axis on an imaginary line on an extension line of the rotation axis 52. That is, as in the present embodiment, the rotation shaft may extend into the motor 56, and the base end portion only needs to be set on the rotation shaft. For example, the base end portion of the rotating shaft is an intersection of the rotating shaft on the phantom line and the support structure that supports the vicinity of the center of the motor 56 (the positions of the bolt 69b and the nut 69c in FIGS. 7 and 8). There may be.

  FIG. 14 shows the lower leaflet region portions 53 d and 53 d when the pair of rear rotating shafts 52 and 52 are inclined, and a plurality of dot-dash lines and two-dot chain lines fixed to the rear rotating shaft 52 are shown. The rotation locus of the linear bodies 53a, 53a,. The alternate long and short dash line indicates the rotation trajectory of the linear body 53a fixed to the front end portion of each rear rotation shaft 52, and the alternate long and two short dashes line indicates a linear shape fixed to the rear end portion of each rear rotation shaft 52. The rotation trajectories of the body 53a are shown. As shown in FIG. 14, by tilting the pair of rear rotation shafts 52, 52, the lower leaf region 53 d of the rear rotation shaft 52 can be widened toward the floret tip side. In other words, the operator can adjust the width of the lower leaf removal region portion 53d by adjusting the inclination of the pair of rear rotating shafts 52, 52 by the inclination adjusting means 7. The operation of the flower sorting machine 1 is the same when the inclination adjustment of the pair of rear rotating shafts 52, 52 is performed and when the tilt adjustment is not performed. This will be specifically described below.

<Operation of the head>
First, when the main body motor 83 (see FIG. 1) of the sorting device 8 is driven, the conveyor 82 (see FIG. 1) of the sorting device 8 is driven and rotated at a predetermined speed, and the endless chain 41 of the head unit 2 is driven. , 41,... Are driven and rotated at the same speed as the conveyor 82 (see FIG. 1).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the florets 11 supplied from the floret rest 10 (see FIG. 1) to the front end side of the head portion 2 are fed to feed pins 42, 42,... Fixed to endless chains 41, 41,. It is latched and conveyed on the chain covers 43, 43,... The floret 11 pushed and conveyed by the feed pins 42, 42,... Is pushed rightward by a position adjusting unit (not shown), and the floret 11 tip is aligned with the reference position. Thereafter, the groom 11 is conveyed into the lower leaf removing device 5.

-Operation of lower leaf removal device-
Next, the operation of the lower leaf removing device 5 will be described in detail. When the transport of the flower bud 11 in the transport direction is started, in the lower leaf removing device 5, the four motors 56, 56,... Start to rotate, and a plurality of fixed shafts 52, 52,. The linear bodies 53a, 53a,... Rotate at high speed so as to draw an arc around the rotation axis (for example, 1000 to 1500 rpm).

  First, when the floret 11 is conveyed into the lower leaf taking device 5, the cutting unit 58 cuts the stem 12 near the proximal end of the floret 11 (see the broken line in FIG. 5).

  When the lower leaf removing device 5 cuts the stem 12 close to the base end portion and then passes between the pair of front rotating shafts 52 and 52, the bottom leaf removing device 5 is disposed between the base end portion 12a and the first intermediate portion 12b of the stem 12. Remove the lower leaves. More specifically, a plurality of linear bodies 53a, 53a,... Rotating around the respective front rotation axes rotate, and the lower leaves of the flower bud 11 are moved by the lower leaf collection region 53c on the front end side of the linear bodies. knock off. Here, the lower leaf taking region portion refers to a region portion of the linear body 53a where the rotation locus of the linear body 53a and the stem 12 overlap. Thereby, the lower leaves of the linear bodies 53a, 53a,... Fixed to the upper and lower front rotating shafts 52, 52, that is, the lower leaves of the stems 12, that is, the proximal end portion 12a of the stem 12 and the first intermediate portion. The lower leaf between 12b is removed.

  After the lower leaf removal by the pair of front rotation shafts 52, 52, when passing between the pair of rear rotation shafts 52, 52, between the third intermediate portion 12c and the fourth intermediate portion 12d of the stem 12 The lower leaf is removed. More specifically, a plurality of linear bodies 53a, 53a,... Rotating around the respective rear side rotational axes rotate, and the linear bodies 53a, 53a,. Beat the lower leaves of the groom. Thus, the lower leaves of the linear bodies 53a, 53a,... Fixed to the upper and lower rear rotating shafts 52, 52, that is, the lower leaves of the lower leaf area 53d, 53d, that is, the third intermediate portion 12c and the fourth portion of the stem 12. The lower leaf between the intermediate portion 12d is removed.

