JP2017200460A - Seed extrusion member and seed removal device - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] The objective is to provide a seed pushing member and a seed removing device that have a high residual yield of fruit pulp. [Solution] The seed pushing member 3 is for pushing out the seeds 104 by piercing the fruit 101, and is equipped with a hollow pipe 4 with a hole size smaller than the outer circumferential shape of the seed 104, a blade portion provided on the edge of the tip of the hollow pipe 4 for piercing the fruit 101, and a slit 5 provided from the tip of the hollow pipe 4 to partway along the hollow pipe 4. The seed removing device is equipped with the seed pushing member 3. [Selected Figure] Fig. 11

Description

  The present invention relates to a seed extruding member for extruding a seed by being stabbed into a fruit, and a seed removal device provided with the seed extruding member.

  Some seeding devices that extract fruit seeds use a seed extrusion member for extruding seeds. For example, in the fruit seeding device of Patent Document 1, a stick is used as a seed pushing member. A tapered hole having a tapered surface that expands downward is formed on the lower surface of the thrust bar. As a result, the lower end of the outer periphery of the thrust bar is a circumferential edge.

JP 2005-278538 A

  In the seed extruding member (stick rod) described in Patent Document 1, since the edge portion of the circumferential edge is cut and inserted into the pulp, a cylindrical hole having a size of a tapered hole is opened in the pulp. Since the flesh of this hole adheres to the seed and is pushed out, it cannot be recovered and is wasted.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a seed extruding member having a high residual yield of pulp and a seed removing device including the seed extruding member.

  The seed extruding member according to claim 1, which has been made to achieve the above object, is a seed extruding member for extruding a seed by being inserted into a fruit, and has an outer peripheral shape of the seed. A hollow pipe having a smaller hole size, a blade provided at the edge of the tip of the hollow pipe to pierce the fruit, and a slit provided from the tip of the hollow pipe to the middle of the hollow pipe. , Provided.

  The seed extrusion member according to a second aspect is the one according to the first aspect, wherein the length of the slit is set longer than the total length of the fruit.

  A seed extrusion member according to a third aspect is the one according to the first or second aspect, wherein a plurality of the slits are provided in the hollow pipe.

  A seed removal device according to claim 4 is located next to the seed extrusion member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, a placement table for placing the fruit, and the placement table. A handling hole having a shape smaller than the outer peripheral shape of the seed is formed in the plate material that is arranged and elastically deformed, and when the seed is pressed against the handling hole, the handling hole is expanded to form the seed. A seed handling member in which the plate material and the handling hole are configured to be able to pass through, and the seed pushing member is moved from the lateral direction of the fruit placed on the mounting table toward the handling hole. Possible seed pushing member moving means.

  The seed removal device described in claim 5 is the one described in claim 4, and the mounting table extends in the direction of the seed handling member from a position where the fruit is to be placed, and A guide groove for guiding the movement is provided.

  The seed removal device according to claim 6 is the one according to claim 5, wherein the seed table is placed on the guide groove side of the position where the fruit should be placed and places the fruit. A locking member for aligning the fruit at a power position and preventing movement of the fruit along the guide groove is provided, and the locking member is provided with a force exceeding a predetermined force. It is supported by a retractable mechanism that falls over when pushed to the groove side and does not hinder the movement of the fruit.

  A seed removal device according to claim 7 is the one according to any one of claims 4 to 6, comprising fruit reversing means for pushing back the fruit adhering to the seed handling member to the mounting table side. It is characterized by.

  The seed removal device according to claim 8 is the one according to any one of claims 4 to 7, is configured to be able to contact the upper part of the fruit, and the fruit is directed toward the seed handling member. An upper guide member for guiding the movement is provided.

  A seed removal device according to claim 9 is the device according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the measuring means for measuring the height of the fruit placed on the mounting table, The calculation means for calculating the height of the center of the seed from the height of the fruit measured by the measurement means, and based on the height of the center of the seed calculated by the calculation means, the center of the seed, the seed extrusion A center axis of the hollow pipe of the member and an alignment means for aligning the center of the handling hole are provided.

  The seed removal apparatus described in claim 10 is the one described in claim 8, and the measuring means for measuring the height of the fruit placed on the mounting table is measured by the measuring means. An arithmetic means for calculating the height of the center of the seed from the height of the fruit, and based on the height of the fruit measured by the arithmetic means, the upper guide member is moved to contact the upper part of the fruit And aligning the center of the seed, the center axis of the hollow pipe of the seed extruding member, and the center of the handling hole based on the height of the center of the seed calculated by the calculating means. And an alignment means for performing.

  According to the seed extrusion member of the present invention, since the slit is provided from the tip of the hollow pipe to the middle, the pulp in the hollow pipe can be collected together with the surrounding pulp by connecting to the surrounding pulp, so that the residual pulp Yield can be increased.

