JP2001348113A - Fruits sorting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a simple sorting device for fruits capable of sorting round fruits without using a tray and not branching a conveying line of a conveyor for conveying the fruits. SOLUTION: Recessed parts 53a are directly formed on a conveying face of the conveyor 14 at a constant pitch, and the round fruits are placed on the recessed parts 53a. The data on grades of the fruits is tracked, and the fruits are packed in a case by grade. Whereby the fruits can be sorted and packed in the case without using the tray. Further as the conveying line of the conveyor 13 is not branched and joined, the conveying line can be formed into a straight simple line.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus for sorting fruits and vegetables by grade, and more particularly to a device which is easy to roll.
The present invention relates to an apparatus for sorting fruits and vegetables such as watermelons, peaches, pears, apples and the like which are easily damaged.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Round fruits and vegetables such as watermelon are graded according to the quality of the appearance (color, scratches, shape, etc.) of the fruits and vegetables.
Classified by weight or size. Grade and graded fruits are boxed by grade and grade. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a sorting device for sorting fruits and vegetables such as watermelon for each class, there is known a sorting device for fruits and vegetables shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-189380). In this apparatus for sorting fruits and vegetables, the fruits and vegetables are manually placed on a dedicated tray 1. The tray 1 is provided with a display switch 9 for displaying the grade of fruits and vegetables. The grades of the trays 1... Conveyed by the conveyor 2 are detected by the grade detecting device 4, the grades are measured by the measuring device 5, and are temporarily stored for each grade and grade by repeating branching and merging. That is, the trays 1 are branched from the transport conveyor 2 according to grade and rank, and are arranged and arranged in a predetermined boxing pattern on the arrangement and storage devices 6. When a predetermined number of trays 1...
Automatically picks up the fruits and vegetables from the tray 1 and packs them in the empty box 8. In this way, when the fruits and vegetables are placed on the trays 1 and transported, the trays 1 can be easily branched from the transport line.
Can be joined, the trays 1... Can be stored for each class, and fruits and vegetables can be efficiently packed in boxes.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus, an empty tray remains after the fruits and vegetables are packed in a box, so that a facility for collecting and storing the empty tray is required. . Also, the tray changes its traveling direction when it branches off from the transport line,
There is a problem that fruits and vegetables fall from the tray.
Further, there is a problem that the trays collide with each other when the trays are temporarily stored, generating noise, and causing damage to fruits and vegetables.

[0004] Further, the transfer line of the transfer conveyor is branched and
Since they are merged, the transport line becomes complicated, and as a result, it becomes difficult to perform tracking processing on the transported trays, and there is also a problem that the building area becomes large.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a simple fruit / vegetable sorting apparatus capable of sorting round fruits / vegetables without using a tray, and in which the transport line of a transport conveyor for transporting fruits / vegetables does not branch or join. With the goal.

[0006]

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described. In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present inventor formed a concave portion directly at a constant pitch on a conveyor surface of a conveyor without using a tray, and placed a round fruit or vegetable in the concave portion. Then, tracking processing was performed on the grade and / or grade data of the fruits and vegetables, and fruits and vegetables were packed in boxes by grade and / or grade. Specifically, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that a concave portion on which a round fruit or vegetable is placed is provided at a predetermined position of the transport conveyor formed at a constant pitch in the transport direction and the transported fruit or vegetable. Measuring means for measuring the grade and / or rank of the fruits and vegetables based on the grade and / or rank measured by the measuring means; Processing means for outputting a signal, and boxing means for boxing the fruits and vegetables conveyed by the conveyor by a boxing signal output from the processing means, wherein the recess is formed directly on the conveying surface of the conveyor. The above object has been solved by a fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus characterized by being performed.

