ES1074788U - Hortofruticolas products engineering machine (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Engaging machine of horticultural products, preferably oblong, characterized essentially because it is constituted by: - a translucent conveyor belt (1), for the entry of horticultural pieces (5). - an artificial vision system composed preferably of a gantry (2) supporting a camera (3), and a backlighting device (4) that illuminates the translucent conveyor belt (1) from below it, configured to achieve an image independent of the profile or contour of each piece (5) transported by the tape (1). - a guiding robot (6) of delta parallel type with four arms, which has one or more claws (9) anchored to the lower part of its rotating base; each claw (9) has two bellows suction cups (10) for vacuum absorption, flanked by u-shaped guides (11) oriented downwards. - an intermediate element preferably constituted by a mobile indexer (12) configured as a chain composed of a set of independent parallel supports, at identical distance from one another; each of these supports has two guides (13) in the shape of "U", oriented upwards, one at each end of the support, each guide (13) being provided with bearings (14) on the inside of the "U" " - a nesting robot (15) having a pick-up element (24) preferably composed of a set of six sliding claws (16) hung from a guide (21) anchored to a support (20), independently controlled and "step" variable, each claw (16) being in turn made up of two vacuum bellows (17) vacuum absorption controlled by vacuum switch (22), activated vertically by independent pneumatic cylinders (18); the pick-up element is provided with a certain controllable "pitch" angle. - a conveyor for the exit of boxes (19). (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

Product Embedding Machine fruit and vegetable

Technical field

The object of the present invention, as expressed in the statement of this specification, refers to an embedding machine for fruit and vegetable products, preferably oblong, such as cucumbers, zucchini, or Similar.

Background of the invention

The placement of cucumbers (or other vegetables from similar shapes and sizes) in their containers or boxes, to be issued and transported to the consumer without damage, It has been traditionally done by hand.

However, this procedure is very slow and it requires a lot of labor, in addition to the fact that cucumbers are deteriorate more easily by not being treated with care suitable.

To avoid it, they have appeared on the market different types of casing devices; examples of this are the files that appear in the SPTO with the numbers ES 2227040, ES 2237330 or ES 2326279, or the foreign files EP 1852354, JP 6183410, NL 9300980 or JP 8301221, among others.

However, all these devices feature the disadvantage that they also require, as a previous step, that an operator hand place the vegetables neat and well placed to the input of the encacker device such that, to He then picks them up and fits them properly; In addition, these devices are configured, in general, as non-programmable automatons, so that in each work cycle they always fit the same amount of vegetables in boxes of the same measure, and with the same predetermined distribution, being it is necessary to change the device if the quantity is changed or distribution of the vegetables to fit, or the dimensions of the box; also, some of these devices force the curvature natural parts, if they have it, down, forcing the piece Fruit and vegetable to a specific position.

Description of the invention

In order to overcome these inconveniences, it has designed the new product packaging machine fruit and vegetable, such as cucumbers or similar, object of the present technical report, although optionally, with programming suitable, can also be used in the fitting of parts oblong of other types or uses, of small or medium size, whether metal, plastic, etc.

The new machine, being programmable, It has advantages over existing ones.

First of all, no type of previous manual operation by the operators, since the machine can receive fruit and vegetable parts in any position and orientation.

Second, it can fit different quantities of pieces in boxes of different dimensions, and with any vertical distribution (by columns or to the tresbolillo).

Finally, the natural curvature of the pieces (if they have one) is not forced at any time to maintain a specific position, but this positioning occurs from natural form.

The new device is essentially constituted by the following elements: a translucent conveyor belt input, an artificial vision system, a guiding robot of type "Delta Parallel" (or "Spider" robot), an element intermediary consisting of a mobile indexer, a robot encacker and an exit conveyor belt.

The translucent input conveyor belt is responsible for supplying fruit and vegetable parts to the machine, in horizontal position.

This tape may have a plurality of longitudinal partitions that help correct positioning of the pieces in it.

