A modular production line of combined assembly and packaging robots and a method of production

Abstract

This application relates to the field of packaging technology, specifically to a modular robotic production line and packaging method for packaged products. The modular robotic production line for packaged products includes conveyor lines, a first feeding module, a second feeding module, and a packaging module. Several conveyor lines are provided. The first feeding module supplies a first single item. The second feeding module supplies a second single item. The hardness of the first single item is greater than that of the second single item; the size of the first single item is greater than that of the second single item; in the material conveying direction of a first straight path, there is a first target number of first feeding modules upstream of the second feeding modules and a second target number of first feeding modules downstream of the second feeding modules; the packaging module is located at the end of the conveying direction of the several conveyor lines; the packaging module is used to package the various single items on the conveyor lines into packaged products, thereby solving the problem of the high difficulty of packaging packaged products.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of packaging technology, and more specifically, to a modular robotic production line for combination products and a packaging production method. Background Technology

[0002] Bundled products are finished products packaged in bags or boxes by combining and sealing multiple different types of individual items. To achieve efficient production of bundled products, multi-station automated production lines are commonly used for the packaging process. These lines typically consist of multiple independent loading stations, individual item gripping mechanisms, conveying mechanisms, and packaging mechanisms. Each loading station carries individual items of the same type, handling batch and continuous loading. The conveying mechanism drives the carrier through each loading station sequentially along a preset path. Individual item gripping mechanisms are positioned at each loading station to pick up items from the corresponding station in preset quantities and place them into the carrier, completing the combined packaging of multiple product types.

[0003] Because the various individual items required for a packaged product often have differences in material hardness, shape and size, softer items are prone to wrinkling during the arrangement and conveying of the materials. This affects the stability of the multiple items during synchronous conveying and directly increases the difficulty of packaging the packaged product. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the challenge of packaging modular products, this application provides a modular robotic production line and packaging method for modular products.

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a modular production line for assembled products using robots, the modular production line for assembled products including:

[0006] A conveyor line is provided, comprising several such lines; one of the conveyor lines is arranged along a first straight path; the first straight path is horizontal; the conveyor line includes a support rail, a conveyor chain, and multiple pushing units; the support rail is horizontally arranged; a clearance groove is provided on the support rail along its length; the conveyor chain is located below the support rail; the pushing units are connected to the conveyor chain; the conveyor chain drives the pushing units to move along the length of the support rail; the pushing units are slidably disposed in the clearance grooves; the top of the pushing units is higher than the surface of the support rail that contacts the material.

[0007] The first feeding module is used to supply the first single item; multiple first feeding modules are arranged along the first straight path;

[0008] The second feeding module is used to supply the second single item; the hardness of the first single item is greater than that of the second single item; the size of the first single item is greater than that of the second single item; in the material conveying direction of the first straight path, there is a first target number of the first feeding modules upstream of the second feeding module, and a second target number of the first feeding modules downstream of the second feeding module.

[0009] A packaging module is located at the end of the conveying direction of several conveyor lines; the packaging module is used to package multiple individual materials on the conveyor lines to form a combined product; the combined product includes the first individual item and the second individual item.

[0010] Optionally, one of the conveyor lines is arranged along a second straight path; one of the conveyor lines is arranged along a third straight path; both the second and third straight paths are horizontal; the first straight path is perpendicular to the second straight path; the first straight path is parallel to the third straight path; the discharge end of the first straight path is connected to the feed end of the second straight path; the discharge end of the second straight path is connected to the feed end of the third straight path; the conveying direction of the third straight path is opposite to the conveying direction of the first straight path.

[0011] Optionally, the first target quantity is less than the second target quantity; the surface roughness of the first item is greater than the surface roughness of the second item.

[0012] Optionally, the modular production line for the combined product robot further includes a third feeding module, which is used to supply a third single item; the size of the third single item is smaller than the size of the second single item; the third feeding module is located downstream of all the first feeding modules in the material conveying direction.

[0013] Optionally, the third feeding module is located on the third straight path.

[0014] Optionally, the width of the conveyor line of the first straight path is 105% to 115% of the width of the first single item.

[0015] Optionally, the width of the conveyor line in the second straight path is 110% to 120% of the length of the first item.