Here, as the measuring means, for example, a grade inspection apparatus such as a flower drop inspection apparatus, a cavity inspection apparatus and an appearance inspection apparatus can be used, and the processing means includes a programmable controller, a microcontroller, a personal computer and the like. Computer, including boxing means,
It is possible to use a boxing device capable of three operations of running, traversing, and elevating. In addition, the tracking processing refers to a processing in which tracking data such as grade data given to the fruits and vegetables is sequentially moved in accordance with the movement of the fruits and vegetables, and the position of the fruits and vegetables is associated with the tracking data. Further, the concave portion contacts the fruits and vegetables at a plurality of points so that the posture of the fruits and vegetables does not change during transportation.

According to the present invention, fruits and vegetables can be sorted and packed in a box without using a tray, so that the problems caused by using the above-described tray can be solved. In addition, since the transport lines of the transport conveyor do not branch or join, the transport lines can be formed as straight and simple lines. As a result, the order of fruits and vegetables does not change, and tracking errors do not occur.

Further, the invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the transport conveyor comprises a slat conveyor in which the concave portions are formed in slats which constitute the transport surface and are arranged at a constant pitch in the transport direction. .

According to the present invention, when the concave portions are formed at the fixed positions of the slats arranged at the constant pitch, the concave portions can be formed at the constant pitch on the conveying surface of the conveyor, so that the constant pitch is maintained on the conveying surface. Recesses are easily formed.

In the invention according to a third aspect of the present invention, the plurality of box packing means are arranged in a plurality in the conveying direction of the conveyor, and each box packing means picks up the fruits and vegetables conveyed by the conveyor directly from the conveyor. It is characterized by being packed in the box.

According to the present invention, there is no need to branch fruits and vegetables from the transport line and arrange and wait for the fruits and vegetables during packing. Therefore, it is possible to form a simple straight line without branching the transfer line of the transfer conveyor.

Further, the invention according to claim 4 is provided in the box, an output means for outputting the serial number of the box, a detecting means for detecting the serial number of the box output by the output means, and the detecting means A boxing process for associating the serial number of the box detected by the method with the grade and / or rank of the boxed fruits and vegetables, and outputting a grade signal of the class and / or class of the boxed fruits and vegetables for each serial number of the box Means. Here, the serial number refers to a continuous number from the beginning to the end, such as the first day of the day, the second day of the day, and the like. A bar code or the like can be used as the output means, a bar code reader or the like can be used as the detection means, and a computer such as a controller can be used as the boxing processing means.

If the cycle time for picking the fruits and vegetables from the conveyor and picking up the fruits and vegetables and returning them to the original position is faster than the time for the conveyor to send one pitch of fruits and vegetables, the plurality of boxing means may be of different ranks. Fruits and vegetables can be boxed. However, if the cycle time is later than the time for the conveyor to send one pitch of fruits and vegetables, it is necessary to pack fruits and vegetables of the same grade by a plurality of boxing means. According to the present invention, since the serial number of the box and the grade and / or rank of the packaged fruits and vegetables can be associated with each other, it is possible to cope with the case where the cycle time is longer than the time when the transport conveyor sends one pitch of fruits and vegetables, Diversity is spread in boxing of boxing means.

[0015] The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that it comprises a printing means for printing the grade and / or the grade of the boxed fruits and vegetables for each of the boxes according to the grade signal output from the boxing processing means. I do. Here, an ink jet printer, a stamp, or the like can be used as the printing unit.

According to the present invention, the operator can easily confirm the grade of the boxed fruits and vegetables.

Further, the invention according to claim 6 is a grade display means provided at a predetermined position on the conveyor, downstream of the measuring means, for displaying the grade of the fruits and vegetables measured by the measuring means; Operated, and a final grade determining means for outputting a final grade, wherein the processing means updates the grade of the fruits and vegetables measured by the measuring means to the final grade output by the final grade determining means. I do.

Deep wounds on fruits and vegetables are not a means of measurement,
Measurement may not be possible without the naked eye. According to the present invention, since the operator can compare the grade of the fruits and vegetables displayed on the grade display means with the actual fruits and vegetables to determine the final grade, the final grade is also considered in consideration of deep scratches on the fruits and vegetables. Can be determined.

