JPH07110690B2 - Fruit sorting equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention relates to a conveyor for fruits and the like, and can be used as a sorter or a processor for fruits, articles and the like.

[Prior art and problems to be solved by the invention]

In the conventional fruit picking conveyor, etc., the receiving tray on which fruits are placed is centered on a support shaft provided between the pair of left and right chains, and the receiving body that can be tumbled is maintained and guided in the fruit receiving posture. The guide pin provided on the pan is slidably guided on the guide rail that extends over the guide rail, and the guide pin is derailed in the middle of the guide rail to allow it to fall freely, or the derailed catch pin is received to determine After maintaining and guiding in a fall posture,
Another fall return rail for returning to the guide rail is provided on the guide rail. Also, a saucer support device that engages and supports the saucer without using this guide rail is provided on the side of the saucer.
References for supporting and supporting the support shaft or chain in the front and rear of the transfer direction and releasing the supporting device from the catching engagement of the tray are, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-44013 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-36020. there were.

However, in addition to the chain, a guide rail is provided to maintain and guide the saucer in a fruit-receiving posture. The saucer vibrates due to sliding friction, which causes weight measurement errors and damage to the saucer. Even in the case of a support device that engages and supports this saucer on the side of the, if this engagement is released and it freely falls around the support shaft, the falling speed of the fruit is increased and the fruit is damaged. Or, when the saucer is rotated from the position directly below the spindle to the front side of the transfer, the saucer may be damaged at the forward, backward, stroke of the transfer of the saucer, or the rotating portion at the start end and the end, In addition to the chain, it has been desired to directly or indirectly support the saucer on the chain without providing a guide rail, and to guide and regulate the falling posture of the saucer.

[Means for solving problems]

According to the present invention, a support shaft 2 having a shaft center transverse to the moving direction is provided at a predetermined interval in the moving direction on a rotatable endless chain 1, and a saucer 3 provided on the supporting shaft 2 is supported. In a sorter which is provided so as to be able to fall about a shaft 2, there is provided a device for sorting fruits or the like, which is provided with a regulation unit that regulates a fall posture when the tray 3 falls.

[Action]

The pan 3 moves in the same direction as the endless chain 1 rotates. When the tray 3 reaches the predetermined position, the tray 3 falls down around the support shaft 2. Then, at the time of tipping over, the tray 3 is regulated in the tipping posture by the regulating means.

〔effect〕

The saucer 3 can be rotated unnecessarily largely and is not damaged, so that the working efficiency can be improved.

〔Example〕

In the figure, the conveyor for fruits is a pair of left and right chains.
A horizontally long saucer 3 is provided between 1 and 1 for placing long fruit and vegetables such as cucumbers and carrots in the left and right direction with respect to the transfer direction a of chains 1 and 1, and a row of saucers along the transfer direction a is provided. 3 rows are formed, one side of the saucer 3 and the chain 1
An explanation will be given by exemplifying a conveyer in a form in which the saucer support device 4 is provided between and.

The endless chain 1 is a roller chain, and is wound between a pair of left and right sprockets axially provided at a transfer start end and a terminal end of a pair of left and right endless roller chains, and a transfer path in the transfer direction (a) in an upper outward stroke. The lower part is the return stroke in the anti-transfer direction (a). For both the upper going stroke and the lower returning stroke, below the left and right chains 1 to be transferred onto a chain pedestal 6 which projects inward from the left and right machine frames 5 and is provided over the entire length of the linear reciprocating process of the conveyor. The rail 7 is configured to guide the chain 1 by a rail 7 made of resin that receives the side and a guide body 8 made of resin that receives the side.

In the link plate 9 of the chain 1 on either the left or right side, the holes 10 into which the support shafts 2 are fitted and received at a plurality of pitches, and the saucer 3
And a receiving shaft 11 for receiving the rear portion of the supporting device 4 for supporting the.

The support shaft 2 is divided into left and right by providing a space b in the vicinity of the front end edge of the saucer 3, and the left and right are fixed to the saucer 3 made of a resin agent by providing irregularities, and the left and right vertical directions with the space b as the center part. Face of
An expansion spring 13 is stretched between 12 and 12 to press the left and right support shafts 2 in the left and right chain 1 directions, and the left and right ends of each support shaft 2 are provided with small-diameter fitting portions 14, The structure is such that the chain 1 is fitted into a hole 10 provided in a link plate 9 and supported.

The attachment portion of the tray 3 to the support shaft 2 has the above-described configuration, is formed in a horizontally long rectangular shape, and the right and left side edges are provided with the upright surface portions 15 that rise upward. The fruit receiving surface 165 surrounded by the upright portion 15 and inclined at the front and rear edges has a wedge-shaped groove 1 along the transfer direction a.
7 is provided on the entire surface to prevent breakage of the cucumber wart. On the upper edges of the left and right side elevations 15, thin soft folds 18 are provided which are divided in the above direction. Further, below the side surface of the tray 3 that is in contact with the supporting device 4, a receiving rod 19 for engaging and supporting the supporting device 4 and guiding and stopping the falling is provided in a protruding manner. There is.

