JP7585590B2 - Vegetable and fruit discharge device and method, and fruit sorting device and method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ejection device and an ejection method for blowing air onto fruits and vegetables that vary widely in weight, size, and shape, such as potatoes and onions, during the sorting process, and ejecting them from the sorting line to a discharge section, as well as a sorting device and a sorting method that use such an ejection device and ejection method.

Conventionally, when sorting fruits and vegetables in a sorting facility or the like, a PK conveyor using a piano-key shaped conveyor as disclosed in Patent Document 1 has often been used.
As shown in FIG. 10, for example, a fruit and vegetable sorting device 100 using a PK conveyor continuously detects the size of fruit and vegetable T placed on a PK conveyor 102 using a size detection means 104, and the fruit and vegetable T is discharged from the PK conveyor 102 to each of the discharge sections 106a to 106c according to the detected size.

When the fruit or vegetable T is transported by the PK conveyor 102 to the discharge section corresponding to the detected size, the transport section 102a of the PK conveyor 102 tilts downward, causing the fruit or vegetable T placed on the transport section 102a to be discharged to the discharge section.

Furthermore, when sorting fruits and vegetables, flat belt conveyors are also often used, as disclosed in Patent Document 2.
As shown in FIG. 11, for example, a fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus 200 using a flat belt conveyor continuously detects the size of fruit and vegetable T placed on a flat belt conveyor 202 using a size detection means 204, and the fruit and vegetable T are discharged from the flat belt conveyor 202 to each discharge/input section 206a-206c using discharge means 208a-208c according to the detected size.

As the discharge means 208a to 208c, a device configured to push out using a pusher (hereinafter also referred to as a "pusher discharge means"), a device configured to push out by blowing air (hereinafter also referred to as an "air discharge means"), or the like is often used.
In addition, when sorting using a flat belt conveyor, workers may sort the fruit visually and then remove them by hand.

JP 2008-18355 A JP 2009-68850 A

However, when using this type of PK conveyor, for example when dealing with small fruits and vegetables such as cherry tomatoes, a phenomenon known as tailgating can occur. Tailgating is a phenomenon in which when multiple fruits and vegetables are placed nearby and only one is to be discharged, the conveying section falls downward, dragging the nearby fruit and vegetables along with it as it is discharged. This can result in fruits and vegetables of different sizes being discharged into the same discharge section.

In addition, when multiple fruits and vegetables are discharged at the same time, as shown in Figure 12, the conveying section 102a may fall downward, causing the fruits and vegetables to get caught in the gap 102b, preventing them from being discharged.

Furthermore, due to its structure, PK conveyors have many gaps and folds. Dirt easily accumulates in these gaps and folds, and even after cleaning, the dirt tends to remain, creating a burden for users.

In addition, because PK conveyors are prone to becoming soiled, hygiene issues arise, and they cannot be used for peeled or cut fruits and vegetables, for example.

On the other hand, flat belt conveyors support fruits and vegetables through point contact, which means they lack stability when placed on the conveyor. Furthermore, when fruits and vegetables are transported using only a flat belt conveyor, they may not be positioned near the center of the width of the conveyor, which can make it difficult to accurately discharge them during sorting.

In addition, when using a flat belt conveyor, if a pusher discharge means is used, problems can arise in that the fruits and vegetables are damaged when they are pushed out. In addition, when using a pusher discharge means, it is necessary to install the pusher discharge means very close to the conveying line, so there is a risk that the fruits and vegetables may come into contact with the pusher discharge means, damaging the fruits and vegetables, or that the pusher discharge means may be damaged and foreign matter may get mixed into the conveying line. Furthermore, when sorting fruits and vegetables for use as raw materials for processed foods, etc., discharge that comes into direct contact with the raw materials is not desired, and non-contact discharge is preferred.

This problem can be solved by using an air exhaust means, but when sorting fruits and vegetables that vary greatly in weight, size, and shape, such as potatoes and onions, it becomes difficult to discharge them using an air exhaust means.

Specifically, if the fruit or vegetable being discharged is smaller than standard, the air may not reach the fruit or vegetable and it may not be discharged, or the fruit or vegetable may be so light that it may be blown away by the air.

On the other hand, if the fruits and vegetables being discharged are larger than standard, they may not move depending on where the air hits them, and they may be so heavy that they do not move even when the air hits them.

