A device, system and method for removing waste cigarettes by air pressure

Abstract

The present invention relates to a pneumatic rejection device, system and method for waste cigarettes, comprising a plurality of flexible air nozzles arranged in an array along a set plane and with central axes parallel to each other, the flexible air nozzles being supported by a supporting structure, the flexible air nozzles having an air duct, one end of the air duct being connected to an air supply mechanism, and the other end being capable of being sealed and connected to a corresponding workstation hole in a cigarette mold box, the central axis of the flexible air nozzle being parallel to the central axis of the workstation hole; the supporting structure being connected to a linear drive mechanism, the driving direction of the linear drive mechanism being coincident with the direction of the central axis of the workstation hole, the linear drive mechanism being capable of driving the plurality of flexible air nozzles to synchronously complete the sealed connection or relaxation with the corresponding workstation holes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of cigarette production equipment, and in particular relates to an air pressure rejecting device, system and method for waste cigarettes. Background Art

[0002] The statements herein merely provide background information related to the present invention and do not necessarily constitute prior art.

[0003] At present, the filling of new heat-not-burn cigarettes mostly adopts manual or semi-automatic equipment. The production and processing process will produce unqualified products, which will be screened out after manual comparison. The overall processing efficiency is low. Manual participation will lead to missed screening and missed elimination, which will affect the product quality of heat-not-burn cigarettes.

[0004] The inventors have learned that the rejection devices currently used in the cigarette field mostly use cylinder-driven push rods or connecting rod mechanisms to reject unqualified cigarettes. If an automatic production line is used, dozens to hundreds of cigarettes are stored in a cigarette mold box at the same time to reject unqualified products. A set of rejection mechanisms needs to be set up for each cigarette position, resulting in the overall equipment occupying a large area and inconvenient maintenance and repair. Summary of the invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a pneumatic rejection device, system and method for waste cigarettes, which can solve at least one of the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, one or more embodiments of the present invention provide a pneumatic rejection device for waste cigarettes, comprising a plurality of flexible air nozzles arranged in an array along a set plane and with central axes parallel to each other, the flexible air nozzles being supported by a supporting structure, the flexible air nozzles having an air duct, one end of the air duct being connected to an air supply mechanism, and the other end being capable of being sealed and connected to a corresponding work station hole in a cigarette mold box, the central axis of the flexible air nozzle being parallel to the central axis of the work station hole; the supporting structure is connected to a linear drive mechanism, the driving direction of the linear drive mechanism coincides with the direction of the central axis of the work station hole, and the linear drive mechanism can drive the plurality of flexible air nozzles to synchronously complete the sealed connection or relaxation with the corresponding work station holes.

[0007] Furthermore, the flexible air nozzle has a tapered section at one end close to the workstation hole, and the outer side surface of the tapered section is a conical surface, and the conical surface is used to adapt to the tapered hole section at the upper part of the workstation hole.

[0008] Furthermore, the air supply mechanism includes an external pressure air source, which is connected to the flexible air pipes through air pipes respectively, and the multiple air pipes can be independently opened and closed by valves.

[0009] The flexible air nozzles in the present invention can be connected to the external pressure air source through the air pipe respectively, and can be independently turned on and off, so that each flexible air nozzle can be independently controlled.

[0010] Furthermore, the support structure includes a first pressure plate and a second pressure plate that can be detachably fixed, the first pressure plate having a plurality of first positioning holes, the second pressure plate having a plurality of second positioning holes that are opposite to the first positioning holes, a positioning groove is formed at the adjacent ends of the first positioning holes and the second positioning holes, a boss section is formed at the end of the flexible air nozzle away from the conical section, the boss section is engaged in the positioning groove, and the conical section extends out of the second pressure plate after passing through the second positioning hole.

