A conveying belt for the alignment and inspection of bottles
By employing multiple conveyor belts and guide rods with progressively increasing speeds on the plastic bottle production line, the problem of efficient alignment and rejection of rectangular plastic bottles has been solved, achieving efficient orientation correction and low-cost alignment.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202521951175.0
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-09-10
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-04
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-09-10
AI Technical Summary
Existing technologies struggle to achieve efficient orientation correction and alignment of rectangular plastic bottles on plastic bottle filling and packaging production lines. Furthermore, existing rejection devices are inefficient on high-speed production lines, often resulting in failure to align or reject bottles.
Design a conveyor belt for bottle alignment and rejection, employing at least three parallel conveyor belt units with progressively increasing speeds. Automatic bottle alignment and rejection are achieved through guide rods and rejection recovery troughs. The guide rods are coated with a low-friction coefficient material to accommodate bottles of different sizes.
It achieves efficient orientation correction and alignment of rectangular plastic bottles, reduces equipment complexity and maintenance costs, adapts to bottles of different sizes, reduces missed detections of orientation errors, and avoids bottle scratches.
Smart Images
Figure CN224589433U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of solid material conveying equipment, and in particular to a conveyor belt used for arranging and inspecting bottles for rejection. Background Technology
[0002] In plastic bottle filling and packaging production lines, rectangular plastic bottles (such as some functional beverage bottles and medicine bottles) have a directional nature and require orientation correction and alignment before filling and packaging. Traditional handling methods mainly rely on manual picking or mechanical baffles, which are inefficient and easily damage the containers.
[0003] Currently, common square bottle aligning devices use several parallel conveyor belts with progressively increasing speeds, and curved, irregularly shaped side panels on both sides of the conveyor belts for aligning.
[0004] The drawback of this sorting method is that, under dynamic conditions, all products are uncontrolled in a free state, thus the success rate of sorting cannot be guaranteed. There is a certain probability that bottles will not be correctly aligned, or even tipped over. If these improperly placed bottles are not removed, it will cause production abnormalities in the next process.
[0005] To address the aforementioned issues, Chinese utility model patent application CN202421637332.6 describes a product inspection rejection device, comprising a horizontal conveyor belt with a pusher assembly and a backing plate on the same side. The device further includes a first photoelectric switch assembly, a second photoelectric switch assembly, and a PLC module. The first photoelectric switch assembly includes a first column, a crossbeam, and a first photoelectric sensor. The crossbeam is vertically positioned above the conveyor belt, capable of sliding up and down along the column and selectively fixed to it. The first photoelectric sensor is movably mounted on the crossbeam. The second photoelectric switch assembly includes a second column and a second photoelectric sensor and a third photoelectric sensor that are movably fixed to the second column. The PLC module connects the first photoelectric sensor, the second photoelectric sensor, and the pusher assembly.
[0006] This rejection device uses optical inspection combined with a push rod ejection method to reject defective products on the production line.
[0007] However, modern filling and packaging production lines operate at extremely high speeds, typically tens of thousands of bottles per hour. If the alignment cannot be synchronized to match these speeds, production line efficiency will inevitably decrease. The advantage of differential speed conveyor alignment is its high efficiency, enabling high-speed alignment in conjunction with downstream equipment. However, on high-speed production lines, the defect rate of differential speed conveyor alignment is even higher. Occasionally, several bottles may fail to align completely, exceeding the extension / retraction cycle of the mechanical ejection structure of the rejection device, leading to rejection failure.
[0008] Therefore, it is necessary to improve and optimize existing equipment to better meet user needs. Utility Model Content
[0009] The purpose of this utility model embodiment is to address the shortcomings of existing technology structures by proposing a conveyor belt for bottle alignment and inspection rejection, aiming to solve the problems of automatic orientation correction, rejection, and efficient alignment of rectangular plastic bottles during the conveying process, while reducing equipment complexity and maintenance costs.
[0010] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the conveyor belt for bottle alignment and rejection proposed in this embodiment is implemented through the following technical solution:
[0011] A conveyor belt for arranging and rejecting bottles, suitable for plastic bottles with a rectangular cross-section, includes at least three parallel conveyor belt units arranged in parallel, each parallel conveyor belt unit running at a different speed to form a speed gradient, and the speed increases from the inside to the outside of the conveyor belt; characterized in that: the conveyor belt is divided into a front arranging area and a rear rejection area along its conveying direction.