  When the length of the slit is set to be longer than the full length of the fruit, the connection portion connecting the pulp in the hollow pipe and the surrounding pulp is formed over the entire length of the fruit, so the connection portion Strength can be increased, and the pulp in the hollow pipe can be reliably recovered. When a plurality of slits are provided in the hollow pipe, the number of connecting portions can be increased and the strength can be further increased, so that the pulp in the hollow pipe can be more reliably collected.

  According to the seeding device of the present invention, the seed handling member having the handling hole is arranged so as to be located beside the placing table for placing the fruit, and the side of the fruit placed on the placing table is placed. By providing seed pushing member moving means that can move the seed pushing member from the direction toward the handling hole, it is possible to extrude the seed from the fruit and to handle and collect the pulp attached around the seed, so the residual yield of the pulp Can be further increased.

  When the mounting table is provided with a guide groove for guiding the movement of the fruit, it can be pressed against the handling member while maintaining the posture of the fruit, so that the seed can be reliably removed. When the upper guide member configured to be able to contact the upper part of the fruit is provided, the fruit can be pressed against the handling member while maintaining the posture of the fruit more stably, so that the seed can be more reliably seeded. .

  When the locking member for preventing the movement of the fruit to the guide groove side is provided at the place where the fruit of the mounting table is to be mounted, and the locking member is supported by the retractable mechanism, the mounting table The fruit can be stably placed at the predetermined position, and when the fruit is pushed with a force exceeding the predetermined force, the locking member falls down and the fruit can be moved along the guide groove. Therefore, a fruit can be moved to a seed handling member using the force which a seed extrusion member moves.

  When provided with a fruit pushing-back means, the fruit can be pushed back onto the mounting table.

  Based on the measuring means for measuring the height of the fruit placed on the mounting table, the calculating means for calculating the height of the center of the seed from the height of the fruit, the height of the seed When the center, the center axis of the hollow pipe of the seed extruding member, and the alignment means for aligning the center of the handling hole, even when extracting many fruit seeds that vary in size from individual to individual, Since the seed pushed by the seed extruding member passes through the handling hole stably, many fruit seeds can be extracted with high accuracy. Based on the height of the fruit measured by the computing means, when the upper guide member moving means for moving the upper guide member to contact the upper part of the fruit is provided, many fruit seeds with different sizes are extracted for each individual. Even in this case, since the fruit is pressed against the handling member with a good posture, the seeds of the fruit can be extracted more stably with high accuracy.

It is a three-plane figure of the seed extrusion member to which the present invention is applied. It is a double view which shows the fruit which extracts a seed | species with the seed | species extrusion member to which this invention is applied. It is a side view which shows the use condition of the seed extrusion member to which this invention is applied. It is a front view which shows the fruit after seeding with the seed extrusion member to which this invention is applied. It is a front view which shows the seed drawing apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is a perspective view which shows the mounting base used for the seed removal apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is a front view which shows the height measurement stage B of the seed removal apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is a top view which shows the seeding stage C of the seeding apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is a front view which shows the seed removal stage C seen from the PP line | wire in FIG. It is a front view which shows the example of the seed handling member with which the seed removal stage C was equipped. FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line GG in FIG. 8 showing the operation of the seed removal stage C. FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line GG in FIG. 8 showing the operation of the seed removal stage C. It is a front view which shows the test | inspection stage D of the seed drawing apparatus to which this invention is applied.

  Hereinafter, although the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated in detail, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these form examples.

  FIG. 1 shows a seed extrusion member 3 to which the present invention is applied. 1A is a plan view, FIG. 1B is a front view, and FIG. 1C is a side view showing the seed pushing member 3. This seed pushing member 3 is used for the fruit 101 shown in FIG. 2 as an example. 2A shows the fruit 101 in a front view and FIG. 2B shows a side view. The fruit 101 shown in FIG. 2 is a prune as an example, and is modeled and illustrated as an ellipsoid (a spheroid whose major axis is the rotational axis).

  The seed pushing member 3 shown in FIG. 1 is for piercing the fruit 101 to push out the seed 104. The seed extruding member 3 has a hollow pipe 4, a blade portion 6 formed in the hollow pipe 4, and a slit 5 formed in the hollow pipe 4. In the same figure, the site | part of the front end side of the hollow pipe 4 in which the slit 5 was provided is shown in figure. In the drawing, the hollow pipe 4 is an example of a round pipe, but the hollow pipe 4 may be a square pipe.

  The hollow pipe 4 is made of metal. The hollow pipe 4 is formed with a hole diameter K smaller than the outer peripheral shape of the seed 104 so that the seed 104 can push the seed 104 without entering the hollow pipe 4. The hollow pipe 4 (seed extruding member 3) assumes that the long axis Q of the fruit 101 is inserted into the fruit 101 in a direction that coincides with the axis of the hollow pipe 4 (see FIG. 3). Therefore, the hole diameter K of the hollow pipe 4 is formed smaller than the outer peripheral shape of the seed 104 viewed from the direction of insertion of the hollow pipe 4 (seed extruding member 3), that is, the outer peripheral shape of the seed 104 shown in FIG. Has been. The maximum width T of the outer peripheral shape of the seed 104 viewed from the direction in which the hollow pipe 4 is inserted> the hole diameter K of the hollow pipe 4.