  As described above, the lower leaf removing device 5 removes the lower leaf of the portion L3 in FIG. 5, and the flower bud 11 is transported on the transport path 4 to the flower guide guide ledge 44 provided at the rear end of the head portion 2. The Here, when the operator has tilted at least the tip of the rear rotary shaft 52 toward the tip of the groom by the tilt adjusting means 7, the lower leaf area 53d of the rear rotary shaft 52 is widened. That is, the range of L3 in FIG.

<Sorting operation of flower sorting machine>
The floret 11 conveyed to the floret guide rod 44 is conveyed in the conveying direction on the sorting device 8 by the support arms 84, 84,. Specifically, the support arms 84, 84,... Scoop up the floret 11 on the floret guide tub 44 from below as the transport conveyor 82 is driven, and move the floret 11 in the transport direction.

  After that, the weight sensor unit 85 detects the weight of the flower bud 11 placed on each of the support arms 84, 84,..., And the control unit 88 detects the weight of the flower bud 11 (the selection target flower bud 11) detected by the weight sensor unit 85. Get information. And the control part 88 supports based on the passage information of the support arm 84 on which the selection subject flower 11 is placed from the passage sensor parts 86, 86,. The arm 84 is rotated downward. Thereby, the groom 11 on the support arm 84 can be accommodated in the accommodating portions 87, 87,.

<Operational effects of this embodiment>
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the inclination adjusting means 7 can move the position of the bearing 59 that pivotally supports the distal end portion of the rear rotating shaft 52 to the distal end side of the groom and hold it at the moving position. It is configured as follows. Then, the lower leaf can be taken at different positions in the longitudinal direction of the stem 12 on the front end side (motor 56 side) and the rear end side (tilt adjustment means 7 side) of the rear rotating shaft 52. That is, compared with the case where the rotating shaft 52 cannot move, the lower leaf taking range can be expanded toward the floret tip side. This makes it possible to expand the lower leaf removal range more easily than in the past.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the lower leaflet is divided into the front rotation shafts 52 and 52 extending along the conveying direction of the floret 11 and the rear rotation shafts 52 and 52 configured to be tilt-adjustable by the tilt adjusting means 7. It is carried out. As a result, for example, when the lower leaf area requested by a flower shop is wide and it is easy to adjust the area of the lower leaf area, more stable lower leaf removal is implemented. Will be able to.

  Specifically, when tilting a single rotation axis to cover the entire lower leaf area, widening the lower leaf area increases the inclination of the rotation axis relative to the floret transport direction. There is. If the inclination between the floret conveying direction and the rotation shaft 52 becomes too large, it is conceivable that the lower leaf taking part 53 will not be able to hit the leaves, and stable lower leaf taking will not be possible. On the other hand, as in this embodiment, a plurality of rotating shafts 52, 52,... Are arranged at different positions from the proximal end portion to the distal end portion of the stem 12 of the floret 11, and at least on the distal end side of the floret 11. By providing the tilt adjusting means on the closest rotation shaft 52 (in this embodiment, the rear rotation shaft 52), it is possible to cope with a wider lower leaf area.

  Furthermore, even when the lower leaf removal area is expanded, the lower leaf removal process is performed on the lower leaf removal portions 53, 53 of the front rotation shafts 52, 52 and the lower leaf removal portions 53, 53 of the rear rotation shafts 52, 52. Can be dispersed. As a result, the lower leaf removal part 53, 53 and the lower leaf removal part 53, 53 of the rear rotation shaft 52, 52 are in the same direction in the transport direction as compared with the case where the lower rotation removal part 53, 53 is the same. The impact force due to can be dispersed. That is, the force with which the floret 11 is drawn in the traveling direction of the linear bodies 53a, 53a,... Can be weakened, and it is not necessary to press the floret 11 during lower leaf removal, or the force can be weakened. .

  In the present embodiment, the overlapping areas AR2 are provided in the lower leaflet area portions 53c and 53d on the front and rear rotating shafts 52 and 52, respectively. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the lower leaf removal leakage between the respective lower leaf removal region portions 53c and 53d. Moreover, unlike the prior art shown by patent document 1, it is not necessary to move the lower leaf taking part 53 to the longitudinal direction of the stem 12, and lower leaf taking is implemented without damaging a stem compared with a prior art. be able to. Further, in the case where the brush is provided in the longitudinal direction of the stem as shown in FIG. 5 of Patent Document 2, when the brush is not moved in the longitudinal direction of the stem, the rotation range (the rotation radius) is not overlapped. Although the lower leaf cannot be removed, this does not occur in the lower leaf removing device 5 according to the present invention.