[0011] One or more embodiments of the present invention provide a waste cigarette pneumatic rejection system, including the waste cigarette pneumatic rejection device, and further comprising:

[0012] An image acquisition unit, which can capture images of cigarettes in the cigarette mold box and the workstation holes;

[0013] The image analysis unit and the image processing unit can obtain the image transmitted by the image acquisition unit and analyze whether the cigarettes in the station holes meet the filling requirements;

[0014] The control unit can obtain the analysis result of the image analysis unit, control the action of the linear drive mechanism and independently control the air supply of the flexible air nozzles at different workstation holes.

[0015] It also includes a transfer mechanism, which is used to realize the transfer of the cigarette mold box between the filling station and the cigarette rejection station.

[0016] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for rejecting waste cigarettes by air pressure, comprising the following steps:

[0017] The image recognition unit and the image analysis unit are used to identify unqualified cigarettes in the cigarette mold box;

[0018] Transfer the cigarette holder mold box to between the waste trough and the flexible air nozzle, and align the flexible air nozzle with the corresponding workstation hole;

[0019] The linear drive mechanism drives the flexible air nozzle to be pressed downward, so that the lower end of the flexible air nozzle is sealed and connected with the aligned workstation holes respectively;

[0020] The control unit controls the flexible air nozzle connected to the workstation hole where the cigarettes need to be rejected to supply air, and the gas in the flexible air nozzle blows the unqualified cigarettes in the workstation hole out of the workstation hole.

[0021] Beneficial effects of one or more of the above technical solutions:

[0022] The present invention uses multiple flexible air nozzles, and forms a relatively sealed space by sealing the flexible air nozzles with the upper end of the station hole, so that the gas in the flexible air nozzles can be used to directly remove unqualified cigarettes from the station hole; compared with mechanical structures that directly use mechanical energy such as cylinders or electric push rods, the volume occupied by the removal equipment can be greatly reduced, and the distribution density of the station holes in the cigarette mold box can be increased. The function of quickly removing multiple cigarettes in the cigarette mold box can be realized, which is simpler than the traditional single cigarette removal structure and has a significant efficiency improvement.

[0023] The present invention adopts a flexible air nozzle to cooperate with a plurality of cigarette station holes of a cigarette mold box, and can realize the independent sealing of a plurality of cigarette station holes at the same time, so that air flow mixing and erroneous rejection will not occur, thereby improving the rejection accuracy.

[0024] In the present invention, the conical section at the end of the flexible air nozzle is matched with the conical hole section at the upper part of the work station hole. When the flexible air nozzle is made of a flexible and compressible material, the linear drive mechanism drives the support mechanism to be tightened, which can effectively achieve a sealed connection between the flexible air nozzle and the work station hole.

[0025] A positioning groove is formed at the adjacent ends of the first positioning hole and the second hole, and a boss section is formed at the end of the flexible air nozzle away from the tapered section. This facilitates the first pressure plate and the second pressure plate to complete the compression and fixation of the flexible air nozzle. In the fixing process, welding or bolt connection is not used, and there is no need to use additional seals. Through the connection between the first pressure plate and the second pressure plate, the boss section at the positioning groove can be compressed, thereby achieving sealed communication between the flexible air nozzle and the first positioning hole. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The accompanying drawings constituting a part of the present invention are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their description are used to explain the present invention but do not constitute a limitation of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of partial structures such as a vertical driving mechanism and a clamping mechanism in one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 is a partial structural schematic diagram of a clamping mechanism in one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of a flexible air nozzle in one or more embodiments of the present invention.

[0031] In the figure, 1. linear drive mechanism; 2. support frame; 3. support structure; 4. waste box; 5. cigarette holder mold box; 6. workbench; 301. air pipe joint; 302. first pressure plate; 303. flexible air nozzle; 304. second pressure plate; 305. connecting seat; 3031. conical section; 3032. straight tube section; 3033. boss section. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] It should be noted that the following detailed descriptions are all illustrative and intended to provide further explanation of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs.