[0016] Secondly, this application provides a method for producing packaged products in combination, applied to a modular robotic production line for packaged products as described in any one of the first aspects; the method for producing packaged products in combination includes:

[0017] A first preset number of first individual items are stacked vertically along the conveyor line to form a first combination of individual items;

[0018] Propel the first combined item to move along the first horizontal direction;

[0019] A second item is placed on top of the first combined item to form a second combined item; the hardness of the first item is greater than that of the second item; the size of the first item is greater than that of the second item.

[0020] Propel the second combination of individual items to move along the first horizontal direction;

[0021] A second predetermined number of the first items are placed vertically stacked above the second combined items on the conveyor line to form a third combined item;

[0022] The third group of individual items is moved until it enters the packaging station for packaging, forming a packaged product.

[0023] Optionally, the step of moving the third group of individual items until they enter the packaging station for packaging to form a packaged product includes:

[0024] The third combined item is moved a first distance along the first horizontal direction;

[0025] The third combined item is moved a second distance along the second horizontal direction until it enters the packaging station for packaging, forming a combined package product; the second horizontal direction is opposite to the first horizontal direction.

[0026] Optionally, the first preset quantity is less than the second preset quantity; the surface roughness of the first item is greater than the surface roughness of the second item.

[0027] Optionally, the step of pushing the third combined item to move a second distance along a second horizontal direction until it enters the packaging station for packaging to form a combined package product includes:

[0028] The third combined item is moved a second distance along the second horizontal direction;

[0029] A third item is placed on top of the third combined item on the conveyor line to form a fourth combined item; the size of the third item is smaller than the size of the second item.

[0030] The fourth combined item is moved along the second horizontal direction until it enters the packaging station for packaging, forming a combined package product.

[0031] Optionally, the first distance is less than the second distance.

[0032] To address the challenge of packaging combination products, this application offers the following advantages:

[0033] By setting the conveyor line along a horizontal first straight path, and sequentially arranging a first target quantity of first feeding modules, a second feeding module, and a second target quantity of first feeding modules along the material conveying direction on the first straight path, larger and harder first items and smaller and harder and smaller second items are placed sequentially on the support rail, forming a sandwich stacked structure where the second item is located between two first items. This allows the harder, multi-layered first items to hold the softer second items, helping to maintain the second item's flat shape, preventing wrinkles, and ensuring posture stability during conveying. The conveyor chain drives the pushing unit to slide along the clearance groove of the support rail. The pushing unit simultaneously applies a thrust to the first and second items placed on the support rail, achieving a one-time push-alignment of the two along the conveying direction. This method, while ensuring the neat stacking of the first and second items, shortens the overall conveying distance, improves the packaging efficiency of the packaging module for combined products containing first and second items, and enhances the utilization rate of the site size. Attached Figure Description

[0034] Figure 1 A top view of the modular production line for assembled products by robot, as shown in Embodiment 1, is displayed.

[0035] Figure 2 It shows Figure 1 Axonometric drawing of a modular production line for assembled products using robots;

[0036] Figure 3 It shows Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the support track of the modular production line for assembled products using robots;

[0037] Figure 4 It shows Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the conveyor chain and pusher unit of the modular production line for assembled products using robots;

[0038] Figure 5 A flowchart of the production method for the combined product packaging of Embodiment 2 is shown.

[0039] Reference numerals: conveyor line 10; supporting track 11; conveyor chain 12; pushing unit 13; clearance groove 14; first item 20; second item 30; third item 40; first feeding module 50; second feeding module 60; third feeding module 70; first horizontal direction Q1; second horizontal direction Q2; first straight path L1; second straight path L2; third straight path L3. Detailed Implementation

[0040] The present disclosure will now be discussed with reference to several exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are discussed only to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and thus implement the present disclosure, and are not intended to imply any limitation on the scope of the disclosure.