[0012] The rear rejection area is provided with a first guide rod that is generally arranged along the conveyor belt conveying direction. The minimum distance L between the first guide rod and the outer edge of the conveyor belt satisfies the following conditions: L is less than the width of the parallel conveyor belt unit, and 0.51 × the short side length of the plastic bottle ≤ L ≤ 0.49 × the long side length of the plastic bottle.
[0013] The front alignment area is provided with a curved second guide rod. Along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt, the second guide rod gradually bends from the inside of the conveyor belt to the outside of the conveyor belt until it connects with the first guide rod.
[0014] In addition, the conveyor belt also includes a rejection and recycling trough, which is located on the outside of the minimum distance between the first guide rod and the outer edge of the conveyor belt, for collecting fallen plastic bottles.
[0015] Along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt, the distance between the first guide rod and the outer edge of the conveyor belt gradually decreases.
[0016] Further preferably, the conveyor belt also includes a frame, on which a plurality of slide rails are vertically arranged above the conveyor belt, and sliders that can be selectively fixed on the slide rails are slidably arranged on the slide rails. The first guide rod and the second guide rod are both rotatably fixed to the sliders of the slide rails by a plurality of hangers.
[0017] More preferably, the number of parallel conveyor belt units in the front alignment area is 3-5.
[0018] More preferably, the surfaces of the first guide rod and the second guide rod are coated with a material with a low coefficient of friction.
[0019] More preferably, the end of the second guide rod is provided with an adjustable guide plate, with an angle adjustment range of 30°-60°. Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are:
[0020] 1. Utilizing the geometric characteristics of rectangular bottles and the tapered layout of the guide rods, the non-powered tilting rejection method is not limited by the frequency of mechanical actions, can handle continuous abnormal bottles, can be used with equipment of any rhythm, and basically eliminates the missed detection of bottles with incorrect orientation.
[0021] 2. Adjustable guide bar spacing and modular conveyor belt to fit rectangular bottles of different sizes.
[0022] 3. The guide rod surface is coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (friction coefficient 0.15), so the bottle will not be scratched during the sliding process. Attached Figure Description
[0023] The above features and advantages of the present invention will become clearer and easier to understand from the following description of exemplary embodiments thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the conveyor belt used for bottle arrangement and inspection / rejection according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0025] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A magnified view of a portion of the image. Detailed Implementation
[0026] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of this utility model. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this utility model from the content disclosed in this specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this utility model. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of this utility model.
[0027] The terms "front," "rear," "left," "right," "inner," and "outer" used in this specification are merely for clarity of description and are not intended to limit the scope of implementation of this utility model. Any changes or adjustments to their relative relationships, without substantially altering the technical content, shall also be considered within the scope of implementation of this utility model.
[0028] In the description of the following embodiments, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the term "connection" and other such terms should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; it can be a mechanical connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.
[0029] See Figure 1-2 As shown, this embodiment of the invention proposes a conveyor belt for arranging and rejecting bottles. The conveyor belt 1 mainly consists of five parallel conveyor belt units 11 arranged in parallel. Each parallel conveyor belt unit 11 runs at a different speed, forming a speed gradient, and the speed increases from the inside to the outside of the conveyor belt. Along its conveying direction, the conveyor belt 1 is sequentially divided into a front arranging area and a rear rejection area.
[0030] Rear removal area
[0031] The rear rejection area is equipped with a first guide rod 2, which is set approximately along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt 1. The minimum distance L between the first guide rod 2 and the outer edge of the conveyor belt 1 satisfies the following conditions: L is less than the width of the parallel conveyor belt unit, and 0.51 × the short side length of the plastic bottle ≤ L ≤ 0.49 × the long side length of the plastic bottle. Therefore, when the plastic bottle moves along the conveyor belt 1 against the first guide rod 2, when it enters this minimum distance, the center of gravity of the bottle with its long side against the first guide rod 2 falls on the conveyor belt and will not fall off; while the center of gravity of the bottle with its short side against the first guide rod 2 falls outside the conveyor belt and will fall off, thus achieving a screening effect.
[0032] In order to ensure that the bottle body is in full contact with the first guide rod 2, the first guide rod 2 is configured such that the distance between it and the outer edge of the conveyor belt 1 gradually decreases along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt 1.
[0033] To accommodate rectangular bottles of different sizes, the first guide rod 2 is designed to be adjustable. Specifically, the conveyor belt also includes a frame 4, on which several slide rails 41 are mounted. The slide rails 41 are perpendicular to the conveyor belt's conveying direction and positioned above the conveyor belt. Sliding sliders 42 are slidably mounted on the slide rails 41 and can be selectively fixed thereon. Each slider 42 has a protrusion extending from the slide rail 41, with a vertically formed circular hole on the protrusion and a corresponding set screw 421.
