A system and method for sorting and coding small orders of special-shaped cigarette lines

Abstract

The present invention discloses a small order sorting and coding system for special-shaped cigarette lines, including a conveyor line, a sorting system and a coding system arranged in sequence. The sorting system merges multiple small orders in the line into several large orders, and sorts the several large orders merged from multiple small orders to the conveyor line; the coding system identifies, sprays codes and verifies each large order after the merger. The sorting system of the present invention can realize the order merging and sorting of adjacent small orders in the same delivery line. The coding system identifies, sprays codes and verifies the large order after the merger, eliminates the intervals between small orders, effectively improves the full load rate of the conveyor belt, and further improves the sorting efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of special-shaped cigarette sorting, and in particular relates to a small-order sorting and coding system and method for special-shaped cigarette lines. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the popularity of medium and slim cigarettes, the specifications and sales of special-shaped cigarettes have shown a rapid growth trend. Special-shaped cigarette sorting orders have the characteristics of different varieties and sizes, diverse categories and small order quantities, resulting in the efficiency of special-shaped cigarette sorting becoming a bottleneck for sorting in the entire logistics center.

[0003] Some existing tobacco logistics companies' special-shaped cigarette sorting lines use manual preparation for stocking, and the cigarette delivery is equipped with vertical sorting machines with manual replenishment and automatic cigarette delivery, horizontal sorting machines with semi-automatic replenishment and automatic cigarette delivery, and manual electronic label picking equipment. The coding process is equipped with precise identification systems, No. 1 project coding equipment, and coding equipment for identifying customer cigarettes. The packaging process adopts the turnover box method, equipped with fully automatic packaging machines, cigarette traceability systems, automatic labeling equipment, etc., to achieve automatic and manual mixed sorting, automatic coding, and automatic packing of cigarettes. Due to the scattered orders for special-shaped cigarettes, according to statistics, the proportion of orders below 5 is close to 40%, that is, nearly 40% of customers order less than 5 special-shaped cigarettes. According to the existing sorting mode, the mode of sorting, coding, and packing according to customer orders is adopted. Although this mode can effectively improve the packing efficiency of the box link when it is compatible with small orders, in the sorting link, in order to meet the coding requirements of "one household, one code", that is, the barcode printed on the cigarette can identify its corresponding customer information to facilitate the tracking and tracing of cigarettes, if this function is to be realized, the existing operation process requires a distance of more than 1.5 meters between every two orders to realize the switching of code segment information between different customers and realize the "one household, one code" coding function. When the sorting order is large, the order interval has little effect on the sorting efficiency, and the coding efficiency of the coding link is relatively high. When encountering small order sorting, there will be a decrease in the full load rate of the belt conveyor and serious empty running of the belt, which has a great impact on the sorting and coding efficiency. And limited by the current sorting equipment and technical means, due to the unstable stack shape of the sorting sequence, different specifications of cigarettes for the same customer cannot be uniformly packaged, and the sub-packaging method is still used. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a system and method for sorting and coding small orders of special-shaped cigarette lines.

[0005] A small-order sorting and coding system for special-shaped cigarette lines of the present invention comprises a conveyor line, and also comprises a sorting system and a coding system arranged in sequence. The sorting system merges multiple small orders in the line into several large orders, and sorts the several large orders merged from the multiple small orders onto the conveyor line; the coding system identifies, sprays codes and verifies each of the merged large orders as a unit.

[0006] Preferably, the above technical solution comprises a sorting system including a sorting information system, a sorting monitoring system and a sorting control system; the sorting information system is used to assign a sorting task number and a packaging task number to each of the merged large orders; the sorting monitoring system is used to determine whether the current sorting task number sequence is the sorting task number of the merged large order, and send a collection of coding task numbers to the coding system; the sorting control system is used to return the sorting task number of the current change of account coding to the sorting monitoring system when the No. 1 project changes accounts.

[0007] The above technical solution is preferred, wherein the coding system includes a laser coding machine and a coding industrial control computer, the control machine of the laser coding machine is respectively connected to the sorting system and the coding industrial control computer for communication, the control machine of the laser coding machine receives the retailer and cigarette sorting sequence information sent by the sorting system, and performs product specification and barcode data and retailer code query in the code segment pool stored in the coding industrial control computer, and the control machine controls the laser coding machine to print the corresponding retailer code on the cigarette cartons corresponding to the household.

[0008] The above technical solution preferably also includes an inkjet printer and a precise identification system, wherein the precise identification system is arranged upstream of the laser printer and the inkjet printer, and the inkjet printer is arranged on one side of the laser printer, and the inkjet printer is used to print the household serial number on the cigarette strips.

[0009] The present invention provides a sorting and coding method according to the aforementioned special-shaped cigarette line small order sorting and coding system, comprising the following steps:

[0010] The laser coding machine's control machine receives a preset number of order code segment data from the coding industrial control computer in advance;

[0011] The sorting monitoring system generates sorting order data including the order of cigarette dispensing, in which adjacent small orders within the line are combined for sorting;

[0012] The control machines of the precise identification system, laser coder and inkjet printer, and the packaging machine download the sorting order data, among which the coding cut-in signal is used to cut the account according to the order range;

[0013] Small orders are combined into large orders and sorted to the conveyor line. The precise identification system can accurately identify the sorted cigarettes.