[0033] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit exemplary embodiments according to the present invention. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, it indicates the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0034] Example 1

[0035] like Figure 1-Figure 3 As shown, this embodiment provides a pneumatic rejection device for waste cigarettes, comprising a plurality of flexible air nozzles 303 arranged in an array along a set plane and with central axes parallel to each other, the flexible air nozzles 303 are supported by a support structure 3, an air passage is provided in the flexible air nozzles 303, one end of the air passage is connected to an air supply mechanism, and the other end can be sealed and connected to a corresponding station hole in a cigarette mold box 5, and the central axis of the flexible air nozzle 303 is parallel to the central axis of the station hole;

[0036] The support structure 3 is connected to the linear drive mechanism 1, and the driving direction of the linear drive mechanism 1 coincides with the central axis direction of the workstation hole. The linear drive mechanism 1 can drive multiple flexible air nozzles 303 to synchronously complete the sealing connection or relaxation with the corresponding workstation holes.

[0037] Furthermore, the end of the flexible air nozzle 303 close to the work station hole has a tapered section 3031, and the outer side surface of the tapered section 3031 is a conical surface, and the conical surface is used to adapt to the tapered hole section at the upper part of the work station hole.

[0038] The air supply mechanism comprises an external pressure air source, which is connected to the flexible air pipes through air pipes respectively, and the multiple air pipes can be independently opened and closed by valves.

[0039] Specifically, the external pressure gas source in this embodiment can be a high-pressure air bottle, and the compressor compresses the air and supplies it to the high-pressure air bottle, or an air pump can be directly used to provide the pressure gas source. It can be understood that in order to facilitate the on-off adjustment of different flexible gas nozzles, a valve island is provided in this embodiment, and a plurality of solenoid valves are integrated in the valve island, and each solenoid valve is provided on a passage connecting an air pipe with the external pressure gas source.

[0040] The support structure 3 includes a first pressing plate 302 and a second pressing plate 304 that can be detachably fixed. The first pressing plate 302 has a plurality of first positioning holes, and the second pressing plate 304 has a plurality of second positioning holes that are opposite to the first positioning holes. A positioning groove is formed at one end adjacent to the first positioning hole and a boss section 3033 is formed at one end of the flexible air nozzle 303 away from the conical section 3031. The boss section 3033 is engaged in the positioning groove. The conical section 3031 passes through the second positioning hole and then extends out of the second pressing plate 304.

[0041] Specifically, in this embodiment, the flexible gas nozzle includes a tapered section, a straight section and a boss section arranged in sequence. It should be pointed out that the tapered section, the straight section and the boss section here are only divisions of the various parts of the flexible gas nozzle, and do not mean that the flexible gas nozzle is a multi-section split structure; in fact, in this embodiment, if Figure 4 As shown, the conical section, the straight tube section and the boss section are an integrally formed structure. Of course, in other embodiments, the conical section, the straight tube section and the boss section can also be formed by splicing under the condition that the connection sealing can be ensured.

[0042] One end of the first positioning hole away from the flexible air nozzle 303 is connected to an air pipe connector 301 , and the air pipe connector 301 is used to connect to the air pipe.

[0043] The support structure 3 further includes a frame plate, which is fixedly connected to the first pressing plate 302 , and the upper end of the frame plate is fixedly connected to the linear drive mechanism 1 . The linear drive mechanism 1 is supported by the support frame 2 , and the support frame 2 is supported by the workbench 6 .

[0044] Specifically, in the present embodiment, the linear drive mechanism may adopt components such as an electric push rod, a hydraulic cylinder or a pneumatic cylinder. It can be understood that when the above components are adopted, the linear drive mechanism will be divided into a base part (the shell of the hydraulic cylinder body, the pneumatic cylinder body or the electric push rod) and an extension rod (piston rod or push rod) part; in the present embodiment, the base part is fixedly connected to the support frame, and the extension rod part is fixedly connected to the connecting seat on the upper part of the frame plate.