  The blade 6 is provided at the edge on the tip side of the hollow pipe 4 in order to pierce the fruit 101. For example, the blade portion 6 is formed in a shape in which the edge portion is obliquely cut so that the thickness of the edge portion of the hollow pipe 4 becomes thinner toward the distal end side. As shown to Fig.1 (a), the extension line | wire of the blade part 6 which opposes intersects by angle (theta). As the angle θ becomes sharper, it becomes easier to pierce the fruit 101.

  The slit 5 is provided from the tip of the hollow pipe 4 to the middle of the hollow pipe 4. The slit 5 is formed with a length L. The hollow pipe 4 is provided with two (an example of a plurality of) slits 5 in a positional relationship facing each other. The slit width W is a width that can maintain a spring property that can withstand the pressing force when the seed pushing member 3 is pushed into the fruit 101. The slit width W is set in consideration of the balance with the thickness of the hollow pipe 4.

  In FIG. 3, the use condition of the seed extrusion member 3 is shown. After holding the fruit 101 in advance, as shown in the figure, the axis of the seed extruding member 3 is aligned with the long axis Q of the fruit 101 and stabbed, as shown by a two-dot chain line in the figure , Extrude seed 104. After extruding the seed 104, the seed extruding member 3 is pulled out from the fruit 101.

  When the seed 104 is extruded in the major axis Q direction, the seed 104 can be smoothly extruded from the fruit 101 because the outer peripheral shape (cross-sectional area) of the seed 104 is smaller than when the seed 104 is extruded in the minor axis direction. Can be reduced.

  FIG. 4 shows a front view of the fruit 101 after the seed extruding member 3 has been pulled out. The stab mark 106 is a mark when the seed extruding member 3 is stabbed. Corresponding to the slit 5 of the seed extruding member 3, the fruit 101 has a connecting portion 108 that connects the pulp 112 that has entered the inside of the seed extruding member 3 (hollow pipe 4) and the surrounding pulp 111. By this connection part 108, the pulp 112 remains connected to the pulp 111 without being discharged together with the seed 104 or left in the hollow pipe 4. Therefore, the residual yield of pulp can be improved.

  The length L of the slit 5 (see FIG. 1) is such that the seed extrusion member 3 (hollow pipe 4) is pierced into the fruit 101 so that the connecting portion 108 can be formed up to the front side of the fruit 101 on the side where the seed extrusion member 3 is inserted. It is preferable that the length is longer than the length to be inserted. In order to extrude the seed 104, it is preferable to insert the seed extruding member 3 (hollow pipe 4) longer than the length S of the fruit 101 in the long axis Q direction (see FIG. 2). The length L is preferably formed to be longer than the length S of the fruit 101 (L> S).

  If the connection part 108 is weak, the pulp 112 is cut off from the pulp 111 and cannot be recovered. Therefore, the slit width W (see FIG. 1) is formed with a moderately wide width so that the connection part 108 is widened and strengthened. It is preferable. In addition, it is preferable to provide a plurality of slits 5 in the seed extruding member 3 because providing a plurality of connecting portions 108 increases the strength and makes it difficult to cut the pulp 112. In the present example, two slits 5 are provided, but an arbitrary number of slits 5 such as three or four may be provided.

  As described above, when the seed extrusion member 3 of the present invention is used, the residual yield of the pulp can be improved. In order to use the seed extruding member 3, it is necessary to hold the fruit 101 when stabbed, or to puncture the seed extruding member 3 in alignment with the long axis Q of the fruit 101. Below, the seed removal apparatus 1 suitable for using the seed extrusion member 3 is demonstrated.

  FIG. 5 schematically shows a front view of the seeding device 1 to which the present invention is applied. The seeding device 1 has the mounting tables 2, 2... For mounting the fruits 101, 101... One by one, and the mounting tables 2, 2. .. Have a conveying means 11 for intermittently conveying. The transport means 11 may be of any known structure as long as it can transport the mounting table 2, but is a chain conveyor as an example. The chain conveyor is configured to be intermittently driven by driving gears 12, 12,.

  The seed removal device 1 includes a fruit placement stage A, a height measurement stage B, a seed removal stage C, an inspection stage D, a defective product removal stage E, and a non-defective product collection stage F. As shown in the drawing, the mounting table 2 is moved by the transport means 11 in the order of stages A → B → C → D → E → F. The operation of each part of the seed removal device 1 is comprehensively controlled by the computer 20.

  FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the mounting table 2. The mounting table 2 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape as an example. In this example, the center part of the upper surface of the mounting table 2 is the mounting position of the fruit 101 (the position where the fruit 101 is to be mounted). On the top surface of the mounting table 2, a guide groove 31 extending from the mounting position of the fruit 101 to one side surface 37 of the mounting table 2 is provided. The guide groove 31 is a groove for guiding the movement of the fruit 101 when the seed 104 is removed. As an example, the guide groove 31 has a substantially V-shaped cross section. The end of the guide groove 31 on the center side of the mounting table 2 is a slope 33 that is inclined so as to expand upward.