[0014] The precise identification system sends identification information to the control machine of the laser coder and the inkjet printer in real time. The control machine of the laser coder and the inkjet printer selects the required coding information within the current order range according to the cigarette information queue identified by the precise identification system to realize accurate coding function.

[0015] After a large order is coded, the sorting control system will send a change signal to the laser coding machine's control machine and the sorting monitoring system.

[0016] The above technical solution is preferred, and the steps for the precise identification system to accurately identify the sorted cigarettes specifically include: if wrong cigarettes or multiple cigarettes occur, determine whether it is a combined identification of multiple orders; if it is a multi-order identification, then when there are indeed multiple cigarettes or wrong cigarettes, manual verification is performed. If the precise identification judgment is wrong, the identification information needs to be corrected when the cigarettes are sorted correctly, and the incorrectly identified cigarettes are checked and confirmed as identified.

[0017] The above technical solution is preferred, and the sorting control system sends a user change signal to the control machine of the laser coding machine and the sorting monitoring system, and then includes:

[0018] The laser coder's control machine checks whether all orders in the current range have been coded. If so, the customer switching is completed and the next range of order code segments are automatically sent to the laser coder and inkjet printer for coding. If a coding alarm occurs, it is necessary to manually find the uncoded cigarettes to complete the coding and restore to normal.

[0019] The precise identification system verifies whether the current range of order sorting is accurate. If the sorting is accurate, it is ready to enter the next range of order identification. If an alarm is triggered, it needs to be manually processed before returning to normal.

[0020] Preferably, in the above technical solution, the step of generating sorting order data including the order of cigarette output by the sorting monitoring system further comprises merging the sorting order to rearrange and sort the cigarettes of multiple households according to their specifications and dimensions.

[0021] The above technical solution is preferred, and the precise identification system verifies whether the current range order sorting is accurate, and then includes: the control machine of the precise identification system and the laser coding machine verifies whether the account change signal and the coding order range are received, and alarms if not received; if received, precise identification is performed according to the order range and coding is performed according to the coding order range code segment.

[0022] The present invention provides a coding machine according to the aforementioned special-shaped cigarette line small order sorting and coding system, comprising a laser coding machine and a control machine, wherein the control machine interacts with the coding industrial control computer of the No. 1 engineering system to receive code segments from the coding industrial control computer and to feed back coding status and abnormal alarm signals to the coding industrial control computer; the control machine interacts with the sorting monitoring system to receive cigarette sorting information sent by the sorting monitoring system and to correspond the No. 1 engineering code in the stored code segment pool to the cigarette strips one by one; the control machine interacts with the precise identification system to adjust the sequence of the No. 1 engineering code in real time according to the cigarette sorting identified by the precise identification system.

[0023] The advantages and positive effects of the present invention are as follows: the present invention provides a small order sorting and coding system for special-shaped cigarette lines, the sorting system can realize the merging and sorting of adjacent small orders in the same delivery line, the coding system identifies, sprays codes and verifies based on the merged large order, greatly improves the processing efficiency of the sorting link for small orders, eliminates the intervals between small orders, effectively improves the full load rate of the conveyor belt, and further improves the sorting efficiency; opens up the bottleneck link of the entire assembly line, and improves the overall operation capacity of the sorting line; the present invention provides a small order sorting and coding method for special-shaped cigarette lines, breaks the existing sorting optimization and sorting coding operation mode that is strictly based on customer orders, makes the sorting optimization process more flexible and practical, and makes the sorting operation link more scientific and efficient; rearranges and sorts according to the external dimensions of multiple household cigarettes, which can effectively improve the stability of the film-wrapped packaging stack shape, is suitable for film-wrapped packaging, and can improve the loading rate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a small order sorting and coding system for special-shaped cigarette lines provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a system framework diagram of a small order sorting and coding system for special-shaped cigarette lines provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a flow chart of the existing method for sorting and coding small orders for special-shaped cigarette lines;

[0027] Figure 4 The present invention is a flowchart of a method for sorting and coding small orders of special-shaped cigarettes provided in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Among them: 1. Conveyor line; 2. Cigarette cartons; 3. Precision identification system; 4. Precision identification equipment; 5. Sorting control system; 6. Coding industrial computer; 7. Laser coding machine; 8. Inkjet printer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments may be combined with each other.

[0030] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and the like are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined as "first", "second", and the like may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more.

[0031] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by specific circumstances.

[0032] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in conjunction with embodiments.

[0033] Category C cigarettes: All cigarette varieties outside the main line sorting, including standard-packaged cigarettes and special-shaped packaged cigarettes (slim cigarettes, medium cigarettes, cigars, square cigarettes, wooden box cigarettes and other super-special-shaped cigarettes) with a relatively small sales volume.

[0034] In recent years, the number of cigarettes with different specifications and shapes has been increasing year by year in the tobacco industry, which has brought too much sorting pressure to the sorting line of special-shaped cigarettes in the logistics center (including the sorting line of special-shaped cigarettes and different-standard integrated cigarettes). As a result, the efficiency of sorting special-shaped cigarettes has become the bottleneck of sorting in the entire logistics center. In order to improve the efficiency of sorting special-shaped cigarettes and give full play to the sorting capacity, this embodiment breaks the mode of sorting and coding according to the order sequence of retailers, and gives priority to sorting according to the number of cigarette specifications, and then codes according to the coding data of the corresponding retailer orders.

