JPH10120159A - Interval regulative conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To regulate articles at suitable intervals after collapsing a big pile of bulk articles even if the articles have the different shapes and sizes, concerning an interval regulative conveyor for conveying the articles while regulating the intervals between the articles. SOLUTION: An interval regulative conveyor is provided with a receiving conveying passage for receiving articles P and feeding out them, a plurality of first conveying passages 2 to 6 arranged downstream from the receiving conveying passage and arranged in series so as to increase the speed and sequentially convey the articles P fed out from the receiving conveying, a second conveying passage 7 provided downstream from the first conveying passages 2 to 6 and for conveying the articles P at a speed lower than the article conveying speed of the downstream ends of the first conveying passages 2 to 6, and a third conveying passage 8 for conveying the articles P at the speed higher than the article conveying speed of the second conveying passage 7, and the conveying passage is provided with a guide structure for guiding the articles on the conveying passage in series.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an interval adjusting / conveying apparatus which conveys articles while adjusting the interval between the articles, and more particularly, optically sorts articles (for example, crops such as peppers) having irregular shapes and dimensions. The present invention relates to a distance adjusting and conveying device suitable for use in orderly supply to an apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been developed an apparatus for automatically performing operations such as sorting, sorting, packing, and the like, which are performed when the goods are shipped. There is a fruit sorting device that automatically sorts shaku vegetables. The curry fruit sorting device will be described. FIG. 4 is a partial side view schematically showing the curry fruit sorting device.

[0003] As shown in FIG. 4, a curry sorting device includes a stretching conveyor 21 to 27, an alignment conveyor 28, a supply conveyor 29, a sorting conveyor 35, and a camera-type sorting device as an optical sorting device (not shown). And so on. Of these, the stretching conveyors 21 to 27 are configured so that the moving speed increases sequentially toward the downstream side, and partition plates 33 are attached to both sides. Among the stretching conveyors 21 to 27, the curry K stored and shipped in the dedicated container 31 or the like is piled up on the most upstream stretching conveyor 21, and the stretching conveyors 22, 23, 24, 25, the moving speed of which sequentially increases, are increased. Since the transport speed can be increased while moving on the upper and lower surfaces 26 and 27, the mountain gradually collapses and is transferred to the alignment conveyor 28.

[0004] The aligning conveyor 28 separates and aligns the respective curies K. In addition, an alignment gate 30 is provided at the downstream end of the alignment conveyor 28, and the Curie K is transferred to the supply conveyor 29 through the alignment gate 30. Supply conveyor 2
Reference numeral 9 denotes a frame 29a provided on the surface thereof at right angles to the moving direction and arranged at equal intervals from each other. The body 29a can be conveyed while keeping the arrangement interval. Then, the curies K separated by the supply conveyor 29 at regular intervals are separated by the sorting conveyor 35.
It is to be transferred to.

[0005] The sorting conveyor 35 has a number of trays 35a attached to the surface thereof, and the curry K transferred from the supply conveyor 29 is placed on each tray 35a. Then, the curry K is transported to a camera-type sorting device (not shown) by the sorting conveyor 35. While the curry K placed on the tray 35a of the sorting conveyor 35 in this way is transported by the sorting conveyor 35, the outer shape of the curry K is determined by a camera-type fruit sorting device, and the individual curies are classified and graded. Are sorted and packed in boxes.

[0006] In FIG. 4, reference numeral 32 denotes an enlargement conveyor 21.
It is a weir provided between the partition plates 33 and 33 so that the alignment state of the Curie K is not disturbed when discharging the Curie K upward. The weir 32 is provided on the extension conveyor 21.
26, the spacing between the weirs 32 increases as the speed of the stretching conveyors 21 to 26 increases sequentially. By increasing the distance between the weirs 32 in this way, the mountain of the Curie K is broken.