[0041] As used herein, the term "comprising" and its variations are to be interpreted as open-ended terms meaning "including but not limited to". The term "based on" is to be interpreted as "at least partially based on". The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" are to be interpreted as "at least one embodiment". The term "another embodiment" is to be interpreted as "at least one other embodiment". The terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "rear", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "vertical", "horizontal", "lateral", "longitudinal", etc., indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. These terms are primarily for the purpose of better describing this application and its embodiments and are not intended to limit the indicated devices, elements, or components to having a specific orientation or being constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Furthermore, some of the above terms may be used to indicate other meanings besides orientations or positional relationships; for example, the term "upper" may in some cases indicate a dependency or connection relationship. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this application according to the specific circumstances. In addition, the terms "installed", "set up", "equipped with", "connected", and "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral structure; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or an internal connection between two devices, elements, or components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., are mainly used to distinguish different devices, elements, or components (the specific types and structures may be the same or different), and are not used to indicate or imply the relative importance or quantity of the indicated devices, elements, or components. Unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0042] When combining multiple individual materials into a package containing a first item 20 and a second item 30, the first item 20 has a higher hardness and a larger size than the second item 30, resulting in differences in material, shape, and size. This difference causes the smaller, less hard second item 30 to be prone to bending or displacement under external force during transport and stacking, making it difficult to maintain a stable relative stack with the larger, harder first item 20. When the second item 30 needs to be placed between two first items 20 to form a sandwich arrangement according to a predetermined hierarchical structure, the inconsistency in the physical properties of the individual materials interferes with the neatness of the stacking, leading to inaccurate material positioning in subsequent packaging processes. During continuous transport, the problem of material neatness accumulates with the increase in transport distance, further increasing the difficulty for the packaging module to reliably combine the first item 20 and the second item 30 into a package, thus making the overall packaging process more challenging.

[0043] Example 1:

[0044] In this embodiment, a modular production line for assembled products using robots is provided. For example... Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, the modular production line for combined products includes a conveyor line 10, a first feeding module 50, a second feeding module 60, and a packaging module.

[0045] Several conveyor lines 10 are provided. One of the conveyor lines 10 is set along a first straight path L1, which is horizontally arranged to ensure the stability of the material during the conveying process and avoid the problems of material displacement and stacking misalignment caused by the path tilt. The conveyor line 10 includes a support rail 11, a conveyor chain 12, and multiple pushing parts 13. The support rail 11 is horizontally arranged to provide a stable horizontal support plane for the material and ensure the placement stability of the material during the conveying process. The support rail 11 is provided with a clearance groove 14 along its own length direction to provide precise sliding guide space, limit the movement offset of the pushing parts 13, and ensure the straightness and running stability of the pushing parts 13. The conveyor chain 12 is located below the support rail 11. The pusher 13 is connected to the conveyor chain 12. The conveyor chain 12 drives the pusher 13 to move along the length of the support rail 11. The pusher 13 is slidably disposed in the clearance groove 14. The top of the pusher 13 is higher than the surface of the support rail 11 that contacts the material, so that the pusher 13 can apply a pushing force to the first item 20 and the second item 30 on the support rail 11 under the drive of the conveyor chain 12, thereby achieving the push and alignment of the first item 20 and the second item 30.

[0046] The first feeding module 50 is used to supply the first single item 20. Multiple first feeding modules 50 are arranged along the first straight path L1, and can sequentially feed the first single item 20 to the conveyor line 10 at different positions of the first straight path L1.

[0047] The second feeding module 60 is used to supply the second single item 30. The hardness of the first single item 20 is greater than that of the second single item 30, and the size of the first single item 20 is greater than that of the second single item 30. In the material conveying direction of the first straight path L1, there is a first target number of first feeding modules 50 upstream of the second feeding module 60, and a second target number of first feeding modules 50 downstream of the second feeding module 60, so that the first single item 20 and the second single item 30 can be placed on the conveyor line 10 of the first straight path L1 in sequence, forming a sandwich stacked state where the second single item 30 is located between the two first single items 20. The structure of the first single item 20 is used to protect the second single item 30, preventing the second single item 30 from bending and deforming, and ensuring the integrity of the single item material.

[0048] The packaging module is located at the end of several conveyor lines 10 in the conveying direction, thereby using the packaging module to package various individual materials on the conveyor lines 10 into combined products. The combined products include a first individual item 20 and a second individual item 30. It should be understood that the first individual item 20 and the second individual item 30, which have been aligned and stacked, can be continuously packaged directly, realizing continuous production throughout the entire process of individual item feeding, linear conveying, synchronous alignment, and finished product packaging. This further improves the production efficiency of combined products, while ensuring the neatness of the stacking of each individual item within the combined product and the final packaging quality.

[0049] This application uses multiple conveyor lines 10, exemplarily employing two conveyor lines 10. Since the driving force for the first item 20 and the second item 30 is provided by the push rod 13, and the supporting rail 11 remains stationary, no excessive gap will occur at the junction of the supporting rails 11 of the two conveyor lines 10, thus ensuring the smoothness of the conveying process of the first item 20 and the second item 30. However, this can lead to friction between the softer second item 30 and the supporting rail 11 when multiple items are moved synchronously, making it more prone to bending and deformation.