In view of the current situation, the present invention aims to provide a fruit and vegetable discharge device and discharge method that can reliably discharge fruit and vegetable even when the fruit and vegetable have a large variation in weight, size, and shape, as well as a fruit sorting device and fruit sorting method that use such a discharge device and discharge method.

The present invention has been invented to solve the problems in the prior art as described above, and the discharge device of the present invention comprises:
A discharge device for discharging fruits and vegetables from a conveying path when sorting the fruits and vegetables,
A size detection means for detecting the size of the fruit or vegetable;
one or more air exhaust means;
A discharge signal control unit,
The air discharge means includes a plurality of air ejection nozzles arranged in a vertical direction ,
the discharge signal control unit determines operation settings including the number of operations of the air ejection nozzle and an air ejection time based on the size of the fruit or vegetable detected by the size detection means, and transmits a discharge signal based on the operation settings to the air ejection means;
The air discharge means is configured to operate the air ejection nozzle based on the discharge signal.

In such an ejection device,
The size detection means is configured to detect a center of gravity of the fruit or vegetable,
The discharge signal control section may be configured to use the air discharge means to spray air onto the center of gravity of the fruit or vegetable.

In this case, the size detection means can be a visible light camera, a displacement meter, or a photoelectric sensor.

In addition, the sorting device of the present invention is
A sorting device for sorting fruits and vegetables in-line, comprising:
A conveying means for conveying the fruits and vegetables in a predetermined direction at a predetermined speed;
An inspection unit that inspects the fruits and vegetables;
A sorting and discharging unit that sorts the fruits and vegetables based on the inspection results of the inspection unit;
Equipped with
The sorting and discharging section is characterized by including any one of the discharging devices described above.

In such an ejection device,
The conveying means is
An alignment and conveyance unit that aligns the fruits and vegetables;
The inspection system may further include an inspection and transport section in which the inspection section is provided and which inspects the fruits and vegetables.

In this case, the alignment and conveying section can be configured to arrange two flat belt conveyors in a roughly V-shape.

In addition, the inspection unit
An appearance inspection unit that performs an appearance inspection of the fruits and vegetables;
A size detection unit that detects the size of the fruit or vegetable;
An internal quality inspection department that performs an internal quality inspection of the fruits and vegetables;
It may include at least one of the following:

The discharge method of the present invention further comprises the steps of:
A method for discharging fruits and vegetables from a conveying path using one or more air discharge means during sorting of the fruits and vegetables, comprising:
The air discharge means includes a plurality of air ejection nozzles arranged in a vertical direction ,
The method is characterized in that an operation setting including the number of operations of the air ejection nozzle and an air ejection time is determined based on the size of the fruit or vegetable, and the air ejection nozzle is operated based on the operation setting.

In this type of discharge method,
The center of gravity of the fruit or vegetable is detected, and air can be ejected onto the center of gravity of the fruit or vegetable using the air ejection means.

In addition, the fruit sorting method of the present invention includes the steps of:
A method for sorting fruits and vegetables, comprising: inspecting the fruits and vegetables while transporting the fruits and vegetables in a predetermined direction at a predetermined speed; and sorting the fruits and vegetables based on the inspection results,
The sorted fruits and vegetables are discharged from the transport path using the above-mentioned discharge method.

In this type of selection method,
The inspection of the fruits and vegetables includes:
An appearance inspection of the fruits and vegetables;
Detecting the size of the fruit or vegetable;
Inspecting the internal quality of the fruits and vegetables;
It may include at least one of the following:

According to the present invention, an air discharge device equipped with multiple air discharge nozzles is used to discharge the appropriate amount of air based on the size of the fruit or vegetable, so that even fruit or vegetable with a large variation in weight, size, and shape can be discharged reliably.

