Tobacco box unstacking, coding, and labeling system and method

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a cigarette case unstacking, palletizing and labeling system and method. The system includes: a shelf; an unstacking and palletizing conveying assembly, including: a picking component and multiple conveying lines extending along a first direction. The multiple conveying lines are arranged at intervals along a second direction. At least two of the conveying lines are provided with unstacking and palletizing platforms, and the unstacking and palletizing platforms are used to receive palletized cigarette cases with temporary cigarette labels, or palletize discrete cigarette cases after applying formal cigarette labels; and a sorting line assembly, which is arranged on one side of the unstacking and palletizing conveying assembly away from the shelf along the first direction, and includes multiple sorting lines arranged at intervals along the second direction. An unstacking and palletizing station, a labeling machine and a sorter are sequentially arranged along the first direction on the sorting line. The labeling machine is used to apply formal cigarette labels to discrete cigarette cases, and the sorter is used to transfer discrete cigarette cases between different sorting lines; wherein, the picking component is used to obtain discrete cigarette cases from the unstacking and palletizing platform and place them at the unstacking and palletizing station of the corresponding sorting line, or place the discrete cigarette cases at the unstacking and palletizing station on the tray of the unstacking and palletizing platform.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of tobacco logistics, and particularly relates to a cigarette box depalletizing, labeling and palletizing system and method. Background Art

[0002] In order to meet the market demand, after the formal labels of cigarette boxes issued by the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration are produced every month, the cigarette boxes of the additionally produced cigarettes need to be pasted with temporary labels, and the cigarette boxes with temporary labels must be pasted with formal labels again before being sent to the market.

[0003] Currently, each time the cigarette boxes with temporary labels are pasted with formal labels, the finished product warehouse management personnel issue a plan for the labels to be pasted. After the stacker crane takes out the goods from the warehouse, the forklift operator forks the pallet with the cigarette boxes with temporary labels onto the floor. After manually removing the cigarette boxes from the pallet one by one, manually paste the formal labels on the cigarette boxes, and then manually stack the cigarette boxes on the pallet one by one. Then, the forklift operator uses the forklift to fork and store them in the warehouse, and the stacker crane places the cigarette boxes with the formal labels pasted on them on the shelf and waits for outbound shipment to the market. Most of this process is completed manually. The depalletizing and palletizing of cigarette boxes are very labor-intensive and not very efficient. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides a cigarette box depalletizing, labeling and palletizing system and method, which can improve the efficiency of replacing the labels of cigarette boxes in the warehouse.

[0005] On the one hand, the present disclosure provides a cigarette box depalletizing, labeling and palletizing system, including:

[0006] A shelf for storing cigarette boxes;

[0007] A depalletizing and palletizing conveying assembly, including: a picking component and a plurality of conveying lines extending along a first direction. The plurality of conveying lines are arranged at intervals along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. At least two of the conveying lines are provided with depalletizing and palletizing platforms. The depalletizing and palletizing platforms are used to receive the palletized cigarette boxes with temporary labels taken out of the shelf, or to palletize the discrete cigarette boxes after pasting the formal labels; and

[0008] A sorting line assembly, arranged on one side of the depalletizing and palletizing conveying assembly away from the shelf along the first direction, and including a plurality of sorting lines arranged at intervals along the second direction. Along the first direction on the sorting lines, there are successively arranged a depalletizing and palletizing station, a labeling machine and a sorter. The depalletizing and palletizing station is arranged close to the depalletizing and palletizing conveying assembly. The labeling machine is used to paste formal labels on the discrete cigarette boxes, and the sorter is used to realize the transfer of the discrete cigarette boxes between different sorting lines;

[0009] Wherein, the picking component is used to obtain the discrete cigarette boxes from the depalletizing and palletizing platform and place them at the depalletizing and palletizing stations of the corresponding sorting lines, or place the discrete cigarette boxes at the depalletizing and palletizing stations on the depalletizing and palletizing platform into the trays.

[0010] In some embodiments, the conveying direction of the sorting line can be switched, and it is configured to convey in the forward direction when pasting the official cigarette label on the discrete cigarette cartons, and convey in the reverse direction when returning after the official cigarette label is pasted.

[0011] In some embodiments, the sorting line assembly further includes: a conveying component, which is connected between the sorting machines of two adjacent sorting lines in the same sorting line assembly to enable the discrete cigarette cartons to move between different sorting lines.

[0012] In some embodiments, the multiple conveying lines in the depalletizing and palletizing conveying assembly include: a first conveying line, a second conveying line, and a third conveying line. The second conveying line is arranged between the first conveying line and the third conveying line along the second direction, and the depalletizing and palletizing platforms of the second conveying line are staggered from those of the first conveying line and the third conveying line in the first direction; the picking component is rotatably arranged above the second conveying line so that its working range covers the three depalletizing and palletizing platforms.

[0013] In some embodiments, a barcode reader is further provided on the sorting line. The barcode reader is located between the depalletizing station and the labeling machine and is used to read the temporary cigarette label or the official cigarette label.

[0014] In some embodiments, the cigarette carton depalletizing, palletizing and labeling system further includes:

[0015] A warehouse management system, which is configured to match the temporary cigarette label information read by the barcode reader with the information pre-stored in the warehouse management system, and enable the discrete cigarette cartons to continue to be conveyed to the labeling machine when the temporary cigarette label information is correct; and / or

[0016] A warehouse management system, which is configured to match the official cigarette label information read by the barcode reader with the information pre-stored in the warehouse management system, and enable the discrete cigarette cartons to continue to be conveyed to the depalletizing station when the official cigarette label information is correct.

[0017] In some embodiments, the cigarette carton depalletizing, palletizing and labeling system further includes:

[0018] A guiding platform, which extends along the second direction and is arranged between the shelf and the depalletizing and palletizing conveying assembly; and

[0019] A transport vehicle, which is arranged on the guiding platform and is movable along the second direction. The transport vehicle is used to place the palletized cigarette cartons out of the shelf on the conveying line, or provide the palletized cigarette cartons formed on the conveying line to the side where the shelf is located.

[0020] In some embodiments, multiple depalletizing and palletizing conveying assemblies are arranged at intervals along the second direction, and each conveying line in the multiple depalletizing and palletizing conveying assemblies is connected to the guiding platform.

[0021] In some embodiments, the cigarette case depalletizing, labeling, and palletizing system further includes: a main conveyor line extending along a second direction and disposed on one side of a plurality of sorting line assemblies away from the depalletizing and palletizing conveyor assembly along a first direction;

[0022] wherein, multiple sorting lines are all connected to the main conveyor line.

[0023] In some embodiments, the cigarette case depalletizing, labeling, and palletizing system further includes:

[0024] a pallet conveyor platform extending along a first direction and located outside the outermost depalletizing and palletizing conveyor assembly. The first end of the pallet conveyor platform is connected to the guiding platform. A depalletizer is provided on the pallet conveyor platform and is used for stacking or separating the pallets; and

[0025] a pallet conveyor line extending along a second direction and covering all conveyor lines, for conveying the pallets to any one of the conveyor lines, and one end of the pallet conveyor line is connected to the second end of the pallet conveyor platform.

[0026] In some embodiments, a plurality of shelves are arranged at intervals along a second direction. Some shelves are correspondingly provided with outbound conveyor platforms, and another part of the shelves are correspondingly provided with inbound conveyor platforms. The outbound conveyor platforms and the inbound conveyor platforms are arranged along a first direction between the shelves and the guiding platform.

[0027] In some embodiments, the cigarette case depalletizing, labeling, and palletizing system further includes:

[0028] a warehouse control system; and

[0029] a stacker, configured to, after receiving an outbound task instruction from the warehouse control system, take out the palletized cigarette cases with temporary cigarette labels from the storage positions of the shelves and place them on the corresponding outbound conveyor platforms of the shelves for outbound; or after receiving an inbound task instruction from the warehouse control system, place the palletized cigarette cases with official cigarette labels on the inbound conveyor platforms into the corresponding storage positions in the shelves.