[0007] In FIG. 4, reference numeral 34 denotes a stretching conveyor 26.
Is a weir return device that stretches the weir 32 that has reached the first position and moves it to the start end of the conveyor 21. In such a curry sorting apparatus, the directions are already aligned when stored in the dedicated container 31, and even when the mountains are collapsed by the stretching conveyors 21 to 27, the direction is largely increased due to the effect of the weir 32. Is not disturbed, so that the distance between them can be reduced on the alignment conveyor 28 so that they can be pressed against each other, and then transferred to the supply conveyor 29 while maintaining the required interval by the alignment gate 30. be able to.

[0008]

By the way, the above-mentioned apparatus is intended for conveying long and relatively uniform articles such as cucumber. For example, vegetables to be selected are peppers or peppers. Some potatoes are not long and have irregular shapes and sizes. However, the conventional apparatus as described above is used to convert articles having irregular shapes, dimensions, etc., such as peppers, having a diameter of 20 mm to 70 mm and a length of 30 mm.
When applied to vegetables or the like having a large variation between the range of 120 mm to 120 mm, the stretching conveyor 21 configured in a planar shape is used.
Although the peaks can be broken by the steps 27 to 27, since the alignment conveyor 28 is also configured to have a planar shape and a certain width, it cannot be aligned in a line.

For this reason, when the alignment gate 30 is opened,
At the same time, a plurality of items are transferred to the supply conveyor 29, and further, the plurality of items are transferred to the sorting conveyor 35, and the plurality of items are transferred to the camera-type sorting device. Can not do. The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and even if the articles are irregular in shape, dimensions, and the like, the articles can be adjusted to an appropriate interval by breaking the pile from the piled state. It is an object of the present invention to provide an interval adjusting transport device as described above.

[0010]

According to the present invention, there is provided a distance adjusting / conveying apparatus according to the present invention, wherein a receiving / conveying path for receiving an article and sending out the article is provided on a downstream side of the receiving / conveying path. A plurality of first transport paths arranged in series so as to transport the articles sent out from the receiving transport path at a sequentially increased speed; and a first transport path provided downstream of the first transport path. A second transport path for transporting the article at a lower speed than the article transport speed at the downstream end, and a third transport path for transporting the article at a higher speed than the article transport speed of the second transport path; The road is provided with a guide structure for guiding the articles on the transport path in a line.

With such a configuration, first, when the articles are put into the receiving conveyance path in a piled state, the piled-up articles are conveyed to a plurality of first conveyance paths which are sequentially conveyed at an increased speed. As the transport speed increases, the peaks gradually collapse, and the number of stacked layers is reduced, and at the same time, the layers are guided in a line by the guide structure. At this time, the front-rear spacing between the articles in a row varies, but these articles are then transported at a lower speed than the article transport speed at the downstream end of the first transport path. When transported to
These articles are guided in a line by the guide structure, and the front-rear spacing between the articles is reduced due to a decrease in the conveying speed, and the articles are pressed against each other, so that the articles are arranged in a row without any gap.

Subsequently, these articles are further transported to a third transport path which transports the articles at a higher speed than the second transport path. , And as a result, the articles are sent out in a line separated at equal intervals before and after. The distance adjusting transport device according to the present invention according to claim 2 is the device according to claim 1, wherein, among the transport routes, the transport route whose article transport speed is set higher than the immediately upstream transport route is: A step is provided so as to be located vertically below the immediately upstream transport path.

With this configuration, when an article is transported to a transport path whose article transport speed is set higher than that of the immediately upstream transport path, a step provided on the transport path causes
Further, the pile of articles is more easily collapsed, and the number of stacked layers is surely reduced.

[0014]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. The interval adjusting / conveying device of the present embodiment is used for adjusting the interval in order to sort articles by a camera-type sorting device as an optical sorting device. The product is not a long product but a vegetable of irregular size and shape, such as vegetables such as peppers and potatoes, and is hereinafter referred to as a fruit selection target.