[0019]

1 and 2 show the process of receiving, sorting and boxing round fruits and vegetables, for example watermelon. First, the steps of accepting fruits and vegetables, selecting fruits, and packing in a box will be briefly described.

FIG. 1 shows the step of receiving fruits and vegetables. First, the producer places the watermelon received by truck on the receiving slat conveyor 11. The watermelon is conveyed by a receiving slat conveyor 11 and is polished by a purifier 12.
The purified watermelon is placed on the insertion conveyor 13, and is surely sent out one by one to the conveyor 14 as a slat conveyor for inspection by feeding the insertion conveyor 13 and rotating the cutting device (to be described in detail later). .

FIG. 2 shows the steps of fruit selection and packing. The operator 15 turns the direction of the water conveyed by the conveyor 14 in the horizontal direction. If the quality of the watermelon is poor, the operator 15 removes the watermelon from the conveyor 14.

Next, the watermelon is sent to a flower drop inspection device 16 as measuring means. This flower drop part inspection device 16
The size of the waterfall of the watermelon horizontally placed with a CCD camera,
Inspect the scratches and the approximate outer diameter to determine the grade of the watermelon (see FIG. 3 (A)).

Next, the watermelon is turned in the vertical direction by the operator 20, and the cavity inspection apparatus 1 as a measuring means is used.
7 The cavity inspection device 17 detects a cavity of an X-ray generator. At this time, the cavity inspection device 17
Receives the approximate outer diameter signal inspected by the flower dropping inspection device 16 and automatically adjusts the intensity of X-rays (see FIG. 3B).

Next, the watermelon is sent to the visual inspection device 18. The visual inspection device 18 uses five CCD cameras to inspect the appearance of the squid for flaws, disorder of stripes, discoloration, sunburn of the skin, lesions, etc., and determine the grade. With it
The visual inspection device 18 inspects the outer diameter of the watermelon and determines the final class (see FIG. 3C). This watermelon grade and final grade are sent to a programmable controller as processing means. For example, watermelons are classified into grades such as A, B, C, etc., and S, M, L, 2L, 3L, 4L, 5
It is classified into classes such as L and 6L.

Next, the watermelon is sent to a grade display device 19 as grade display means. The grade of the watermelon automatically determined by the flower drop inspection device 16, the cavity inspection device 17, and the appearance inspection device 18 is displayed on the grade display device 19. The above CCD camera can recognize that there is a flaw,
The depth of the wound cannot be recognized. The operator 21 compares the grade displayed by the grade display device 19 with the actual watermelon to determine the depth of the flaw that cannot be recognized by the CCD camera.
Press the grade push button as the final grade determination means to determine the final grade. The output of this push button causes the programmable controller to update the final grade of the fruit or vegetable.

The watermelon whose rank has been determined is transferred to the labeler 22 in the next step. The labeler 22 pastes a label on which the name of the producer and the grade are printed.

Next, the watermelon is sent to a box packing device 23 as box packing means. The box packing device 23 packs the watermelon into cardboard boxes 24 by packing one to four watermelons according to the same rank.

The packed cardboard box 24 is printed with the same grade on the other side by a stamping device or an ink jet printer as a printing means, and the lid is closed by a sealing machine and taped.

The cardboard box 24 packed with fruits and vegetables is
Pallets are stacked on the pallet for each class by the robot palletizers 25 (see FIG. 4). Then, the pallet on which the cardboard boxes 24 are placed is transported, and the stacker crane 2
The three-dimensional storage is performed on the three-dimensional storage shelf 27 for each class by 6 or the like.

FIGS. 4 to 8 show a fruit sorting facility incorporating a fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a plan view of the first floor of the fruit sorting facility, FIG. 5 is a plan view of the second floor of the fruit sorting facility, FIG. 6 is a view taken on line AA of FIG. 4, and FIG. 7 is BB of FIG.
FIG. 8 is a view taken in the direction of the arrows, and FIG. The fruit sorting facility mainly comprises a receiving device 31 for receiving watermelon from trucks, a sorting device 32 for sorting and packing watermelons, and a storage device 33 for placing cardboard boxes packed with watermelons on pallets and storing them three-dimensionally. Be composed.