[0035] At present, there is no direct relationship between the coding of commercial enterprises and the actual sorting serial number of the sorting system, which leads to a disconnection and may cause problems such as incorrect coding. In addition, small orders need to be separated during the sorting process to leave order intervals for the switching of electric control and No. 1 project, which results in huge efficiency losses. In the prior art, in order to improve the sorting efficiency, small orders are sorted separately in the sorting process and combined by the packaging machine. However, in the sorting process, small orders of each household still need to be separated, which cannot really improve the efficiency.

[0036] At present, laser coding machines have overturned the traditional mode of laser coding machines that do not receive software communication, must code by household, and provide feedback one by one. Laser coding machines have increased code segment storage, data processing, and communication interaction capabilities, which can form a dual-channel docking mode between the laser machine and the upper program and sorting system. The docking includes the currently known order serial number, number of items, whether the household needs to be changed, and other information. After laser coding, a set of customer sequence number coding marks are added to the end face of the cigarette to distinguish retailers. Currently, inkjet coding is used.

[0037] Since the original communication method of the laser coding machine has been changed, breaking through the method of using only electrical signals to change accounts during real-time coding, the current sorting method can also be further adjusted to improve sorting efficiency. It is known that the proportion of special-shaped cigarettes in the tobacco industry is increasing, and the proportion of places with poor order structures is relatively large (the order structure in Northeast China and North China is relatively good). In the case of poor order structure, some places have separated large and small orders for sorting and packaging in order to improve sorting and packaging efficiency. Due to the restrictions of the original No. 1 project, the sorting process of small orders is still one household one order, and the sorting efficiency cannot be improved.

[0038] After in-depth adjustments are made through the interface with the laser coding machine, this embodiment can realize the merging and sorting of small orders. The adjustment is that during sorting, one household is no longer one order per order, but multiple households can be merged into one order, and the household interval in each package is cancelled. Instead, the laser coding machine receives information such as retailers and cigarette sorting sequence transmitted by the sorting system, so that the laser coding machine control system can autonomously associate the product specifications with the retailer code of the barcode data, and then automatically locate and code, and print the 32-bit code of the corresponding retailer on the cigarette carton corresponding to the household, and finally perform manual or automatic identification and household packaging, that is, realize the transformation of small orders into large orders in the sorting and coding link, and the sorting line can continuously discharge cigarettes, greatly improving the efficiency of the special-shaped cigarette sorting line.

[0039] On the one hand, this embodiment provides a small order sorting and coding system for special-shaped cigarette lines, such as Figure 1 and 2As shown, it includes a conveyor line 1, a sorting system and a coding system arranged in sequence. The sorting system merges multiple small orders in the line into several large orders, and sorts the several large orders merged from multiple small orders onto the conveyor line 1; the coding system identifies, prints codes and verifies each of the merged large orders as a unit.

[0040] Specifically, the sorting system includes a sorting information system, a sorting monitoring system and a sorting control system.

[0041] The sorting information system is used to assign a sorting task number and a packaging task number to each of the merged large orders. Specifically, it is necessary to first parameterize the various indicators, including: the threshold number of small orders to be combined and the maximum number of packages for combined packaging. The threshold number of small orders is defined differently in different regions and when the order structure is different to achieve the best effect. The maximum number of packages for combined packaging can be customized based on various factors such as packaging pallet type, equipment stability, order structure, and delivery convenience. Data optimization increases the serialization of sorting task serial numbers, merges order tasks according to the threshold number of small orders and the maximum number of packages for combined packaging, and is used for the sorting monitoring system to issue the control system and the packaging communication packaging task number. It mainly merges small orders and treats the small order combined packaging task as a sorting task number and a packaging task number; and sends the No. 1 engineering coding data according to the original sorting task number, that is, the small orders are separated by serial numbers.

[0042] The sorting monitoring system is used to determine whether the current sorting task number sequence is the sorting task number of the merged large order, and send a collection of coding task numbers to the coding system. Specifically, upgrade the existing sorting monitoring task acquisition module, add sorting tasks, and read different sequence tasks for coding tasks. The sorting task and small orders are merged into a single task number, and the coding task is a plurality of task numbers that are not merged for small orders. Obtain the task number of the sorting electronic control triggering the user change signal, and determine whether the current sorting task number sequence is a single task number for merging small tasks according to the current task number, and send a collection of coding task numbers according to the coding task sequence. Real-time communication data includes: coding start task number, end task number, serial number within the customer line, number of cigarette cartons, etc. When sorting large orders, the start task number and the end task number are the same task number.

[0043] The sorting control system 5 is used to return the sorting task number of the current change of account coding to the sorting monitoring system when the No. 1 project changes accounts. Specifically, the sorting task number of the current change of account coding is returned to the sorting monitoring system when the No. 1 project changes accounts. After the sorting monitoring system obtains it, the corresponding coding data is organized and sent to the No. 1 project coding industrial control computer in real time; the sorting order mode is upgraded from the original number of cigarette strips issued to the cigarette warehouse to the sequence issued to the current sub-line order cigarette warehouse. In the small order sorting and packaging mode, the cigarette outlet will be staggered to ensure that the cigarette strips ordered by the same customer can be collected together.