<Other embodiments>
In the above-described embodiment, the pair of front and rear rotating shafts 52 and 52 are disposed at different positions from the proximal end portion to the distal end portion of the stem 12 on the conveyance path 4. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Not. For example, the rotation axis may be constituted by a single rotation axis or a pair of upper and lower rotation axes having the same position in the left-right direction, and the rotation axis may be provided with an inclination adjusting means. However, as described above, when the lower leaf area is wide, the rotation shaft 52 is preferably arranged at a plurality of different positions from the proximal end portion to the distal end portion of the stem 12 of the floret 11. The plurality of positions are not limited to two, and may be three or more according to the length of the stem 12 of the floret 11.

  In the above embodiment, an example of the tilt adjusting unit is illustrated. However, the configuration is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment, and any configuration can be used as long as the tilt with respect to the direction of the flower shaft of the rotating shaft can be adjusted. It may be a simple configuration. Similarly, the configuration of the locked portion 77 exemplified as the movement restricting portion and the locking portion 75b of the lever handle 75 is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment, and the movement of the moving portion 70 in the longitudinal direction of the iris is performed at a predetermined position. Any configuration may be used as long as it can be regulated.

  In the above embodiment, the example in which the tilt adjusting means 7 is provided on the distal end side of the rotating shaft 52 has been described. However, the tilt adjusting means may be provided on the proximal end side (motor 56) side of the rotating shaft 52. In that case, what is necessary is just to make it the structure which moves the motor 56 and the base end part of the rotating shaft 52 to the left-right direction together. In addition, inclination adjusting means may be provided on both the distal end side and the proximal end side of the rotating shaft, and the same effect can be obtained.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the example in which the position of the bearing 59 that pivotally supports the tip of the rear rotating shaft 52 is moved to the tip side of the groom 11 is described, but the moving direction is not limited to the tip of the groom. For example, although not shown, the tilt adjusting means 7 may be configured to move the position of the bearing 59 that pivotally supports the distal end portion of the rear rotating shaft 52 to the proximal end side of the groom 11.

  Similarly, the tilt adjusting means may be configured to tilt the rotation axis by moving the proximal end and the distal end of the rotation shaft to the distal end side and the proximal end side of the floret, respectively. In other words, the configuration of the tilt adjusting unit is not limited as long as the tilt of the rotating shaft can be adjusted, and the tilt adjusting unit can adjust the tilt of the rotating shaft by the tilt adjusting unit, as in the above embodiment. The effect that the removal range of a lower leaf can be adjusted easily is acquired.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the four motors 56, 56,... Are driven at the same time to remove the lower leaf from the proximal end portion 12a to the second intermediate portion 12c of the flower bud 11 has been described. Not. For example, by making it possible to select driving / stopping of the pair of rear rotating shafts 52, 52, it is possible to change the length of the lower leaf. Thereby, it becomes possible to easily change the lower leaf length. That is, it is not necessary to attach an elastic string having a different length with respect to the rotating shaft or to replace the rotating shaft with each change of the lower leaf removal length.

  Further, although not shown, the pair of front rotating shafts 52 and 52 and the pair of rear rotating shafts 52 and 52 may have the same position in the transport direction, and the same effect can be obtained. In this case, it is preferable that the positions of the two through holes 52a do not overlap in the front-rear direction even between the rotation shaft 52 arranged in the left-right direction in addition to the upper and lower pairs. Thereby, it can prevent more reliably that a linear body collides or entangles.

  In the above-described embodiment, the overlapping area AR2 is provided in the lower leaflet area portions 53c and 53d on the front and rear rotating shafts 52 and 52, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the case where the position in the left-right direction of the base end portion of the pair of rear rotating shafts is provided at a position on the tip end side of the stem as compared with the above-described embodiment (the dashed line in FIG. 5) Also, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained. That is, in the front and rear rotating shafts 52 and 52, by providing the overlapping area AR1 where the rotation ranges (rotating radii) of the linear bodies 53a fixed to each other overlap, overlapping with the lower leaflet area portions 53c and 53d, respectively. Even if the area AR2 is not provided, an effect that the lower leaf can be more reliably removed as compared with the conventional technique (for example, Patent Document 2) is obtained. In other words, for example, in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, the rotation range (rotation radius) of the lower leaf removal region 53 c of the front rotation shaft 52 and the lower leaf removal region fixed to the proximal end portion of the rear rotation shaft 52. If the overlapping area AR1 is provided in the rotation range (rotation radius) of 53d, an effect that the lower leaf can be removed more reliably than the conventional case can be obtained.

  Moreover, although the cutting part 58 shall be arrange | positioned in the conveyance direction upstream of the front side rotating shaft 52, it is not limited to this. For example, the front rotary shaft 52 and the rear rotary shaft 52 may be arranged at an intermediate position in the transport direction, or may be arranged downstream of the rear rotary shaft 52.