The receiving device 31 includes a receiving slat conveyor 11 on which a watermelon received by a truck is placed, a purifier 12 for polishing watermelon, an insertion conveyor 13 for sending the purified watermelon to a sorting device 32, and an insertion conveyor 13. And a cut-out device 34 for transferring the conveyed watermelons one by one to the conveying conveyor 14 of the sorting device 32.

Receiving slat conveyor 11 ..., purifier 1
And two insertion conveyors 13 are provided for each of the five conveying conveyors 14. The two insertion conveyors 13 and 13 join immediately before the cutting device 34. At the junction, switching means such as switching bars or alternately operating the insertion conveyors 13 are provided. This switching means comprises an insertion conveyor 1 divided into two systems.
The insertion conveyors 13 and 13 are switched so that the conveyors 3 and 13 contact the conveyor 14 one by one.

When the producer changes, it is necessary to open a gap in order to be transported on the receiving slat conveyor 11 in order to separate producers. This gap is
A gap of watermelon is also created in the subsequent conveyor 14,
This results in wasted time in the sorting and boxing process. In this embodiment, the receiving slat conveyors 11, 11, the purifier 1
2, 12 and the insertion conveyors 13, 13 are divided into two systems, and when the producer changes, the junction of the charging conveyor 13 is switched by switching means, and the watermelon is sent to the conveyor 14 one system at a time. As a result, the boundaries of the producers are clarified, and there is no need to open a gap in which the products are transported on the transport conveyor 14, and no waste time is caused in the fruit selection and packing process.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show a cutting device 34 for transferring the watermelons conveyed by the insertion conveyor 13 to the conveyor 14 of the sorting device 32 one by one. The cut-out device 34 includes a frame 36, a water wheel portion 37 rotatably supported by the frame 36, and a winding drive mechanism 38 that drives the water wheel portion 37 to rotate. The water wheel section 37 is composed of a pair of left and right wheels 39a and 39b having a substantially disc shape, and water retaining bars 40 provided between the wheels 39a and 39b and protruding in the radial direction. Wheel 39
A waste ring 41a, 41b is attached to the inner peripheral edge of each of the a, 39b, and supports the watermelt so that the waste rings 41a, 41b are not damaged. Watermelon holding bar 40 ...
Are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction so that squid can be conveyed at a constant interval. The winding drive mechanism 38 is bridged between a sprocket 41 of the water wheel unit 37 and a sprocket 42 of the transport conveyor 14. The rotation of the water wheel 37
It is linked with the conveyor 14. For this reason, the slats 43...
When it comes to the side, the watermelon is transferred one by one to the slat 43 via the chute 44 from the cutting device 34. By repeating this operation, the squid is continuously transferred to the conveyor 14 at a constant interval.

As shown in FIG. 4, the sorting device 32 for selecting and boxing watermelons is provided with a conveyer 14 having recesses on which the watermelon is placed with a constant pitch in the conveying direction.
And a flower drop inspection device 16, a cavity inspection device 17, and a visual inspection device 18 as measurement means provided at a predetermined position of the transport conveyor 14 and measuring the grade of the fruits and vegetables to be transported, and the measurement means measured. Based on the class, the water conveyor conveyed by the conveyor 14 is tracked, and a controller as a processing means for outputting a boxing signal for each class, and a boxing signal output from the controller, are conveyed by the conveyor 14. A box packing device 23 is provided as a box packing means for packing the watermelon to be packed in the cardboard box 24. These sorting devices 32 are provided in a plurality of rows, for example, five rows in total.