[0044] Specifically, the coding system includes a laser coding machine 7 and a coding industrial control computer 6. The control machine of the laser coding machine 7 is respectively connected to the coding industrial control computer 6 of the sorting system and the No. 1 engineering system. The control machine of the laser coding machine 7 receives information such as the retailer and the sorting order of the cigarette strips 2 sent by the sorting system. The control machine of the coding machine independently queries the product specifications, barcode data and retailer codes in the code segment pool stored in the coding industrial control computer 6, and automatically locates and codes after associating the product specifications with the barcode data and the retailer codes, and prints the 32-bit code of the corresponding retailer on the cigarette strips of the corresponding retailer, collects the final laser machine coding quantity, and performs data calibration and correspondence according to the retailer unit to ensure that the coding quantity transmitted back to the coding software is completely consistent with the final actual coding quantity. When inconsistency occurs, an alarm should be given in time to shut down the machine.

[0045] Optionally, it also includes an inkjet printer 8 and a precise identification system 3, wherein the precise identification system 3 is arranged upstream of the laser coding machine 7 and the inkjet printer 8, and the inkjet printer 8 is arranged on one side of the laser coding machine 7, and the inkjet printer 8 is used to print the household serial number on the cigarette strip 2.

[0046] An inkjet coding machine can be selected. During the coding process, inkjet coding is added to the end of the cigarette carton and the household serial number is printed. The coded household serial number is a unique serial number for each household in the line, which corresponds to the details printed by the labeling machine, which is convenient for checking the actual object and identifying the cigarette carton during delivery. It should be noted that when an inkjet coding machine is selected, if an alarm that may affect the order of the cigarette carton occurs during the sorting process, it is necessary to carefully check the order of the cigarette carton before resetting the alarm to ensure the correct order in the subsequent coding. If the precise identification system is selected, it can be ignored.

[0047] For the No. 1 project, the coding industrial control computer needs to change the coding order and code segment issuance mode to batch issuance. The sorting system needs to be set at the lower limit threshold of batch issuance and send it to the laser coding machine in advance according to the sorted batches. It is impossible to achieve real-time changes in the number of packages in each group to match the synchronization of batch issuance.

[0048] The precise identification system is used for precise identification of cigarette cartons before coding. It uses precise identification equipment to perform video recognition. The precise identification equipment includes a camera, which is installed above the conveyor line and upstream of the laser coding machine. The camera is connected to the precise identification system. The precise identification system obtains the sorting task cigarette carton sequence, cigarette carton details and other information through the precise identification equipment, accurately identifies cigarette cartons and sorting task numbers, and alarms and shuts down when wrong cigarettes appear. When identifying cigarette cartons, the cigarette carton sequence within the sorting task number is recorded. The cigarette carton sequence can be used by Project No. 1 to print the cigarette carton code segment more accurately, and can avoid coding errors when the cigarette carton sequence within the sorting task number is incorrect, especially for small order package sorting, when coding by household is required, and problems such as wrong coding and wrong line customer serial number.

[0049] Specifically, the spacing between the cigarette strips 2 in the single large order formed by merging a plurality of small orders on the conveyor line 1 is 300-400 mm, and the spacing between the merged large orders is greater than 1500 mm.

[0050] Specifically, the packaging machine control system performs packaging according to the sorting task number and task quantity sent to the packaging machine control system by the sorting control system, and handles the problem of overlapping sequences of cigarettes in small combined orders accordingly to ensure the stacking shape.

[0051] Specifically, the labeling system of the labeling machine adds a field for obtaining the task interface, and adds a field for the sorting and packaging task number to indicate whether it is a small order package type. If it is a small order package type, the cigarette package details need to be printed, and the details of the cigarette cartons of different customers need to be distinguished. When sorting large orders, the details are printed or not according to the original design; the order of sorting incoming cigarettes, when small orders are packaged together, there may be staggered incoming cigarettes, and the stack type needs to be calculated in sequence and sent to the packaging machine control system for packaging; if the system is equipped with an inkjet coding machine, the labeling system needs to print the order of customers in the line on the label details in order to verify the actual details.

[0052] The existing operation process of the special-shaped cigarette sorting line in the logistics center is as follows: Figure 3 As shown:

[0053] 1. After the marketing data is collected, the sorting system will download and optimize the marketing data and generate a sorting order. After the sorting order is generated, it will be sent to the cigarette coding control machine of the commercial enterprise, and the coding code segment information will be generated according to the order association;

[0054] 2. The coding industrial computer at the sorting site downloads the batch coding data and prepares for coding;

[0055] 3. The sorting monitoring system downloads batch sorting data and produces sorting order data including the smoke output sequence;

[0056] 4. After the order data including the sorting sequence is generated, the precise identification system downloads the sorting order data, locates the initial identification order and prepares for identification;

[0057] 5. After the order data including the sorting sequence is generated, the packaging machine downloads the sorting order data, optimizes the pallet type according to the sorting sequence, and reports the optimization result to the sorting system database. The pallet export business machine downloads the pallet information after the pallet type optimization;

[0058] 6. Start sorting and coding;

[0059] 7. Each small order customer will be sorted and coded independently;

[0060] 8. The sorted cigarettes are gathered at the precision identification system according to the order for accuracy identification of the sorted cigarettes. If wrong cigarettes or too much cigarettes appear, the alarm will be sounded and the machine will be shut down in time. After manual verification, it will return to normal. The accurately sorted cigarettes will be coded and sprayed after passing through the precision identification system.