[0030] In some embodiments, the order in which the picking component obtains discrete cigarette cases from the depalletizing platform is opposite to the palletizing order.

[0031] On the other hand, the present disclosure provides a method for depalletizing, labeling, and palletizing cigarette cases, based on the cigarette case depalletizing, labeling, and palletizing system of the above embodiments, including:

[0032] Placing the palletized cigarette cases with temporary cigarette labels taken out from the shelves on the depalletizing platform of one of the conveyor lines;

[0033] Obtaining discrete cigarette cases from the depalletizing platform through a picking component and placing them at the depalletizing station of one of the sorting lines;

[0034] The discrete cigarette cartons are conveyed from the palletizing and depalletizing station to the labeling machine along the positive direction of the first direction through the sorting line, and the formal cigarette labels are pasted on the discrete cigarette cartons by the labeling machine;

[0035] The discrete cigarette cartons after pasting the formal cigarette labels are switched to another sorting line and conveyed to the palletizing and depalletizing station along the negative direction;

[0036] The discrete cigarette cartons with formal cigarette labels are obtained from the palletizing and depalletizing station by the picking component and placed on the pallet at the palletizing and depalletizing station of the corresponding sorting line to form palletized cigarette cartons;

[0037] The palletized cigarette cartons with formal cigarette labels are returned to the shelf.

[0038] In some embodiments, a barcode reader is further provided on the sorting line, and the barcode reader is located between the palletizing and depalletizing station and the labeling machine; the method for palletizing, depalletizing and labeling cigarette cartons further includes:

[0039] When the discrete cigarette cartons with temporary cigarette labels pass through the barcode reader, the temporary cigarette label information is read by the barcode reader;

[0040] The temporary cigarette label information read by the barcode reader is matched with the information pre-stored in the warehouse management system, and when the temporary cigarette label information is correct, the discrete cigarette cartons are continuously conveyed to the labeling machine to paste formal cigarette labels on the discrete cigarette cartons.

[0041] In some embodiments, a barcode reader is further provided on the sorting line, and the barcode reader is located between the palletizing and depalletizing station and the labeling machine; the method for palletizing, depalletizing and labeling cigarette cartons further includes:

[0042] When the discrete cigarette cartons with formal cigarette labels pass through the barcode reader, the formal cigarette label information is read by the barcode reader;

[0043] The formal cigarette label information read by the barcode reader is matched with the information pre-stored in the warehouse management system, and when the formal cigarette label information is correct, the discrete cigarette cartons are continuously conveyed to the palletizing and depalletizing station.

[0044] In some embodiments, the step of switching the discrete cigarette cartons after pasting the formal cigarette labels to another sorting line includes:

[0045] Compared with depalletizing, if the picking component in the same palletizing and depalletizing conveying component starts the palletizing task, the discrete cigarette cartons are conveyed from the sorting machine to another sorting line in the same palletizing and depalletizing conveying component through the conveying component for palletizing;

[0046] Wherein, the conveying component is connected between adjacent sorting lines in the same sorting line component.

[0047] In some embodiments, the step of switching the discrete cigarette cartons after pasting the formal cigarette labels to another sorting line includes:

[0048] Compared with depalletizing, if the palletizing task is started by the picking component in different depalletizing and palletizing conveying components, the discrete cigarette boxes are conveyed from the sorting machine to the main conveying line;

[0049] The discrete cigarette boxes are conveyed by the main conveying line to the sorting line in another depalletizing and palletizing conveying component for palletizing;

[0050] Among them, the main conveying line is arranged on one side of the plurality of sorting line components away from the depalletizing and palletizing conveying component along the first direction, and all the sorting lines are connected to the main conveying line.

[0051] In some embodiments, the cigarette box depalletizing, palletizing and labeling system further includes: a pallet conveying platform and a pallet conveying line. A depalletizing and palletizing machine is provided on the pallet conveying platform. The pallet conveying line is connected to the pallet conveying platform and is used to convey the pallet to any conveying line; The cigarette box depalletizing, palletizing and labeling method includes:

[0052] The pallet is separated by the depalletizing and palletizing machine, and the pallet is conveyed to the conveying line to be executed for the palletizing task through the pallet conveying platform and the pallet conveying line;

[0053] The pallet is placed on the depalletizing and palletizing platform through the conveying line, so as to palletize the discrete cigarette boxes with official cigarette labels onto the pallet.

[0054] In some embodiments, the cigarette box depalletizing, palletizing and labeling system further includes: a pallet conveying platform, and a depalletizing and palletizing machine is provided on the pallet conveying platform; The cigarette box depalletizing, palletizing and labeling method includes:

[0055] After all the palletized cigarette boxes with temporary cigarette labels pasted on the pallet on the depalletizing and palletizing platform are depalletized, the empty pallet is conveyed from the depalletizing and palletizing platform to the guiding platform; Among them, the guiding platform extends along the second direction and is arranged between the shelf and the depalletizing and palletizing conveying component;

[0056] The pallet is transported to the pallet conveying platform by the transport vehicle provided on the guiding platform;

[0057] The pallet is conveyed to the depalletizing and palletizing machine for palletizing.

[0058] The cigarette box depalletizing, palletizing and labeling system of the embodiments of the present disclosure can, after the finished product warehouse issues a label replacement plan, automatically realize the overall process of outbound depalletizing, labeling, sorting, and palletizing and warehousing through the cooperation of various devices, improve the efficiency of replacing temporary cigarette labels with official cigarette labels, and improve the degree of automation. Description of the Drawings

[0059] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the accompanying drawings required in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0060] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of some embodiments of the cigarette case unpacking, palletizing and labeling system of the present disclosure.

[0061] Figure 2 It is a sequence diagram of the manipulator palletizing cigarette cases.

[0062] Explanation of reference numerals

[0063] 1. Shelf; 11. Stacker; 12. Outbound conveyor platform; 13. Inbound conveyor platform; 2. Guiding platform; 21. Transport vehicle; 3. Unpacking and palletizing conveyor assembly; 31. First conveyor line; 32. Second conveyor line; 33. Third conveyor line; 34. Unpacking and palletizing platform; 30. Conveyor line; 34. Unpacking and palletizing platform; 35. Picking component; 4. Sorting line assembly; 40. Sorting line; 41. Unpacking and palletizing station; 42. Code reader; 43. Labeling machine; 44. Sorter; 45. Conveying component; 5. Main conveyor line; 6. Pallet conveyor platform; 61. Pallet dismantling machine; 7. Pallet conveyor line. Detailed implementation manners

[0064] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are the preferred embodiments of the present invention and should not be regarded as excluding other embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0065] In the claims, the description and the above-mentioned accompanying drawings of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined, when using terms such as "first", "second" or "third", etc., are all used to distinguish different objects and not for describing a specific order.

[0066] In the claims, the description and the above-mentioned drawings of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined, for orientation terms, such as the use of terms "center", "horizontal", "vertical", "level", "vertical", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", etc. to indicate the orientation or position relationship are based on the orientation and position relationship shown in the 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 or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, so it should not be construed as limiting the specific protection scope of the present invention.

[0067] In the claims, the description and the above-mentioned drawings of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined, if the terms "fixed connection" or "fixedly connected" are used, it should be understood in a broad sense, that is, any connection method without displacement relationship and relative rotation relationship between the two, that is to say, it includes non-detachable fixed connection, detachable fixed connection, being integrated as one body, and being fixed connected through other devices or elements.

[0068] In the claims, the description and the above-mentioned drawings of the present invention, if the terms "include", "have" and their variants are used, are intended to mean "including but not limited to".