FIG. 11 and FIG.
Is shown. FIG. 11 shows a sectional view at the fruit selection position, and FIG. 12 shows a sectional view at the boxed position. The transport conveyor 14 includes a frame 51 and a pair of sprockets (not shown) rotatably attached to both ends of the frame 51 in the transport direction.
And two chains 52, 52 spanned between both sides of the pair of sprockets, and the two chains 52, 52
And a plurality of slats 53. The plurality of slats 53 are arranged at regular intervals in the transport direction of the transport conveyor 14, and the
4 constitute the transfer surface. Each slat 53 ... has a recess 53
a is formed. The concave portion 53a is formed directly on the transport surface of the transport conveyor 14 while maintaining a constant pitch in the transport direction. In addition, the concave portion 53a contacts the watermelt at a plurality of points so that the watermelon can be stably conveyed without changing its posture. As the shape of the concave portion 53a, for example, a top of a pyramid, a curved surface of an arc, or the like can be used. Further, as the material of the concave portion 53a, a rubber-based cushioning material that absorbs an impact so as not to damage the water can be used.

As shown in FIG. 12, the width of the frame 51 of the conveyor 14 is widened at the packing position. A plurality of rollers 54 are arranged between the going slat 53 and the returning slat 53. These rollers 54 ...
An empty cardboard box 24 for packing the watermelon is placed. The cardboard box 24 flows on rollers 54. The movement of the cardboard box 24 will be described in detail later in the box packing device 23.

As shown in FIG. 4, the watermelt conveyed by the conveyor 14 passes through the flower drop inspecting device 16, the cavity inspecting device 17 and the visual inspecting device 18 in order, and the rank is determined. These determined rank signals are sent to the controller. Further, the determined grade is displayed on the grade display device 19 (see FIG. 2). As described above, when the operator 21 wants to change the grade by comparing the actual watermelon with the displayed grade, the operator 21 operates the push button to determine the final grade. This final grade signal is sent to the controller. The controller updates the grade measured by the measuring means to the final grade output by the push button. The watermelon whose final rank has been determined is labeled by the labeler 22. The programming controller also performs a tracking process of following the movement of the watermelon, sequentially moving the grade data given to the watermelon, and associating the position of the watermelon with the grade data.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the box packing device 23. A plurality of box packing devices 23 are arranged in the conveying direction of the conveyor 14, pick up watermelons conveyed by the conveyor 14 one by one directly from the conveyor 14, and pack them into an empty cardboard box 24. This box packing device 23
Picks up the watermelon flowing on the conveyor 14 from the conveyor 14 during the conveyance without stopping. For example, five types of cardboard boxes 24 are prepared according to the rank of the watermelon. The watermelt conveyed by the conveyor 14 is packed into the cardboard boxes 24 by several box packing devices 23 for each of the five types of cardboard boxes 24. Boxing device 23 of class 2L / 3L, L / M, 4L / 5L shown in FIG.
Is capable of three operations: running, traversing, and lifting / lowering.
The box packing device 23 of class 6L, S shown in FIG. 3 is capable of traversing and raising / lowering operations. Class 2L / 3L, L / M, 4L
The / 5 L box packing device 23 is responsible for a plurality of, for example, three cardboard boxes 24. Boxing device 23 of class 6L, S
Is responsible for one cardboard box 24.

FIGS. 14 to 16 show one box packing device 23. FIG. 14 is a plan view, FIG. 15 is a perspective view, FIG.
Shows a cross-sectional view in a direction perpendicular to the conveyor 14.

As shown in FIG. 14, the box packing device 23
The watermelon is picked up directly from the conveyor 14 and packed in a cardboard box 24. The packed cardboard box 24
It is moved to a box discharge conveyor.

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, traversing (movement orthogonal to the transport direction of the transport conveyor 14) is performed as follows. An AC servomotor 57 drives a ball screw 58 to move a frame 59 guided by a linear bearing 60. Thereby, the box packing device 2
3 The suction pad 61 attached to the front end is traversed.

