Connecting device and sorting machine

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a connection device and a sorting machine, and relates to the technical field of sorting machines. The connection device is used to connect between two adjacent sorting units of a sorting machine. The device is provided with a front hinge at the front end of the sorting unit and a rear hinge at the rear end of the sorting unit. The front hinge and the rear hinge are connected by a pin shaft, and a joint bearing that can rotate freely in both the horizontal and vertical directions is provided in the middle of the pin shaft. The connection device connects two adjacent sorting units through a pin shaft that can rotate freely in the horizontal and vertical directions, thereby realizing the rotation of the connection part relative to the connection component in the vertical plane. On the one hand, it can realize the up and down movement between the sorting units, thereby adapting to the unevenness of the circular track; on the other hand, it can also effectively realize the climbing function of the sorting machine, thereby expanding the scope of application and reducing the installation cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of sorting machines, and in particular to a connecting device and a sorting machine. Background Art

[0002] The circular sorting system includes a circular track and a plurality of sorting units connected end to end, and the plurality of sorting units connected end to end run around on the circular track. In the prior art, the sorting units are connected by pins, that is, the front and rear ends of the sorting units are respectively provided with pin holes, and the connection between two adjacent sorting units is realized by vertically inserting the pin holes. Since the pins are vertically inserted into the pin holes, the adjacent sorting machines can move relative to each other on the horizontal plane, so that turning can be realized, but relative movement cannot occur on the vertical plane. For example, if a circular track needs to climb a slope, or the base surface on which the circular track is installed is not in a horizontal plane, it cannot work.

[0003] In addition, each part of the circular sorting system needs to be installed at the work site. In theory, the circumference of multiple sorting units should be consistent with the circular track. However, during on-site installation, there is a high probability that there will be an error of a certain distance, for example, the error distance is about 10mm, that is, the circumference of the sorting unit is greater than or less than 10mm of the circumference of the circular track. When the error exceeds a certain range, the sorting machine may not be able to run normally on the track. The current conventional practice is to cut off the aluminum profile of the sorting unit by a corresponding length, or to adjust the length of the aluminum profile by adjusting the tightness of the steel wire at the end of the aluminum profile, so that the circumference of the sorting machine is roughly consistent with the circular track. However, this approach has the following defects: 1. Cutting off the aluminum profile on site may make the end face of the aluminum profile uneven; 2. In actual operation, it is more time-consuming, reduces installation efficiency, and is not accurate enough.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to study a connecting device of a sorting machine and a sorting machine so as to simultaneously realize the rotational freedom between adjacent sorting units in the horizontal and vertical directions.

[0005] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the above background technology section is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and therefore may include information that does not constitute the prior art known to ordinary technicians in the field. Summary of the invention

[0006] The object of the present disclosure is to provide a connecting device and a sorting machine so as to simultaneously realize the rotational freedom between adjacent sorting units in the horizontal and vertical directions.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a connecting device for connecting between two adjacent ones of a plurality of sorting units of a sorting machine, the sorting machine comprising a track, the sorting units slidingly fitting on the track, each of the sorting units having a front end and a rear end, the plurality of sorting units being connected end to end in sequence, the connecting device comprising:

[0008] A front hinge is arranged at the front end of the sorting unit, wherein the middle part of the front hinge protrudes forward to form a protrusion, and the protrusion is provided with a bearing hole in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the extension direction thereof;

[0009] A rear hinge is arranged at the rear end of the sorting unit, and the rear hinge includes two shaft seats arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction, and the two shaft seats are respectively located on both sides of the protruding portion;

[0010] A pin is passed through the bearing hole, a joint bearing matched with the bearing hole is arranged in the middle of the pin, and two ends of the pin extend out of the bearing hole and are fixed to the two shaft seats respectively.

[0011] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the spherical bearing has a pseudo-spherical structure, and the hole shape of the bearing hole is a pseudo-spherical shape that matches the spherical bearing.