[0034] On the other side of the first guide rod 2 opposite to the outer side of the conveyor belt, there are several suspension rods 21. These suspension rods 21 are evenly arranged, and their upper ends are inserted into the round holes of a slider 42 one by one, and are fixed by set screws 421.
[0035] When the set screw 421 is loosened, the boom 21 can rotate relative to the round hole and move up and down relative to the round hole. When the boom 21 is in the correct position, tighten the set screw to fix the boom.
[0036] By moving the slider 42, the first guide rod 2 can move entirely or partially along the length of the guide rail 41 to adjust the minimum distance L between the first guide rod 2 and the outer edge of the conveyor belt 1. By moving the position of the slider 42 and coordinating with rotating the hanging rod 21 relative to the circular hole, the angle of the first guide rod 2 relative to the guide rail 41 can be finely adjusted; by moving the hanging rod 21 up and down relative to the circular hole, the height of the first guide rod 2 relative to the guide rail 41 can be adjusted. Thus, the first guide rod 2 can be adapted to various bottle sizes.
[0037] In addition, the rear rejection area also includes a rejection and recycling trough 5. The rear rejection area is located on the outside of the minimum distance between the first guide rod 2 and the outer edge of the conveyor belt 1, and is used to collect the falling plastic bottles.
[0038] front row area
[0039] The front alignment area is equipped with a curved second guide rod 3. Along the conveyor belt conveying direction, the second guide rod 3 gradually bends from the inside of the conveyor belt to the outside until it connects with the first guide rod 2. To better connect with the first guide rod 2, the end of the second guide rod 3 is equipped with an adjustable guide plate 31. This guide plate 31 is connected to the end of the body of the second guide rod 3 through a damping hinge or a positioning hinge, which can be adjusted in angle to coordinate with the adjustment of the position of the first guide rod 2.
[0040] The present invention has been described in detail above through embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the above embodiments are only one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention. Due to space limitations, not all embodiments can be listed here. Any implementation that can embody the technical solution of the claims of the present invention is within the protection scope of the present invention.
[0041] It should be noted that the above content is a further detailed description of the present utility model in conjunction with specific embodiments, and it should not be considered that the specific embodiments of the present utility model are limited to this. Under the guidance of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications based on the above embodiments, and these improvements or modifications fall within the protection scope of the present utility model.
Claims
1. A conveyor belt for arranging and inspecting rejected bottles, suitable for plastic bottles with a rectangular cross-section, comprising at least three parallel conveyor belt units arranged in parallel, each parallel conveyor belt unit running at a different speed to form a speed gradient, and the speed increasing from the inside to the outside of the conveyor belt; characterized in that: The conveyor belt is divided into a front alignment area and a rear rejection area along its conveying direction; The rear rejection area is provided with a first guide rod that is generally arranged along the conveyor belt conveying direction. The minimum distance L between the first guide rod and the outer edge of the conveyor belt satisfies the following conditions: L is less than the width of the parallel conveyor belt unit, and 0.51 × the short side length of the plastic bottle ≤ L ≤ 0.49 × the long side length of the plastic bottle. The front alignment area is provided with a curved second guide rod. Along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt, the second guide rod gradually bends from the inside of the conveyor belt to the outside of the conveyor belt until it connects with the first guide rod. In addition, the conveyor belt also includes a rejection and recycling trough, which is located on the outside of the minimum distance between the first guide rod and the outer edge of the conveyor belt, for collecting fallen plastic bottles.
2. The conveyor as claimed in claim 1, wherein: Along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt, the distance between the first guide rod and the outer edge of the conveyor belt gradually decreases.
3. The conveyor as claimed in claim 1, wherein: The conveyor belt also includes a frame on which several slide rails are vertically arranged above the conveyor belt. Slider blocks that can be selectively fixed on the slide rails are slidably arranged. The first guide rod and the second guide rod are rotatably fixed to the sliders of the slide rails by several hangers.
4. The conveyor as claimed in claim 1, wherein: The number of parallel conveyor belt units in the front alignment area is 3-5.
5. The conveyor as claimed in claim 1, wherein: The surfaces of the first guide rod and the second guide rod are coated with a material with a low coefficient of friction.
6. The conveyor as claimed in claim 1, wherein: The second guide rod has an adjustable guide plate at its end, with an angle adjustment range of 30°-60°.