The traveling (movement coincident with the transport direction of the transport conveyor 14) is performed as follows. The AC servomotor 62 drives the pair of ball screws 64 a and 64 b via the timing belt 63 to move the frame 65. Thus, the suction pad 61 runs.

The lifting and lowering is performed as follows. The AC servomotor 66 drives the ball screw 67 to move the suction pad 61 guided by the pair of guide bars 68, 68 up and down.

The suction of the watermelt is performed by operating a vacuum pump to generate a negative pressure on the suction pad 61.

These AC servomotors 57, 62, 6
6 and the vacuum pump are controlled by a dedicated controller. Also, which boxing device 23 picks up which waters on the conveyor 14 is determined by an instruction from the controller.

The cardboard box 24 conveyed into the conveyor 14 is shifted by the air cylinder 81 with a pusher to the unloading position of the box packing device 23. The air cylinder 82 lifts the table 83 supported by the guide bar, raises the cardboard box 24 to the position where the box packing device 23 is suspended, and allows the watermelon to be transferred. The cardboard box 24 that has been packed is placed in the air cylinder 84.
Is moved to the box discharge conveyor 56. This box discharge conveyor 56 conveys the cardboard box 24 to the next step.

As shown in FIG. 5, five types of cardboard boxes 2
4 are manufactured by a box-making machine 71. Each cardboard box 24
Is printed with a bar code as an output means for outputting the serial number of the cardboard box 24 by the ink jet printer 72. The cardboard boxes 24 on which the barcodes are printed are transferred to the rollers 54 (see FIG. 2) of the conveyor 14 by cardboard box conveyors 74 (see FIGS. 4 and 8).
See). As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 13, bar code readers 75 as detecting means for detecting the serial number of the cardboard box 24 detect the serial number of the box, and send this detection data to a controller as a box packing processing means. The controller associates the boxed watermelon class with the serial number of the cardboard box 24 and outputs a boxed watermelon class signal for each cardboard box 24. Here, the serial number refers to a continuous number from the beginning to the end, such as the first day of the day, the second day of the day, and the like.

If the cycle time in which the boxing device 23 picks up the watermelon from the conveyor 14 and packs and returns the water to the original position is faster than the time in which the conveyor 14 sends one pitch of fruits and vegetables, the plurality of boxing devices 23 are individually set. You can box different grades of watermelon. However, if the cycle time is slower than the time for the conveyor 14 to feed one pitch of fruits and vegetables, it is necessary to pack watermelons of the same grade with a plurality of boxing devices 23.
According to the present invention, since the controller associates the serial number of the box with the rank of the boxed watermelon, it is possible to cope with the case where the cycle time is later than the time when the conveyor 14 sends the watermelon of one pitch.

FIGS. 17 to 19 show a box packing method in the case where the cycle time of the box packing device 23 is longer than one pitch of the conveyor 14. FIG. This box packing method is performed by the box packing device 23 between classes 2L / 3L shown in FIG. The four boxing devices 23 are located between the classes 2L / 3L, and each of the four boxing devices 23 is responsible for three cardboard boxes 24. Here, the boxes 23 are numbered from the upstream side. The cycle time of the box packing device 23 is 8 seconds,
Is assumed to be 2 seconds. In addition, class 2L / 3
Since there are three grades of A, B, and C in the water of L, respectively, 2LA, 2LB, 2LC, 3LA, 3LB, 3
There will be a total of six grades of LC. Here, the letters A to F are assigned to the respective ranks. The symbol G indicates the so-called defective watermelon which is repelled without being packed in a box. Note that the rank of watermelon is managed by the tracking processing of the controller.

The watermelon is picked up by the transport device when it reaches the center position of the three cardboard boxes 24. Two seconds have passed between (1) and (2), (2) and (3), ... (17) and (18) in the figure, and the watermelon is transported one pitch downstream. .