[0061] 9. After the current order is sorted, before the new order enters the precise identification system, the sorting control system will send a change signal to the precise identification system and the coding industrial control computer. At this time, the precise identification system and the coding industrial control computer will make the following judgments respectively:

[0062] First, the precise identification system will verify the accuracy of the current order sorting (whether there are wrong cigarettes, too many cigarettes or too few cigarettes, etc.). If it is inaccurate, it needs to be manually processed to restore to normal. If it is accurate, it will automatically identify the next order.

[0063] Second, the coding industrial control computer checks whether the coding of the current order has been completed. If not, the coding alarm will be triggered and the machine will shut down. It is necessary to manually find the uncoded cigarettes, reset the alarm, and switch to the next order for coding. If the coding of the current order is completed, it will automatically switch to the next order for coding.

[0064] The role of the inkjet printer here is to spray a digital code with a designated identifier for each order. The digital code is the customer delivery order within the delivery route, which is convenient for identification and picking during the delivery of cigarettes after the packing process. The inkjet printer receives a customer change signal, and the inkjet printer automatically adds 1 to the code number. When a delivery route is sorted, the sorting control system sends a pulse signal for changing the route to the inkjet printer. When the inkjet printer receives the signal for changing the route, the inkjet printer automatically sets the code number to 1 and restarts the inkjet printer operation for the new delivery route.

[0065] 10. Entering the packing stage, after combining the boxes according to the stacking type optimized by the packing system, complete the closing, labeling and palletizing of the turnover boxes, and finally transport them to the shipping temporary storage area.

[0066] The existing process implements a mode of sorting by household and packaging in the order of delivery. For example, there are 240 cigarette specifications, including 110 standard cigarette specifications and 130 special-shaped cigarette specifications. The main line can only sort the top 70 standard cigarette specifications in sales, and the remaining 170 specifications are sorted on the Class C cigarette sorting line. The sorting mode is the conventional household sorting method, and the packaging mode is to combine and package small orders according to the line sequence. At present, the sorting efficiency remains at about 12,000 pieces / hour, and the preliminary acceptance of 5 hours of continuous operation efficiency is 14,708 pieces / hour. The reason for the improvement in efficiency is that the packaging link has been changed from one household to multiple households, which has greatly improved the packing efficiency, thereby improving the overall sorting efficiency. However, this multi-household co-packing mode is only applicable to turnover boxes, and is not suitable for film packaging due to the instability of the stack shape.

[0067] In order to ensure the sorting efficiency, the present embodiment is a sorting and coding method based on the aforementioned special-shaped cigarette line small order sorting and coding system, which is mainly aimed at small order customers in the original operation process, and realizes "combined order" sorting and coding in the sorting and coding links. Figure 4 As shown, the following steps are included:

[0068] 1. After the marketing data is collected, the sorting system will download and optimize the marketing data and generate a sorting order. After the sorting order is generated, it will be sent to the cigarette coding control machine of the commercial enterprise, and the coding code segment information will be generated according to the order association;

[0069] 2. The coding industrial computer at the sorting site downloads the batch coding data;

[0070] 3. The laser coding machine controller receives the preset quantity (N) of order code segment data from the coding industrial control computer in advance to complete the pre-coding preparation work;

[0071] This link adds a laser coding machine control machine. The laser coding machine control machine can be integrated with the precision identification system and the inkjet printer control machine or with the inkjet printer control machine to reduce costs and improve the interaction efficiency between each other. It mainly realizes the joint coding function without changing the control logic and control software and hardware of the coding industrial control computer.

[0072] 4. The sorting monitoring system downloads batch sorting data and produces sorting order data including the smoke output sequence;

[0073] The sorting monitoring system is optimized according to the order information initially optimized by the sorting information system. The order of cigarettes and virtual pallet optimization are carried out in the line (the virtual pallet refers to the distance of the belt conveyor that each cigarette needs to occupy when it is discharged from the cigarette warehouse. Currently, the distance of a virtual pallet is between 350-400mm). After optimization, the adjacent small orders in the line are combined and sorted, and the interval between orders in the original small order sorting process is cancelled. The packaging machine optimizes the stacking shape according to the information optimized by the sorting monitoring system. In order to improve the loading rate and the stability of the stacking shape, the order of combined sorting is to rearrange and sort the cigarettes of multiple households according to the specifications and dimensions.

[0074] Specifically, "small orders" are transformed into "large orders": several small orders of no more than 5 households (limited by the maximum label paper size of 80mm*100mm) and no more than 25 packs (calculated based on the volume of 25 standard packs of cigarettes) are combined and sorted in the order of delivery routes. The specifications are sorted and arranged according to the stability of the film packaging stack (standard cigarettes are stacked in layers of 5 packs, slim cigarettes are stacked in layers of 4 packs, medium cigarettes are stacked in layers of 4 packs, and other specifications are stacked upwards in order according to the stability of the stack shape).