[0069] The present disclosure provides a cigarette case palletizing and depalletizing and labeling system, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, including:

[0070] A shelf 1 for storing cigarette cases;

[0071] A palletizing and depalletizing conveying assembly 3, including: a picking member 35 and a plurality of conveying lines 30 extending along a first direction x. The plurality of conveying lines 30 are arranged at intervals along a second direction y perpendicular to the first direction x. Demounting and palletizing platforms 34 are provided on at least two of the conveying lines 30. The demounting and palletizing platforms 34 are used to receive palletized cigarette cases with temporary cigarette labels taken out from the shelf 1, or to palletize the discrete cigarette cases after applying formal cigarette labels; and

[0072] A sorting line assembly 4 is arranged on one side of the palletizing and depalletizing conveying assembly 3 away from the shelf 1 along the first direction x, and includes a plurality of sorting lines 40 arranged at intervals along the second direction y. On the sorting line 40, a demounting and palletizing station 41, a labeling machine 43 and a sorting machine 44 are sequentially arranged along the first direction x. The demounting and palletizing station 41 is arranged close to the palletizing and depalletizing conveying assembly 3. The labeling machine 43 is used to apply formal cigarette labels to discrete cigarette cases. The sorting machine 44 is used to transfer discrete cigarette cases between different sorting lines 40;

[0073] The picking component 35 is used to obtain discrete cigarette boxes from the depalletizing station 34 and place them in the depalletizing station 41 of the corresponding sorting line 40 , or to place the discrete cigarette boxes from the depalletizing station 41 in the tray on the depalletizing station 34 .

[0074] Specifically, the shelf 1 may be a three-dimensional shelf, in which a plurality of storage locations are provided, in which palletized cigarette boxes may be placed, and palletized cigarette boxes are stacked on a pallet. The shelf 1 may be arranged in multiple rows, and the multiple rows of shelves 1 may be arranged at intervals along the second direction y, with a lane between two adjacent rows of shelves 1. Each row of shelves 1 may be provided with at least one shelf 1 along the first direction x.

[0075] The depalletizing platform 34 of at least one conveyor line 30 in the depalletizing conveying assembly 3 is used to depalletize the stacked cigarette boxes with temporary cigarette labels that are shipped out of the shelf 1 so as to affix formal cigarette labels. In order to improve the efficiency of label replacement, multiple conveyor lines 30 for depalletizing can also be set; the depalletizing platform 34 of at least one conveyor line 30 is used to palletize discrete cigarette boxes with formal cigarette labels and return the stacked cigarette boxes to the shelf 1 after forming them. In order to improve the efficiency of warehousing after label replacement, multiple conveyor lines 30 for palletizing can also be set.

[0076] The picking component 35 may be a manipulator that obtains discrete cigarette boxes by grabbing or sucking. The picking component 35 unpalletizes cigarette boxes with temporary cigarette labels from the pallet in accordance with the preset unpalletizing sequence and places them at the unpalletizing station 41 at the end of the sorting line 40, and stacks cigarette boxes with formal cigarette labels at the unpalletizing station 41 at the end of the sorting line 40 in accordance with the preset stacking sequence onto the pallet of the unpalletizing station 34 of the conveying line 30. The preset unpalletizing sequence is opposite to the preset stacking sequence.

[0077] The multiple sorting lines 40 in the sorting line assembly 4 can be arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the multiple conveying lines 30 in the depalletizing and stacking conveying assembly 3, and the sorting lines 40 are used to convey discrete cigarette boxes. The sorting lines 40 are provided with depalletizing stations 41, labeling machines 43 and sorting machines 44 in sequence along the first direction x. The labeling machine 43 is used to affix formal cigarette labels to discrete cigarette boxes. Specifically, the brand, date, and serial number information issued according to the production arrangement can be printed on the formal cigarette label, and the labeling is automatically performed after the cigarette box arrives at the designated position; the sorting machine 44 is a conveying device used to transfer a single cigarette box at a certain angle (-180° to 180°) to realize the transfer of discrete cigarette boxes between different sorting lines 40.

[0078] The official or temporary cigarette labels include information such as the brand number of the cigarette box, production date, production shift, number of the box filling and sealing machine, etc. The brand number of the cigarette label is the name of the different products produced.

[0079] In this embodiment, by setting up an automatic conveying component, the palletized cigarette boxes with temporary cigarette labels can be sent out of the warehouse to the depalletizing and palletizing platform 34 of a conveying line 30, and the discrete cigarette boxes can be obtained from the depalletizing and palletizing platform 34 by a picking component 35 and placed at the depalletizing station 41 of the sorting line 40. During the conveying process of the sorting line 40, the formal cigarette labels are pasted by a labeling machine 43. Then, the sorting machine 44 changes the conveying direction to move the cigarette boxes with the formal cigarette labels pasted to another sorting line 40. Through the reverse conveying of the sorting line 40, the cigarette boxes directly pass through the labeling machine 43 during the conveying process and reach the depalletizing station 41. The picking component 35 obtains the discrete cigarette boxes with the formal cigarette labels pasted from the depalletizing and palletizing platform 34 and places them on the trays on the depalletizing and palletizing platform 34 of another conveying line 30 for palletizing. After the palletizing is completed, the boxes return to the shelf 1.

[0080] After the replacement label plan is issued from the finished product warehouse, this embodiment can automatically realize the overall process of outbound depalletizing, pasting formal cigarette labels, sorting, and palletizing and warehousing through the cooperation of various devices, improving the efficiency of replacing temporary cigarette labels with formal cigarette labels, enhancing the degree of automation, and reducing the damage of cigarette boxes.

[0081] In some embodiments, the conveying direction of the sorting line 40 can be switched and is configured to convey in the forward direction when pasting formal cigarette labels on discrete cigarette boxes and convey in the reverse direction when returning after the formal cigarette labels are pasted.

[0082] The sorting line 40 of this embodiment can be applicable to both the link of pasting formal cigarette labels on discrete cigarette boxes and the link of returning the discrete cigarette boxes with the formal cigarette labels pasted for subsequent palletizing and warehousing. Thus, any sorting line 40 can achieve the required functions by adjusting the conveying direction, realizing the adaptability of the system.

[0083] In some embodiments, as Figure 1 shown, the sorting line assembly 4 further includes: a conveying component 45, and the conveying component 45 is connected between the sorting machines 44 of two adjacent sorting lines 40 in the same sorting line assembly 4 to realize the movement of discrete cigarette boxes between different sorting lines 40.

[0084] Among them, the conveying component 45 is arranged along the second direction y and can be a roller conveyor or the like, which can realize two-way transmission.

[0085] This embodiment can enable the discrete cigarette boxes to move to another sorting line 40 in the same sorting line assembly 4 after pasting formal cigarette labels on one sorting line 40 for warehousing. Thus, the conveying distance of the discrete cigarette boxes after pasting formal cigarette labels can be minimized as much as possible, improving the palletizing and warehousing efficiency.

[0086] In some embodiments, as Figure 1As shown, the multiple conveying lines 30 in the unstacking and palletizing conveying assembly 3 include: a first conveying line 31, a second conveying line 32, and a third conveying line 33. The second conveying line 32 is arranged between the first conveying line 31 and the third conveying line 33 along the second direction y. The unstacking and palletizing platform 34 of the second conveying line 32 is offset from the unstacking and palletizing platforms 34 of the first conveying line 31 and the third conveying line 33 in the first direction x. The picking component 35 is rotatably arranged above the second conveying line 32 so that its working range covers the three unstacking and palletizing platforms 34.

[0087] Among them, the unstacking and palletizing platforms 34 on each of the first conveying line 31, the second conveying line 32, and the third conveying line 33 can be used for unstacking or palletizing, and are uniformly arranged according to the actual production situation. For example, when the task volume is small, one of the conveying lines 30 can be selected for unstacking, and another conveying line 30 can be selected for palletizing; or, when the task volume is large, two of the conveying lines 30 can be selected for unstacking, and another conveying line 30 can be selected for palletizing, and so on.

[0088] Specifically, the unstacking and palletizing platform 34 of the second conveying line 32 is closer to the shelf 1 than the unstacking and palletizing platforms 34 of the first conveying line 31 and the third conveying line 33. The unstacking and palletizing platforms 34 of the first conveying line 31 and the third conveying line 33 can be arranged facing each other. The installation position of the picking component 35 can be facing the unstacking and palletizing platforms 34 of the first conveying line 31 and the third conveying line 33, so that the working end of the picking component 35 is close to the three unstacking and palletizing platforms 34, as Figure 1 The working range indicated by the circles in shows. Further, the picking component 35 can also be telescopic to adjust the working range so as to cover the unstacking and palletizing workstations 41 of the sorting line 40 at a farther distance.