[0012] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the two openings of the bearing hole located on both sides of the protrusion are respectively a first opening and a second opening, the size of the first opening is the same as the size of the joint bearing, the size of the second opening is smaller than the size of the joint bearing and larger than the size of the pin end; wherein, a bearing cover plate is detachably provided at the position of the protrusion where the first opening is opened, and the bearing cover plate is provided with a through hole, the size of the through hole is smaller than the size of the first opening and larger than the size of the pin end.

[0013] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a portion of the pin shaft located between the protruding portion and the shaft seat is sleeved with a limiting spacer sleeve on its outer circumference.

[0014] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the axle seats comprises:

[0015] A seat body connected to the rear hinge;

[0016] The shaft sleeve is fixed to the seat body, the shaft sleeve is horizontally provided with a shaft hole, and the end of the pin shaft passes through the shaft hole.

[0017] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the shaft hole is offset from the center of the shaft sleeve in a horizontal direction to form a gap.

[0018] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the gap is 1 to 3 mm.

[0019] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a pin hole is vertically opened in the center of the sleeve, and the shaft seat further includes:

[0020] A positioning pin is vertically inserted into the pin hole to fix the shaft sleeve on the seat body.

[0021] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a center line of the shaft hole and a center line of the pin hole have a gap in a horizontal direction.

[0022] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a sorting machine is provided, comprising a track and a plurality of sorting units slidably fitted on the track, each of the sorting units comprising a front end and a rear end, and the plurality of sorting units are connected end to end in sequence via a plurality of connecting devices, respectively, and the connecting devices are any one of the connecting devices described above.

[0023] It can be seen from the above technical solutions that the connection device and sorting machine provided by the present disclosure have the following advantages and positive effects:

[0024] The present invention provides a connecting device for connecting two adjacent ones of a plurality of sorting units of a sorting machine. The device is provided with a front hinge at the front end of the sorting unit and a rear hinge at the rear end of the sorting unit. The front hinge and the rear hinge are connected by a pin shaft, and a joint bearing capable of freely rotating in both horizontal and vertical directions is provided in the middle of the pin shaft.

[0025] The connecting device connects two adjacent sorting units through a pin shaft that can rotate freely in the horizontal and vertical directions, thereby realizing the rotation of the connecting part relative to the connecting component in the vertical plane. On the one hand, it can realize the up and down movement between the sorting units, thereby adapting to the unevenness of the circular track; on the other hand, it can also effectively realize the climbing function of the sorting machine, thereby expanding the scope of application and reducing installation costs.

[0026] It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The accompanying drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure, and together with the specification are used to explain the principles of the present disclosure. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and for ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without creative work.

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the three-dimensional structure of a connecting device in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0029] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing a horizontal rotation state of a connecting device in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing a vertical rotation state of a connecting device in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0031] Figure 4 A structural schematic diagram showing an assembly embodiment of an axial hole and an axial sleeve of a connecting device in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 5 A structural schematic diagram showing another assembly embodiment of the shaft hole and the shaft sleeve of the connecting device in the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 6 A partial structural schematic diagram of a sorting machine including a connecting device in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0034] The main components in the figure are marked as follows: 100, connecting device; 10, front hinge; 11, protrusion; 12, bearing cover plate; 20, rear hinge; 21, axle seat; 211, seat body; 212, bushing; 212a, center line of pin hole; 212b, center line of shaft hole; 30, pin shaft; S1, first gap in horizontal direction between center line 212a of pin hole and center line 212b of shaft hole; S2, second gap in horizontal direction between center line 212a of pin hole and center line 212b of shaft hole; S, sum of first gap and second gap. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, example embodiments can be implemented in a variety of forms and should not be construed as being limited to the examples set forth herein; on the contrary, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be more comprehensive and complete, and the concepts of the example embodiments are fully conveyed to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. In the following description, many specific details are provided to provide a full understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the technical solutions of the present disclosure may be practiced while omitting one or more of the specific details, or other methods, components, devices, steps, etc. may be adopted. In other cases, known technical solutions are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0036] The terms "a", "an", "the" and "said" are used in this specification to indicate the presence of one or more elements / components / etc.; the terms "including" and "having" are used to express an open-ended inclusion and mean that additional elements / components / etc. may exist in addition to the listed elements / components / etc.; the terms "first" and "second" etc. are used only as labels and are not intended to limit the quantity of their objects.