[0075] For example:

[0076] Delivery Order Standard cigarette Extra long slim cigarette Slim cigarettes Medium cigarette Square cigarette End printing Household 1 3 1 3 2 1 01 Household No. 2 2 0 1 2 0 02 Household No. 3 1 0 1 1 1 03 total 6 1 5 5 2

[0077] Merge sorting order:

[0078] First, divide 1 extra-long slim cigarette and 3 slim cigarettes to form the first layer, leaving 2;

[0079] Divide 5 more standard cigarettes into a stack-shaped second layer, leaving 1 more;

[0080] Divide into 4 medium cigarettes to form the third layer of stack shape, leaving 1 cigarette;

[0081] Divide the remaining standard cigarette into 1 carton, 2 cartons of slim cigarettes, and 1 carton of medium cigarettes to form the fourth layer;

[0082] Finally, two square smoke strips are formed into a stack-shaped fifth layer.

[0083] The sorting order of a total of 19 cigarettes is 1 extra-long slim cigarette and 3 slim cigarettes, 5 standard cigarettes, 4 medium cigarettes, and the remaining 1 standard cigarette, 2 slim cigarettes and 1 medium cigarette, and 2 square cigarettes.

[0084] 5. After the sorting order data including the smoke output sequence is generated, the control machines of the precision identification system, laser coder and inkjet printer download the sorting order data including the smoke output sequence, locate the initial identification order, and prepare for identification;

[0085] This link adds the control machine of the inkjet printer and the control machine of the laser printer. The control machine of the inkjet printer and the control machine of the laser printer can be integrated with the precise identification system or the two can be integrated into one to reduce costs and improve the interaction efficiency between each other. It is an industrial-grade computer with logical operation ability and control function designed to realize coding and inkjet coding functions. It has the real-time communication function with the precise identification system, sorting monitoring system and coding industrial control computer. It mainly changes the coding household switching signal to household switching according to the order range without changing the control logic and control software and hardware of the coding industrial control computer. Different from the original single order household switching, it realizes the function of uninterrupted coding and inkjet coding when merging households.

[0086] 6. After the sorting order data including the cigarette output sequence is generated, the packaging machine downloads the sorting order data, optimizes the pallet type according to the sorting sequence, and reports the optimization result to the sorting system database. The pallet export business machine downloads the pallet information after the pallet type optimization;

[0087] 7. Start the sorting line and start sorting and coding;

[0088] 8. Small customer orders are combined for sorting, eliminating the intervals between orders;

[0089] 9. The sorted cigarettes are gathered at the precision identification system according to the order for accuracy identification of the sorted cigarettes. If wrong cigarettes or too much cigarettes appear, the alarm will be sounded and the machine will be shut down in time. After manual verification, it will return to normal. The precision identification system will send the cigarette information after identification to the control machine of the coding machine and inkjet printer, and the control machine will recombine the coding information to achieve accurate coding work.

[0090] When handling multiple cigarettes and wrong cigarettes, the change compared to the original processing flow is that first, it is determined whether it is a combined identification of multiple orders. If not, the processing flow remains unchanged. If it is a case of multiple order identification, then when there are indeed multiple cigarettes or wrong cigarettes, the processing flow is the same as the original flow. If the precise identification is wrong and the cigarettes are sorted correctly, the identification information needs to be corrected, and the incorrectly identified cigarettes will be checked and confirmed as identified to ensure the accuracy of the identification sequence, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the coding information.

[0091] 10. The precise identification system sends identification information to the control machine of the laser coder and the inkjet printer in real time. The control machine selects the required coding information within the current order range according to the cigarette information queue identified by the precise identification system to realize accurate coding function;

[0092] The improved control logic of the control machine of the inkjet printer changes the original simple digital addition, subtraction and setting method into a digital sequence prepared in advance for inkjet coding, and inkjet coding is performed according to the digital sequence.

[0093] 11. The laser coding machine's control machine sends back the coding information to the coding industrial control computer in real time and obtains the new order code segment information;

[0094] 12. When the merged order is coded, the sorting control system will send a change signal to the laser coder control machine and the sorting monitoring system. After receiving the change signal, the laser coder control machine, the precise identification system and the sorting monitoring system will simultaneously execute different proofreading logics, as follows:

[0095] (1) The control machine of the laser coding machine checks whether all the orders in the current range have been coded. If the coding is completed, the customer switching is completed and the next range of order code segments are automatically sent to the laser coding machine and inkjet machine for coding. If a coding alarm occurs, it is necessary to manually find the uncoded cigarettes to complete the coding and restore to normal.

[0096] (2) The precise identification system verifies whether the current range of orders is sorted accurately. If the sorting is accurate, it is ready to enter the next range of order identification. If an alarm is triggered, it needs to be manually processed before returning to normal.

[0097] (3) The sorting monitoring system sends the current change-coding order range to the control machine and precise identification system of the coding machine and inkjet printer.

[0098] If it is a real-time sorting system (the order merging and sorting sequence is not determined in advance), this step of the process needs to be executed. If the sorting monitoring system is used to optimize the merged orders and the cigarette output sequence in advance, and the sorting control system strictly performs sorting and merging according to the optimized information, then this step (3) can be omitted;

[0099] 13. The control machine of the precise identification system and the laser coding machine checks whether the user change signal and the coding order range are received. If not, an alarm is given. If received, precise identification is performed according to the order range and coding is performed according to the coding order range code segment;

[0100] 14. After inkjet coding, the cigarettes enter the packing stage. After being packed into boxes according to the stack type optimized by the packing system, the turnover boxes are packed, labeled and stacked, and finally transported to the shipping temporary storage area.