[0045] In order to receive unqualified cigarettes dropped from the workstation holes, in this embodiment, a waste box 4 is also included. The waste box 4 is used to receive waste cigarettes removed from the cigarette mold box 5. The waste box 4 is supported by a workbench 6.

[0046] The air pipe joint 302 is fixed to the first pressing plate 301 by threaded connection, and the flexible air nozzle 304 is pressed by the lower fixing plate 303 and fixed to the first pressing plate 301 in a detachable manner. The first pressing plate is driven to reciprocate up and down by the linear drive mechanism 1 to achieve pressing and separation with the cigarette mold box located on the workbench, and the flexible air nozzle 304 is sealed with the cigarette hole in the cigarette mold box by a certain amount of pressing, so as to achieve the effect of independent sealing of the cigarette holes at each workstation.

[0047] Specifically, the cigarette mold box on the cigarette filling workbench contains several filled cigarettes. After visual comparison and analysis in the previous process, the position of the unqualified product station is found and determined. After entering the unqualified cigarette rejection station, the linear drive mechanism drives the pressing down until all the flexible air nozzles 304 fixed on the lower fixed plate 303 are pressed and sealed with each station hole of the cigarette mold box. Then, the solenoid valves of each station of the integrated valve island are actuated to send high-pressure air to the air pipe joint 302 at the station hole to be rejected. Since each station hole forms an independent chamber, the cigarette is stuck in the station hole of the cigarette mold box with a small interference fit. When the station hole to be rejected is passed with high-pressure air, the unqualified cigarette will be quickly rejected and dropped into the waste box 4. This structure can be compactly designed as several stations, which can achieve the purpose of compact whole machine and rapid rejection of unqualified cigarettes.

[0048] Example 2

[0049] This embodiment provides a waste cigarette pneumatic rejection system, including the waste cigarette pneumatic rejection device, and further comprising:

[0050] An image acquisition unit, which can capture images of the cigarette mold box 5 and the cigarettes in the workstation holes;

[0051] The image analysis unit and the image processing unit can obtain the image transmitted by the image acquisition unit and analyze whether the cigarettes in the station holes meet the filling requirements;

[0052] The control unit can obtain the analysis result of the image analysis unit, control the action of the linear drive mechanism 1 and independently control the air supply of the flexible air nozzles 303 at different workstation holes.

[0053] It also includes a transfer mechanism, which is used to realize the transfer of the cigarette mold box 5 between the filling station and the cigarette rejecting station.

[0054] Example 3

[0055] This embodiment provides a method for rejecting waste cigarettes by using air pressure, which utilizes the waste cigarette rejecting system by using air pressure, and includes the following steps:

[0056] The image recognition unit and the image analysis unit are used to identify unqualified cigarettes filled in the cigarette mold box 5;

[0057] Transfer the cigarette holder mold box 5 to between the waste tank and the flexible air nozzle 303, and align the flexible air nozzle 303 with the corresponding workstation hole;

[0058] The linear drive mechanism 1 drives the flexible air nozzle 303 to be pressed downward, so that the lower ends of the flexible air nozzle 303 are sealed and connected with the aligned workstation holes respectively;

[0059] The control unit controls the flexible air nozzle 303 connected to the workstation hole where the cigarettes need to be rejected to supply air, and the gas in the flexible air nozzle 303 blows the unqualified cigarettes in the workstation hole out of the workstation hole.