[0089] This embodiment enables the picking component 35 to cover the unstacking and palletizing platforms 34 of different conveying lines 30 in the same unstacking and palletizing conveying assembly 3, as well as the unstacking and palletizing workstations 41 of each sorting line 40 in the corresponding sorting line assembly 4.

[0090] In some embodiments, as Figure 1 shown, a barcode reader 42 is also provided on the sorting line 40. The barcode reader 42 is located between the unstacking and palletizing workstation 41 and the labeling machine 43 and is used to read the temporary cigarette label or the official cigarette label.

[0091] This embodiment can read the information of the cigarette packs on the cigarette boxes by setting the barcode reader 42 to improve the accuracy of labeling.

[0092] In some embodiments, the cigarette case depalletizing, labeling and coding system further includes: a Warehouse Management System (hereinafter referred to as WMS for short), which is configured to match the temporary cigarette label information read by the barcode reader 42 with the information pre-stored in the Warehouse Management System WMS, and when the temporary cigarette label information is correct, continue to convey the discrete cigarette cases to the labeling machine 43. If the temporary cigarette label information is incorrect, the conveyance of the discrete cigarette case is stopped.

[0093] This embodiment can read the temporary cigarette label information through the barcode reader 42 and compare it with the information of the cigarette cases to be labeled sent by the Warehouse Management System WMS, which can improve the accuracy of attaching the official labels to the cigarette cases and make the information of the official cigarette labels match the cigarette packs in the cigarette cases.

[0094] In some embodiments, the cigarette case depalletizing, labeling and coding system further includes: a Warehouse Management System WMS, which is configured to match the official cigarette label information read by the barcode reader 42 with the information pre-stored in the Warehouse Management System, and when the official cigarette label information is correct, continue to convey the discrete cigarette cases to the depalletizing and palletizing station 41.

[0095] In this embodiment, after the discrete cigarette cases with official cigarette labels are conveyed to another sorting line 40, the temporary cigarette label information read by the barcode reader 42 is compared with the information of the cigarette cases to be labeled sent by the Warehouse Management System WMS again to determine whether the labeling information is accurate. Only when the labeling is successful can the cases be palletized and stored in the warehouse, which can further ensure the accuracy of attaching the official cigarette labels.

[0096] In some embodiments, as Figure 1 shown, the cigarette case depalletizing, labeling and coding system further includes: a guiding platform 2, which extends along the second direction y and is arranged between the shelf 1 and the depalletizing and conveying assembly 3; and a transport vehicle 21, which is arranged on the guiding platform 2 and is movable along the second direction y. The transport vehicle 21 is used to place the palletized cigarette cases out of the shelf 1 on the conveying line 30, or provide the palletized cigarette cases formed on the conveying line 30 to the side where the shelf 1 is located.

[0097] Among them, the transport vehicle 21 can be an Automated Guided Vehicle (hereinafter referred to as AGV for short), a Rail Guided Vehicle (hereinafter referred to as RGV for short), or a Space Transfer Vehicle (hereinafter referred to as STV for short).

[0098] In this embodiment, by making the transport vehicle 21 movable along the second direction y, the cigarette cases in any shelf 1 can be taken out of the warehouse to the required conveying line 30 as needed, or the cigarette cases on the depalletizing and palletizing platform 34 of any conveying line 30 can be stored in the matching shelf 1, which can make the process of taking in and out the cigarette cases more flexible.

[0099] In some embodiments, as Figure 1 shown, a plurality of depalletizing and conveying assemblies 3 are arranged at intervals along the second direction y, and each conveying line 30 in the plurality of depalletizing and conveying assemblies 3 is connected to the guiding platform 2.

[0100] Specifically, when it is necessary to store the cigarette boxes on the depalletizing platform 34 of a certain conveying line 30 into a certain shelf 1, the transport vehicle 21 can be moved to a position directly opposite to the conveying line 30, and the cigarette boxes are conveyed through the conveying line 30 to the transport vehicle 21 located on the same plane. Then, the transport vehicle 21 carrying the cigarette boxes is moved to a position corresponding to the shelf 1 to be stored, and the transport vehicle 21 conveys the cigarette boxes to the infeed conveyor platform 13 corresponding to the shelf 1. The way of outfeed is opposite to that of infeed.

[0101] In this embodiment, by arranging a plurality of depalletizing and conveying assemblies 3 along the second direction y, multiple palletized cigarette boxes can be labeled during outfeed at the same time, thereby improving the label changing efficiency of cigarette boxes; moreover, all the conveying lines 30 are connected to the guiding platform 2, and the cigarette boxes can reach any conveying line 30 or shelf 1 through the movement of the transport vehicle 21 along the guiding platform 2, improving the flexibility of the entire production process.

[0102] In some embodiments, as Figure 1 shown, the cigarette box depalletizing, labeling and pasting system further includes: a main conveying line 5, extending along the second direction y and arranged on one side of the plurality of sorting line assemblies 4 away from the depalletizing and conveying assemblies 3 along the first direction x; wherein, a plurality of sorting lines 40 are all connected to the main conveying line 5. Specifically, one end of the plurality of sorting lines 40 away from the depalletizing station 41 is connected to the main conveying line 5, and a sorter 44 is arranged at the position on the main conveying line 5 connected to the end of the sorting line 40, so that after the cigarette boxes reach the sorter 44 from the sorting line 40, they are reversed by 90°, and the cigarette boxes move along the main conveying line 5 to reach the sorting line 40 in other sorting line assemblies 4.

[0103] In this embodiment, by arranging the main conveying line 5 outside the sorting line assemblies 4, the cigarette boxes after pasting the formal labels can be moved to the sorting lines 40 in different sorting line assemblies 4 for palletizing and storing. Thus, when there is no idle sorting line 40 in the sorting line assemblies 4 for label pasting operations, palletizing and storing can be achieved through the sorting lines 40 in other sorting line assemblies 4, which can reduce the idle waiting time and make full use of the equipment in the entire system to improve the overall label changing efficiency.

[0104] In some embodiments, as Figure 1 shown, the cigarette box depalletizing, labeling and pasting system further includes:

[0105] The pallet conveying platform 6 extends along the first direction x and is located outside the outermost palletizing and depalletizing conveying assembly 3. The first end of the pallet conveying platform 6 is connected to the guiding platform 2. A palletizing and depalletizing machine 61 is provided on the pallet conveying platform 6, and the palletizing and depalletizing machine 61 is used to stack or disassemble and separate pallets; and

[0106] The pallet conveying line 7 extends along the second direction y and covers all the conveying lines 30, and is used to convey pallets to any one of the conveying lines 30. One end of the pallet conveying line 7 is connected to the second end of the pallet conveying platform 6.

[0107] Among them, the palletizing and depalletizing machine 61 is a device for stacking and disassembling and separating the pallets carrying cigarette boxes.

[0108] This embodiment can enable the pallets after the cigarette boxes are depalletized to be sequentially conveyed to the palletizing and depalletizing machine 61 through the conveying line 30, the guiding platform 2 and the pallet conveying platform 6, so as to palletize the empty pallets, thereby clearing the conveying line 30 for the next palletized cigarette boxes to be depalletized. If this conveying line 30 is to be palletized subsequently, the pallet can also be kept in place; it can also convey the empty pallet to the palletizing and depalletizing platform 34 of this conveying line 30 through the pallet conveying platform 6 and the pallet conveying line 7 when palletizing is required on the palletizing and depalletizing platform 34 of a certain conveying line 30. Thus, the recycling requirement of pallets can be met.

[0109] In some embodiments, as Figure 1 shown, a plurality of racks 1 are arranged at intervals along the second direction y. Some racks 1 are correspondingly provided with an outbound conveyor platform 12, and some other racks 1 are correspondingly provided with an inbound conveyor platform 13. The outbound conveyor platform 12 and the inbound conveyor platform 13 are arranged between the rack 1 and the guiding platform 2 along the first direction x.

