Title of Invention

A DEVICE FOR CONVEYING ITEMS OF PRODUCE

Abstract

The invention relates to a produce conveyor device adapted to sort produce at least as a function of weight, said device comprising a conveyor fitted with cups capable of tilting laterally in order to eject items of produce selectively. In accordance with the invention, the conveyor is essentially circular, with a plate supporting the traveling cup that is arranged in the form of a stationary circular ring about a vertical axis, and with a movable member for driving the cup arranged in the form of a rotary circular ring surrounding the above-mentioned stationary ring. The cups are hinged to the inside periphery of the moving ring and are capable of tilting about respective circumferential axes for the purpose of selectively-ejecting produce in a radially-outward direction. Fig. 1

Full Text

The invention relates to a device for conveying items of produce, in particular fruit or vegetables, and more particularly it relates to a device adapted to sort produce, at least as a function of weight. TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND Numerous devices are already known making use of a feeder, with a system for separating items of produce so that each individual item rests on a support and advances to a weighing station, enabling the produce to be sorted selectively as a function of weight. Reference can be made, for example, to the following documents: US-A-4 957 619, EP-A-0 670 276, EP-A-0 568 763, EP-A-0 540 126, WO-A-92/18258, and FR-A-2 748 220. In those known devices, items of produce are supported by buckets, or by tiltably-mounted conveyor holders, or by pairs of circularly-grooved hourglass shapes, or indeed by parallel wormscrews having vertically slidable cups disposed therebetween. Items are weighed by raising the support in question to the weighing station, or by raising the item in question to separate it from the pair of hourglass shapes or the pair of wormscrews concerned. Conveyor devices are also known in which slidable or wheeled carriages are mounted to be capable of tilting downwards or upwards about a transverse axis, as illustrated for example in the following documents: US-A-4 262 827, BE-C-1007 004, FR-A-2 545 797, and FR-A-2 580 393. Nevertheless, such an arrangement occupies a very large amount of height, so it has now been practically abandoned in favor of systems that tilt sideways, i.e. that pivot about an axis parallel to the conveyor direction. The state of the art is also illustrated by document FR—A—2 670 691 which describes a conveyor device comprising a conveyor fitted with carriages mounted to tilt sideways and each carrying a pair of hourglass shapes for supporting an individual item of produce for sorting as a function of its weight. Nevertheless, the carriage supporting a pair of hourglass shapes is itself relatively heavy, such that, de facto, each carriage exerts non-negligible amounts of friction on the support slideways, which friction leads to vibration, having the effect of disturbing, to a greater or lesser extent, the measuring of weight. Document FR—A—2 74 9 196 describes another type of produce conveyor device comprising two interleaved conveyors, one of which is fitted with cups, and the other with rollers. Each cup is thus interposed between two rollers, thus making it easier to separate individual items of produce. The state of the art closest to the invention is illustrated by document FR—A—2 777 809. That document discloses a device comprising a conveyor fitted with cups for supporting individual items of produce for sorting and for traveling along a stationary plate, said cups being coupled to a movable member and being capable of tilting sideways relative to said member for selectively ejecting the produce being conveyed, and a weighing tray being interposed in the length of the stationary plate so that each cup passes individually over said weighing tray, in accordance with claim l. The cups used are wheeled cups with two hinges, thus making it possible, by virtue of the flexibility of the hinges used, to provide performance that is already highly satisfactory, in particular giving accuracy of 1 gram (g) to 2 g when weighing items of produce. All of the above-mentioned conveyor devices of the prior art are arranged to convey in a rectilinear direction. Such an arrangement contributes to good performance insofar as the technology concerned is now well mastered. However, conveyor devices of that type remain very large, and they are relatively expensive. Fruit grader devices have also been proposed that present a circularly-arranged structure, as illustrated by document EP—A—0 060 013. In that grader device, the cups are hinged to individual supports floatingly mounted on a turntable, in the vicinity of the periphery thereof. The supports thus normally rest on the turntable, and they are raised in the weighing station by passing onto associated rails. Nevertheless, such a structure is relatively complex, and it is not designed for high travel speeds. For complete knowledge of the technological background, reference may also be made to document US—A— 6 484 866, which relates to a conveyor of objects of the pallet type which are coupled one behind the other and each of which is fitted with a pivoting table. It should be observed that that document does not relate to grading by weighing. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention seeks to provide a produce conveyor device making it possible simultaneously to occupy a small amount of space and to present cost that is low compared with the above-mentioned prior art devices. GENERAL DEFINITION OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, this problem is solved by a device for conveying produce, in particular fruit or vegetables, the device being adapted to sort items of produce at least as a function of weight, said device comprising a conveyor fitted with cups for supporting individual items of produce for sorting and for traveling along a stationary plate, said cups being coupled to a movable member and being capable of tilting sideways relative to said member for selectively ejecting the produce being conveyed, and a weighing tray being interposed in the length of the stationary plate so that each cup passes individually over said weighing tray, said conveyor being essentially circular, with a plate arranged in the form of a stationary circular ring about a vertical axis and with a movable member arranged in the form of a rotary circular ring surrounding the above-mentioned stationary ring and driven in rotation about said axis by associated drive means, the cups being hinged to the inner periphery of the moving ring and being capable of tilting by pivoting about respective circumferential axes in order to eject items of produce selectively in a radially-outward direction. As in the rectilinear type conveyor device described in document FR—A—2 777 809, a V-shaped weighing tray is provided, but in the present device it is arranged to have a shape that takes account of the circular shape of the components. Thus, the stationary circular ring in the present device includes a V-shaped weighing tray having side edges that are angled, with its tip being directed in the travel direction of the cups traveling on said stationary ring. In particular, the cups are fitted with wheels to enable them to travel on the stationary circular ring, and the V-shaped weighing tray is arranged in such a manner that all of the wheels of any one cup come simultaneously into contact with said tray during weighing. Also advantageously, the rotary circular ring is supported by wheels on having horizontal axes that are radial relative to the axis of said ring. It is also advantageous for the rotary circular ring to be centered on its axis by vertical-axis wheels coming into contact with the outside periphery of said ring. It is then preferable for at least one of the horizontal-axis and vertical-axis wheels to be coupled to a motor in order to constitute the drive means for the rotary circular ring. Also preferably, the device includes an essentially circular stationary central shelf having humpbacked cams secured to its periphery and associated with peripheral stations for receiving selectively-ejected items of produce, each cup presenting a finger, opposite from its hinge axis, and suitable for co-operating with one of said cams in the event of an associated movable pin being actuated. In particular, each movable pin can be arranged in a circumferential direction and can be connected to an associated actuator electromagnet secured to the central shelf. Also preferably, the rotary circular ring presents position-identifying notches arranged in a circumferential direction, enabling the cups to be counted by means of a stationary counter identifying the passage of said notches during rotation of said rotary circular ring. Finally, and advantageously, the device includes horizontal cover elements surrounding the rotary circular ring and located directly adjacent thereto and coplanar therewith, said elements forming shelves between said rotary ring and peripheral bins for receiving the selectively-ejected produce. Other characteristics and advantages of the invention appear more clearly in the light of the following description and the accompanying drawings relative to a particular embodiment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Reference is made to the figures, in which: • Figure 1 is an overall perspective view showing a conveyor device in accordance with the invention; • Figure 2 is a view analogous to Figure 1 after removing the receiver side tables and the feed conveyor; • Figure 3 is a plan view of the device as shown in perspective in Figure 2; ■ Figure 4 is a perspective view analogous to that of Figure 2, from which the rotary circular ring and also the set of cups hinged to the inner periphery of said ring have also been removed, to show more clearly the wheels associated with said ring, and the stationary plate on which the cups travel, which is arranged in the form of a stationary circular ring having a vertical axis ; • Figure 5 is a plan view of the assembly shown in perspective in Figure 4; • Figure 6 is a fragmentary section view on a larger scale and on a plane that is radial relative to the vertical axis of rotation of the cups, showing more clearly how the coaxial circular rings are arranged and how the hinged cups move, one of the cups being shown in its maximally-pivoted position for ejecting the corresponding item of produce; - Figure 7 is an elevation view of a humpbacked cam associated with a selective cup tilter; and • Figure 8 is a plan view in isolation of the V- shaped weighing tray which is interposed in the length of the stationary circular ring forming the plate on which the traveling cups run. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION In Figures 1 to 3 there can be seen a conveyor device M in accordance with the invention. Such a device could be used for sorting a very wide variety of types of fruit or vegetables by weight, e.g. apples, peaches, tomatoes, onions, apricots, melons, etc. The device M comprises a stand 1 supporting an essentially circular conveyor 10 which is fitted with cups 12 for supporting individual items of produce for sorting (not shown in the figures) while traveling on a stationary plate (not visible in Figures 1 to 3). The produce for sorting arrives by means of a feed conveyor 3, which is preferably a belt conveyor. Peripheral bins 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are arranged laterally all around the stand, and serve to receive produce complying with selection criteria based on sorting by weighing. In operation, the cups 12 thus travel around a circular path about a vertical central axis X, their common drive ring being a rotary circular ring 11 which turns in the direction referenced 100 about the axis X. The device includes horizontal cover devices referenced 50 which surround the rotary circular ring 11, being directly adjacent thereto and coplanar therewith, said elements forming shelves between said ring and the peripheral bins 4 to 9 for receiving the selectively-ejected produce. Figures 1 to 3 thus show the conveyor 10 with its rotary circular ring 11 on the inner periphery of which there are hinged cups 12 capable of tilting by pivoting about respective circumferential axes for the purpose of selectively ejecting produce in a radially-outward direction. There can also be seen an essentially circular stationary central shelf 17 having humpbacked cams 33 at its periphery in association with the peripheral stations 4 to 9 for receiving the selectively injected produce. As described in greater detail below, each cup 12 presents remote from its hinge axis a finger suitable for co-operating with one of these humpbacked cams 3 3 when an associated movable pin is actuated. Thus, and in accordance with the general principle of grading by weight as described in detail in document FR—A—2 777 809, the central control unit of the conveyor device receives signals given by the weighing device, and sends signals for the purpose of actuating the movable pins concerned in order to cause the cups to tilt when they come up to the corresponding humpbacked cams, so as to ej ect produce into the peripheral receiver bin that is associated with the radial direction for ejecting the corresponding item of produce. Reference 16 designates the hinge assemblies of each of the cups 12 on the inner periphery of the rotary ring 11. The way this hinge is arranged can be seen more clearly in Figure 6, and it is preferably implemented in application of the two-hinge principle disclosed in above-mentioned document FR—A—2 777 809. In the plan view of Figure 3, there can be seen control means associated with each above-mentioned pin, each humpbacked cam 33 (except possibly the last cam) being preceded in the direction of rotation 100 by a corresponding switching device referenced 27. There can be seen a circumferential slot 41 and an associated locking device 42, enabling the angular position of the stationary shelf 17 relative to the conveyor stand 1 to be adjusted accurately, with its position being held by a rectilinear screw 42' (seen more clearly in Figure 6), so as to set accurately the angular locations of the various humpbacked cams 33. Figure 3 also shows the presence of peripheral notches 46 provided in the outer edge of the stationary shelf 17, and associated with the passage of the wheels 2 0 co-operating with each of the switch devices 27. Figures 4 to 6 show more clearly the horizontal tabletop 2 forming part of the stand and serving to support the conveyor 10 as a whole. The stationary plate 13 on which the cups 12 travel is thus arranged in the form of a stationary circular ring 13 of vertical axis X, said ring in this case being secured to the tabletop 2 of the stand by radial square or rectangular section bars 15. Figures 4 and 5 show in particular the weighing tray 21 which is interposed along the length of the stationary plate 13 in such a manner that each cup 12 passes individually over said weighing tray. Because of the circular arrangement of the conveyor, the weighing tray 21 is V-shaped with angled side edges and having its tip pointing in the travel direction of the cups 12 traveling on the stationary ring. The particular form of the V-shaped weighing tray 21 can be understood better on referring to Figure 8 which shows the weighing tray 21 with its two limbs 21.1 and 21.2 whose inside edges form an angle of about 20° relative to the middle circumference C. The inner and outer side edges, respectively 21.5 and 21.4 are angled, and the tip 21.3 of the V-shaped weighing tray 21 points in the travel