  However, by arranging on the upstream side in the transport direction of the front rotary shaft 52, the vertical vibration of the stem 12 after cutting the stem 12 is reduced, and the lower leaf can be taken out more reliably in the subsequent lower leaf removal step. In addition, there is an advantage that there is little delay in the transport direction.

  For example, the type of the linear body 53a is not particularly limited, but is preferably an elastic string-like body, for example, a urethane rubber-made or American rubber-like string-like body. Since such a thing has high surface flexibility and is strong also in the impact at the time of hitting a lower leaf, it can remove a lower leaf without damaging a stem. Moreover, it is preferable that the outer diameter of a linear body in case the linear body 53a is a urethane rubber is 2-3 mm, for example. Moreover, although the linear body 53a shall be an elastic string-like body, it is not limited to a string-like body, Even if it is a linear body (linear aggregate) like a string-like member twisted Well, the same effect can be obtained. Moreover, the linear body 53a does not need to be a single line, and may be a covered linear body in which the single line is covered with another member. That is, the linear body concerning this embodiment is the concept containing the linear aggregate | assembly which is what twisted the linear body, and the said covering linear body. Further, the linear body 53a may be a metal wire having flexibility and elasticity, for example. Further, the same effect can be obtained by using an elastic rod-like body instead of the linear body 53a.

  Further, the number of through holes 52a arranged in the longitudinal direction of the shaft is not limited to two and may be three or more. Further, the number of installation places where the two through holes 52a are provided is not limited to four, and the number may be less than four, or the same effect can be obtained at most.

  Further, the linear body 53a is fixed by the binding band 53b, but the fixing direction is not limited to the binding band 53b. For example, a fixing means is provided on the shaft and the fixing means is fixed by the fixing means. Also good. Further, the number of linear bodies through which the two through holes 52a are inserted, the insertion method, and the binding location are not limited to the method illustrated in FIG. 6, and are appropriately selected according to the type of the target floret 11. Can do.

  Moreover, although the front side rotating shaft 52 and the rear side rotating shaft 52 were each provided with a pair of upper and lower sides, any one of upper and lower sides may be sufficient.

  Moreover, although the length of the linear body 53a fixed to the rear side rotating shaft 52 was set shorter than the length of the linear body 53a fixed to the front side rotating shaft 52, it is not limited to this. That is, the length of the linear body 53a fixed to the rear rotation shaft 52 may be longer than the length of the linear body 53a fixed to the front rotation shaft 52. The same effect can be obtained.

  The lower leaf removal device according to the present invention can expand the lower leaf removal region without damaging the stem of the flower bud during lower leaf removal. It is extremely useful as a leaf removal device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Florist sorter 4 Conveyance path 5 Lower leaf removal device 7 Inclination adjustment means 11 Flower bud 12 Stem 52 Rotating shaft 53 Lower leaf removal part 53a Linear body 53c, 53d Lower leaf removal area part 56 Motor (drive part)
59 Bearing 70 Moving unit 85 Weight sensor unit (selection information acquisition unit)

Claims (5)

A lower leaf removing device for removing the lower leaves from the stems of the florets that are conveyed in the front and rear conveying direction in a posture laid on the left and right ,
A first lower leaf remover arranged on the front side in the conveying direction and configured to knock down the lower leaf of the lower portion of the lower leaf removal region of the stem with a first linear body that rotates about the first rotation axis. And
It is arranged on the rear side in the conveying direction and on the flower tip side from the first lower leaf take-up part, and knocks down the remaining lower leaves in the lower leaf take area with a second linear body that rotates around the second rotation axis. A second lower leaf take-up part configured as described above,
The lower leaf removing device , wherein the rotation axis of at least one of the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis can be adjusted with respect to the other rotation axis . A lower leaf removing device according to claim 1,
The inclination adjusting means includes
A bearing that rotatably supports one end of the rotating shaft;
The moving part fixed to the moving unit and movable in the conveyance orthogonal direction;
A lower leaf removing device, comprising: a movement restricting portion that restricts movement of the moving portion in a state where the moving portion is moved to a predetermined position. In the lower leaf taking device according to claim 1,
The first rotation shaft extends substantially in the front-rear direction,
The second rotating shaft is configured to be able to adjust an inclination with respect to the first rotating shaft.
A lower leaf removing device characterized by that. In the lower leaf taking device according to claim 1,
The turning radius of the tip of the second linear body is smaller than the turning radius of the tip of the first linear body.
A lower leaf removing device characterized by that. A lower leaf removing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A sorting information acquisition unit that acquires sorting information of the florets that have been taken down by the lower leaf taking device;
A floret sorter comprising: a sorting unit that sorts florets based on the sorting information acquired by the sorting information acquisition unit.

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