[0050] Therefore, this application places the first single item 20, which has higher hardness and larger size, and the second single item 30, which has lower hardness and smaller size, sequentially on the supporting track 11, forming a sandwich stacked structure where the second single item 30 is located between the two first single items 20. The multiple layers of first single items 20 with higher hardness clamp the softer second single item 30, thereby helping the second single item 30 maintain a flat shape, ensuring posture stability during transportation, and preventing wrinkles. The conveyor chain 12 drives the pushing part 13 to slide along the avoidance groove 14 of the supporting track 11. The pushing part 13 simultaneously applies a pushing force to the first single item 20 and the second single item 30 placed on the supporting track 11, realizing a one-time push-alignment of the two along the conveying direction, thereby improving the packaging efficiency of the packaging module for combined products containing the first single item 20 and the second single item 30.

[0051] Furthermore, one conveyor line 10 is set along the second straight path L2, and another conveyor line 10 is set along the third straight path L3. Both the second straight path L2 and the third straight path L3 are horizontally positioned to ensure that the first item 20, the second item 30, and the third item 40 remain horizontal during the transfer and conveying process along different straight paths, avoiding stacking misalignment. The first straight path L1 is perpendicular to the second straight path L2, and parallel to the third straight path L3. The discharge end of the first straight path L1 connects to the feed end of the second straight path L2, and the discharge end of the second straight path L2 connects to the feed end of the third straight path L3. The conveying direction of the third straight path L3 is opposite to that of the first straight path L1. It should be understood that the first straight path L1, the second straight path L2, and the third straight path L3 are connected in sequence to form a U-shaped conveying loop, which can transform the original long-distance conveying line 10 that extends in a straight line into a U-shaped layout with reversals. Under the premise of meeting the requirements of the complete conveying process and process layout, the straight extension length of the production line is greatly shortened, the overall floor area of ​​the production line is effectively reduced, and the space utilization rate of the production site is improved.

[0052] Meanwhile, the vertical and parallel connection of the straight paths simplifies the transfer structure of the conveyor line 10, reduces the difficulty of transferring materials between different conveyor lines 10, ensures the smoothness and positional accuracy of materials during the transfer process of the conveyor line 10, and avoids problems such as material deviation and scattering during the transfer. Specifically, to further ensure the stability of material conveying, the support rails 11 corresponding to the first straight path L1, the second straight path L2, and the third straight path L3 are designed with a push rod structure drive, so that the connection gap between the support rails 11 of adjacent straight paths is controlled within a preset range. The gap size is much smaller than the size of the first single item 20 and the second single item 30, which can effectively prevent materials from getting stuck in the connection gap during the transfer process. At the same time, it can prevent materials from shaking or deviating due to excessively large gaps, thereby ensuring the operational stability of the conveyor line 10 during the entire process of conveying the first single item 20 and the second single item 30, ensuring that materials can be conveyed smoothly and continuously along the preset path, and further improving the efficiency and reliability of material conveying.

[0053] The first straight path L1 and the third straight path L3 push in opposite directions, pushing the first item 20 and the second item 30 together from both sides to make them neater. The first item 20 and the second item 30 are stacked in layers along the first straight path L1, and then the stacked materials are pushed and positioned along the second straight path L2 to make them neat. The two conveyor lines 10 have clear division of labor and perform their respective duties. They are interconnected and cooperate with each other in the process to achieve the continuous and smooth completion of the single item stacking and neatening processes.

[0054] Furthermore, the first target quantity is less than the second target quantity, ensuring that the number of first single items 20 fed upstream of the second feeding module 60 is less than the number of first single items 20 fed downstream. This results in a greater number of first single items 20 on the upper layer than on the lower layer. The larger number of upper-layer first single items 20 creates a comprehensive pressing and covering effect, providing stable compression and limiting for the softer second single item 30. This effectively prevents the second single item 30 from loosening or shifting during transport, ensuring the stability of the multi-item stacked structure. The surface roughness of the first single item 20 is greater than that of the second single item 30, effectively increasing the static friction between the contact surfaces of the first and second single items 20. This further restricts the relative sliding of the second single item 30 between the upper and lower layers of first single items 20, preventing slippage and misalignment of materials during transport and pushing. This further enhances the stability of the composite material stacked structure and ensures the quality of the finished product in subsequent packaging processes.

