The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for placing mushrooms in a package.

In mushroom cultivation, the associated operations already take place wholly or partially automatedly. However, in the field of harvesting and packaging mushrooms, there are the associated steps and processes requiring intervention of personnel and therefore forming either a bottleneck in the processing time, and/or forming a relatively expensive step. In addition, due to the sensitivity of the mushroom cultivation to disturbances of the cultivation conditions such as temperature and air humidity and even from a hygiene perspective, it may be desirable to minimise the number of steps in which intervention of personnel is necessary.

For automatedly placing mushrooms in a package, various suggestions have already been made, including in the International patent application PCT/NL2021/050496. Just like those from various other publications, the solution proposed therein has the drawback that the orientation in which the mushrooms end up in the package is rather uncertain. Although placing a mushroom may take place accurately in some of the proposed solutions, there is a high risk of that mushroom rolling or falling over upon further displacement of the package. This is undesirable for various reasons. The placement of the mushrooms has a commercial significance, since a neat presentation of the mushrooms causes consumers to be more inclined to buy the mushroom package. In addition, the thrusting and falling over of mushrooms may cause damages, which does not benefit the storage life and marketability of the mushrooms. For this reason, it is an object of the present invention to solve the above- mentioned problems.

The present invention relates to a method of placing mushrooms in a package, comprising supplying, on at least one conveyor, such as a harvest belt or belt conveyor, in a conveying direction, mushrooms to be placed in the package, taking mushrooms to be placed in the package from the harvest belt or belt conveyor, bringing a selected number of mushrooms in a mutual association, which number, in the mutual association, jointly fits within the inner dimensions of the package, and placing the mushrooms in the mutual association in the package. According to the invention, this is preferably done jointly and simultaneously, in order to create no opportunity to let the association fall apart. Where, in this application, a conveyor is mentioned, this is also intended to mean and comprise a wheel or chain or similar apparatus. A mutual association is, in the context of this application, such a configuration where two or more mushrooms have a fixed position and/or orientation with respect to one another and more in particular support one another. Placing is intended to mean controlled provision such that the position and orientation after placement correspond to an intended orientation and/or position, and not laying down or dropping (such) that the mushrooms may roll or move. In particular, dropping mushrooms is excluded in an embodiment.

By placing the mushrooms in the package in a mutual association, they offer stability to one another. By jointly placing them in the package, the risk of them subsequently falling or rolling over is less than with separately placing the mushrooms in a package. This effect already occurs before the mushrooms placed in association jointly fill the surface of the package. To this end, the mushrooms may, for example, be placed in the package in a tiled manner, i.e. in a mutually supported manner. Of course, they may also be placed with their feet down and their caps up.

However, preferably, they do fill the surface of the package and the mutual association forms an inscribed shape of the package. An inscribed shape of a package is understood to mean a common shape touching the inner wall of the package in multiple places, such that the whole of mushrooms is fixedly in the package at least substantially with regard to position and/or orientation. In other words, an inscribed shape of the package is understood to mean a configuration with which the mushrooms in the package have no or hardly any freedom of movement, at least in a direction parallel to a bottom face of that package. When this requirement is met, the mushrooms will substantially not move under normal processing and transport conditions and they will remain undamaged and (therefore) the filled package will remain presentable. Because mushroom packages are often filled with multiple layers of mushrooms, the method may be used multiple times when filling a package, but the method according to the invention may also comprise a step of manually providing or adding a next layer of mushrooms.

More preferably, the selected number of mushrooms in the mutual association fills the surface of the package. Thereby, not only the most stable placement is achieved, but also a completely layer has been provided in the package, so no automated or manual next step is needed before any next layer is provided. In a further embodiment, the method according to the invention comprises jointly taking a first series of mushrooms from the at least one conveyor and jointly taking at least a second series of mushrooms from the at least one conveyor and assembling the mutual association based on the first series and the at least second series. The first and second series may then, for example, be mushrooms placed sequentially on the at least one conveyor.

In an alternative embodiment, the at least one conveyor is adapted for parallel supply of multiple rows of mushrooms, such as 2, 3, 4 or more rows, with the mushrooms more preferably being located in each of the rows at a mutual distance with the same pitch in the conveying direction, and still more preferably, at always the same positions in the conveying direction, so that they are supplied in perpendicular rows and columns.