direction of the cups. Tapped holes 22 are provided for fastening the V-shaped weighing tray 21 to the weighing assembly which is of conventional type, and not shown herein. Provision is preferably made for the cups 12 to be fitted with wheels 14 (visible in Figure 6 only) to enable them to travel on the stationary circular ring 13. The V-shaped weighing tray 21 is then arranged in such a manner that the wheels of any one cup can all come simultaneously into contact with said tray during weighing. Thus, for a brief instant, the traveling cup is supported via all four of its wheels on the V-shaped weighing tray 21 together with the item of produce it is carrying, thus making the weighing operation possible. Figures 4 and 5 also show wheels having horizontal axes that are radial relative to the axis X and on which the rotary circular ring 11 rests. In this example three such wheels are provided, including two wheels 34 of axes 3 6 projecting from respective slots 35 made for this purpose in the tabletop 2. These wheels are not motor-driven. However another wheel 34' projecting from a slot 35' and of axis 36 that is likewise radial relative to the central axis X is also provided, this wheel 34 ' is secured to a shaft coupled to the outlet shaft of an electric motor 3 7 so as to form means for driving the rotary circular ring 11 in rotation. The three wheels 34, 34, and 34T are naturally disposed symmetrically at 120° relative to one another. There can also be seen four centering wheels 3 8 having vertical axes 3 9 and coming into contact with the outside periphery 40 of the rotary circular ring 11. These wheels 3 8 serve to guarantee that the rotary circular ring 11 is accurately centered on its vertical-axis 11 without it being necessary to provide circular running rails. Specifically, provision is made for one of the horizontal axis wheels, specifically the wheel 34', to be a motor-driven wheel for driving the rotary circular ring 11 in rotation, however, in a variant, it would naturally be possible to provide for at least one of the vertical-axis wheels 3 8 to be coupled to a motor to constitute the means for driving rotation of the circular ring. As stated above, the essentially circular stationary central shelf 17 is fitted on its periphery with humpbacked cams 33 associated with the peripheral stations for receiving the selectively-ejected items of produce. If reference is made to the view of Figure 6, it can be seen that each cup 12 presents not only its wheels 14, but also a downwardly-directed tab 19 which is terminated by a wheel 20 of perpendicular axis. When the cups are traveling circularly, being driven by their common annular ring 11, the associated tabs 19 with their wheels 2 0 travel over enlarged openings referenced 18 which are formed in the supporting tabletop 2, along a corridor which is defined on top by the outer periphery of the stationary shelf 17 and the inner periphery of the stationary annular ring 13. As soon as a wheel 2 0 is caused to move up a humpbacked cam 33, that causes the corresponding cup 12 to pivot about its axis Y, extending in a direction that is tangential to the common circumference of the hinge elements 1. In other circumstances, the wheel 20 passes under the stationary shelf 17 and the cup in question remains in its horizontal supporting position. Switching between these two possibilities is organized by a movable pin system associated with each humpbacked cam 33, and reference can be made to the view of Figure 7 which shows these means on a much enlarged scale. In Figure 7, there can thus be seen a humpbacked cam 33 with ramps 2 5 and 2 6 that are upstream and downstream relative to the direction of rotation 100. A plate 24 acts via a plate 23 to hold an electromagnet system 32 having a moving outlet 31 associated with a bearing 29 supporting the radial branch of a right-angled pin 28. This radial branch, of axis 30, serves as a hinge axis for the main circumferential branch of the pin 28. In the position shown in continuous lines, the wheel 20 of the cup 12 in question passes over the pin 28 and then climbs up the ramp 55 of the humpbacked cam 33, thus pivoting the corresponding cup. Otherwise, when in the position shown in chain-dotted lines, the pin 28 is raised and the above-mentioned wheel of the cup passes under the entire cam assembly 33, so the associated cup remains in its natural horizontal position. It is also necessary to provide for counting the cups 12 as they travel so as to provide proper synchronization with the general control unit. For this purpose, reference notches 43 are provided which are arranged along a circumferential direction around the rotary circular ring 11. Specifically, these notches 43 are constituted by cutouts in the inner periphery of the moving drive ring 11. In a variant, it would naturally be possible to provide some other zone of the rotary ring 11 for receiving such notches. The reference notches 43 enable the cups 12 to be counted by means of a stationary sensor 44 identifying the passage of said notches during rotation of the rotary circular ring 11. The stationary sensor 44 is secured to a bridge 45, itself secured to the tabletop 2 of the stand. As can be seen in Figure 5, provision could optionally be