[0055] Furthermore, the modular production line for assembled products also includes a third feeding module 70, which supplies a third single item 40. The third single item 40 is smaller than the second single item 30, and is located downstream in the material conveying direction compared to all the first feeding modules 50. It should be understood that by setting the third feeding module 70 downstream of all the first feeding modules 50 in the material conveying direction, the production line can proceed with the feeding of the smaller third item 40 after the main stacking structure of the first item 20, the second item 30, and the first item 20 is completed. This strictly follows the material feeding sequence from large to small size, effectively avoiding the problem of the small third item 40 being covered or squeezed by the subsequently fed large items, resulting in falling or misalignment. At the same time, it prevents the small items from interfering with the stacking positioning accuracy of the large items, thereby ensuring the orderly stacking of the first item 20, the second item 30, the first item 20, and the third item 40, ensuring the neatness and stability of the multi-category, multi-size item stacking structure, and improving the efficiency of subsequent packaging processes and the finished product qualification rate of the combined products.

[0056] Furthermore, the third feeding module 70 is located on the third straight path L3. It should be understood that separating the material feeding process of the third feeding module 70 from the material feeding processes of the upstream first feeding module 50 and second feeding module 60 onto different straight paths avoids interference between the working spaces of each feeding module, ensuring the independent and orderly operation of each product feeding process. Placing the third feeding module 70 on the third straight path L3 eliminates the need to add an additional feeding module to the first straight path L1, thus maintaining the original layout structure of the straight path. This ensures the stable parallelism between the first straight path L1 and the third straight path L3, maintains the structural regularity of the U-shaped conveyor loop, and avoids the problems of a scattered production line layout and increased space occupation caused by crowded feeding modules. This effectively reduces the overall footprint of the production line and improves the space utilization rate of the production site. Meanwhile, the third straight path L3 is located in the downstream section of the U-shaped conveyor loop, close to the feeding end of the packaging module. The third feeding module 70 is set up here to complete the delivery of the third single item 40. It can adapt to the delivery order of single items from large to small size. The stacking operation of all single items is completed before the material enters the packaging module, which further ensures the orderliness of the stacking of multiple single items and the stability of the stacking structure, providing a stable material foundation for the packaging operation of the subsequent packaging module.

[0057] Furthermore, the width of the conveyor line 10 of the first straight path L1 is 105% to 115% of the width of the first item 20, so that the width of the conveyor line 10 and the width of the first item 20 form a suitable gap fit, which reserves a reasonable lateral movement margin for the conveying movement of the first item 20, and avoids the first item 20 from getting stuck on the side of the conveyor line 10 during the conveying and pushing process. While ensuring the smoothness of the material conveying process, the side of the conveyor line 10 effectively constrains the lateral displacement of the first item 20, limits the lateral offset of the first item 20 during the conveying process, avoids the first item 20 from having excessive lateral misalignment, and ensures the conveying position accuracy and straightness of the first item 20. This provides a precise positional basis for the synchronous pushing and alignment of the first item 20 and the second item 30, and ultimately improves the stacking neatness of multiple items.

[0058] Furthermore, the width of the conveyor line 10 of the second straight path L2 is 110% to 120% of the length of the first single item 20. It should be understood that since the first straight path L1 can only align the material formed by the stacking of the first single item 20 and the second single item 30 in one direction, in order to accommodate the placement posture of the first single item 20 after the material formed by the stacking of the first single item 20 and the second single item 30 is transferred from the first straight path L1 to the second straight path L2, the conveyor line 10 of the second straight path L2 adopts a larger width. This allows for reasonable lateral movement margin for the transfer and conveying of the first single item 20, preventing the first single item 20 from getting stuck on the side of the conveyor line 10 during the path transfer and conveying movement, and ensuring the smooth conveying of materials during the vertical path transfer process. Meanwhile, the lateral displacement of the first item 20 can be effectively limited by the side of the conveyor line 10, which strictly limits the lateral offset and attitude deflection of the first item 20 during the transfer and conveying process, and avoids the problem of misalignment and disordered stacking of the first item 20 due to the change of path direction, thus ensuring the conveying position accuracy and stacking structure stability of the first item 20 on the second straight path L2.