[0037] In this exemplary embodiment, the connecting device 100 can be used to connect two adjacent ones of a plurality of sorting units 200 of a sorting machine, such as Figure 6 As shown, Figure 6 A section of a sorting machine is shown. The sorting machine may include a track and a plurality of sorting units 200 slidably fitted on the track. Each sorting unit 200 has a front end and a rear end, and the plurality of sorting units 200 are connected end to end in sequence.

[0038] This exemplary embodiment first provides a connection device 100, such as Figure 1 As shown, its advantages and positive effects are:

[0039] The present exemplary embodiment provides a connecting device 100 for connecting between two adjacent ones of a plurality of sorting units 200 of a sorting machine. The connecting device 100 may include a front hinge 10, a rear hinge 20 and a pin 30: wherein the front hinge 10 may be arranged at the front end of the sorting unit, the rear hinge 20 may be arranged at the rear end of the sorting unit, the front hinge and the rear hinge may be connected by a pin 30, the pin 30 is passed through a bearing hole of a protruding portion 11 of the front hinge, and a joint bearing that can rotate freely in both horizontal and vertical directions is provided in the middle of the pin 30.

[0040] The connecting device connects two adjacent sorting units 200 through a pin shaft 30 that can rotate freely in the horizontal and vertical directions, thereby realizing the rotation of the connecting part relative to the connecting component in the vertical plane. On the one hand, it can realize the up and down movement between the sorting units, thereby adapting to the unevenness of the circular track; on the other hand, it can also effectively realize the climbing function of the sorting machine, thereby expanding the scope of application and reducing installation costs.

[0041] Next, the connection device 100 in this example embodiment will be further described.

[0042] In this example embodiment, Figure 1 , Figure 2As shown, the front hinge 10 of the connecting device 100 can be arranged at the front end of the sorting unit 200, and the middle part of the front hinge 10 protrudes forward to form a protrusion 11, and the protrusion 11 further has a bearing hole in a horizontal direction perpendicular to its extension direction. The rear hinge 20 can be arranged at the rear end of the sorting unit 200, and the rear hinge 20 includes two shaft seats 21 arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction, and the two shaft seats 21 are respectively located on both sides of the front hinge protrusion 11. Further, the pin 30 can be inserted into the bearing hole of the protrusion 11, and the two ends of the pin 30 respectively extend out of the bearing hole and are respectively fixed on the two shaft seats 21.

[0043] In order to realize the rotational freedom between adjacent sorting units 200 in the horizontal and vertical directions, a joint bearing is provided in the middle of the pin shaft 30 in this exemplary embodiment. In detail, the joint bearing can be a simulated spherical structure, referring to Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , the corresponding bearing hole is a simulated spherical shape that matches the joint bearing. Since the contact surface between the joint bearing and the bearing hole is spherical, the pin 30 can tilt within a certain angle range, so that the front hinge 10 and the rear hinge 20 can be connected as shown in FIG. Figure 2 The horizontal rotation shown in FIG. Figure 3 Vertical rotation shown in .

[0044] In this example embodiment, when the pin shaft 30 is assembled to the bearing hole, since a spherical bearing with a larger diameter is used in the middle of the pin shaft 30, a bearing cover plate 12 may also be provided at a side opening of the bearing hole in order to limit the spherical bearing.