The support device 4 is a fixed portion which is supported by being fitted to the support shaft 2 on the front side in the transfer direction and by having the receiving shaft 11 provided on the chain 1 fitted in the longitudinal cutout 20 on the rear side. 21, and
The receiving rod 19 provided on the tray 3 is rotatably connected by a shaft 22 provided at the rear end of the fixing portion 21 and protrudes forward.
A guide portion 25 having an elongated hole 23 into which is inserted, and an engaging projection 24 projecting upward at a central portion in the longitudinal direction, and a support shaft fitted in the fixed portion 21 in the left-right direction. An engaging pin 27 that is rotatably supported by 26 and that engages with the engaging protrusion 24 is provided at the lower portion, and only the rearward and upward direction is projected to abut against the overturning tool 33 to engage the engaging pin 27. And the stopper portion 30 for maintaining the engagement posture of the engagement pin 27 by the abutment arm 28 that is disengaged and the expansion spring 29 that is stretched between the fixed portion 21 and the back surface of the abutment arm 28. It is composed of three parts 21, 25, and 31 with the engaging piece part 31 having. 32 is a cushion that receives the receiving rod 19 of the tray 3 at the end of the elongated hole 23.

The tipping device 33 is attached to the end 35 of the shaft 35 of the rotary solenoid 34.
The rotary solenoid 34 is supported by the machine frame 5 on one side. This abutting piece 36 interlocks with and excites the rotary solenoid 34 of the extraction unit from which the fruit of the size is to be taken out due to the detection of the fruit size detecting device,
The contact arm 28 is momentarily pivoted into contact with the contact arm 28 to disengage the engagement protrusion 24 and the engagement pin 27, and the saucer 3 is tumbled to drop the fruit. It has a fall-out structure. 37 is a cover of the tipping device 33.

The fruit conveyor may be provided symmetrically with respect to the machine frame 5 on one side.

The supporting device 4 has a fixed posture in which the fixed portion 21 has its front end side supported by the supporting shaft 2 and its rear portion supported by the receiving shaft 11 provided on the link plate 9 of the chain 1. The engaging pin 27 of the engaging piece 31 fixed to the fixing portion 21 by the support shaft 26, the expansion spring 29, and the stopper portion 30.
Further, a guide portion 25 rotatable about the shaft 22 is provided with an engaging projection 24.
The receiving rod 19 of the receiving tray 3 supported by the support shaft 2 on the front side is inserted into and supported by the elongated hole 23 of the guide portion 25 and is maintained in the fruit receiving posture. The saucer 3 and the fruit on the saucer 3 are eventually supported by the chain 1 in a state of leaning against each other.

The guide and regulation action of the tray 3 of the supporting device 4 is caused by the detection of the measuring device for detecting the weight, the thickness, etc. for sorting the fruits on the fruit conveyor according to the size, Receiving tray 3 and supporting device 4 for this receiving tray 3
Is transferred to the outlet, the distance from the measuring device,
When the rotary solenoid 34 of the tipping device 33 is excited after the required time has passed, the contact arm 28 in the horizontal position
The contact piece 36 that does not contact the
The abutting arm 28 of the supporting device 4 is displaced and abutted against the abutting arm 28 in the vertical direction. When the upper side of the contact arm 28 is tilted rearward around the support 26, the lower engaging pin 27 is disengaged from the engaging portion of the engaging protrusion 24. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the guide portion 25 of the supporting device 4 pivots downward about the front side about the shaft 22. On the other hand, the receiving rod 19 at position C
It rotates about the support shaft 2 and performs the circular arc movement of the path D while slidingly guiding it in the elongated hole 23 of the guide portion 25. Contact is made and further fall motion is restricted and restrained at this position.

In this way, the saucer 3 changes its posture from the fruit receiving position E to the falling position, and the fruit slides on the receiving surface 16 in the middle thereof, and then the receiving surface 16
Fall away from. The contact piece 36 returns before the next tray 3 comes.

The elongated hole 23 of the guide portion 25 is formed by bending it into a dogleg shape on the way,
As can be seen by comparing the arcuate movement path D of the rod 19 and the position of the guide portion 25 in the final posture, the guide portion 25 descends to the lowest position and then when the rod 19 abuts the cushion 32. Has risen from the bottom position, and due to the friction between the receiving rod 19 and the slot 23, the falling speed is reduced compared to when falling free, and the final falling posture is regulated. Can be reduced.

Further, since the contact piece 36 provided on the rotary solenoid 34 is rotated in the contacting posture in the direction in which the contact arm 28 is moved, the contact piece 36 receives resistance from the contact arm 28. However, the mechanical lock is applied, and the contact arm 28 can be surely pressed to prevent the tray 3 from falling over.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a plan view, FIG. 2 is a partial front sectional view thereof, FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view thereof, and FIG. A side view, FIG. 5 is a partial side view, FIG. 6 is a partial side view, and FIG. 7 is a front sectional view thereof. In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a chain, 2 is a spindle, and 3 is a saucer.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rotatably provided endless chain (1) is provided with support shafts (2) having a shaft center transverse to the movement direction at predetermined intervals in the movement direction, and a tray (3) provided on the support shaft (2). A device for selecting fruits and the like, which is provided with a restricting means for restricting an inclining posture when the tray 3 falls, in a sorter provided so as to be able to fall about the support shaft 2.