[0110] This embodiment can conveniently realize the outbound and inbound of cigarette boxes. By moving the transport vehicle 21 on the guiding platform 2, the outbound cigarette boxes can be placed on a specific conveying line 30, or the cigarette boxes on the conveying line 30 can be stored in the allocated rack 1.

[0111] In some embodiments, as Figure 1 shown, the cigarette box palletizing, depalletizing and labeling system further includes:

[0112] Warehouse Control System (full name: Warehouse Control System; abbreviation: WCS); and

[0113] The stacker 11 is configured to, after receiving an outbound task instruction from the warehouse control system WCS, take out the stacked cigarette boxes with temporary cigarette labels from the storage position of the shelf 1 and place them on the corresponding outbound conveyor platform 12 of the shelf 1 for outbound delivery; or to place the stacked cigarette boxes with formal cigarette labels on the inbound conveyor platform 13 into the storage position in the corresponding shelf 1 after receiving an inbound task instruction from the warehouse control system WCS.

[0114] For example, eight racks 1 are provided along the second direction y, and stackers 11 are provided between racks 1#1 and 2#1, between racks 1#3 and 4#1, between racks 1#5 and 6#1, and between racks 1#7 and 8#1.

[0115] After receiving the task, the stacker 11 takes the stacked cigarette boxes with temporary cigarette labels from the shelf 1 and places them on the guide platform 2. The stacked cigarette boxes are transported to the unstacking platform 34 of the corresponding conveyor line 30 by the transport vehicle 21. The picking component 35 obtains the brand, quantity and stacking method of the stacked cigarette boxes from the database for unstacking. After the discrete cigarette boxes are affixed with formal cigarette labels, they are stacked by the picking component 35, and the stacked cigarette boxes are placed on the guide platform 2. The stacked cigarette boxes are placed on the storage conveyor platform 13 corresponding to the shelf 1 to be stored by the transport vehicle 21, and are placed in the storage position of the shelf 1 by the stacker 11.

[0116] This embodiment can conveniently realize the storage and unloading of stacked cigarette boxes by providing a stacker 11.

[0117] In some embodiments, Figure 2 As shown, the order in which the picking component 35 obtains discrete cigarette boxes from the depalletizing station 34 is opposite to the palletizing order.

[0118] The number of cigarette boxes in the palletized cigarette boxes refers to the number of cigarette boxes on a pallet. A pallet is 1 to 28 pieces, and 28 pieces is the number of cigarette boxes that are fully palletized on a pallet. 1 to 27 pieces are the number of unfilled cigarette boxes that are not fully palletized. The palletizing positions of cigarette boxes of the same brand are the same. Figure 2 As shown, 28 cigarette boxes are stacked into four layers, and the figure shows the schematic diagram of the stacking of cigarette boxes in layers 1 to 4.

[0119] The stacking method is to distinguish the grabbing positions of different cigarette boxes. The stacking method of cigarette boxes of the same specification but different brands is the same, while the stacking method of cigarette boxes of different specifications is different.

[0120] According to this information, the picking component 35 calls the internal program in reverse order to depalletize from top to bottom, depalletizes the cigarette boxes from the pallet of the depalletizing station 34 and places them at the depalletizing station 41 at the end of each sorting line 40.

[0121] This embodiment adopts a depalletizing sequence opposite to the palletizing sequence, which can depalletize the cigarette boxes according to a preset rule, improve the consistency of the depalletizing operation during the label changing process, and facilitate the picking component 35 to remove the cigarette boxes.

[0122] The following will be combined with Figure 1 to illustrate the working principle of the cigarette box palletizing and depalletizing and labeling system of the present disclosure.

[0123] After the finished product warehouse management personnel issue a labeling plan, the warehouse management system WMS issues the task to the warehouse control system WCS, and the warehouse control system WCS decomposes the task to the stacker 11, the outbound conveyor station 12, the inbound conveyor station 13, the transport vehicle 21, the picking component 35, and the sorting line 40. After receiving the task, the stacker 11 takes out the palletized cigarette boxes with temporary cigarette labels from the shelf 1 and forks them onto the outbound conveyor station 12, and transports the palletized cigarette boxes to the corresponding palletizing and depalletizing station 34 through the guiding station 2 and the transport vehicle 21. After being transported in place, the picking component 35 obtains the brand, quantity, and palletizing method of the palletized cigarette box from the database. According to this information, the picking component 35 uses the reverse order method to call the internal program to depalletize from top to bottom, and places the discrete cigarette boxes on the pallet at the palletizing and depalletizing station 34 on the sorting line 40 at the end.

[0124] After the picking component 35 leaves the discrete cigarette box, the sorting line 40 transports the cigarette box forward. During the transportation process, the barcode reader 42 checks whether the brand of the discrete cigarette box is consistent with the brand of the cigarette box to be labeled issued by the warehouse management system WMS. After confirmation, the discrete cigarette box is transported to the position of the labeling machine 43. The labeling machine 43 prints the information such as the brand, date, and serial number issued according to the production arrangement on the official cigarette label. After the cigarette box is transported to the designated position through the sorting line 40, the labeling machine 43 pastes the official cigarette label on the discrete cigarette box.

[0125] After the discrete cigarette box is labeled, it continues to be transported to the sorter 44, and the position of the sorting line 40 where palletizing is about to be performed is confirmed. If palletizing is performed by the same picking component 35, it is transported to the sorter 44 and then transferred to another sorting line 40 through the transport component 45; if the cigarette boxes of this brand are palletized by different picking components 35, the discrete cigarette boxes move along the main conveyor line 5 after reaching the sorter 44 on the main conveyor line 5 to be transported to the predetermined sorting line 40. The discrete cigarette boxes with the official cigarette label re-pasted directly pass through the labeling machine 43 and then reach the barcode reader 42, and the barcode reader 42 confirms whether the cigarette package has successfully pasted the official cigarette label. After success, it is transported to the palletizing and depalletizing station 41 at the end of the sorting line 40 to wait for the picking component 35 to palletize it onto the pallet, and finally transported into the warehouse to wait for outbound shipment.

[0126] After the picking component 35 has depalletized all cigarette boxes on the pallet to the depalletizing station 41 of the sorting line 40, the empty pallet is transported forward, and the transport vehicle 21 moves along the guide platform 2 to transport the pallet to the pallet conveying station 6, and the pallet conveying station 6 conveys the pallet to the depalletizing machine 61 for palletizing. Similarly, after the picking component 35 has stacked a full stack of cigarettes into the warehouse, the depalletizing machine 61 depalletizes them, and the empty pallet is transported to the depalletizing station 34 through the pallet conveying station 6 and the pallet conveying line 7 for the next palletizing.

[0127] The cigarette box depalletizing, stacking and labeling system disclosed in the present invention realizes automatic depalletizing of temporary cigarette labels on cigarette boxes, automatic labeling of formal cigarette labels, and automatic palletizing and storage for delivery to the sales area. The whole process from receiving instructions, shipping, labeling and storage is fully automatic, which reduces manual workload and damage to cigarette boxes, and also improves the labeling efficiency of temporary cigarette labels.

[0128] Among them, the various types of conveying equipment mentioned in this embodiment can be a chain conveyor, a roller conveyor, a belt conveyor, a transport vehicle 21, etc., the purpose of which is to move the position of the cigarette box or the pallet.

[0129] Secondly, the present disclosure also provides a method for unstacking and labeling cigarette boxes. The unstacking and labeling system for cigarette boxes based on the above embodiment includes:

[0130] Place the stacked cigarette boxes with temporary cigarette labels that are shipped out of the shelf 1 on the depalletizing station 34 of one of the conveyor lines 30;

[0131] The discrete cigarette boxes are obtained from the depalletizing station 34 by the picking component 35 and placed in the depalletizing station 41 of one of the sorting lines 40;

[0132] The discrete cigarette boxes are transported from the depalletizing station 41 to the labeling machine 43 along the positive direction of the first direction x through the sorting line 40, and the formal cigarette labels are affixed to the discrete cigarette boxes through the labeling machine 43;

[0133] The discrete cigarette boxes with the formal cigarette labels are switched to another sorting line 40 and transported to the depalletizing station 41 in the negative direction;

[0134] The discrete cigarette boxes with official cigarette labels are obtained from the depalletizing station 41 by the picking component 35, and are placed on the pallet of the depalletizing station 41 of the corresponding sorting line 40 to form palletized cigarette boxes;

[0135] Return the stacked cigarette boxes with official cigarette labels to shelf 1.