[0059] Example 2:

[0060] In this embodiment, a method for producing packaged products is provided, which is applied to a modular robotic production line for packaged products, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the production method for packaged combination products includes steps S10 to S60, and the production method for packaged combination products executes steps S10, S20, S30, S40, S50 and S60 in sequence.

[0061] In step S10, a first preset number of first single items 20 are stacked vertically on the conveyor line 10 to form a first combined single item, forming a stable bottom rigid support structure, providing a flat and reliable bearing benchmark for the subsequent placement of the second single item 30, and avoiding the problem of bending deformation and local collapse of the softer second single item 30 due to lack of stable support.

[0062] Step S20: Move the first group of individual items along the first horizontal direction Q1, so that the first group of individual items can complete continuous station flow on the same straight path, ensuring the conveying position accuracy of the first group of individual items and the stability of the vertical stacking structure. At the same time, the subsequent individual items can be put into operation simultaneously during the straight conveying process, realizing the parallel operation of conveying and loading processes, and greatly improving production efficiency.

[0063] In step S30, the second item 30 is placed on top of the first combined item, forming the second combined item. The second item 30 is stably supported on the bottom layer of the first combined item, creating a preliminary sandwich stacking structure with the first item 20 below and the second item 30 above. Because the first item 20 is harder and larger than the second item 30, the high structural rigidity of the first item 20 effectively protects the softer, more easily bent second item 30, preventing bending, deformation, and edge damage during subsequent conveying and stacking. It also ensures that the second item 30 remains entirely within the bearing plane of the first item 20, preventing it from slipping off the edge of the first combined item and ensuring the stability and integrity of the stacking structure.

[0064] Step S40: Push the second combination of individual items along the first horizontal direction Q1 so that the conveying direction and conveying path of the second combination of individual items are completely consistent with those of the first combination of individual items. There is no need to change the conveying direction or add an additional conveying drive structure. The continuous pushing operation of the first combination of individual items and the second combination of individual items can be completed by the same set of 13 pushing parts. At the same time, the first item 20 and the second item 30 can be synchronously pushed and aligned by the pushing parts 13 during the same straight conveying process, without the need to set up pushing and aligning processes separately on multiple conveying paths.

[0065] In step S50, a second preset number of first items 20 are placed vertically stacked above the second combination of items on the conveyor line 10 to form a third combination of items. This ensures that the second item 30 is stably held between the upper and lower layers of first items 20, forming a complete sandwich-type stacking structure. The upper and lower layers of first items 20 form a bidirectional compression and limiting effect on the second item 30, effectively preventing the second item 30 from loosening, shifting laterally, or slipping during subsequent conveying, thus significantly improving the overall stability of the multi-item stacking structure. At the same time, the vertical stacking method allows for precise control of the quantity of the upper layer of first items 20, ensuring the accuracy and batch consistency of the quantity of each item in the combined product, providing a qualified material basis for subsequent standardized packaging operations.

[0066] Step S60: Move the third set of individual items until they enter the packaging station for packaging, forming a packaged product. It should be understood that the continuous and automated packaging operation of multiple stacked individual items achieves a seamless production process from item placement, linear conveying, synchronous alignment, to finished product packaging. No manual intervention is required for material transfer, significantly improving the production efficiency of packaged products. Simultaneously, it ensures that the third set of individual items entering the packaging station has a neat stacking structure and accurate material positioning, effectively avoiding packaging defects caused by material misalignment, and improving the packaging quality and finished product qualification rate of packaged products.

[0067] Further, step S60 includes steps S61 and S62. The combined product packaging production method executes steps S10, S20, S30, S40, S50, S61, and S62 in sequence.

[0068] Step S61: Move the third set of individual items a first distance along the first horizontal direction Q1. This directional and stable pushing ensures that the stacked third set of individual items maintains a neat and stable stacked posture during horizontal transport, preventing issues such as item offset, tipping, or loosening. Furthermore, it performs preliminary positioning and alignment of the third set of individual items from one horizontal direction, correcting stacking deviations and laying a neat foundation for subsequent station transport and packaging operations. Step S62: Move the third set of individual items a second distance along the second horizontal direction Q2 until it enters the packaging station for packaging, forming a packaged product. The second horizontal direction Q2 is opposite to the first horizontal direction Q1. This bidirectional shaping, correction, and precise positioning alignment of the third set of individual items from two opposite horizontal directions effectively corrects stacking misalignment and uneven shapes, ensuring that the third set of individual items can enter the packaging station with high precision and stability and successfully complete the automated packaging operation. The entire process significantly improves the packaging neatness and forming quality of combined products, strengthens the continuity and stability of production line operation, reduces the defect rate from the source of the process, and steadily ensures the qualified rate of finished products leaving the factory.