As shown in the schematic side view of FIG. 1, the interval adjusting / conveying apparatus of this embodiment includes a receiving conveyor (receiving conveying path) 1, a separation conveyor (first conveying path) 2 to 6, and a collecting conveyor (first conveying path). 2), a re-separation conveyor (third transport path) 8, and the like. In addition, the fruit selection target P whose interval has been adjusted by such a regular interval adjusting / conveying device.
Are transferred to the sorting conveyor 9 and the outer shape is determined by the camera-type fruit sorting device 10 while being conveyed by the sorting conveyor 9 and sorted according to the shape, dimensions, etc. of each fruit sorting object P. ing.

First, the receiving conveyor 1 is intermittently loaded with an appropriate amount of the fruit selection target P which has been carried in a container or the like (not shown), and is provided with the belt portions 1c, 1c constituting the transport surface 1A. The object P to be sorted is sent out to a plurality of separation conveyors 2 to 6 provided on the downstream side by the conveying force due to the rotation. Specifically, receiving conveyor 1
As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, a pair of belt conveyors 1a, 1a are approached in a state of being inclined at an appropriate angle,
The transport surface 1A is configured by arranging the upper surfaces of the belt portions 1c, 1c so as to face each other. The transport surface 1A of the transport path (receiving transport path) configured by the receiving conveyor 1 has a V-shaped cross section. Is formed.

The transport surface 1A formed in the V-shaped cross section as described above functions as a guide structure for guiding the fruits P to the transport surface 1A in a line. In addition, as a matter of course, each belt portion 1c,
It is necessary to arrange the lower ends of 1c at intervals such that the fruit selection objects P do not pass through each other. In addition, the belt conveyor 1a,
1a, guide plates 1b, 1b
Are mounted, and the inner surface of each guide plate 1b, 1b is mounted on the transfer surface 1 of the corresponding belt conveyor 1a, 1a.
A is disposed on substantially the same plane as A. As a result, a guide wall having a sufficient height is formed on the receiving conveyor 1, so that even when a large amount of the fruit selection object P is supplied, the fruit selection object P does not overflow. It has become. Note that, in FIG. 2, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the fruit selection target objects P are all shown to have the same shape and dimensions.

As shown in FIG. 1, the receiving conveyor 1 is a portion into which a large amount of the fruit selection objects P are put, so that the receiving conveyor 1 can receive a large quantity of the fruit selection objects P. It is constituted by a belt conveyor 1a having a relatively long length. On the downstream side of the receiving conveyor 1, a plurality of separation conveyors 2 to 6 are arranged in series with the receiving conveyor 1.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the separation conveyor 5 also includes a pair of belt conveyors 5a, 5a approaching and arranged so as to be inclined and opposed to each other, similarly to the receiving conveyor 1 described above. The transport surface 5A is configured to form a V-shaped cross section. In FIG. 3,
Although only the separation conveyor 5 is shown, other separation conveyors are similarly configured. FIG. 3 shows a state in which fruit selection objects P1 and P2 having different sizes are arranged in a line.

However, among the separation conveyors 2 to 6, the separation conveyors 2 and 3 on the upstream side are arranged in the upper direction of the paired belt conveyors 2a and 3a in the same manner as the receiving conveyor 1 in the upward direction.
Guide plates 2b and 3b are attached respectively. The reason why the guide plates 2b and 3b are attached only to the separation conveyors 2 and 3 in this manner is that at this stage, the piles of the piled fruits P may not be distorted so much. In this case, it is necessary to prevent the fruit P from overflowing.

The plurality of separation conveyors 2 to 6 are adapted to sequentially increase the speed of the fruit selection objects P sent from the receiving conveyor 1 and convey them. That is, the transport speed (article transport speed) of the separation conveyor 2 is set higher than that of the receiving conveyor 1 as the immediately upstream transport path,
The transport speed of the separation conveyors 3 to 6 is set higher than that of each of the separation conveyors 2 to 5 as the immediately upstream transport paths.

As described above, by providing the plurality of separation conveyors 2 to 6 and sequentially increasing the speed, the mountains of the fruits P are easily collapsed, and the number of stacked layers is easily reduced. I have. Also, without increasing speed rapidly,
By sequentially increasing the speed, the transfer between the separation conveyors is facilitated. In addition, the receiving conveyor 1 and the separation conveyors 2 to 6 may operate at a fixed conveying speed set to an appropriate value in advance, however, as long as the conveying speed can be adjusted, the conveying state may be adjusted. It is preferable to be able to control the transport speed to an appropriate value while watching the results.