[0136] After the finished product warehouse issues a label change plan, this embodiment can automatically realize the overall process of warehouse unpacking, labeling, sorting, and stacking for warehousing through the cooperation of various equipment, thereby improving the efficiency of replacing temporary cigarette labels with formal cigarette labels, increasing the degree of automation, and reducing damage to cigarette boxes.

[0137] In some embodiments, a barcode reader 42 is further provided on the sorting line 40, and the barcode reader 42 is located between the unstacking station 41 and the labeling machine 43; the method for unstacking, labeling and palletizing cigarette cartons further includes:

[0138] When the discrete cigarette cartons with temporary cigarette labels pass by the barcode reader 42, the temporary cigarette label information is read by the barcode reader 42;

[0139] The temporary cigarette label information read by the barcode reader 42 is matched with the information pre-stored in the warehouse management system WMS, and when the temporary cigarette label information is correct, the discrete cigarette cartons are continuously conveyed to the labeling machine 43 to apply formal cigarette labels.

[0140] This embodiment can read the temporary cigarette label information through the barcode reader 42 and compare it with the information of the cigarette cartons to be labeled issued by the warehouse management system WMS, which can improve the accuracy of applying formal labels to cigarette cartons and make the information of the formal cigarette labels match the cigarette packs in the cigarette cartons.

[0141] In some embodiments, a barcode reader 42 is further provided on the sorting line 40, and the barcode reader 42 is located between the unstacking station 41 and the labeling machine 43; the method for unstacking, labeling and palletizing cigarette cartons further includes:

[0142] When the discrete cigarette cartons with formal cigarette labels pass by the barcode reader 42, the formal cigarette label information is read by the barcode reader 42;

[0143] The formal cigarette label information read by the barcode reader 42 is matched with the information pre-stored in the warehouse management system WMS, and when the formal cigarette label information is correct, the discrete cigarette cartons are continuously conveyed to the unstacking station 41.

[0144] After the discrete cigarette cartons with formal cigarette labels are conveyed to another sorting line 40 in this embodiment, the temporary cigarette label information read by the barcode reader 42 is again compared with the information of the cigarette cartons to be labeled issued by the warehouse management system WMS to determine whether the labeling information is accurate. If the labeling is successful, the cartons are palletized and stored in the warehouse, which can further ensure the accuracy of applying formal cigarette labels.

[0145] In some embodiments, the step of switching the discrete cigarette cartons with formal cigarette labels to another sorting line 40 includes:

[0146] Compared with unstacking, if the stacking task is started by the picking component 35 in the same unstacking and conveying component 3, the discrete cigarette cartons are conveyed from the sorter 44 to another sorting line 40 in the same unstacking and conveying component 3 for stacking through the conveying component 45;

[0147] Wherein, the conveying component 45 is connected between adjacent sorting lines 40 in the same sorting line assembly 4.

[0148] This embodiment enables the discrete cigarette cartons to move to another sorting line 40 in the same sorting line assembly 4 after being affixed with official cigarette labels on one sorting line 40 for warehousing. Thus, the conveying distance of the discrete cigarette cartons after being affixed with official cigarette labels can be minimized, and the stacking and warehousing efficiency can be improved.

[0149] In some embodiments, the step of switching the discrete cigarette cartons affixed with official cigarette labels to another sorting line 40 includes:

[0150] Compared with palletizing, if the picking part 35 in the different palletizing and depalletizing conveying assemblies 3 starts the palletizing task, the discrete cigarette cartons are conveyed from the sorter 44 to the main conveying line 5.

[0151] The discrete cigarette cartons are conveyed by the main conveying line 5 to the sorting line 40 in another palletizing and depalletizing conveying assembly 3 for palletizing.

[0152] Among them, the main conveying line 5 is arranged on one side of the plurality of sorting line assemblies 4 away from the palletizing and depalletizing conveying assembly 3 along the first direction x, and all the sorting lines 40 are connected to the main conveying line 5.

[0153] This embodiment can move the cigarette cartons affixed with official labels to the sorting line 40 in different sorting line assemblies 4 for palletizing and warehousing by arranging the main conveying line 5 outside the sorting line assembly 4. Thus, when there is no idle sorting line 40 in the sorting line assembly 4 where the labeling operation is realized, the palletizing and warehousing can be realized through the sorting line 40 in other sorting line assemblies 4, which can reduce the idle waiting time and make full use of the equipment in the whole system to improve the overall efficiency of label changing.

[0154] In some embodiments, the cigarette carton palletizing and depalletizing and labeling system further includes: a pallet conveying platform 6 and a pallet conveying line 7. A palletizing and depalletizing machine 61 is provided on the pallet conveying platform 6. The pallet conveying line 7 is connected to the pallet conveying platform 6 and is used for conveying the pallet to any conveying line 30. The cigarette carton palletizing and depalletizing and labeling method includes:

[0155] The pallet is separated by the palletizing and depalletizing machine 61, and the pallet is conveyed to the conveying line 30 to be executed for the palletizing task through the pallet conveying platform 6 and the pallet conveying line 7.

[0156] The pallet is placed on the palletizing and depalletizing platform 34 through the conveying line 30 to palletize the discrete cigarette cartons affixed with official cigarette labels onto the pallet.

[0157] This embodiment can convey an empty pallet to the palletizing and depalletizing platform 34 of this conveying line 30 through the pallet conveying platform 6 and the pallet conveying line 7 when palletizing is required on the palletizing and depalletizing platform 34 of a certain conveying line 30. Thus, the recycling requirement of the pallet can be met. To improve the efficiency, after the cigarette cartons on the palletizing and depalletizing platform 34 are palletized, a new pallet can be conveyed to the palletizing and depalletizing platform 34.

[0158] In some embodiments, the cigarette case depalletizing, labeling and palletizing system further includes: a pallet conveying platform 6, on which a depalletizing and palletizing machine 61 is provided; the cigarette case depalletizing, labeling and palletizing method includes:

[0159] After all the palletized cigarette cases with temporary cigarette labels attached on the pallets at the depalletizing and palletizing platform 34 are depalletized, the empty pallets are conveyed from the depalletizing and palletizing platform 34 to the guiding platform 2; wherein, the guiding platform 2 extends along the second direction y and is provided between the shelf 1 and the depalletizing conveying assembly 3;

[0160] The pallets are transported to the pallet conveying platform 6 by the transport vehicle 21 provided on the guiding platform 2;

[0161] The pallets are conveyed to the depalletizing and palletizing machine 61 for palletizing.

[0162] This embodiment can enable the pallets after cigarette case depalletizing to be sequentially conveyed to the depalletizing and palletizing machine 61 through the conveying line 30, the guiding platform 2 and the pallet conveying platform 6 to palletize the empty pallets, so as to empty the conveying line 30 for the next palletized cigarette case to be depalletized.

[0163] The following combines Figure 1 , and gives a specific embodiment of the cigarette case depalletizing, labeling and palletizing method.

[0164] After the finished product warehouse management personnel issue the labeling plan, the finished product warehouse management system WMS issues the task to the warehouse control system WCS, and the warehouse control system WCS decomposes the task into tasks such as the stacker 11 task, the outbound conveyor platform 12 task, the inbound conveyor platform 13 task, the transport vehicle 21 task, the picking component 35 task, and the sorting line 40 task.