As shown in FIG. 17 (2), when the watermelon A comes to the take-out position of the box packing device, the box packing device picks up the watermelon A on the transport conveyor 14, and the upstream cardboard box 24 (hereinafter referred to as an end). The watermelon A is packed in a box. Since the cycle time of the box packing device is 8 seconds,
After 8 seconds, that is, at the time (6) in the drawing, the box packing device picks up the water D on the conveyor 14 again. Since watermelon A and watermelon D have different ranks, watermelon D is packed in a box 24 in the second row (see FIG. 18 (7)). At this time, the box packing device also picks up the watermelon E on the transport conveyor 14 and packs it in the cardboard box 24.

Further, after one cycle time (8 seconds) has elapsed (see FIG. 18 (10)), the box packing apparatus is ready to pick up the watermelon G. Since the watermelon G is the watermelon of the defective product, the box packing device does not pick up the watermelon G and waits for the next watermelon to be transported. The box packing device is also ready to pick up the watermelon G, but waits for the next watermelon to be transported without picking up the watermelon G. Further, the conveyor 1
When 4 feeds the watermelon by one pitch (see (11) in FIG. 18), the box packing device picks up watermelon B and the box packing device picks up watermelon C. Box packing device is watermelon B box 2
Since No. 4 has not been completed yet, the watermelon B is packed in the box 24 on the downstream side (see (12) in FIG. 18). The box packing device packs the watermelon C into the central box 24 because the box 24 of watermelon C is not formed. At this time, the box packing apparatus also packs the watermelon D into the box 24 on the upstream side.

Further, after one cycle time has elapsed (see FIG. 19 (15)), the box packing device picks up the watermelon A and packs the watermelon A picked up in the upstream box 24. At this time, since the box packing device and the box packing device have no water to be picked up, wait for one more pitch of water to be sent. When the box packing device packs the watermelon A, the box 24 on the upstream side is packed with two watermelons A, and the box 24 is moved to the box discharge conveyor 56. Then, a new box 24 is supplied to the box packing device (see FIG. 18 (18)). When the watermelon is fed by one pitch (see FIG. 18 (16)), the box packing device picks up the watermelon E and packs it in the box 24 on the upstream side. Since two watermelons E are packed in the box 24 on the upstream side of the box packing device,
This box 24 is moved to a box discharge conveyor 56 (FIG. 18).
(See (18)).

By repeating the above operation by the box packing device, the watermelons are packed into the cardboard boxes 24 one by one, and the two packed boxes 24 are discharged by the box discharge conveyor 56.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 13, the packed cardboard boxes 24 conveyed by the box discharge conveyor 56.
Are closed and taped by a sealing machine 86. The grade printing device 87 as a printing means prints the grade of the boxed fruits and vegetables on the cardboard box 24 according to the grade signal output from the controller. This grade printing device 87 includes a stamp or an ink jet. The sealed cardboard box 24 is stored in the storage device 3 in the next process.
Sent to 3.

As shown in FIG. 4, the storage device 33 includes a robot palletizer 25 for placing the boxed cardboard on the pallet, a pallet transport conveyor 85 for transporting the pallet, and a three-dimensional storage shelf 27. The packed cardboard boxes 24 are stacked on a pallet for each class by a robot palletizer 25. The pallet on which the cardboard boxes 24 are placed is conveyed and stored three-dimensionally on a three-dimensional storage shelf 27 by a stacker crane 26 or the like for each grade.

FIG. 20 shows another example of the box packing device 23. In this example, for one line of the conveyor 14, classes 2L / 3L, L / M, 4L / 5L, 6L, S,
Six types of non-standard boxed sections are provided. In this example, the watermelon can be packed in a box even if the water conveyor of all grades is conveyed to the conveyor 14.

[0059]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Without using a tray, concaves were formed directly on the conveyor surface at a constant pitch, and round fruits and vegetables were placed in the concaves. Then, since the grade and / or rank data of the fruits and vegetables is subjected to tracking processing and the fruits and vegetables are boxed by grade and / or rank, the fruits and vegetables can be sorted and boxed without using a tray. Further, since the transfer lines of the transfer conveyor do not branch or join, the transfer lines can be formed as straight and simple lines. As a result, the order of fruits and vegetables does not change, and tracking data errors do not occur.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a step of receiving fruits and vegetables.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a fruit selection and packing process.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an inspection process of the same class.

