Abstract: To provide a method and an apparatus for inspecting, in a non-destructive manner, internal qualities such as diseases and defects and physiological defects, which cannot be seen in an appearance, along with measurement of taste component values such as a sugar degree and an acid degree of fruits, which are agricultural products. An object is conveyed by conveying means that has a transmitted light path piercing in the vertical direction in the center thereof and is provided with a seat adhering to an object in an annular shape, with a predetermined position on a conveyance path set as an inspection position, a light shielding cylinder, which vertically lowers to, adheres to, and covers an upper part of the object, is advanced synchronously with the object, and beams are projected toward the object from both left and right sides using small lamps.

Abstract: An internal qualities inspection system having a receiving tray for placing an inspecting object thereon with a receiving seat and a transmission light passage formed in the receiving tray is arranged to detect light transmitted through the object from below the receiving tray. The inspection system is capable of efficiently detecting the transmission light from inside of each of inspecting objects of varied shapes and varied kinds by adjusting the quantity of light projected on the object according to its size and kind. The system includes in combination a light receiving part and a calibration arrangement which are not affected by any disturbance light to ensure a highly reliable measuring accuracy.

Abstract: A three-dimensional conveyor is provided which can be curved in a small curvature even with a wide top plate unit for forming a conveyance face and can be moved in three-dimensional directions, vertically, laterally, or slantingly, and which is turnable around the conveyance direction axis. The three-dimensional conveyor has top plate units connected by couplers. The respective top plate unit has two ball-holding cavities at the front portion and the rear portion thereof for holding terminal balls of the coupler, as the joints. The terminal balls are fit loosely into the ball-holding cavities non-detachably, so that the top plate units can be slanted freely within a prescribed angle range. Further, the top plate units have respectively an engaging portion on each side of the ball-holding cavity on the bottom face of the top plate units to engage with a standardized sprocket to be driven by the rotating driving force the sprocket in a desired direction, vertically or horizontally.

Abstract: A compact handy type inspection instrument is provided for conducting readily nondestructive inspection of an inspection object in any working site. The inspection instrument comprises a spectroscope assembly containing an optical fiber-arranging member for arranging and holding a light-outputting end of an optical fiber bundle to be flat in a uniform layer thickness, a packaged compact spectroscope which is enclosed in a package having a slit-shaped light inlet window on a side confronting the rectilinear light-outputting end of the optical fiber-arranging member and is constituted of linear type continuous variable interference filter, a microlens array, and a linear type silicon array sensor assembled in the named order from the side of the light inlet window toward the opposite side, and a positioning device for positioning the rectilinear light-outputting end of the optical fiber bundle to fit to the light input window; and a detection head; incorporated together into a main body casing.

Abstract: A multi-row type internal quality inspection device is arranged to adjust spacing intervals between the columns of receiving trays arranged in rows on a conveyer to the column spacing intervals of a supply conveyor at the start part on the entrance side of a transport path; to have the spacing intervals between the receiving trays become wider at an inspection area provided at an intermediate part of the transport path to allow light projecting means and light receiving means to be arranged there in the lateral direction with respect to inspection objects on the receiving trays for adequate inspection of internal quality of the objects through transmission light obtained through them; and, at the end point on the exit side of the transport path, to have the spacing intervals narrowed and adjusted to the column spacing internals of a conveyor of a next process of sorting on the exit side of the transport path.

Abstract: A multi-row type internal quality inspection device is arranged to adjust spacing intervals between the columns of receiving trays arranged in rows on a conveyer to the column spacing intervals of a supply conveyor at the start part on the entrance side of a transport path; to have the spacing intervals between the receiving trays become wider at an inspection area provided at an intermediate part of the transport path to allow light projecting means and light receiving means to be arranged there in the lateral direction with respect to inspection objects on the receiving trays for adequate inspection of internal quality of the objects through transmission light obtained through them; and, at the end point on the exit side of the transport path, to have the spacing intervals narrowed and adjusted to the column spacing internals of a conveyor of a next process of sorting on the exit side of the transport path.

Abstract: A transport-sort conveyor in which a pin of the sliding block of the sort conveyor traveling at high velocity does not cause any trouble at the sorting point and which is suitable for sorting small sized articles is provided. A pusher is provided on any one of the mounting member on one side of the bearing surface defining member and the sliding block to urge the sliding block in the sorting direction while being engaged on one side, and release engagement of the sliding block to be used for sorting operation by the actuating device in the upstream of the sorting point to move the sliding block sideways from the straight-ahead path toward the sorting path. The sliding block that has changed its direction is carried and guided by the sorting guide rail extending from the sorting point in the sorting direction, and thus no movable device such as switch rail or the like is provided at the sorting point.

Abstract: Distributive feeding apparatus for separating a plurality of articles fed to a receiving part (12) to a plurality of separated lanes has a bar conveyor (11) comprising two chains (103) with bars (104) extending therebetween and carrier elements (105) slidably mounted on the bars (104). Guide rails (106) are provided below the carrying run of the conveyor and are engaged by lugs (1055) provided on each carrying element (105). During advancement of the conveyor with articles on the carrying surfaces (1051) of the elements (105), the elements (105) are gradually slid apart, guided by the rails (106), so that the elements are directed along each lane so as to feed carried articles in those lanes for further processing.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for inspecting appearance of articles while they are transported on a conveyor by reflecting images of four different side surfaces of the article being by means of a plurality of reflecting means arranged above and at both sides of a conveying path on the conveyor to transmit the four images onto a sensor surface of a sensor camera, reflecting an image of a top surface of the article onto the sensor surface of the sensor camera in the array with the four images, and scanning and photographing the images of five different surfaces of the article formed on the sensor surface of the sensor camera by the sensor camera at every preset amount of movement of the article synchronized with the conveyor, and processing the photographed images so as to measure and inspect the form, size and surface conditions of the article by using only one sensor camera at the same time.

Abstract: An outer appearance quality inspection system comprising a mechanism for aligning objects to be inspected, a mechanism for transporting the aligned objects, light projectors for illuminating a light within a predetermined wavelength range against the objects being transported, light receiving devices for receiving the light reflected from each of the objects so as to convert the light into an electrical signal, an electronic circuit for obtaining the data representative of the conditions of the surfaces of the object in response to the electrical signal derived from the light receiving devices, and a mechanism for sorting the objects being transported in response to the data derived from the electronic circuit. The system can inspect the size, visible surface damages and coloring of an object such as orange automatically and reliably.