[0045] In detail, Figure 2 As shown, the two openings of the bearing hole located on both sides of the protruding part 11 are respectively the first opening and the second opening. The size of the first opening can be the same as the size of the joint bearing, and the size of the second opening is smaller than the size of the joint bearing and larger than the size of the end of the pin 30; wherein, the position where the first opening of the protruding part 11 is provided with a bearing cover plate 12 which can be detachably provided, and the bearing cover plate 12 is provided with a through hole, the size of which is smaller than the size of the first opening and larger than the size of the end of the pin. That is, one end of the pin 30 is inserted from the first opening, and after the joint bearing in the middle reaches the bearing hole, the bearing cover plate 12 is inserted from the end of the pin 30 close to the first opening and covers the first opening, thereby realizing the limit of the joint bearing.

[0046] In this example embodiment, since there may be a certain gap between the joint bearing and the bearing hole, the joint bearing may easily slide in the horizontal direction in the bearing hole, causing the front and rear connecting units to be horizontally misaligned in the extension direction and affecting the operation. In this embodiment, a limiting spacer may be provided on the outer periphery of the portion of the pin shaft 30 located between the protrusion 11 and each shaft seat 21 to prevent the protrusion 11 and the pin shaft 30 from sliding horizontally.

[0047] In this example embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, the shaft seat 21 may include a seat body 211 and a shaft sleeve 212, wherein the seat body 211 may be fixedly connected to the rear hinge 20, and the shaft sleeve 212 may be fixed on the seat body 211, and the shaft sleeve 212 may be horizontally provided with a shaft hole, and the end of the pin 30 may be inserted into the shaft hole. In this exemplary embodiment, the shaft hole of the shaft sleeve 212 may be arranged to deviate from the center of the shaft sleeve in the horizontal direction to form a gap, and the gap may be 1 to 3 mm.

[0048] In this example embodiment, in order to fix the sleeve 212 on the seat body 211, a pin hole can be vertically opened in the center of the sleeve 212, and the shaft seat can also include a positioning pin, which can be vertically penetrated through the pin hole to fix the sleeve 212 on the seat body 211.

[0049] Preferably, the pin shaft 30 is an eccentric pin shaft, and a positioning pin is vertically penetrated through the pin hole so as to fix the shaft sleeve 212 and the pin shaft 30 on the seat body 211 .

[0050] Furthermore, in order to solve the problem that the circumference of the multiple sorting units 200 is inconsistent with the circular track when the multiple sorting units 200 are connected in series through the connecting device 100 during installation, and reduce the distance error, as Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, it is also possible to set a gap between the center line of the shaft hole and the center line of the pin hole in the horizontal direction, and the gap distance can be adjusted.

[0051] For example, in the first embodiment, Figure 4 As shown, the center line 212a of the pin hole is closer to the rear hinge 20 than the center line 212b of the shaft hole, and the gap formed by the two is S1. Figure 5As shown, the center line 212b of the shaft hole is closer to the rear hinge 20 than the center line 212a of the pin hole, and the gap formed by the two is S2. Therefore, when the assembly state of the connecting device 100 is changed from the first embodiment to the second embodiment, since the position of the center line 212a of the pin hole remains unchanged relative to the rear hinge, and the center line 212b of the shaft hole is adjusted toward the direction close to the rear hinge 20, the distance between the front hinge 10 and the rear hinge 20 is reduced by S, and S is the sum of S1 and S2. Or conversely, when the assembly state of the connecting device 100 is changed from the second embodiment to the first embodiment, the distance between the front hinge 10 and the rear hinge 20 is increased by S, and S is the sum of S1 and S2.

[0052] Among them, the gap distance of S1 can be 1 to 3 mm, and S2 is equal to S1. For example, if S1 is 1 mm, then when the assembly state of the connecting device 100 is converted from embodiment 1 to embodiment 2, S2 is 1 mm, and the distance of the front hinge 10 relative to the rear hinge 20 is reduced by S, which is the sum of S1 and S2, a total of 2 mm. For example, during on-site installation, when the circumference of all sorting units is greater than 10 mm of the annular track, the assembly state of the sleeves of the five connecting devices can be adjusted from embodiment 1 to embodiment 2 at the same time, so that the circumference of all sorting units is reduced by 10 mm as a whole. Of course, in some embodiments, since the gap distance of S1 can also be 2 mm, 3 mm, or even 5 mm, etc., the adjustable distance of each connecting device is 4 mm, 6 mm, or even 10 mm, etc., and the adjustable range of the circumference of the entire sorting unit is different, and the present invention is not specifically limited here.