The separation conveyor 2 is provided with a step so as to be located slightly vertically below the receiving conveyor 1 as the immediately upstream conveying path, and the separation conveyors 3 to 6 are provided.
Is a separation conveyor 2 as each upstream and downstream conveyance path
Steps are provided so as to be located vertically below the vertical axis. As described above, the step is provided between the respective conveyors because the fruit sorting objects P conveyed along the conveying surface of the belt conveyor arranged so as to form a V-shaped cross section are stacked. This is to make it easy to be broken down.

With such separation conveyors 1 to 6,
By transporting the fruit selection target P, the mountain of the fruit selection target P is collapsed and is transported in a line. In addition,
These separation conveyors 2 to 6 are for sequentially increasing the conveying speed of the fruit selection object P, and do not require a long conveyor, and are constituted by short conveyors in consideration of space.

On the downstream side of such a separation conveyor 6,
Again, an assembly conveyor 7 is provided which is configured to form a V-shaped cross section. This conveyer 7
In order to reduce the intervals between the fruit selection objects P arranged at different intervals (that is, to make them press each other), the fruit selection objects P are transported at a lower speed than the transport speed of the separation conveyor 6. I have.

Naturally, it is necessary to adjust the speed of the collecting conveyor 7 to such an extent that the object P is not crushed or protruded when the object P is pressed against each other. For this reason, it is preferable that the assembly conveyor 7 operates at a fixed transport speed set to an appropriate value in advance, or that the transport speed can be adjusted. Further, in the present apparatus, the belt surface as the conveying surface 7A of the collecting conveyor 7 is formed smoothly so as to minimize the friction with the fruit selection object P, and the belt surface and the fruit selection object P
And slip on each other.

The assembly conveyor 7 is mounted on the separation conveyor 6 without any step. This is because the step is effective for separating the fruit selection target P,
This is because the effect of collecting the fruit selection objects P is rather the opposite, and no step is required to completely narrow the intervals between the fruit selection objects P. Note that the fruit selection target P is V
Conveyor 7 configured to form a U-shaped cross section
Are arranged in a line below, even if the height of the center of gravity is different due to the difference in outer diameter of the fruit selection target P (that is, the height supported in contact with the transport surface 7A is different). Does not protrude in the pressed state.

The re-separation conveyor 8 converts the fruit selection objects P whose intervals are reduced by the collection conveyor 7 into each of the fruit selection objects P.
At a speed higher than the transport speed of the conveyer 7 as the immediately upstream transport path so that the interval between
Is transported. It is preferable that the transport speed of the re-separation conveyor 8 be operated at a fixed transport speed set to an appropriate value in advance, or be adjustable at the transport speed.

The re-separation conveyor 8 is constituted by a slightly longer belt conveyor in consideration of delivery. Further, the re-separation conveyor 8 is provided with a step so as to be positioned vertically below the conveyer 7 as the immediately upstream transport path in order to ensure a certain interval or more.

The sorting conveyor 9 discriminates the outer shape of the fruit selection object P and sorts the fruit selection object P to a camera type fruit sorting device 10 in order to sort the fruit selection object P according to its shape and dimensions. To be transported. Receiving trays 9a are provided on the sorting conveyor 9 at substantially regular intervals by the re-separation conveyor 8 and arranged at regular intervals so as to be able to receive the fruit selection target P sent out. The upper surface of the tray 9a is flat. Also, when the sorting object P is sent out from the re-separation conveyor 8, the rotation phase of the sorting conveyor 9 with respect to the re-separation conveyor 8 so that the receiving tray 9 a is located exactly at the sending position of the sorting object P. Is set.