FIG. 4 is a first-floor plan view showing a fruit sorting facility incorporating the fruit and vegetable sorting device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the second floor of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view taken in the direction of arrows AA in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a view taken in the direction of arrows BB in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a view taken in the direction of arrows CC in FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a side view showing the cutting device.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a cutting device.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view at a fruit selection position) showing the transport conveyor.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a conveyor (cross-sectional view at a boxed position).

FIG. 13 is an overall plan view of the box packing device.

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing one box packing device.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a box packing device.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view (a cross-sectional view in a direction perpendicular to the conveyor) of the box packing device.

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of watermelon during packing.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing a flow of watermelt during packing.

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of watermelt during packing.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing another example of the box packing device.

FIG. 21 is a plan view showing a conventional box packing device.

FIG. 22 is a side view showing a conventional box packing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 14 Conveyor 16 Flower drop inspection device (measuring device) 17 Cavity inspection device (measuring device) 18 Visual inspection device (measuring device) 19 Grade display device (grade display device) 23 Box packing device (box packing device) 24 Cardboard box (box) 32) sorting device 53a recess 75 bar code reader (detection means) 87 grade printing device (printing means)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Shinichi Saito 3-7 Bentencho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside NKK Plant Construction Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Akira Shimakura 4--11 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo No. 6 F-term in Shimakura Systech Co., Ltd. (reference) 3F079 AC21 BA12 CA06 CA21 CA32 CA38 CA42 CB01 CB29 DA19 DA22 EA02 EA19

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A conveyer formed with a constant pitch in the conveying direction, and a concave portion on which round fruits and vegetables are placed is provided at a predetermined position of the conveyor, and a grade and / or a grade of the conveyed fruits and vegetables are provided. Measuring means for measuring, and processing means for performing a tracking process on fruits and vegetables conveyed by the conveyor based on the grade and / or grade measured by the measuring means, and outputting a boxing signal for each grade and / or grade. A box packing means for packing the fruits and vegetables conveyed by the transport conveyor into boxes according to a box packing signal output from the processing means, wherein the concave portion is formed directly on a transport surface of the transport conveyor. For sorting fruits and vegetables. 2. The fruits and vegetables according to claim 1, wherein the transport conveyor comprises a slat conveyor which forms the transport surface and has the concave portions formed in slats arranged at a constant pitch in the transport direction. Sorting equipment. 3. A plurality of the box packing means are arranged along a conveying direction of the conveyor, and each box packing means picks up fruits and vegetables conveyed by the conveyor directly from the conveyor and packs the fruits and vegetables into the box. The apparatus for sorting fruits and vegetables according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 4. An output unit provided in the box, for outputting a serial number of the box, a detecting unit for detecting a serial number of the box output by the output unit, and a detecting unit for the serial number of the box detected by the detecting unit. A serial number,
Boxing processing means for associating the grade and / or rank of boxed fruits and vegetables and outputting a grade signal of the grade and / or rank of boxed fruits and vegetables for each box. 3. The apparatus for sorting fruits and vegetables according to 3. 5. The fruit and vegetable according to claim 4, further comprising a printing unit that prints the grade and / or the grade of the boxed fruit or vegetable on the box in accordance with the grade signal output from the boxing processing unit. Sorting equipment. 6. A grade display means provided at a predetermined position on the conveyor, downstream of the measuring means, for displaying the grade of fruits and vegetables measured by the measuring means, and operated by an operator to output a final grade. And a final grade determining unit that performs a final grade determining step, wherein the processing unit updates the grade of the fruits and vegetables measured by the measuring unit to the final grade output by the final grade determining unit. An apparatus for sorting fruits and vegetables according to the present invention.