[0165] After receiving the task from the warehouse control system WCS, the stacker 11 (taking the 1# stacker 11 as an example) takes out the palletized cigarette cases with temporary cigarette labels attached together with the pallets from the storage location (taking the storage location 001002029 as an example) in the shelf 1, and forks them onto the 2049th outbound conveyor platform 12. The 2049th outbound conveyor platform 12 conveys the palletized cigarette cases to the 2048th outbound conveyor platform 12, and the palletized cigarette cases are conveyed to the 2026th depalletizing and palletizing platform 34 of the corresponding conveying line 30 through the transport vehicle 21.

[0166] In this embodiment, the picking component 35 (taking the 1# picking component 35 as an example) obtains the brand, quantity (taking 28 pieces as an example), and palletizing method (taking the palletizing method as 1) of the stack of cigarette boxes from the database of the depalletizing station 34 (AMD1) numbered 2026 and the depalletizing station 34 (AMD2) numbered 2029. The picking component 35 uses the reverse method according to this information (since the normal quantity of depalletizing by the picking component 35 at one time is 1 piece, 2 pieces or even more, we take the example that the picking component 35 normally depalletizes two cigarette boxes at one time) to call the internal program of the picking component 35 to perform depalletizing from top to bottom. The depalletizing order is opposite to Figure 2 the palletizing order shown, following the principle of palletizing from bottom to top first). The picking component 35 depalletizes from the pallet of the depalletizing station 34 (AMD1) numbered 2026.

[0167] The picking component 35 first grabs the cigarette box numbered 28, and then grabs the cigarette box numbered 27. If the number of cigarette boxes is odd, the odd cigarette boxes are depalletized first for the first time, and then two are depalletized each time for the second time. After the picking component 35 grabs two pieces, it places them at the depalletizing station 41 (AG1) at the end of the sorting line 40. After the picking component 35 leaves the cigarette box at the depalletizing station 41 (AG1), this sorting line 40 (A1) conveys the cigarette box numbered 28 in the forward direction ( Figure 1 from left to right as shown) of the figure. After the cigarette box numbered 28 breaks away from the detection photoelectric sensor, the cigarette box numbered 27 also starts to be conveyed. The 28th cigarette box passes through the barcode reader 42 (AD1), and the barcode reader 42 (AD1) reads the temporary cigarette label information of the 28th cigarette box and matches it with the warehouse management system WMS to check if it is correct. If the information is correct, it continues to be conveyed forward; if the information is incorrect, an alarm is given for the maintenance personnel to confirm. After the cigarette box is conveyed to the labeler 43 (AT1), information such as the brand, date, and serial number of the cigarette box is printed on the official cigarette label according to the production arrangement. After the cigarette box numbered 28 passes through the labeler 43 (AT1), the labeler 43 (AT1) automatically pastes the official cigarette label on the cigarette box. The cigarette box continues to be conveyed through the sorting line 40 (A1).

[0168] Assume that the cigarette box with the official cigarette label pasted starts the palletizing task on the same picking component 35. Then, after the cigarette box is pasted with the label by the labeler 43 (AT1), the cigarette box continues to be conveyed to the sorter 44 (2A1). After the sorter rollers rotate 90°, the cigarette box is conveyed through the conveying component 45 (AGG1) and then conveyed to the sorting line 40 (A2) or the sorting line 40 (A3). If it enters the sorting line 40 (A2) to sort the cigarette box, then after passing through the conveying component 45 (AGG1), it passes through the sorter 44 (2A2). The sorter 44 (2A2) rotates 90° and conveys it in the direction of the labeler 43 (AT2).

[0169] If the cigarette cartons enter the sorting line 40 (A3) for sorting, then the cigarette cartons pass through the conveying component 45 (AGG1), the sorter 44 (2A2), and then through the conveying component 45 (AGG2) to the sorter 44 (2A3). After the sorter 44 (2A3) rotates 90°, it is conveyed to the labeling machine 43 (AT3).

[0170] Taking the sorting of cigarette cartons by the sorter 44 (2A2) as an example, after the cigarette cartons enter the sorter 44 (2A2) and rotate 90° and are conveyed in the direction of the labeling machine 43 (AT2), since the formal cigarette labels have been pasted on the cigarette cartons, the cigarette cartons will not be labeled again at the labeling machine 43 (AT2), but will continue to be conveyed to the barcode reader 42 (AD2). At the barcode reader 42 (AD2), the barcodes of the cigarette cartons are scanned and confirmed with the warehouse management system WMS. When they are inconsistent with the system, the system alarms and waits for personnel to handle. If the reading is consistent with the system, the cigarette cartons are conveyed to the depalletizing station 41 (AG2).

[0171] After there are two discrete cigarette cartons at the depalletizing station 41 (AG2), the 1# picking component 35 will stack the cigarette cartons onto the pallet on the 2029th depalletizing platform 34 (AMD2) according to the palletizing method of this brand and the position to be placed on the current pallet in a certain order. When the pallet is full of cigarette cartons with the checked quantity (such as 28 pieces), it is conveyed from the 2029th depalletizing platform 34 (AMD2) to the transport vehicle 21 through the conveyor line 30, and then conveyed to the 2046th in-warehouse conveyor platform 13. The 1# stacker 11 forks it and places it in the storage location on the shelf 1 (taking the storage location 004005006 as an example), waiting to be sent out to the market for shipment.

[0172] For example, after the central control issues a clearing command when the checked quantity is not full, when there is only one discrete cigarette carton left at the depalletizing station 41 (AG2), the picking component 35 will also stack the current discrete cigarette carton.

[0173] Suppose the palletizing task of the cartons with official labels affixed is not started on the same picking component 35. Taking the sorting line 40(B1) of the 2# picking component 35 where the palletizing task is started as an example, after the cartons are affixed with official labels by the labeling machine 43(AT1), they continue to be conveyed to the sorter 44(2A1), and then continue to be conveyed to the sorter 44(1A1). At the sorter 44(1A1), they rotate 90° and move towards the main conveyor line 5. At the sorter 44(1B1), after the sorter 44(1B1) rotates 90°, it conveys the cartons towards the sorting line 40(B1), and then conveys them to the labeling machine 43(BT1) and the barcode reader 42(BD1) through the sorter 44(2B1). If the barcode reading is consistent with the system, the cartons are conveyed to the depalletizing station 41(BG1). After there are two discrete cartons at the depalletizing station 41(BG1), the 2# picking component 35 will palletize the cartons onto the pallet on the 2032nd depalletizing platform 34(BCMD1) according to the palletizing method of this brand and the position to be placed on the current pallet in a certain order. When the pallet is full of cartons with the verified quantity (such as 28 pieces), the cartons are conveyed from the 2032nd depalletizing platform 34(BCMD1) to the 2046th in-warehouse conveyor platform 13 through the conveyor line 30 and the transport vehicle 21. The 1# stacker forks them and places them in the storage location on the shelf 1 (taking the storage location 004005006 as an example), waiting to be shipped out to the market. (For example, when the central control issues a cleaning command before the verified quantity is reached and there is only one carton left at the depalletizing position BG1, the picking component 35 will also palletize the current single carton)

[0174] Before palletizing the cartons with official labels affixed, the pallet is depalletized by the depalletizing machine 61(CMPJ2003) to output an empty pallet. After passing through 2004 / 2005 / 2007 / 2009 / 2008 / 2028 and completing the in-warehouse process at the 2029th depalletizing platform 34(AMD2), the empty pallet continues to be conveyed in the above-mentioned manner to prepare for the subsequent palletizing task.

[0175] After the 1# picking component 35 finishes depalletizing the cartons on the 2026th depalletizing platform 34(AMD1), the empty pallet is conveyed from 2026 towards 2027, and then the transport vehicle 21 conveys the pallet to the pallet conveying platform 6(2001), and then the depalletizing machine 61(CMPJ2003) palletizes the empty pallet for standby.

[0176] The controller in the above embodiments of the present disclosure may be a general-purpose processor, a programmable logic controller (PLC), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any suitable combination thereof for performing the functions described in the present disclosure.