[0069] Furthermore, the first preset quantity is less than the second preset quantity. This allows the number of first items 20 in the bottom stack to be less than the number of first items 20 in the upper stack, resulting in a greater number of first items 20 above the second item 30 than the number of first items 20 below it. The greater number of upper first items 20 creates a more uniform and comprehensive compressive force, providing stable compression and limiting for the softer second item 30 sandwiched between the upper and lower first items 20. This effectively prevents the second item 30 from loosening, shifting, or slipping during transport and turning, ensuring the overall stability of the multi-item stacking structure. The surface roughness of the first item 20 is greater than that of the second item 30, effectively increasing the static friction coefficient between the contact surfaces of the first item 20 and the second item 30, enhancing the static friction force between the contact surfaces, further restricting the relative sliding of the second item 30 between the upper and lower layers of the first item 20, avoiding slippage and misalignment of materials during conveying, pushing, and turning, further strengthening the stability of the composite material stacking structure, ensuring that the materials can enter the packaging station in a neat and orderly stacked posture, and improving the packaging quality and finished product qualification rate of the combined products. For example, the first preset quantity is 1, and the second preset quantity is 2; in other embodiments, the first preset quantity is 2 and the second preset quantity is 3.

[0070] Further, step S62 includes steps S621 to S623, and the combined product packaging production method sequentially executes steps S10, S20, S30, S40, S50, S61, S621, S622, and S623.

[0071] Step S621: Move the third combination item a second distance along the second horizontal direction Q2.

[0072] Step S622: Place the third item 40 on top of the third combination item on the conveyor line 10 to form the fourth combination item. The size of the third item 40 is smaller than that of the second item 30, which adapts to the hierarchical stacking requirements of multiple specifications of items in the combination product from large to small size. This provides a size adaptation basis for the orderly stacking of multiple items, avoiding the instability of the stacking structure and the shift of the center of gravity caused by the chaotic size hierarchy of the items. It ensures the orderly stacking of the first item 20, the second item 30, and the third item 40, and guarantees the neatness and overall stability of the stacking structure of multiple categories and sizes of items. Moreover, the first preset quantity is less than the second preset quantity, and the weight is used to ensure the stability of the third combination item, preventing the first item 20 above it from tilting due to the second item 30 being too smooth, and ultimately preventing the third item 40 from tilting and collapsing.

[0073] Step S623: Move the fourth combination of individual items along the second horizontal direction Q2 until it enters the packaging station for packaging, forming a packaged product. It should be understood that the fourth combination of individual items, after all items have been stacked, is continuously and smoothly transported from the delivery station to the packaging station along the same straight path, without the need for additional transport path transfers or transport direction changes. This avoids problems such as misalignment of stacked materials or slippage of individual items during transport, ensuring that the fourth combination of individual items enters the packaging station accurately with a neat and orderly stacked posture. Simultaneously, it achieves fully automated operation of individual item delivery, straight-line transport, and finished product packaging, eliminating the need for manual material handling, significantly improving the production efficiency of packaged products, and effectively avoiding packaging defects caused by misalignment of stacked materials, thus improving the packaging quality and finished product qualification rate of packaged products.

[0074] Furthermore, the first distance is shorter than the second distance. It should be understood that concentrating the main stacking processes of the first item 20 and the second item 30 within the shorter first horizontal conveyor section Q1 reduces ineffective material transport between stacking processes, improves the compactness of item placement and stacking operations, and increases the production efficiency of the stacking process. Simultaneously, the longer second horizontal conveyor section Q2 provides conditions for the subsequent placement of the third item 40 and posture calibration during material transport. In addition, the longer second distance allows sufficient transport distance before the material enters the packaging station to stabilize the stacked structure and ensure proper posture, avoiding stacking misalignment and posture deviation caused by insufficient transport distance. This ensures that the material enters the packaging station in a precise and neat stacked state, improving the packaging quality and finished product qualification rate of the combined products.