In addition, the sorting device and sorting method of the present invention use a flat belt conveyor as the transport means, which makes it easy to clean and does not cause hygiene problems. For example, it can be used to sort peeled or cut fruits and vegetables.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view for explaining the configuration of a fruit sorting device using a discharge device in this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the conveying means. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the air discharge means. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a size detection section when a visible light camera is used, FIG. 4(a) being a schematic side view, and FIG. 4(b) being a schematic top view. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for determining the center of gravity of fruits or vegetables using a visible light camera, where FIG. 5(a) is a schematic top view and FIG. 5(b) is a schematic side view. 6A and 6B are schematic diagrams showing the configuration of a size detection section when a displacement meter is used, with FIG. 6A being a schematic side view and FIG. 6B being a schematic top view. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for determining the center of gravity of fruits or vegetables using a displacement meter, where FIG. 7(a) is a schematic top view and FIG. 7(b) is a schematic side view. 8A and 8B are schematic diagrams showing the configuration of a size detection section when a photoelectric sensor is used, where FIG. 8A is a schematic side view and FIG. 8B is a schematic top view. 9A and 9B are schematic diagrams for explaining a method for determining the center of gravity of fruits or vegetables using a photoelectric sensor, where FIG. 9A is a schematic top view and FIG. 9B is a schematic side view. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a conventional vegetable and fruit sorting device using a PK conveyor. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a conventional fruit and vegetable sorting device using a flat belt conveyor. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating tailgating on a PK conveyor.

Hereinafter, embodiments (examples) of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a sorting device using a discharge device in this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sorting device 10 of this embodiment includes a conveying means 12 that conveys the fruit or vegetable T in a predetermined direction at a predetermined speed, an appearance inspection unit 14 that performs an appearance inspection of the fruit or vegetable T, a size detection unit 16 that detects the size of the fruit or vegetable T, an internal quality inspection unit 18 that performs an internal quality inspection of the fruit or vegetable T, and a sorting and discharge unit 22 that sorts the fruit or vegetable T based on the quality, size, etc. of the fruit or vegetable T measured in the appearance inspection unit 14, size detection unit 16, and internal quality inspection unit 18.

The conveying means 12 is provided with an alignment conveying section 12a and an inspection conveying section 12b. The alignment conveying section 12a is configured so that the fruit or vegetable products T placed on the conveying means 12 are aligned in the center of the width direction of the conveying means 12.

In this embodiment, the alignment conveying section 12a aligns the fruits and vegetables T by arranging two flat belt conveyors 13a, 13b in a roughly V-shape as shown in FIG. 2. It is preferable to change the inclination angle α of the flat belt conveyors 13a, 13b as appropriate depending on the size of the fruits and vegetables T to be conveyed. With this configuration, the fruits and vegetables T come into contact with the two flat belt conveyors 13a, 13b at two points, improving loading stability and making it easier to align the fruits and vegetables T near the center of the width of the conveying means 12.

In this embodiment, the inspection and transport section 12b is configured to transport the fruits and vegetables T by arranging two flat belt conveyors 13c and 13d approximately horizontally, as shown in FIG. 2. Note that in this embodiment, the inspection and transport section 12b of the transport means 12 is configured with two flat belt conveyors 13c and 13d, but it can also be configured with a single flat belt conveyor.

As described above, the appearance inspection unit 14, size detection unit 16, and internal quality inspection unit 18 are provided near the inspection transport unit 12b. In this specification, the appearance inspection unit 14, size detection unit 16, and internal quality inspection unit 18 are collectively referred to as the inspection unit 20. The order of the appearance inspection unit 14, size detection unit 16, and internal quality inspection unit 18 is not limited to the order in this embodiment, and may be changed as desired. The inspection unit 20 does not need to have all of the appearance inspection unit 14, size detection unit 16, and internal quality inspection unit 18, and may have at least one of them.

The appearance inspection unit 14 inspects the appearance of the fruit or vegetable T for scratches, water rot, abnormal dryness, and other abnormalities on the surface or below the surface of the skin. For example, an inspection device using near-infrared spectroscopy or an inspection device using a visible light camera can be used as the appearance inspection unit 14.

The size detection unit 16 detects the size of the fruit or vegetable T. As such a size detection unit 16, for example, a detection device that uses image analysis with a visible light camera, a detection device that uses a displacement sensor, a detection device that uses a photoelectric sensor, etc. can be used.

The internal quality inspection unit 18 inspects the internal quality of the fruit or vegetable T, such as its sugar content, acidity, ripeness, and internal damage. For example, an inspection device using near-infrared spectroscopy or an inspection device using ultrasound may be used as the internal quality inspection unit 18.