Alternatively or additionally to the foregoing, the first series of mushrooms may be taken from a first conveyor and the at least second series of mushrooms may be taken from an at least second conveyor. Of course, three or more conveyors may be used here as well. The mushrooms of the first and the second series may the interleaved or inserted between one another, or be placed next to one another.

Generally, it is expected that the method comprises sequentially supplying the mushrooms from the first series and sequentially supplying the mushrooms from the at least second series and at least partially placing mushrooms from the first and second series next to one another in a mutual association. The (mushrooms from) the first series and (the mushrooms from) the at least second series may then be supplied both sequentially and next to one another, where one and the same conveyor may be used when sequentially supplying the first and second series and one and the same conveyor with multiple parallel positions for mushrooms or multiple conveyors, optionally provided with multiple parallel positions for mushrooms, may be used for supplying the first and second series (at least partially) next to one another.

The method according to the invention may thus comprise the at least partially parallel supply of the first series of mushrooms on a first conveyor and of the second series of mushrooms on a second conveyor and placing mushrooms from the first and second series at least partially next to one another in a mutual association. An embodiment comprises, for the purpose of bringing the mushrooms in the mutual association, changing, in particular reducing at least the mutual distance between mushrooms adjacent in longitudinal direction compared to the mutual distance between the mushrooms on the conveyor.

An embodiment comprises, for the purpose of bringing the mushrooms in the mutual association, changing, in particular reducing at least the mutual distance between adjacent mushrooms in the width direction, relative to the mutual distance between the mushrooms on the conveyor. The latter may take place either when the mushrooms come from the same conveyor and are supplied parallel to one another, or when the mushrooms are supplied from different conveyors - naturally positioned at mutual distance in the width direction.

The invention further relates to an apparatus for placing mushrooms in a package, comprising at least one supplying or arranging apparatus for providing packages for mushrooms at a packaging location; at least a conveyor, such as a conveyor for supplying mushrooms to the packaging location and placing them in the package; at least one gripping and displacing apparatus for taking mushrooms to be placed in the package from the conveyor; and bringing a selected number of mushrooms in a mutual association, which number, in the mutual association, jointly fits within the inner dimensions of the package, and placing the mushrooms in the mutual association in the package. Such an apparatus may, for example, comprise a de-stacker for providing the packages. An apparatus according to the invention is suitable for taking a number of mushrooms from the conveyor, for example a series of mushrooms in a row, and taking a next series of mushrooms in a row from that same conveyor and placing them next to the first series and thus forming an association.

Here, the at least one gripping and displacement apparatus may be adapted for taking up, from the at least one conveyor, a first series of mushrooms placed sequentially in conveying direction on the at least one conveyor, taking up, from the at least one conveyor, a second series of mushrooms placed sequentially in conveying direction on the at least one conveyor, and at least partially placing the mushrooms from the first series and the second series next to one another transversely to the conveying direction. When series of mushrooms are taken up on a same conveyor or from different conveyors from parallel positions, displacing the mushrooms relative to one another in the conveying direction may no longer be needed. Nevertheless, this option may be part of the invention and it may even be possible to interleave mushrooms coming from different conveyors or insert them between one another. Conversely, it may also be possible to place mushrooms coming from the same conveyor in different packages. However, in all embodiments, it may be desirable to (be able to) move the gripping and displacing apparatus along with the conveyor for the purpose of taking the mushrooms from the conveyor.

In a further embodiment, the apparatus comprises a first number of gripping units movable relative to one another and in particular parallel to the conveying direction, such as suction cups, for gripping mushrooms from the at least one conveyor, and at least a second number of gripping units movable relative to one another and in particular parallel to the conveying direction, such as suction cups, for gripping mushrooms from the at least one conveyor; the apparatus further being configured for mutually displacing the first number of gripping units relative to the second number of gripping units, in particular positioning the first number of gripping units and the second number of gripping units in an orientation parallel to one another in a direction transverse to the conveying direction. Depending on using or not using conveyors for multiple parallel series of mushrooms, it is necessary to displace the gripping apparatuses relative to one another in the conveying direction. Also, use may be made of multiple gripping and displacing apparatuses. This may be done when there are multiple conveyors, so that, for each conveyor, there is at least a gripping and displacing apparatus, but also when there is only one conveyor. Irrespective of the conditions in which there are multiple gripping and displacing apparatuses, it is thereby possible to achieve a higher processing rate of mushrooms delivered onto one conveyor, by either adding them to the same package with multiple gripping and displacing apparatuses, or adding them to different packages. It may even be chosen to deliver mushrooms to a different unloading location, such as a buffer or even a discharge location, when the supplied mushrooms must not be supplied to a package to be filled at that moment, for example for reasons of quality or due to a size or weight. When use is made of one conveyor where all mushrooms are supplied sequentially, it is - because mushroom packages have a larger width than a single mushroom - necessary to displace the first and second series of mushrooms relative to one another, in a direction parallel to the conveying direction and in the conveying direction, for bringing mushrooms from the first and second series in the mutual association.