  The mounting table 2 is disposed on the guide groove 31 side of the mounting position of the fruit 101, aligns the fruit 101 with the mounting position of the fruit 101, and prevents movement of the fruit 101 along the guide groove 31. A locking member 41 is provided. The fruit 101 is fitted in a recessed area surrounded by the substantially V-shaped guide groove 31, the inclined surface 33, and the locking member 41, and is held at the center of the mounting table 2. Since the fruit 101 is a long sphere, the guide groove 31, the slope 33, and the locking member 41 are arranged so that the fruit 101 is laid sideways and the long axis Q is fitted along the guide groove 31 as shown in FIG. Is set. Since the long sphere is more stable than standing, the fruit 101 is stably placed on the placing table 2. Since the guide groove 31 is formed in a substantially V shape, the fruit 101 is placed in the guide groove 31 regardless of the size of the outer peripheral shape of the fruit 101, that is, regardless of the outer diameter M (see FIG. 7) in the minor axis direction. Is held, and the axis Q of the fruit 101 is positioned on the center of the guide groove 31 (the center in the direction along the groove) (see FIG. 7).

  In the groove bottom and the inclined surface 33 of the guide groove 31, a protruding hole 35 for protruding the locking member 41 into the guide groove 31 from the inside of the mounting table 2 is formed. The inside of the mounting table 2 is formed in a shape in which the lower surface side is recessed so as not to interfere with the movement of the locking member 41.

  The locking member 41 falls on the mounting table 2 by a retractable mechanism that falls when it is pushed to the guide groove 31 side (one side 37 side) with a force exceeding a predetermined force and does not hinder the movement of the fruit 101. It is supported. Specifically, the locking member 41 includes, as an example, a plate member 42, a weight 47, a hollow shaft 51, a support shaft 53, and a stopper 55. The plate member 42 is formed in a substantially V shape (an inverted shape) having an obtuse angle. The front end portion 44 of the plate 42 on the side protruding into the guide groove 31 is rubbed against the surface of the fruit 101, and thus is formed in an arc shape so as to rub smoothly. A hollow shaft 51 is inserted through a through hole 43 formed near the center of the plate member 42 and is fixed integrally with the plate member 42. A support shaft 53 is inserted into the hollow shaft 51. Both ends of the support shaft 53 are fixed to the mounting table 2. For this reason, the plate member 42 fixed to the hollow shaft 51 is rotatable about the support shaft 53 as an axis.

  A weight 47 is fixed to the plate member 42 at the other end 46 opposite to the tip 44. With this weight 47, the plate member 42 rotates around the support shaft 53, and the tip end portion 44 side of the plate member 42 is raised and the other end portion 46 side is lowered. A stopper 55 that is in contact with the lower portion of the plate member 42 on the weight 47 side is fixed to the mounting table 2 so that the tip end portion 44 is positioned at an appropriate height.

  When the front end portion 44 side of the plate member 42 is pushed to the one side surface 37 side, the locking member 41 rotates when the pushed force exceeds the force (predetermined force) applied by the weight 47, and the front end portion 44. Move so that the position of falls down.

  Instead of the weight 47, the locking member 41 may be supported by a tiltable mechanism using an elastic body such as a coil spring or a leaf spring.

  The fruit placement stage A shown in FIG. 5 is a stage on which the fruit 101 is placed at the center (placement position) of the placement table 2. In the fruit mounting stage A, the long axis Q (see FIG. 6) of the fruit 101 is oriented along the guide groove 31 of the mounting table 2 as described above by a manual operation or an automatic mounting robot (not shown). , Placed on the center of the mounting table 2. The mounting table 2 on which the fruit 101 is mounted moves to the height measurement stage B.

  The height measuring stage B is a stage that measures the height H of the upper part of the fruit 101 placed on the placing table 2 and calculates the height of the center of the seed 104. The height measurement stage B is a height measurement means 21 for measuring the height H of the upper part of the fruit 101, and an operation for calculating the height of the center of the seed 104 based on the height H of the upper part of the fruit 101. Means 22 are provided.

  FIG. 7 is a front view schematically showing the height measurement stage B. Illustration of the transport means 11 is omitted.

  The height measuring means 21 may be any known measuring device that can detect the distance to the top of the fruit 101. For example, the height measuring means 21 measures the distance using a non-contact distance sensor such as a laser distance sensor, a contact distance sensor such as a digital gauge or a length measuring air cylinder, or a camera and an image processing device. It is a long measuring system. In the figure, a laser type distance sensor is shown as an example of the height measuring means 21.

  A computer 20 that controls the operation of the apparatus is also used as the computing means 22.