[0101] This method will be more effective in the sorting of small orders of special-shaped cigarettes. For example, if the original operation mode is used, it takes 100 seconds to code, but if the modified operation process is used, it only takes 53 seconds, and the operation efficiency is improved by 47%, which is a significant effect. The improvement of operation efficiency will effectively reduce the working time of employees, the energy consumption of equipment operation and equipment wear, save labor costs and operating expenses for enterprises, play an important role in reducing costs and increasing efficiency of enterprises, and have important guiding and reference significance for the construction and transformation of special-shaped cigarette sorting in tobacco logistics centers.

[0102] A coding machine according to the aforementioned special-shaped cigarette line small order sorting and coding system of this embodiment includes a laser coding machine and a control machine. The control machine interacts with the coding industrial control computer of the No. 1 engineering system to receive code segments from the coding industrial control computer and to feed back coding status and abnormal alarm signals to the coding industrial control computer; the control machine interacts with the sorting monitoring system to receive cigarette sorting information sent by the sorting monitoring system and to match the No. 1 engineering code in the stored code segment pool with the cigarette strips one by one; the control machine interacts with the precise identification system to adjust the sequence of the No. 1 engineering code in real time according to the cigarette sorting identified by the precise identification system.

[0103] The laser coding machine was modified, and the control machine of the laser coding machine added the function of storing the code segments of the cigarettes sent by Project No. 1, and improved the functions of fast calculation, calling and control inside the code segment pool. At the same time, it has a standard interface for multi-channel data and signal interaction in the form of network, serial port, etc., which is currently mainly divided into three-channel data signal interaction.

[0104] One-way interaction: The laser coding machine forms an information interaction channel with the No. 1 engineering system coding industrial control computer, which has the functions of code segment reception, coding status feedback, abnormal alarm signal feedback, etc.

[0105] Two-way interaction: The laser coder is connected to the sorting monitoring system to receive the cigarette sorting information formed by the sorting line. The laser coder stores the 32-bit code of Project No. 1 in the code pool and matches it to the cigarette strips. If there is no deformation or dislocation of cigarettes during the transportation of cigarettes on the sorting line, the laser coder will directly code according to the sorting sequence. At the same time, in order to distinguish the retailers to which the cigarette strips belong, a cigarette strip end face inkjet printer is set up to distinguish the retailers to which the cigarette strips belong, which is convenient for distribution and picking. The delivery sequence code is printed on the end of the cigarette: the first customer is sprayed with "01", the second customer is sprayed with "02"... and so on.

[0106] Three-way interaction: Since the C-type cigarette sorting line has the function of sorting all specifications, the conveying line is long, which can easily cause cigarettes to be parallel or misplaced in the front and back during the conveying process. If not corrected in time, there will be errors in specifications, coding or spraying between customers. To avoid such situations, the laser coding machine establishes information interaction with the precise identification system (the precise identification system is set before coding). If the precise identification system finds that the cigarette sorting is wrong, it will promptly feedback to the laser coding machine, and the laser coding machine will adjust the order of the original cigarette and engineering code in real time and code.

[0107] The new laser coding machine has the following calculation and output functions: it has data and signal input and multi-channel output functions. It has the function of information exchange with the No. 1 engineering system, sorting system, precise identification system, and inkjet printer. It has data storage and processing functions such as code segment storage, autonomous sorting, and real-time coordination and adjustment. It has the functions of coding multiple households in the order of sorting cigarettes, and does not change the original initial order coding data comparison and return after coding is completed. It has the function of alarming and stopping when abnormal conditions such as less cigarettes, more cigarettes, and wrong cigarettes in the group are found. It has the function of outputting coding information and sorting information data to facilitate logistics for data analysis and exclusive marketing applications. It has the function of coding by area as needed.

[0108] The advantages and positive effects of the present invention are as follows: the present invention provides a small order sorting and coding system for special-shaped cigarette lines, the sorting system can realize the merging and sorting of adjacent small orders in the same delivery line, the coding system identifies, sprays codes and verifies based on the merged large order, greatly improves the processing efficiency of the sorting link for small orders, eliminates the intervals between small orders, effectively improves the full load rate of the conveyor belt, and further improves the sorting efficiency; opens up the bottleneck link of the entire assembly line, and improves the overall operation capacity of the sorting line; the present invention provides a small order sorting and coding method for special-shaped cigarette lines, breaks the existing sorting optimization and sorting coding operation mode that is strictly based on customer orders, makes the sorting optimization process more flexible and practical, and makes the sorting operation link more scientific and efficient; rearranges and sorts according to the external dimensions of multiple household cigarettes, which can effectively improve the stability of the film-wrapped packaging stack shape, is suitable for film-wrapped packaging, and can improve the loading rate.

[0109] The above is a detailed description of an embodiment of the present invention, but the content is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and cannot be considered to limit the scope of implementation of the present invention. All equivalent changes and improvements made within the scope of the present invention should still fall within the scope of the patent coverage of the present invention.