The discharge signal control unit 23 of the sorting and discharging unit 22 selects the rank of the fruits and vegetables T based on the quality and size of the fruits and vegetables T measured by the appearance inspection unit 14, size detection unit 16, and internal quality inspection unit 18, and the fruits and vegetables T are discharged by the discharge device 25 to the discharge input units 24a to 24c according to the rank. The discharge device 25 has air discharge means 26a to 26c corresponding to each of the discharge input units 24a to 24c.

Each of the discharge input sections 24a to 24c can be classified into ranks of the fruits and vegetables T, for example, large, medium, and small, depending on the size of the fruits and vegetables T, and can also be classified into excellent, good, and fair, depending on the quality of the fruits and vegetables T. It is also possible to use a combination of the size and quality of the fruits and vegetables T. Note that while only three discharge input sections are provided in this embodiment, this is not limited to this, and any number of discharge input sections, including one or more, can be provided, and air discharge means are provided corresponding to the discharge input sections.

As shown in FIG. 3, each of the air discharge means 26a-26c includes a plurality of air ejection nozzles 27a-27f. Each of the air ejection nozzles 27a-27f is configured to be able to operate independently. The discharge signal control unit 23 determines operation settings such as the number of air ejection nozzles to operate, the air ejection time, and the air pressure based on the size of the fruit or vegetable T detected by the size detection unit 16, and transmits an ejection signal based on the operation settings from the discharge signal control unit 23 to the air ejection means 26a-26c, and each of the air ejection means 26a-26c operates the air ejection nozzles 27a-27f based on the ejection signal. Note that the operation settings need only be configured to determine at least one of the number of air ejection nozzles to operate, the air ejection time, and the air pressure, and it is not necessary to control all of these.

Specifically, if the size of the fruit or vegetable T is small, the number of operating air ejection nozzles is reduced, the air ejection time is shortened, and the air pressure is reduced. Conversely, if the size of the fruit or vegetable T is large, the number of operating air ejection nozzles is increased, the air ejection time is lengthened, and the air pressure is increased. By configuring in this way, air can be ejected stably regardless of whether the size of the fruit or vegetable T is small or large.

The size detection unit 16 can also be configured to detect the center of gravity of the fruit or vegetable T, and the air ejection nozzles 27a to 27f can be used to eject air onto the center of gravity of the fruit or vegetable T.

The center of gravity of the fruit or vegetable T can be detected as follows.
When a visible light camera is used as the size detection unit 16, as shown in Fig. 4, an upper camera 17a and a side camera 17b are used to photograph the fruit or vegetable T from the side and from the top, and each image of the photographed fruit or vegetable T is analyzed to determine a minimum approximation circle of the fruit or vegetable T, as shown in Fig. 5. Then, a center of gravity G1 of the fruit or vegetable T is determined from the center of gravity of the minimum approximation circle C1 determined from the side image and the center of gravity of the minimum approximation circle C2 determined from the top image.

When a displacement meter is used as the size detection unit 16, as shown in FIG. 6, a top displacement meter 17c and a side displacement meter 17d are used to measure the side and top shapes of the fruit or vegetable T. The shape of the fruit or vegetable T is then estimated from the side and top shapes, and the estimated minimum approximation circle of the fruit or vegetable T is determined from the estimated shape of the fruit or vegetable T, as shown in FIG. 7. The center of gravity G2 of the fruit or vegetable T is then determined from the center of gravity of the minimum approximation circle C3 determined from the side shape and the center of gravity of the minimum approximation circle C4 determined from the top shape. Note that in this embodiment, line displacement meters are used as the top displacement meter 17c and the side displacement meter 17d, but it is also possible to configure the measurement to be performed using multiple spot displacement meters, for example.

When a photoelectric sensor is used as the size detection unit 16, as shown in FIG. 8, multiple photoelectric sensors 17e-g are used from the side of the fruit or vegetable T to calculate the maximum horizontal diameter L of the fruit or vegetable T as shown in FIG. 9. Then, the center of the maximum diameter is determined to be the center of gravity G3 of the fruit or vegetable T.

By determining the center of gravity of the fruit or vegetable T in this way and spraying air onto this center of gravity, the air can be reliably directed onto the fruit or vegetable T, and the fruit or vegetable T can be reliably ejected by spraying air.