The gripping units of the at least one gripping apparatus may then also be mutually displaceable for changing and in particular reducing at least the mutual distance between gripped adjacent mushrooms. This may be done both in the conveying direction and transversely thereto. At least two adjacent gripping units may be mutually displaceable over a distance at least equal to the distance between a first and a third conveying position for a mushroom on a conveyor between which a second conveying position is located, in order to be able to skip a mushroom located on the harvest or picking belt. This may be desirable if such a mushroom does not seem suitable for placement in a package for any reason, for example size, weight or shape.

To this end, the present invention therefore relates to an automated weight determination of mushrooms and the use thereof when filling mushroom packages.

According to the prior art, filling mushroom packages involves filling a package for mushrooms while minimally exceeding a predetermined (minimum) weight. The minimum weight is a weight guaranteed or to be guaranteed to a buyer and minimising the excess has the purpose of giving away a lowest possible weight of mushrooms at a usually committed fixed price per package filled with a target weight of mushrooms.

It is known to place the packages on a weighing apparatus and to add mushrooms until the target weight has been reached. It is also known, when the exceeding of the target weight is high, to replace a mushroom already placed in the package by a mushroom with less weight such that, however, the total weight of the mushrooms placed in the package still reaches the target weight. Such exchanges are usually carried out manually and are therefore labour- intensive and form a bottleneck in the processing rate.

Weighing a mushroom package with its contents during filling is also known, and also has drawbacks. Only during filling of the package, the total weight of the mushrooms becomes known and when exceeding the target weight, it is not known which mushroom should be replaced, so that this still requires a manual action.

To obviate the above-mentioned drawbacks, solutions have been proposed for determining the individual weight per mushroom. Although this weight being known prior to filling packages with the respective mushrooms could simplify filling and could improve it when even a buffer is used for this, so far no systems have been proposed that are satisfactory in practice. In particular, the methods proposed by parties other than the present applicant for measuring individual mushrooms were found to be subject to further improvement. It is therefore an object of the present invention to propose a method and apparatus for processing mushrooms which obviates the above-mentioned drawbacks, or at least offers a usable alternative.

To this end, the invention provides a method of processing mushrooms, comprising conveying mushrooms on a conveyor (harvest belt), determining diameters of the caps of the mushrooms, determining expected weights of the mushrooms based on the diameters and determining a combination of mushrooms whose cumulative expected weight is within a particular range around a target value and taking the combination of mushrooms from the conveyor and placing the combination of mushrooms in a carrier (crate or package).

The invention is, among other things, based on the finding that a diameter of the cap of a mushroom is decisive for its weight. Thereby, the invention offers the advantage that a direct measurement of the weight of a mushroom to be placed in a package does not need to be determined. This does not only spare the delay involved in measuring both separate mushrooms and a cumulative filling weight, but also ensures that inaccuracies involved in a weight determination of a mushroom during the packaging process or during a conveyance no longer have any effect.

The diameter of the mushroom is then determined according to the invention in a direction parallel to a plane of a conveyor with which the mushroom is displaced. In particular, such a mushroom is moved by a conveyor carrying or supporting the lower edge of the cap of the mushroom, and more in particular, this is a belt conveyor or harvest belt, provided with openings for passing through stems of mushrooms and forming a support surface for the cap. In such a case, such a belt also forms a support surface for the cap of the mushroom. The diameter may then be determined on the support surface or at a predetermined distance thereof, or generally be based on the largest diameter which can be determined on the respective mushroom. Here, multiple choices are possible according to the invention.

In an embodiment of the invention, the expected weight is determined based on the diameter by looking up the weight in a table with weights coupled to diameters. Such a method allows a high throughput rate of the mushrooms because the required computing power is very low compared to determining a volume based on the diameter and then determining the weight of the respective mushroom based on a specific gravity.