The sorting conveyor 9 is also rotated by one pitch (at intervals of the trays 9a) each time one of the sorting objects P is sent out one by one. P is supplied one by one. Then, on each receiving tray 9a, the fruit sorting object P sent out from the re-separation conveyor 8 is placed, respectively, and is conveyed to the camera-type fruit sorting device 10 side. The result is sorted, sorted, and packed into boxes by a camera-type fruit sorting device 10.

Since the present distance adjusting / transporting apparatus is configured as described above, it conveys each object P while adjusting the distance between the objects P as follows. In other words, an appropriate amount of the fruit selection target P transported in a container or the like (not shown)
It is intermittently charged on the receiving conveyor 1 provided at the most upstream, and is piled up. In this way, the sorting target objects P piled up on the receiving conveyor 1 are sent out to the plurality of separation conveyors 2 to 6 provided on the downstream side, and the transport speed is increased by the separation conveyors 2 to 6 that sequentially increase in speed. And the action of the steps provided between the conveyors (that is, the points where the vehicle moves), and the action of the guide structure, the mountains are collapsed so as to converge in the traveling direction, and the number of stacked layers is reduced and the conveyance is performed. Is done.

As described above, the sorting object P is separated from the separation conveyor 2
, The guide structure, that is, V
Conveyor 2 configured to form a U-shaped cross section
Due to the actions of (1) to (6), the fruit selection object P is guided in a V-shaped cross section and naturally gathers under each of the separation conveyors 2 to 6,
The sheets are conveyed in a line in the traveling direction. In this way, in the separation conveyor 6 in which the transport speed is the fastest, the stacking is eliminated (that is, it becomes a single layer), and in some cases, the transport is performed with an interval between each other.

Next, the fruit selection objects P are transferred to the collecting conveyor 7, where the intervals are reduced, and they are conveyed in a line in a pressed state, that is, without any gap. Then, it is transferred to the re-separation conveyor 8 at a higher speed than the collecting conveyor 7, and adjusted to a certain interval or more.

As described above, each fruit selection target P adjusted to a required interval is transferred to the sorting conveyor 9 and is set to an interval suitable for sorting by the camera type sorting device 10.
The shape of the fruit selection target P is determined by the camera-type fruit sorting device 10,
Selection of dimensions and the like is performed. Since the interval adjusting / conveying apparatus of the present embodiment operates in this manner, it is only necessary to adjust the speeds of the conveyors 1 to 8 constituting each conveying path, and the fruit selection target P is adjusted.
Can be adjusted to an appropriate interval.

In particular, since the conveyance path constituted by the respective conveyors is provided with a guide structure for guiding the fruit selection objects P in a line, even if the shape and dimensions of the fruit selection objects P are not uniform, the result is not limited. This has the advantage that the distance can be adjusted reliably. That is, since the conveyance path (particularly, the conveyer 8) is formed so as to have a V-shaped cross section, the intervals between the fruit selection objects P can be reduced and pressed, and the re-separation conveyor 8 can be pressed. Accordingly, there is an advantage that the interval between each of the sorting target objects P can be adjusted to an interval necessary for transferring to the sorting conveyor 9.

Further, since the transport speed of the plurality of separation conveyors 2 to 6 is gradually increased, the peaks of the fruits P to be sorted can be collapsed, the number of stacked layers can be reduced, and furthermore, the number of stacked layers can be reduced. In this case, there is an advantage that the mountain of the fruit selection target P can be more easily collapsed and the number of stacked layers can be easily reduced.

Further, since the conveying path formed by each conveyor has a V-shaped cross section, the axial direction and the traveling direction of the object P can be matched with each other.
There is an advantage that it is possible to set a favorable posture for sorting by the method. This effect is obtained when the article is cylindrical or spindle-shaped. Note that, in the interval adjusting transport device of the present embodiment, the transport paths formed by each of the conveyors 1 to 8 are arranged so as to form a V-shaped cross section. If a guide rail or the like can be installed, a mere flat belt conveyor may be used until the mountain is collapsed and becomes a single layer. However, in this case, since the friction between the guide and the fruit selection target P becomes large, it is expected that more conveying force by the belt conveyor is required.