The above describes a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

10 Sorting device 12 Conveying means 12a Alignment conveying section 12b Inspection conveying section 13a Flat belt conveyor 13b Flat belt conveyor 13c Flat belt conveyor 13d Flat belt conveyor 14 Appearance inspection section 16 Size detection section 17a Top camera 17b Side camera 17c Top displacement meter 17d Side displacement meter 17e Photoelectric sensor 17f Photoelectric sensor 17g Photoelectric sensor 18 Internal quality inspection section 20 Inspection section 22 Sorting discharge section 23 Discharge signal control section 24a Discharge input section 24b Discharge input section 24c Discharge input section 26a Air discharge means 26b Air discharge means 26c Air discharge means 27a Air ejection nozzle 27b Air ejection nozzle 27c Air ejection nozzle 27d Air ejection nozzle 27e Air ejection nozzle 27f Air ejection nozzle 25 Discharge device 100 Fruit and vegetable sorting device 102 Conveyor 102a Transport section 102b Gap 104 Size detection means 106a Discharge section 106b Discharge section 106c Discharge section 200 Fruit and vegetable sorting device 202 Flat belt conveyor 204 Size detection means 206a Discharge/input section 206b Discharge/input section 206c Discharge/input section 208 Discharge means T Fruit and vegetable

Claims (11)

A discharge device for discharging fruits and vegetables from a conveying path when sorting the fruits and vegetables,
A size detection means for detecting the size of the fruit or vegetable;
one or more air exhaust means;
A discharge signal control unit,
The air discharge means includes a plurality of air ejection nozzles arranged in a vertical direction ,
the discharge signal control unit determines operation settings including the number of operations of the air ejection nozzle and an air ejection time based on the size of the fruit or vegetable detected by the size detection means, and transmits a discharge signal based on the operation settings to the air ejection means;
The discharge device is characterized in that the air discharge means is configured to operate the air ejection nozzle based on the discharge signal. The size detection means is configured to detect a center of gravity of the fruit or vegetable,
2. The discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge signal control unit is configured to use the air discharge means to blow air onto the center of gravity of the fruit or vegetable. The discharge device according to claim 2, characterized in that the size detection means is one of a visible light camera, a displacement meter, and a photoelectric sensor. A sorting device for sorting fruits and vegetables in-line, comprising:
A conveying means for conveying the fruits and vegetables in a predetermined direction at a predetermined speed;
An inspection unit that inspects the fruits and vegetables;
A sorting and discharging unit that sorts the fruits and vegetables based on the inspection results of the inspection unit,
The sorting device, wherein the sorting and discharging section comprises the discharging device according to claim 1 . The conveying means is
An alignment and conveyance unit that aligns the fruits and vegetables;
The sorting device according to claim 4 , further comprising: an inspection and transport unit in which the inspection unit is provided and which inspects the fruits and vegetables. The sorting device according to claim 5, characterized in that the alignment and conveying section is configured to arrange two flat belt conveyors in a roughly V-shape. The inspection unit includes:
An appearance inspection unit that performs an appearance inspection of the fruits and vegetables;
A size detection unit that detects the size of the fruit or vegetable;
and an internal quality inspection unit that inspects the internal quality of the fruits and vegetables. A method for discharging fruits and vegetables from a conveying path using one or more air discharge means during sorting of the fruits and vegetables, comprising:
The air discharge means includes a plurality of air ejection nozzles arranged in a vertical direction ,
A discharge method characterized by determining operation settings including the number of operations of the air ejection nozzle and the air ejection time based on the size of the fruit or vegetable, and operating the air ejection nozzle based on the operation settings. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that the center of gravity of the fruit or vegetable is detected, and air is sprayed onto the center of gravity of the fruit or vegetable using the air discharge means. A method for sorting fruits and vegetables, comprising: inspecting the fruits and vegetables while transporting the fruits and vegetables in a predetermined direction at a predetermined speed; and sorting the fruits and vegetables based on the inspection results,
A fruit sorting method, comprising discharging the sorted fruits and vegetables from a conveying path using the discharging method according to claim 8 or 9. The inspection of the fruits and vegetables includes:
An appearance inspection of the fruits and vegetables;
Detecting the size of the fruit or vegetable;
and an internal quality inspection of the fruits and vegetables.

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