Such a table may be filled with measured values of samples of mushroom diameters and their associated weights. Such samples may be taken of mushrooms from the bed or from the cell from which the mushrooms go onto the conveyor, since the relation between diameter and weight of those mushrooms is generally sufficiently decisive of other mushrooms from the same bed or from the same cell.

Because the weight per volume (and thereby the diameter) of the mushrooms may vary in time, for example depending on a stage of growth they are in, temperatures and/or air humidities and even a time lag in that the weight changes due to exchange of moisture with the environment, updating the table based on new samples of mushrooms and their associated weights or based on total weights of combinations of mushrooms is preferred in a further embodiment.

In order to minimise the effect of any fluctuations of the weight per volume and/or diameter, updating may preferably be done at fixed intervals, in particular every 2 or 3 hours, or after a number of mushrooms, such as, for example, a predetermined number of mushrooms.

For this purpose, when taking the combination of mushrooms from the conveyor and placing the combination of mushrooms in a carrier, at least one mushroom may be weighed. To this end, in an apparatus according to the invention, a weighing apparatus may be provided for weighing at least one mushroom.

In addition to weights related to mushroom diameters, the said table may also comprise additional parameters such as a temperature, air humidity and/or time stamp of the moment of measuring. Determining the weight may then also be done based on at least one of the additional data by also taking into account one or more of the additional data when processing the mushrooms. This then requires, for example, measuring the temperature and/or air humidity at the location where the diameter measurement is done. A time stamp may be used to determine whether the data from the table are still sufficiently relevant to use, and when they are found not to be sufficiently relevant, to indicate that the table needs to be updated.

Determining the diameter of a mushroom on the conveyor may, for example, be done by multiplying the detection duration of a sensor arranged along the conveyor and determining the presence of the mushroom by an also determined or known speed of the conveyor relative to the sensor.

The invention further relates to an apparatus for carrying out an above-describe method, comprising a conveyor (harvest belt) for conveying mushrooms in a conveying direction, in particular from a harvest location to a processing location, a sensor adapted for determining diameters of the caps of conveyed mushrooms, a processing unit, adapted for determining an expected weight based on the diameter, in particular by looking up the weight in a table with weights coupled to diameters, and for determining a combination of mushrooms whose cumulative expected weight is within a particular range around a target value, and a gripping apparatus, adapted for taking a combination of mushrooms determined by the processing unit from the conveyor and placing the combination of mushrooms in a carrier such as a mushroom package for consumers or a crate or other package.

With such an apparatus, mushroom packages may quickly and efficiently be provided with a target weight of mushrooms, with a minimal excess thereof.

The sensor for determining the diameter may be placed at a location along the conveyor and be adapted for measuring a duration of the detection of a mushroom passed along by the conveyor at that location in which the processing unit is adapted to multiply the duration by an also determined or known speed of the conveyor relative to the sensor.

A sensor found suitable for such a measurement is an optical sensor, in particular a sensor determining a duration of an interruption of a light beam through which the mushroom is passed.

Alternatively, the sensor could also comprise a line scanner, adapted for determining the diameter of the cap of a mushroom in any direction parallel to a plane in which the conveyor extends.

The apparatus may further comprise a memory for storing a table with weights coupled to diameters of mushrooms.

Both in the method and the apparatus according to the invention, determining the diameters of the mushrooms may be done just before placing the mushrooms in a carrier, but also at an earlier moment in time and place. The latter offers the advantage that for placing and in particular for combining a particular weight in a carrier, it is possible to anticipate [the weight] based on the mushrooms which are known to be supplied on the conveyor. In this manner, the conveyor itself serves as a buffer. By having the mushrooms taken from the conveyor over a particular range in time and place, the supply order may be deviated from when placing the mushrooms in the carrier. In addition, other buffers may be used. This may be a separate static buffer arranged at the location for placing the mushrooms in the carriers, but an alternative according to the invention is also to ready multiple carriers to be filled so that those carriers may form buffer locations themselves. Of course, several of the said options may also be used simultaneously. This further benefits the processing rate. The invention further refers to a mushroom farm, in which the above-mentioned method is used, that is adapted to apply the method, and/or provided with at least an above-described apparatus. In particular, such a mushroom farm is further provided with a measuring apparatus for measuring at least one of: a diameter of a mushroom, a weight of a mushroom, an instantaneous temperature, air humidity, and time; where determining the weight is also based on at least one of the instantaneous values.