[0060] Although the above describes the specific implementation mode of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications or variations that can be made by those skilled in the art on the basis of the technical solution of the present invention without creative work are still within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A pneumatic rejecting device for waste cigarettes, characterized in that: It comprises a plurality of flexible air nozzles arranged in an array along a set plane and with central axes parallel to each other, the flexible air nozzles are supported by a supporting structure, an air passage is provided in the flexible air nozzle, one end of the air passage is connected to an air supply mechanism, and the other end can be sealed and connected to a matching station hole in a cigarette holder mold box, and the central axis of the flexible air nozzle is parallel to the central axis of the station hole; The support structure is connected to a linear drive mechanism, the driving direction of the linear drive mechanism coincides with the central axis direction of the station hole, and the linear drive mechanism can drive multiple flexible air nozzles to synchronously complete the sealing connection or relaxation with the matching station holes; The support structure includes a first pressing plate and a second pressing plate that are detachably fixed, the first pressing plate having a plurality of first positioning holes, the second pressing plate having a plurality of second positioning holes that are directly opposite to the first positioning holes, a positioning groove is formed at one end adjacent to the first positioning holes and a boss section is formed at one end of the flexible air nozzle away from the conical section, the boss section is engaged in the positioning groove, and the conical section passes through the second positioning hole and then extends out of the second pressing plate; The linear drive mechanism drives downward pressure until all the flexible air nozzles fixed on the lower fixed plate are pressed and sealed against each station hole of the cigarette mold box. Then, the solenoid valves of each station of the integrated valve island are actuated to deliver high-pressure air to the air pipe joint at the station hole that needs to be rejected. Since each station hole forms an independent chamber, the cigarettes are clamped in the station hole of the cigarette mold box with a small interference fit. When high-pressure air is passed into the station hole that needs to be rejected, unqualified cigarettes will be quickly rejected and dropped into the waste box.

2. The pneumatic rejecting device for waste cigarettes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The end of the flexible air nozzle close to the workstation hole has a tapered section, the outer side surface of the tapered section is a conical surface, and the conical surface is used to adapt to the tapered hole section at the upper part of the workstation hole.

3. The waste cigarette air pressure rejecting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air supply mechanism comprises an external pressure air source, which is connected to the flexible air pipes through air pipes respectively, and the multiple air pipes can be independently opened and closed by valves.

4. The waste cigarette air pressure rejecting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: One end of the first positioning hole away from the flexible air nozzle is connected to an air pipe joint, and the air pipe joint is used to connect to the air pipe.

5. The pneumatic rejecting device for waste cigarettes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support structure also includes a frame plate, the frame plate is fixedly connected to the first pressing plate, the upper end of the frame plate is fixedly connected to the linear drive mechanism, the linear drive mechanism is supported by the support frame, and the support frame is supported by the workbench.

6. The waste cigarette air pressure rejecting device according to claim 5, characterized in that: It also includes a waste box, which is used to receive waste cigarettes removed from the cigarette mold box, and the waste box is supported by a workbench.

7. A waste cigarette pneumatic rejection system, comprising the waste cigarette pneumatic rejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: Also includes: An image acquisition unit, which can capture images of cigarettes in the cigarette mold box and the workstation holes; The image analysis unit and the image processing unit can obtain the image transmitted by the image acquisition unit and analyze whether the cigarettes in the station holes meet the filling requirements; The control unit can obtain the analysis result of the image analysis unit, control the action of the linear drive mechanism and independently control the air supply of the flexible air nozzles at different workstation holes.

8. The waste cigarette air pressure rejection system according to claim 7, characterized in that: It also includes a transfer mechanism, which is used to realize the transfer of the cigarette mold box between the filling station and the cigarette rejecting station.

9. A method for rejecting waste cigarettes by air pressure, using the waste cigarette rejecting device according to any one of claims 7 to 8, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: The image recognition unit and the image analysis unit are used to identify unqualified cigarettes in the cigarette mold box; Transfer the cigarette holder mold box to between the waste trough and the flexible air nozzle, and align the flexible air nozzle with the corresponding workstation hole; The linear drive mechanism drives the flexible air nozzle to be pressed downward, so that the lower end of the flexible air nozzle is sealed and connected with the aligned workstation holes respectively; The control unit controls the flexible air nozzle connected to the workstation hole where the cigarettes need to be rejected to supply air, and the gas in the flexible air nozzle blows the unqualified cigarettes in the workstation hole out of the workstation hole.

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