  In the height measurement stage B, first, the height measurement means 21 measures the height (distance) for the upper position of the fruit 101. Based on the measurement result, the calculating means 22 calculates, for example, the height H from the upper surface (reference position) of the mounting table 2 to the upper portion of the fruit 101. The reference position may be another position. Based on the height H, the calculating means 22 calculates a height h 1 from the upper surface (reference position) of the mounting table 2 to the center of the seed 104.

  For example, the computing means 22 assumes that the fruit 101 has a circular outer diameter in the minor axis direction, the height H of the top of the fruit 101, the angle of the V-shaped slope of the guide groove 31, and the groove of the guide groove 31. The diameter M of the fruit 101 is calculated from the depth. The computing means 22 computes the height h1 of the center of the seed 104 from the upper surface (reference position) of the mounting table 2, assuming that the center of the circle with the diameter M (long axis Q) is the center of the seed 104. When the calculation is completed, the mounting table 2 moves to the seed removal stage C.

  The seed removal stage C shown in FIG. 5 is a stage in which the seed 104 is extracted from the fruit 101. The seed removal stage C includes a seed removal mechanism 23. For example, the extracted seed is stored in a predetermined place through a shooter 83 formed in a path such as a slide.

  FIG. 8 shows a plan view of the seeding mechanism 23 when the seeding stage C is viewed from above, and FIG. 9 is a front view of the seeding mechanism 23 viewed from the position indicated by the line P-P in FIG. 10 is a front view of the seed handling member 7, and FIGS. 11 and 12 are sectional views taken along the line GG in FIG. In FIG. 8, the illustration of the upper guide member moving means 17 shown in FIG. 9 is omitted. In each figure, the conveying means 11 is not shown.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the seeding stage C is used as a seeding mechanism 23 as a seed pushing member 3, a seed pushing member moving means 15, a seed handling member 7, a fruit pushing member 13, and a fruit pushing member moving. Means 16, upper guide member 14, upper guide member moving means 17, and alignment means 18 (see FIG. 11 (1)) are provided. The operations of the seed pushing member moving means 15, the fruit pushing member moving means 16, the upper guide member moving means 17, and the alignment means 18 are controlled by a computer 20 (see FIG. 5). The seed pushing member moving means 15, the fruit pushing member moving means 16, the upper guide member moving means 17, and the alignment means 18 include actuators, cylinders, and the like that can be driven using electric power, compressed air, or hydraulic pressure. A known drive device is used.

  In the seed removal stage C, the mounting table 2 is transported to the position shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 and stopped. The seed handling member 7 is arranged so as to be located beside the one side surface 37 to which the guide groove 31 of the mounting table 2 is connected.

  The seed handling member 7 is a plate material formed of a synthetic resin that is elastically deformed. The seed handling member 7 is preferably made of a low-abrasion urethane rubber such as Bancolan (registered trademark). As shown in FIG. 10A, a handling hole 8 is formed at the center of the seed handling member 7. The handling hole 8 is formed in a shape smaller than the outer peripheral shape of the seed 104 viewed from the direction in which the seed extruding member 3 is inserted. In the seed handling member 7, the plate material and the handling hole 8 are configured so that when the seed 104 is pressed against the handling hole 8, the handling hole 8 is expanded and the seed 104 can pass (see FIG. 11 ( 4)).

  As shown in FIG. 10A, the seed handling member 7 has a quadrangular outer shape and is held with its four sides sandwiched by a frame 9. The shape of the seed handling member 7 and the frame 9 may be circular or polygonal. Although not shown, the frame 9 is supported by the seeding device 1. FIG. 10A is an example of the seed handling member 7 in which the handling hole 8 is formed in a circular shape. The handling hole 8 may be formed as shown in FIGS. 10B and 10C. FIG. 10B shows an example in which the handling hole 8 is formed in a similar shape to the outer peripheral shape of the seed 104 when viewed from the direction in which the seed extruding member 3 is inserted. FIG. 10C is an example in which a plurality of (for example, four) cuts 58 are formed so as to extend radially from the edge of the handling hole 8 of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the seed extruding member 3 is disposed beside the mounting table 2 on the side opposite to the side surface 37 side of the mounting table 2 on which the seed handling member 7 is disposed. The seed extruding member 3 is configured to be movable by the seed extruding member moving means 15. The seed extruding member moving means 15 presses the fruit 101 placed on the mounting table 2 against the seed handling member 7 to stab the seed extruding member 3 into the fruit 101 and push out the seed 104. It is moved from the lateral direction toward the handling hole 8 of the seed handling member 7.

