Device for conveying products, in particular fruit, adapted to sort these products as a function of predetermined selection criteria

A device for conveying products, in particular fruit, and for sorting these products as a function of predetermined selection criteria, comprising in combination:

• a first conveyor provided with a loading zone (1) for the products and comprising a plurality of rollers (7) mounted freely to rotate about a shaft (8) borne by an endless chain (3) and extending at right angles with respect to the latter, said rollers being spaced such that two successive rollers (7) define between one another a housing for a product, and said rollers being formed by spaced parallel disks (10, 11) disposed at right angles with respect to said shaft (8),
• a second conveyor comprising a plurality of conveyor receptacles (15) articulated on a support (21) borne by an endless chain (16) and maintained in a conveyor position by a locking system (24, 30, 31);
• said second conveyor, extending over its largest length as an extension of the first conveyor, having an initial transfer zone in which the conveyors are disposed side by side and parallel to one another,
• said conveyor receptacles having an upper surface of a general concave shape adapted to provide support for a fruit and comprising a central bar (22) extending transversely with respect to the endless chain (16), and a plurality of fingers (23) disposed at right angles on either side of the central bar (22), said fingers being distributed such that the disks (10, 11) of the rollers (7) may be interposed between these latter,
• said second conveyor being disposed at a distance from the first conveyor and said conveyor receptacles (15) being distributed along said second conveyor such that:
• in the transfer zone, each receptacle (15) is adapted to be interposed between two rollers (7), the fingers (23) of each receptacle and the disks (10, 11) of the rollers being adapted to overlap with one another,
• each conveyor receptacle (15) supports a product initially housed between two rollers (7) after retraction of said rollers on their return towards the loading zone (1),
• means (57, 59;
• 64, 66) for triggering the locking system (24, 30, 31) for the receptacles (15), for selectively causing the tilting of said receptacles in order to unload the products borne thereby into the unloading zones (54, 55).