The artificial vision system is composed by a porch that supports a camera, and a system of backlight that illuminates the translucent conveyor belt from below it, so that the camera captures zenithal the silhouettes of the pieces transported by the tape; said system Viewing is set to get a separate image of the profile or contour of each piece, so that it remains identified the position of each on the conveyor belt input, its orientation, and what is the thickest end, if there is (for example, a cucumber has an ellipsoidal or oval shape, slightly curved, with a somewhat thicker end than the other).

The "Parallel Delta" guiding robot of Four arms have at least one claw anchored to the part bottom of a base that can be placed and oriented in any position: three of the four arms are responsible for positioning the claw in the three dimensions of space while the fourth arm makes the base where the claw is anchored can rotate 180º. Each claw has two vacuum absorption suction cups, flanked by "U" shaped guideways facing below, which help center the suckers on each piece horticultural input conveyor belt, when the claw is ready to catch it down vertically on it. The purpose of using a spider robot is that it allows collection and reorientation of fruit and vegetable pieces very quickly, since when moving little weight, the inertia involved in these movements They are small.

The mobile indexer consists of a set of parallel independent and equidistant supports, on those that the spider robot deposits the fruit and vegetable pieces, placing one on each support; each of these supports is made up of two "U" shaped guides oriented towards above, one at each end of the support, each guide provided with a plurality of bearings on the inside of the "U"; from this way, when a fruit and vegetable piece is deposited, it turns on around its own longitudinal axis and self-orientates by gravitational attraction effect, so that its curvature natural (if any) is facing down.

The encacado robot has an element dustpan composed of a set of several claws (preferably six) independent control and "step" variable (the distance between claws can be adjusted), each being claw in turn composed of two vacuum absorption suction cups, which focus on each fruit and vegetable part of the indexer, when the claws of the pickup element fall vertically on the piece to catch it; the collecting element is provided with a certain controllable "pitch" angle, which helps to position the pieces in each box without deteriorating them; independent control of each claw allows to adapt the number of pieces to fit, both horizontally as vertically, to the dimensions of each box; he encacado robot is slower and more robust than the spider robot, put which has to move more weight, but at a lower speed.

The output conveyor is responsible for Supply empty boxes to the machine, while removing you fill them up

The operation of The new machine.

First, from a hopper or by pouring direct, the pieces to fit are deposited on the tape entrance conveyor where the partitions of it (in the if they are included) they help their separation so that it prevents two pieces from being deposited mounted on an envelope other.

This conveyor belt carries the pieces fruit and vegetables in horizontal position until they are passed through the vertical of the artificial vision system camera, which goes continuously taking zenith images of the silhouettes, recognizing the profile or outline of each of them separately; From this information, the system knows what the placement is exact of each piece in the horizontal plane of the tape, as well as its orientation, so when they pass below the vertical of the four-arm guidance robot, this locates and orientates its claws in the proper position depending on the placement and the orientation that each incoming piece presents on the tape transporter, picks them up (through their suction cups) of one at a time, moving from one piece to another in order of proximity, until completing the number of pieces that can be collected, after which goes to the indexer where you deposit them. Since the artificial vision system is able to recognize what the thicker end of each piece, is placed in the indexer alternately, that is, one with the thick end towards a side and the next with the thick end towards the other, so that when they are going to be fitted, they take up as little space as possible.

When the pieces are deposited in the indexer brackets, these rotate on themselves by action of the bearings provided on each support, and they position themselves according to its center of gravity.