  The fruit push-back member 13 is formed in a rod shape, and is disposed outside the seed handling member 7 with respect to the mounting table 2. The fruit pushing member 13 is configured to be movable by the fruit pushing member moving means 16. The fruit pushing member 13 pushes the fruit 101 attached to the seed handling member 7 back to the mounting table 2 side. The fruit pushing member 13 and the fruit pushing member moving means 16 are examples of the fruit pushing means in the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 9, an upper guide member 14 is disposed above the mounting table 2. The upper guide member 14 is configured to be able to contact the upper part of the fruit 101. The upper guide member 14 is for guiding the movement of the fruit 101 in the direction of the seed handling member 7. The upper guide member 14 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction by an upper guide member moving means 17 connected by a shaft 63. As an example, the upper guide member 14 includes a flat plate material 61 and two parallel guide rails 62 provided on the lower surface of the plate material 61. The guide rail 62 is located above the guide groove 31 and is provided on the plate material 61 so as to be parallel to the guide groove 31. The interval and size (diameter) of the guide rails 62 are set so that the two guide rails 62 hit the upper part of the fruit 101 when the upper guide member 14 is lowered downward.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 11 (1), the central axis of the seed extruding member 3 (hollow pipe 4), the center of the handling hole 8, and the central axis of the fruit pressing member 13 are aligned with a common axis R. In addition, the positional relationship among the seed extruding member 3, the seed handling member 7, and the fruit pushing member 13 is set. Further, as shown in FIG. 11 (1), the seed pushing member 3, the seed handling member 7, and the fruit pushing member 13 can be moved in the vertical direction while maintaining the mutual positional relationship so as to coincide with the axis R. An alignment means 18 is configured.

  The operation of the seed removal stage C will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 11 (1), the long axis Q (the center of the seed 104) of the fruit 101 that has been transported to the seeding stage C, and the axes of the seed pushing member 3, the handling hole 8, and the fruit pushing member 13. There is a difference in height from R. This difference is different for each fruit 101 because there is a difference in the size of each fruit 101. The height h1 (see FIG. 7) of the long axis Q at the center of the seed 104 is obtained by the height measurement stage B at the previous stage. The height of the axis R of the seed pushing member 3, the handling hole 8, and the fruit pushing member 13 can be controlled by the alignment means 18. Further, the height H (see FIG. 7) of the fruit 101 is measured by the height measurement stage B at the preceding stage. The height of the upper guide member 14 can be controlled by the upper guide member moving means 17 (see FIG. 7).

  As shown in FIG. 11 (2), the alignment means 18 is based on the height h1 of the center of the seed 104 so that the long axis Q and the axis R coincide with each other. And the fruit pushing member 13 are moved in the vertical direction. Further, the upper guide member moving means 17 (see FIG. 7) lowers (moves) the upper guide member 14 to the position of the height H of the fruit 101, and the guide rail 62 of the upper guide member 14 is applied to the upper part of the fruit 101. Make contact.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 11 (3), the seed pushing member moving means 15 (see FIG. 8) moves the seed pushing member 3 horizontally toward the handling hole 8 of the seed handling member 7. The force that moves the seed pushing member 3 is a force that exceeds a predetermined force required to push down the locking member 41. Therefore, the locking member 41 falls and the fruit 101 moves and is pressed against the seed handling member 7. At this time, the fruit 101 is guided to move toward the seed handling member 7 by the guide groove 31 and the guide rail 62 of the upper guide member 14. The seed pushing member 3 pushes the middle of the fruit 101. Therefore, the fruit 101 moves in a posture in which the major axis Q and the axis R are substantially coincident and is pressed against the seed handling member 7.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 11 (4), the seed extruding member 3 further moves and pierces the fruit 101, pushes the seed 104 and passes through the handling hole 8, thereby extruding the seed 104 from the fruit 101. The extruded seed 104 falls to the shooter 83 (see FIG. 5).

  As described above, since the slit 5 is formed in the seed extruding member 3, the pulp 112 (see FIG. 4) in the seed extruding member 3 can be collected. Further, when the seed 104 is pushed through the handling hole 8, the pulp attached to the periphery of the seed 104 can be handled and collected, so that the residual yield of the pulp can be further increased.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 12 (5), the seed pushing member 3 moves backward. The fruit 101 from which the seed 104 has been removed is attached to the seed handling member 7 as shown by the solid line in FIG. Some will end up.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12 (6), the fruit pushing member moving means 16 (see FIG. 8) is moved so that the fruit pushing member 13 pushes the handling hole 8 from the outside of the mounting table 2. Thereby, the fruit 101 is pushed back on the mounting table 2. The upper guide member moving means 17 (see FIG. 7) moves the upper guide member 14 so as to return to the upper standby position before or after the fruit pushing member 13 is moved.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 12 (7), the fruit pushing member moving means 16 (see FIG. 8) moves so as to return the fruit pushing member 13 to the original standby position, and the process of the seeding stage C is performed. Ends. Next, the mounting table 2 moves to the inspection stage D.

  The inspection stage D shown in FIG. 5 is a stage for inspecting whether or not the seed 104 has been removed from the fruit 101, that is, the presence or absence of the seed. The inspection stage D includes inspection means 25.