The apparatus may comprise at least a second conveyor. Such a second belt allows packaging mushrooms from a second location, such as a second side of a harvest bed or another cell, together with the mushrooms from the first conveyor.

The said apparatuses according to the invention may all be adapted for carrying out one or more methods according to the invention. The invention will now be elucidated with reference to the following figures, in which: figures la-lf show different steps in the method according to the invention; figure 2 shows a conveyor according to and for use according to the invention; figure 3 shows an example of a tiled placement of mushrooms; and figure 4 shows a measuring apparatus according to the invention.

Figure la shows a schematic top plan view of a conveyor 1, provided with holes 3 (partially visible in figure lb), in which harvested mushrooms 2 are supplied in a conveying direction 4.

Figure lb shows that same conveyor 1 after a gripping and displacing apparatus 5, 6 has taken a number of mushrooms 2 from the conveyor 1.

Figure lc shows again a next step, in which the gripping and displacing apparatus 5, 6 is busy bringing the mushrooms in a mutual association, the mushrooms being arranged in two parallel rows in this example.

Figure Id shows the final association 6 in which mushrooms 2 have become mushrooms 2' placed in mutual association.

Figure le shows how this association 6 is placed in a package 7 and is an inscribed shape thereof.

Figure If shows the displacement needed for the last part of bringing the mushrooms 2 in association to the mushrooms 2' brought in the mutual association 6. For the sake completeness, it is mentioned here that the word association and the words mutual association indicate a configuration in this application and not a physical part or object. Figure 2 shows a harvest belt or belt conveyor 8 provided with holes 9 for receiving the feet of mushrooms, which holes are provided in rows Rl, R2 and columns Cl, C2 and further, at right angles thereto. The conveyor 8 shown is an example. Embodiments are conceivable, with more rows and/or columns not at right angles to the rows.

The point is that the arrangement on the harvest belt or belt conveyor simplifies bringing the mushrooms in an association.

Figure 3 shows a configuration in which mushrooms 2 are placed in a mutual association in a package 7, by a gripping and displacing apparatus of which sub apparatuses 10, 11, 12 are shown. The sub apparatuses 10, 11, 12 are vacuum cups, gripping the cap of the mushroom. It can be seen that the sub apparatuses 10, 11, 13 grip in respective gripping directions D, E, F being at an angle alpha to perpendiculars A, B, C of the respective mushrooms 2", 2"', 2"". Those mushrooms may thereby be placed in a package 7 in a tiled manner and thereby obtain a stable position due their mutual association, even when that association is not yet an inscribed shape of the package 7. A still more stable shape is obtained when mushroom 2""' is placed as well, which abuts the wall 7' of the package 7, so that the mushrooms no longer have freedom of movement between the walls of the package.

Figure 4 shows an embodiment of apparatus 21, suitable for carrying out a method of processing mushrooms. The apparatus 21 comprises a conveyor 22, formed by a harvest belt provided with holes 23 for conveying mushrooms 24 in a conveying direction 25. Along the conveyor 22, a measuring apparatus 6 is arranged for measuring the diameter D of a mushroom 24. In the example shown, that diameter is determined by measuring the time in which the presence of a mushroom 24 is determined by the sensor 26. In the case shown, that sensor 26 has a photosensitive area 27 which is preferably very narrow and which sensor 26 measures the duration of an interruption of a light beam emitted by a light source arranged on the opposite side of the conveyor 22. In combination with the also known or measurable conveying speed of the conveyor 22 in the direction 25, this duration allows determination of the diameter D of each mushroom 24 passing the sensor 26. That diameter D may then be used to look up an associated weight of the mushroom 24 in a table (not shown). By doing this for every mushroom 24 placed on the conveyor 22 passing the sensor 26, the (at least estimated) individual weights of the mushrooms 24 are known. These may be used to fill a carrier for mushrooms, such as a consumer package or a crate, with a predetermined target weight of mushrooms. Then, the mushrooms do not need to be taken from the conveyor in supplying order, but may be taken therefrom over a distance A extending as far as desirable, to be placed in a carrier in a manner known per se. Here, in the present invention, generally use may be made of a gripping technique known per se such as a gripper or a (vacuum) suction pad.