The indexer moves the pieces towards the robot caster and then the robot pickup caster is placed on it and removes the pieces by means of their suction cups by groups. When the pieces to fit have been removed from the indexer, the claws of the pickup element of the encacado robot are reorganized by software, coming together and or distributing to different levels, and takes them to the vertical of one of the boxes that is circulating on the tape output conveyor, placing them inside said box in a horizontal position, "slightly nodding" the group of pieces during said operation to facilitate its introduction into the box and prevent the end pieces of each group from crashing against the edges of the box, deteriorating themselves and / or deteriorating the box; The machine can place a single level of pieces in each box, or several levels; when they fit several levels, the machine can be programmed to place a certain number of pieces, sorted by rows and columns, or at quincunx. Finally, the full boxes are extracted from the machine by the conveyor belt of exit and taken until the storage area

Description of the drawings

Figure 1 corresponds to a schematic view General of the packaging machine.

Figure 2 shows a detail of the claw of the guiding robot

Figure 3 shows a detail of the element encacado robot picker.

Figure 4 shows a detail of one of the indexer brackets.

Description of a practical example

In the figures that accompany this memory describes, by way of example, a case study of realization of the device object of it.

In this case study it is described, as application, a cucumber embedding machine consisting of:

- A translucent conveyor belt (1) of cucumber input (5) endowed with a plurality of partitions Longitudinal (23).

- An artificial vision system composed of a porch (2) that supports a camera (3), and a device backlight (4) that illuminates the translucent conveyor belt (1) from below it, configured to get an image of the silhouette of each cucumber (5) carried by the belt (1).

- An orientation robot (6) type Parallel Delta with four arms, which has two claws (9) anchored to the part bottom of a rotating base that can be located and reoriented in any position: three of the four arms are "arms of position "(7) and are responsible for placing the claws with respect to the three dimensions of space, while the fourth arm is a "swing arm" (8) and makes the rotating base (6) can turn 180º. Each claw (9) has two bellows suction cups (10) of vacuum absorption, flanked by guides (11) in the form of "U" facing down.

- An intermediary element consisting of a mobile indexer (12) configured as a string composed of a set of independent parallel supports, at the same distance from each other; each of these supports has two guides (13) U-shaped, facing up, one at each end of the support, each guide (13) provided with bearings (14) in the Inner face of the "U".

- A encacado robot (15) that has a collecting element (24) composed of a set of six claws (16) sliders, hung from a guide (21) anchored to a support (20), independently controlled and variable "step", being each claw (16) in turn composed of two bellows suction cups (17) Vacuum absorber controlled by vacuum switch (22), activated vertically by independent pneumatic cylinders (18); he pickup element is provided with a certain "pitch" angle controllable.

- A box exit conveyor belt (19).

Claims (2)

1. Fruit and vegetable products packaging machine, preferably oblong, essentially characterized in that it consists of: - A translucent conveyor belt (1), of entry of fruit and vegetable pieces (5). - A composite artificial vision system preferably by a porch (2) that supports a camera (3), and a backlight device (4) that illuminates the tape translucent conveyor (1) from below, configured to get an independent image of the profile or contour of each piece (5) transported by the belt (1). - An orientation robot (6) of delta parallel type with four arms, which has one or more claws (9) anchored to the lower part of its rotating base; each claw (9) has two vacuum suction bellows (10) suction cups flanked by paths (11) in the form of "U" facing down. - An intermediary element constituted preferably by a mobile indexer (12) configured as a chain composed of a set of parallel supports independent, at the same distance from each other; each one of These supports have two guides (13) in the form of "U", facing up, one at each end of the support, being each guide (13) provided with bearings (14) on the inside of the "OR". - A encacado robot (15) that has a collecting element (24) preferably composed of a set of six sliding claws (16) hanging from a guide (21) anchored to a stand (20), independently controlled and "pass" variable, each claw (16) being in turn composed of two vacuum suction bellows suction cups (17) controlled by vacuum switch (22), activated vertically by pneumatic cylinders independent (18); the collecting element is provided with a certain controllable "pitch" angle. - A box exit conveyor belt (19). 2. Fruit and vegetable products packaging machine, according to claim one, characterized in that the translucent conveyor belt (1) for input of fruit and vegetable pieces (5) incorporates a plurality of longitudinal partitions (23).