  FIG. 13 is a front view schematically showing an example of the inspection stage D (inspection means 25). Illustration of the transport means 11 is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 13 (1), the inspection means 25 includes an inspection device 71, an inspection device moving means 72, and a detector 73. The inspector 71 is, for example, a plurality of inspection needles. The inspection device moving means 72 is configured to be able to move the inspection device 71 in the vertical direction. The tester moving means 72 is a known drive device, and its operation is controlled by the computer 20 (see FIG. 5). For example, the detector 73 is a switch that is turned on / off depending on the position of the inspector 71. As an example, it is set so that the detector 73 is turned on when the inspection device 71 is lowered to the lower mounting table 2 and the detector 73 is turned off when the inspection device 71 is not lowered to the mounting table 2.

  In the inspection stage D, the inspection device moving means 72 lowers the inspection device 71 toward the mounting table 2. When the seed 104 is missing from the fruit 101, the tester 71 is inserted into the fruit 101 and descends to the mounting table 2 as shown in FIG. For this reason, the detector 73 is turned on. On the other hand, when the seed 104 has not been removed from the fruit 101, the tester 71 (inspection needle) hits the seed 104 as shown in FIG. For this reason, the detector 73 is off. In this way, the presence or absence of the seed 104 can be inspected by turning on / off the detector 73. The inspection result detected by the detector 73 is output to the computer 20. When the inspection is completed, the inspection device moving means 72 returns the inspection device 71 to the upper standby position, and the mounting table 2 moves to the next defective product removal stage E.

  In addition, although the example which used the test needle as the test | inspection means 25 was shown, the well-known various contact-type or non-contact-type test | inspection apparatus which can detect the seed | species 104 can be used.

  Returning to FIG. 5 and continuing the description, the defective product removal stage E is a stage for removing the fruit 101 that has been determined that the seed 104 is not missing in the previous inspection stage D. The defective product removal stage E includes sorting means 27 that pushes the fruit 101 from the mounting table 2 and drops it onto the shooter 84. The operation of the sorting unit 27 is controlled by the computer 20. As such a sorting means 27, a known sorting device can be used. As an example, the dropped fruit 101 is stored in a predetermined place through a shooter 84 formed in a path like a slide.

  The non-defective product collection stage F is a stage for collecting the fruits 101 that are determined to be missing the seed 104 in the inspection stage D. The non-defective product collection stage F includes sorting means 29 that pushes out the fruit 101 from the mounting table 2 and drops it onto the shooter 85. The operation of the sorting unit 29 is controlled by the computer 20. As such a sorting means 29, a known sorting device can be used. As an example, the dropped fruit 101 is stored in a predetermined place through a shooter 85 formed in a path like a slide.

  In the seeding device 1, a large number of seeds 104 of the fruit 101 can be automatically extracted by the plurality of mounting tables 2 each carrying the fruit 101 and being sequentially conveyed from each stage A to F.

  In addition, although the example of the shape in which the fruit 101 is close to a long sphere was demonstrated, the shape in which the fruit 101 is close to a sphere, a short sphere, and a flat ellipsoid may be sufficient. The groove shape of the guide groove 31 and the shape of the upper guide member 14 can be appropriately changed according to the shape of the fruit 101. Although the example in which the upper guide member 14 has the guide rail 62 has been shown, the upper guide member 14 may have a substantially V-shaped guide groove such as the guide groove 31. Further, the mounting table 2 may be provided with two guide rails instead of the guide groove 31. Although the example provided with the guide groove 31 and the upper guide member 14 was demonstrated, you may make it provide only either one as needed.

  The example in which the fruit 101 is a prune has been described. However, if the fruit 101 is a drupe having one seed such as apricot, plum, plum, nectarine, cherry, plum, peach, mango, olive, etc., the seed extruding member 3 of the present invention. , And seeding device 1 can be used. Moreover, what processed the fruit 101 like an umeboshi may be sufficient.

  The example in which the height measuring stage B and the seeding stage C are divided into two parts has been described as the seeding device 1, but these may be configured to be performed in one stage (location). You may comprise so that it may carry out in two or more stages. The configuration of other stages may be changed as needed. The order of the defective product removal stage E and the non-defective product collection stage F may be reversed. Further, the example in which the seed removal stage C includes the fruit pushing member 13 and the fruit pushing member moving means 16 serving as the fruit pushing means has been described. However, as the fruit pushing means, air is blown back to push the fruit 101 back. An injector may be provided. In addition, the example in which the seed removal stage C includes the fruit pressing member 13 and the fruit pressing member moving means 16 has been described, but the seed 101 does not adhere to the seed handling member 7 and returns to the mounting table 2. Alternatively, the configuration of the fruit pushing member 13 and the fruit pushing member moving means 16 may be omitted. Moreover, although the position alignment means 18 demonstrated the example which moves the seed extrusion member 3, the seed handling member 7, and the fruit pressing member 13 to an up-down direction, you may move the mounting base 2 to an up-down direction. Further, when the sizes of the fruits 101 are almost equal, the configuration of the alignment means 18 may be omitted.