made for the bridge 4 5 to be secured level with a circumferential slot 45' in the tabletop 2, thus enabling the counting sensor 45 to be given an angular position that is very accurate. This provides a conveyor device which is both compact because of its circular shape, and also of moderate weight, insofar as lightweight equipment is needed for driving the moving parts. Furthermore, the same performance in terms of accuracy and yield can be achieved as with the best conveyors of rectilinear shape. While retaining accuracy of 1 g to 2 g order, as can be obtained with the rectilinear calibrator devices made in accordance with above-mentioned document FR—A—2 777 809, it is possible to envisage high travel speeds, capable of reaching 10,000 or even 15,000 cups per hour. Such performance thus makes the present circular conveyor highly attractive. The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but on the contrary covers any variant using equivalent means to reproduce the essential characteristics set out above. In particular, weight has been mentioned as a sorting criterion, however sorting could be done on the basis of some other parameter, such as color or sugar content, for example. WE CLAIM : 1. A device for conveying items of produce, in particular fruit or vegetables, the device being adapted to sort said items of produce at least as a function of weight, said device comprising a conveyor (10) fitted with cups (12) for supporting individual items of produce for sorting and for traveling along a stationary plate (13), said cups being coupled to a movable member (11) and being capable of tilting sideways relative to said member for selectively ejecting the items of produce being conveyed, and a weighing tray (21) being interposed in the length of the stationary plate (13) so that each cup (12) passes individually over said weighing tray, the device being characterized in that the conveyor is circular, with a plate arranged in the form of a stationary circular ring (13) about a vertical axis (X) and with a movable member arranged in the form of a rotary circular ring (11) surrounding the above-mentioned stationary ring (13) and driven in rotation about said axis by associated drive means (34', 37), the cups (12) being hinged to the inner periphery of the moving ring (11) and being capable of tilting by pivoting about respective circumferential axes (Y) in order to eject items of produce selectively in a radially-outward direction. 2. The conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein the stationary circular ring (13) comprises a weighing tray (21) that is V-shaped with two side edges (21.4, 21.5) that are angled, and with its tip (21.3) pointing in the travel direction of the cups (12) traveling on said stationary tray. 3. The conveyor device according to claim 2, wherein the cups (12) are fitted with wheels (14) enabling them to travel on the stationary circular ring (13), and the V-shaped weighing tray (21) is arranged in such a manner that all of the wheels of a single cup (12) are simultaneously in contact with said tray while weighing is taking place. 4. The conveyor device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rotary circular ring (11) is supported by wheels (34, 34') having horizontal axes that are radial relative to the axis (X) of said ring. 5. The conveyor device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the rotary circular ring (11) is centered on its a (X) by vertical-axis wheels (38) coming into contact with the outer periphery (40) of said ring. 6. The conveyor device according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein at least one of the horizontal-axis or vertical-axis wheels (34') is coupled to a motor (37) to constitute means for driving the circular ring (11) in rotation. 7. The conveyor device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein it comprises a circular stationary central shelf (17) having humpbacked cams (33) secured to its periphery and associated with peripheral stations (4 to 9) for receiving selectively-ejected items of produce, each cup (12) presenting a finger (19, 20), opposite from its hinge axis (Y), and suitable for co-operating with one of said cams in the event of an associated movable pin (28) being actuated. 8. The conveyor device according to claim 7, wherein each movable pin (28) is arranged in a circumferential direction and is connected to an associated actuator electromagnet (32) secured to the central shelf (17) 9. The conveyor device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the rotary circular ring (11) presents position-identifying notches (43) arranged in a circumferential direction, enabling the cups (12) to be counted by means of a stationary counter (44) identifying the passage of said notches during rotation of said rotary circular ring. 10. The conveyor device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprises horizontal cover elements (50) surrounding the rotary circular ring (11) and located directly adjacent thereto and coplanar therewith, said elements forming shelves between said rotary ring and peripheral bins (4 to 9) for receiving the selectively- ejected produce. DATED THIS 5 DAY OF JULY 2005

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