[0053] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a sorting machine is provided, which includes a track and a plurality of sorting units 200 slidably fitted on the track, each sorting unit 200 includes a front end and a rear end, wherein the plurality of sorting units 200 can be connected end to end in sequence through a plurality of connecting devices 100 as described above.

[0054] The beneficial effects of a sorting machine in this exemplary embodiment have been described in detail in the connection device 100 included therein, and will not be described in detail here.

[0055] The features, structures or characteristics described above may be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner, and if possible, the features discussed in each embodiment are interchangeable. In the above description, many specific details are provided to provide a full understanding of the embodiments of the present invention. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the technical solution of the present invention may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or other methods, components, materials, etc. may be adopted. In other cases, known structures, materials or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid blurring various aspects of the present invention.

[0056] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments of the present disclosure after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any modification, use or adaptation of the present disclosure, which follows the general principles of the present disclosure and includes common knowledge or customary techniques in the art that are not disclosed in the present disclosure. The specification and examples are intended to be exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure are indicated by the appended claims.

[0057] It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the exact structures that have been described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A connecting device, used for connecting between two adjacent ones of a plurality of sorting units of a sorting machine, the sorting machine comprising a track, the sorting units slidingly fitting on the track, each of the sorting units having a front end and a rear end, the plurality of sorting units being connected end to end in sequence, characterized in that: The connecting device comprises: A front hinge is arranged at the front end of the sorting unit, wherein the middle part of the front hinge protrudes forward to form a protrusion, and the protrusion is provided with a bearing hole in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the extension direction thereof; A rear hinge is arranged at the rear end of the sorting unit, and the rear hinge includes two shaft seats arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction, and the two shaft seats are respectively located on both sides of the protruding portion; A pin is inserted into the bearing hole, a joint bearing matched with the bearing hole is provided in the middle of the pin, the joint bearing can rotate freely in the horizontal and vertical directions at the same time, and both ends of the pin extend out of the bearing hole and are fixed to the two shaft seats respectively; Among them, each of the axle seats includes a seat body and a sleeve, the seat body is connected to the rear hinge, the sleeve is fixed to the seat body, the sleeve is horizontally provided with an axle hole, the end of the pin shaft is penetrated by the axle hole, the center of the sleeve is vertically provided with a pin hole, the axle seat also includes a positioning pin, the positioning pin is vertically penetrated by the pin hole to fix the sleeve on the seat body, the center line of the axle hole and the center line of the pin hole have a first gap in the horizontal direction, and the distance of the first gap is adjustable.

2. The connection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spherical joint bearing has a simulated spherical structure, and the hole shape of the bearing hole is a simulated spherical shape matching the spherical joint bearing.

3. The connection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two openings of the bearing hole located on both sides of the protrusion are respectively a first opening and a second opening, the size of the first opening is the same as the size of the spherical bearing, the size of the second opening is smaller than the size of the spherical bearing and larger than the size of the end of the pin shaft; wherein, a bearing cover plate is detachably provided at the position where the first opening of the protrusion is opened, and the bearing cover plate is provided with a through hole, the size of the through hole is smaller than the size of the first opening and larger than the size of the end of the pin shaft.

4. The connection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A limiting spacer is provided on the outer periphery of a portion of the pin shaft located between the protruding portion and the shaft seat.

5. The connection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shaft hole deviates from the center of the shaft sleeve in the horizontal direction to form a second gap.

6. The connection device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The second gap is 1 to 3 mm.

7. A sorting machine, comprising a track and a plurality of sorting units slidably fitted on the track, each of the sorting units comprising a front end and a rear end, the plurality of sorting units being connected end to end in sequence through a plurality of connecting devices, characterized in that: The connecting device is the connecting device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

Images