  Although the example which hold | maintained the fruit 101 at the time of seed removal with the mounting base 2 and the upper guide member 14 was demonstrated, you may make it hold | maintain the fruit 101 with other structures, such as a robot arm. Although the example which moves the seed extrusion member 3 to a horizontal direction (horizontal direction) was demonstrated, you may move to the up-down direction (vertical direction).

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 is a seed removal apparatus, 2 is a mounting base, 3 is a seed extrusion member, 4 is a hollow pipe, 5 is a slit, 6 is a blade part, 7 is a seed handling member, 8 is a handling hole, 9 is a frame, 11 is a conveyance means , 12 is a driving gear, 13 is a fruit pushing member, 14 is an upper guide member, 15 is a seed pushing member moving means, 16 is a fruit pushing member moving means, 17 is an upper guide member moving means, and 18 is a positioning means. , 20 is a computer, 21 is a height measuring means, 22 is a computing means, 23 is a seeding mechanism, 25 is an inspection means, 27 is a sorting means, 29 is a sorting means, 31 is a guide groove, 33 is a slope, and 35 is a protrusion. Hole, 37 is one side, 41 is a locking member, 42 is a plate, 43 is a through hole, 44 is a tip, 46 is the other end, 47 is a weight, 51 is a hollow shaft, 53 is a support shaft, and 55 is a stopper. 58 is a notch, 61 is a plate, 62 is a guide rail, and 63 is a shim. , 71 is a tester, 72 is a tester moving means, 73 is a detector, 83, 84 and 85 are shooters, 101 is a fruit, 104 is a seed, 106 is a stabbed mark, 108 is a connection part, and 111 and 112 are pulps , A is a fruit placement stage, B is a height measurement stage, C is a seed removal stage, D is an inspection stage, E is a defective product removal stage, F is a non-defective product collection stage, H is a height above the fruit 101, h1 Is the center height of the seed 104, K is the hole diameter (inner diameter) of the hollow pipe 4, L is the length of the slit 5, M is the outer diameter in the minor axis direction of the fruit 101, Q is the major axis of the fruit 101, and R is The axis, S is the length in the major axis Q direction of the fruit 101, T is the maximum width of the outer peripheral shape of the seed 104, W is the slit width, and θ is the angle.

Claims (10)

A seed extruding member for extruding a seed by piercing the fruit,
A hollow pipe with a pore size smaller than the outer peripheral shape of the seed,
A blade provided at the edge of the tip of the hollow pipe to pierce the fruit;
A slit provided from the tip of the hollow pipe to the middle of the hollow pipe,
A seed extruding member comprising:   The length of the said slit is set to the length longer than the full length of the said fruit, The seed extrusion member of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The seed extrusion member according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the slits are provided in the hollow pipe. A seed extrusion member according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A mounting table for mounting the fruit;
When the handling hole having a shape smaller than the outer peripheral shape of the seed is formed in the plate material that is arranged to be positioned beside the mounting table and is elastically deformed, the seed is pressed against the handling hole. A seed handling member in which the plate material and the handling hole are configured so that the handling hole is expanded and the seed can pass through;
Seed extruding member moving means capable of moving the seed extruding member from the lateral direction of the fruit placed on the mounting table toward the handling hole,
A seed removal device comprising:   The said mounting stand is provided with the guide groove for extending the direction of the said seed handling member from the position which should mount the said fruit, and guiding the movement of the said fruit. The seeding device as described. The mounting table is arranged on the guide groove side of the position where the fruit is to be placed, aligns the fruit at a position where the fruit is to be placed, and moves the fruit along the guide groove. A locking member is provided to prevent
6. The locking member is supported by a retractable mechanism that falls when it is pushed toward the guide groove with a force exceeding a predetermined force and does not prevent the movement of the fruit. The seed removal device described in 1.   The seed removal device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, further comprising fruit reversing means that pushes back the fruit adhering to the seed handling member toward the mounting table.   The upper part of the said fruit is comprised so that abutting is possible, The upper guide member for guiding the movement of the said fruit in the direction of the said seed handling member is provided, The any one of Claim 4 to 7 characterized by the above-mentioned. Seeding device. Measuring means for measuring the height of the fruit placed on the mounting table,
A calculating means for calculating the height of the center of the seed from the height of the fruit measured by the measuring means;
Based on the height of the center of the seed calculated by the calculation means, alignment means for aligning the center of the seed, the central axis of the hollow pipe of the seed extrusion member, and the center of the handling hole,
The seed removal device according to any one of claims 4 to 8, further comprising: Measuring means for measuring the height of the fruit placed on the mounting table,
A calculating means for calculating the height of the center of the seed from the height of the fruit measured by the measuring means;
Based on the height of the fruit measured by the computing means, the upper guide member moving means for moving the upper guide member and contacting the upper part of the fruit;
Based on the height of the center of the seed calculated by the calculation means, alignment means for aligning the center of the seed, the central axis of the hollow pipe of the seed extrusion member, and the center of the handling hole,
The seeding device according to claim 8, further comprising:

Images