Claims

1. A small order sorting and coding system for special-shaped cigarette lines, including a conveyor line, characterized in that: It also includes a sorting system and a coding system which are arranged in sequence. The sorting system merges multiple small orders in the line into several large orders, and sorts the several large orders merged from the multiple small orders onto the conveyor line; the coding system identifies, prints codes and verifies each of the merged large orders as a unit; The sorting system includes a sorting information system, a sorting monitoring system and a sorting control system. The sorting information system is used to assign a sorting task number and a packaging task number to each of the merged large orders. The sorting monitoring system is used to determine whether the current sorting task number sequence is the sorting task number of the merged large order, and send a collection of coding task numbers to the coding system; the sorting control system is used to return the sorting task number of the current change of account coding to the sorting monitoring system when the No. 1 project changes accounts; the sorting information system is used to parameterize various indicators, including the indicators that need to be combined The sorting information system is used for data optimization to increase the serial number of sorting tasks, and merge order tasks according to the threshold of the number of small orders and the maximum number of packages for combined packaging, and is used for the sorting monitoring system to issue the control system and communicate the packaging task number with the packaging machine; the sorting monitoring system includes a sorting monitoring acquisition task module, which is used to add sorting tasks, read different sequence tasks of coding tasks, and the sorting tasks and small orders are merged into a single task number, and the coding tasks are multiple task numbers that are not merged into small orders.

2. The small order sorting and coding system for special-shaped cigarette lines according to claim 1 is characterized by: The coding system includes a laser coding machine and a coding industrial control computer. The control machine of the laser coding machine is respectively connected to the sorting system and the coding industrial control computer for communication. The control machine of the laser coding machine receives the retailer and cigarette sorting sequence information sent by the sorting system, and performs product specification and barcode data and retailer code query in the code segment pool stored in the coding industrial control computer. The control machine controls the laser coding machine to print the corresponding retailer code on the cigarette cartons corresponding to the retailer.

3. The small order sorting and coding system for special-shaped cigarette lines according to claim 2 is characterized by: It also includes an inkjet printer and a precise identification system. The precise identification system is arranged upstream of the laser printer and the inkjet printer. The inkjet printer is arranged on one side of the laser printer. The inkjet printer is used to print the household serial number on the cigarette strips.

4. A sorting and coding method for a small order sorting and coding system for special-shaped cigarette lines according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: The laser coding machine's control machine receives a preset number of order code segment data from the coding industrial control computer in advance; The sorting monitoring system generates sorting order data including the order of cigarette dispensing, in which adjacent small orders within the line are combined for sorting; The control machines of the precise identification system, laser coder and inkjet printer, and the packaging machine download the sorting order data, among which the coding cut-in signal is used to cut the account according to the order range; Small orders are combined into large orders and sorted to the conveyor line. The precise identification system can accurately identify the sorted cigarettes. The precise identification system sends identification information to the control machine of the laser coder and the inkjet printer in real time. The control machine of the laser coder and the inkjet printer selects the required coding information within the current order range according to the cigarette information queue identified by the precise identification system to realize accurate coding function. After a large order is coded, the sorting control system will send a change signal to the laser coding machine's control machine and the sorting monitoring system.

5. The method for sorting and coding small orders of special-shaped cigarettes according to claim 4 is characterized in that: The steps of the precise identification system for accurately identifying the sorted cigarettes specifically include: if wrong cigarettes or multiple cigarettes occur, determine whether it is a combined identification of multiple orders; if it is a multi-order identification, then when there are indeed multiple cigarettes or wrong cigarettes, manual verification is performed. If the precise identification is wrong, the identification information needs to be corrected when the cigarettes are sorted correctly, and the incorrectly identified cigarettes are checked and confirmed as identified.

6. The method for sorting and coding small orders of special-shaped cigarettes according to claim 4 is characterized in that: The sorting control system sends a user change signal to the control machine of the laser coding machine and the sorting monitoring system, and then includes: The laser coder's control machine checks whether all orders in the current range have been coded. If so, the customer switching is completed and the next range of order code segments are automatically sent to the laser coder and inkjet printer for coding. If a coding alarm occurs, it is necessary to manually find the uncoded cigarettes to complete the coding and restore to normal. The precise identification system verifies whether the current range of order sorting is accurate. If the sorting is accurate, it is ready to enter the next range of order identification. If an alarm is triggered, it needs to be manually processed before returning to normal.

7. The method for sorting and coding small orders of special-shaped cigarettes according to claim 4 is characterized in that: The step of generating sorting order data including the order of cigarette output by the sorting monitoring system also includes merging the sorting order to rearrange and sort the cigarettes of multiple households according to the specifications and dimensions.

8. The method for sorting and coding small orders of special-shaped cigarettes according to claim 6 is characterized in that: The precise identification system verifies whether the current range order is accurately sorted, and then includes: the control machine of the precise identification system and the laser coding machine verifies whether the user change signal and the coding order range are received, and alarms if not received; if received, the precise identification is performed according to the order range and the coding is performed according to the coding order range code segment.

9. A coding machine for the small order sorting and coding system of special-shaped cigarette lines according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising a laser coding machine, characterized in that: It also includes a control machine, which interacts with the coding industrial control computer of the No. 1 engineering system to receive code segments from the coding industrial control computer and to feed back coding status and abnormal alarm signals to the coding industrial control computer; the control machine interacts with the sorting monitoring system to receive cigarette sorting information sent by the sorting monitoring system and to match the No. 1 engineering code in the stored code segment pool with the cigarette cartons one by one; the control machine interacts with the precise identification system to adjust the sequence of the No. 1 engineering code in real time according to the cigarette sorting identified by the precise identification system.

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