For example, a flat belt conveyor is used as each of the conveyors 1 to 8, and guides are attached to both ends of the conveyors 1 to 6 in parallel with the belt conveyor. Alternatively, a guide may be attached so that the fruit selection objects P are arranged in a line, and a guide is attached to the re-separation conveyor 8 so that the fruit selection objects are arranged in a line. A guide may be attached to each of the conveyors 1 to 6 so as to gradually narrow the transport path.

Although the sorting conveyor 9 of the interval adjusting and conveying apparatus of the present embodiment has a flat upper surface without partitions or the like in the traveling direction, the conveyor is also used for sorting by the camera type sorting apparatus 10. Since it is preferable not to move left and right with respect to the center line, it is preferable to provide a chain conveyor to which a plate having a shallow V-shaped groove is attached. Furthermore, the separation conveyors 2 to 6 of the interval adjusting and transporting device of the present embodiment are:
In this embodiment, five stages are provided, but an appropriate number of stages may be provided depending on the shape of the product, the number of processes, and the like.

Further, the sorting conveyor 9 of the interval adjusting and transporting apparatus of the present embodiment is provided with the receiving trays 9a at a constant interval. However, the sorting by the camera type sorting device 10 requires a certain interval or more. Since it is possible, it is not always necessary to provide the trays 9a at regular intervals, and it is only necessary to set each of them to be at least a constant interval. In addition, the fruit selection target P whose interval is adjusted by the interval adjusting transport device of the present embodiment is:
It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to agricultural products, and the use of the present apparatus is not limited to the use of supplying goods to an optical sorting apparatus or the like.

[0042]

As described in detail above, according to the distance adjusting / conveying apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to adjust the articles to an appropriate distance only by adjusting the speed of each conveying path. There is an advantage. In particular, since the transport path is provided with a guide structure for guiding the articles on the transport path in a line, there is an advantage that even if the articles have irregular shapes and dimensions, the intervals can be reliably adjusted. .

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the step is provided between the conveying paths, the pile of articles can be more easily collapsed.
There is an advantage that the number of stacked layers can be easily reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing an interval adjusting and conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a receiving conveyance path in the interval adjusting conveyance device according to the embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a first conveyance path in the interval adjusting conveyance device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a partial side view schematically showing a conventional long vegetable fruit sorting device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Receiving Conveyor (Receiving Conveying Path) 1A Conveying Surface 1a Belt Conveyor 1b Guide Plate 1c Belt 2-6 Separating Conveyor (First Conveying Path) 2a Belt Conveyor 2b Guide Plate 3a Belt Conveyor 3b Guide Plate 5A Conveying Surface 7 Collective Conveyor ( 2A transport path 7A transport surface 8 Re-separation conveyor (3rd transport path) 9 Sorting conveyor 9a Receiving tray 10 Optical sorting device 21-27 Enlargement conveyor 28 Alignment conveyor 29 Supply conveyor 29a Frame 30 Alignment gate 31 Dedicated container 32 Weir 33 Partition plate 34 Weir return device 35 Sorting conveyor 35a Receiving tray

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masanori Masumoto 4-6-22 Kannon Shinmachi, Nishi-ku, Hiroshima City Inside the Hiroshima Research Laboratory, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (72) Inventor Shozan Yamazaki 4-6-kannon Shinmachi, Nishi-ku, Hiroshima No. 22 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A receiving conveyance path for receiving an article and sending out the article, and a serially arranged so as to convey the article sent from the receiving conveyance path provided at a downstream side of the receiving conveyance path at an increased speed. A plurality of first transport paths provided, a second transport path provided downstream of the first transport path and transporting the article at a lower speed than the article transport speed at the downstream end of the first transport path; A third transport path for transporting the articles at a higher speed than the article transport speed of the second transport path; and a guide structure for guiding the articles on the transport paths in a line in the transport path. An interval adjusting transport device, characterized in that: 2. A transport path in which the article transport speed is set higher than the immediately upstream transport path among the above transport paths has a step so as to be located vertically below the immediately upstream transport path. The distance adjusting and conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the distance adjusting and conveying device is provided.