[0075] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above embodiments are specific examples of implementing this disclosure, and in practical applications, various changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A modular robotic production line for assembled products, characterized in that, The modular robotic production line for the combined product assembly includes: A conveyor line is provided, comprising several such lines; one of the conveyor lines is arranged along a first straight path; the first straight path is horizontal; the conveyor line includes a support rail, a conveyor chain, and multiple pushing units; the support rail is horizontally arranged; a clearance groove is provided on the support rail along its length; the conveyor chain is located below the support rail; the pushing units are connected to the conveyor chain; the conveyor chain drives the pushing units to move along the length of the support rail; the pushing units are slidably disposed in the clearance grooves; the top of the pushing units is higher than the surface of the support rail that contacts the material. The first feeding module is used to supply the first single item; multiple first feeding modules are arranged along the first straight path; The second feeding module is used to supply the second single item; the hardness of the first single item is greater than that of the second single item; the size of the first single item is greater than that of the second single item; in the material conveying direction of the first straight path, there is a first target number of the first feeding modules upstream of the second feeding module, and a second target number of the first feeding modules downstream of the second feeding module. A packaging module is located at the end of the conveying direction of several conveyor lines; the packaging module is used to package multiple individual materials on the conveyor lines to form a combined product; the combined product includes the first individual item and the second individual item.

2. The modular production line for assembled products by robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, One of the conveyor lines is arranged along a second straight path; one of the conveyor lines is arranged along a third straight path; both the second and third straight paths are horizontal; the first straight path is perpendicular to the second straight path; the first straight path is parallel to the third straight path; the discharge end of the first straight path is connected to the feed end of the second straight path; the discharge end of the second straight path is connected to the feed end of the third straight path; the conveying direction of the third straight path is opposite to the conveying direction of the first straight path.

3. The modular production line for assembled products according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first target quantity is less than the second target quantity; the surface roughness of the first item is greater than the surface roughness of the second item.

4. The modular production line for combined product robots according to claim 2, characterized in that, The modular production line for the combined product robot also includes a third feeding module, which is used to supply a third single item; the size of the third single item is smaller than the size of the second single item; the third feeding module is located downstream of all the first feeding modules in the material conveying direction.

5. A modular production line for assembled products according to claim 4, characterized in that, The third feeding module is located on the third straight path.

6. A modular robotic production line for assembled products according to claim 2, characterized in that, The width of the conveyor line in the first straight path is 105% to 115% of the width of the first single item.

7. A modular production line for assembled products according to claim 2, characterized in that, The width of the conveyor line in the second straight path is 110% to 120% of the length of the first item.

8. A method for producing packaged products, applied to a modular robotic production line for packaged products as described in any one of claims 1-7; characterized in that, The method for producing the combined product packaging includes: A first preset number of first individual items are stacked vertically along the conveyor line to form a first combination of individual items; Propel the first combined item to move along the first horizontal direction; A second item is placed on top of the first combined item to form a second combined item; the hardness of the first item is greater than that of the second item; the size of the first item is greater than that of the second item. Propel the second combination of individual items to move along the first horizontal direction; A second predetermined number of the first items are placed vertically stacked above the second combined items on the conveyor line to form a third combined item; The third group of individual items is moved until it enters the packaging station for packaging, forming a packaged product.

9. A method for producing packaged products according to claim 8, characterized in that, The process of moving the third group of individual items until they enter the packaging station for packaging to form a packaged product includes: The third combined item is moved a first distance along the first horizontal direction; The third combined item is moved a second distance along the second horizontal direction until it enters the packaging station for packaging, forming a combined package product; the second horizontal direction is opposite to the first horizontal direction.

10. A method for producing packaged products according to claim 9, characterized in that, The first preset quantity is less than the second preset quantity; the surface roughness of the first item is greater than the surface roughness of the second item.

11. A method for producing packaged products according to claim 9, characterized in that, The process of moving the third combined item a second distance along a second horizontal direction until it enters the packaging station for packaging to form a combined package includes: The third combined item is moved a second distance along the second horizontal direction; A third item is placed on top of the third combined item on the conveyor line to form a fourth combined item; the size of the third item is smaller than the size of the second item. The fourth combined item is moved along the second horizontal direction until it enters the packaging station for packaging, forming a combined package product.

12. A method for producing packaged products according to claim 9, characterized in that, The first distance is less than the second distance.

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