[0177] The foregoing is only an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure shall be included within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A cigarette case unstacking, stacking and labeling system, characterized in that, Including: A shelf (1) for storing cigarette boxes; A depalletizing and conveying assembly (3), including: a picking component (35) and a plurality of conveying lines (30) extending along a first direction (x). The plurality of conveying lines (30) are spaced apart along a second direction (y) perpendicular to the first direction (x). Demagging and palletizing platforms (34) are provided on at least two of the conveying lines (30). The demagging and palletizing platforms (34) are used to receive palletized cigarette boxes with temporary cigarette labels taken out of the shelf (1), or to palletize discrete cigarette boxes after applying formal cigarette labels; and A sorting line assembly (4) is arranged on one side of the depalletizing and conveying assembly (3) away from the shelf (1) along the first direction (x), and includes a plurality of sorting lines (40) spaced apart along the second direction (y). On the sorting lines (40), a demagging and palletizing station (41), a labeling machine (43), and a sorting machine (44) are sequentially arranged along the first direction (x). The demagging and palletizing station (41) is arranged close to the depalletizing and conveying assembly (3). The labeling machine (43) is used to apply formal cigarette labels to discrete cigarette boxes. The sorting machine (44) is used to transfer discrete cigarette boxes between different sorting lines (40); Wherein, the picking component (35) is used to obtain discrete cigarette boxes from the demagging and palletizing platform (34) and place them at the demagging and palletizing station (41) of the corresponding sorting line (40), or place the discrete cigarette boxes at the demagging and palletizing station (41) on the demagging and palletizing platform (34) into the trays.

2. The cigarette case unstacking, stacking and labeling system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conveying direction of the sorting line (40) can be switched, and is configured to convey in the forward direction when applying formal cigarette labels to the discrete cigarette boxes, and convey in the reverse direction when returning after the formal cigarette labels are applied.

3. The cigarette case unstacking, stacking and labeling system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sorting line assembly (4) further includes: a conveying component (45). The conveying component (45) is connected between the sorting machines (44) of two adjacent sorting lines (40) in the same sorting line assembly (4) to realize the movement of discrete cigarette boxes between different sorting lines (40).

4. The cigarette case unstacking, stacking and labeling system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of conveying lines (30) in the depalletizing and conveying assembly (3) include: a first conveying line (31), a second conveying line (32), and a third conveying line (33). The second conveying line (32) is arranged between the first conveying line (31) and the third conveying line (33) along the second direction (y). The demagging and palletizing platforms (34) of the second conveying line (32) are staggered from the demagging and palletizing platforms (34) of the first conveying line (31) and the third conveying line (33) in the first direction (x). The picking component (35) is rotatably arranged above the second conveying line (32) so that its working range covers the three demagging and palletizing platforms (34).

5. The cigarette case unstacking, stacking and labeling system according to claim 1, characterized in that, A barcode reader (42) is further provided on the sorting line (40). The barcode reader (42) is located between the demagging and palletizing station (41) and the labeling machine (43) and is used to read temporary cigarette labels or formal cigarette labels.

6. The cigarette case unstacking, stacking and labeling system according to claim 5, characterized in that, Also including: A warehouse management system configured to match the temporary cigarette label information read by the barcode reader (42) with the information pre-stored in the warehouse management system, and to continue to convey the discrete cigarette cartons to the labeling machine (43) when the temporary cigarette label information is correct; and / or A warehouse management system configured to match the formal cigarette label information read by the barcode reader (42) with the information pre-stored in the warehouse management system, and to continue to convey the discrete cigarette cartons to the palletizing / depalletizing station (41) when the formal cigarette label information is correct.

7. The cigarette case unstacking, stacking and labeling system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, It further includes: A guiding platform (2) extending along the second direction (y) and arranged between the shelf (1) and the palletizing / depalletizing conveying assembly (3); and A transport vehicle (21) arranged on the guiding platform (2) and movable along the second direction (y), the transport vehicle (21) being configured to place the palletized cigarette cartons taken out of the shelf (1) on the conveying line (30), or to provide the palletized cigarette cartons formed on the conveying line (30) to the side where the shelf (1) is located.

8. The cigarette case unstacking, stacking and labeling system according to claim 7, characterized in that, A plurality of the palletizing / depalletizing conveying assemblies (3) are arranged at intervals along the second direction (y), and each of the conveying lines (30) in the plurality of palletizing / depalletizing conveying assemblies (3) is connected to the guiding platform (2).

9. The cigarette case unstacking, stacking and labeling system according to claim 8, characterized in that, It further includes: A main conveying line (5) extending along the second direction (y) and arranged along the first direction (x) on the side of the plurality of sorting line assemblies (4) away from the palletizing / depalletizing conveying assembly (3); wherein, a plurality of the sorting lines (40) are all connected to the main conveying line (5).

10. The cigarette case unstacking, stacking and labeling system according to claim 7, characterized in that, It further includes: A pallet conveying platform (6) extending along the first direction (x) and located outside the outermost palletizing / depalletizing conveying assembly (3), a first end of the pallet conveying platform (6) is connected to the guiding platform (2), and a palletizing / depalletizing machine (61) is arranged on the pallet conveying platform (6) for stacking or separating the pallets; and A pallet conveying line (7) extending along the second direction (y) and covering all of the conveying lines (30) for conveying the pallets to any one of the conveying lines (30), and one end of the pallet conveying line (7) is connected to a second end of the pallet conveying platform (6).

11. The cigarette case unstacking, stacking and labeling system according to claim 7, characterized in that, A plurality of the shelves (1) are arranged at intervals along the second direction (y), some of the shelves (1) are correspondingly provided with outbound conveyor platforms (12), and some of the other shelves (1) are correspondingly provided with inbound conveyor platforms (13), and the outbound conveyor platforms (12) and the inbound conveyor platforms (13) are arranged along the first direction (x) between the shelf (1) and the guiding platform (2).

12. The cigarette case unstacking, stacking and labeling system according to claim 11, characterized in that, It further includes: A warehouse control system; and The stacker (11) is configured to, after receiving the outbound task instruction from the warehouse control system, take out the palletized cigarette boxes with temporary cigarette labels from the storage positions of the shelf (1) and place them on the corresponding outbound conveyor platform (12) of the shelf (1) for outbound; or, after receiving the inbound task instruction from the warehouse control system, place the palletized cigarette boxes with official cigarette labels on the inbound conveyor platform (13) into the corresponding storage positions in the shelf (1).

13. The cigarette case unstacking, palletizing and labeling system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The order in which the picking component (35) obtains the discrete cigarette boxes from the palletizing and depalletizing platform (34) is opposite to the palletizing order.

14. A method for unstacking, palletizing and labeling cigarette cases, based on the cigarette case unstacking, palletizing and labeling system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that Including: Placing the palletized cigarette boxes with temporary cigarette labels taken out from the shelf (1) on the palletizing and depalletizing platform (34) of one of the conveyor lines (30); Obtaining discrete cigarette boxes from the palletizing and depalletizing platform (34) through the picking component (35) and placing them at the depalletizing station (41) of one of the sorting lines (40); Conveying the discrete cigarette boxes from the depalletizing station (41) along the positive direction of the first direction (x) to the labeling machine (43) through the sorting line (40), and labeling the discrete cigarette boxes with official cigarette labels through the labeling machine (43); Switching the discrete cigarette boxes with official cigarette labels to another sorting line (40) and conveying them in the negative direction to the depalletizing station (41); Obtaining the discrete cigarette boxes with official cigarette labels from the depalletizing station (41) through the picking component (35) and placing them on the pallet on the depalletizing station (41) of the corresponding sorting line (40) to form palletized cigarette boxes; Returning the palletized cigarette boxes with official cigarette labels to the shelf (1).

15. The method for unstacking, palletizing and labeling cigarette cases according to claim 14, characterized in that A barcode reader (42) is further provided on the sorting line (40), and the barcode reader (42) is located between the depalletizing station (41) and the labeling machine (43); the method for depalletizing, labeling and palletizing cigarette boxes further includes: When the discrete cigarette boxes with temporary cigarette labels pass through the barcode reader (42), reading the temporary cigarette label information through the barcode reader (42); Matching the temporary cigarette label information read by the barcode reader (42) with the information pre-stored in the warehouse management system, and when the temporary cigarette label information is correct, enabling the discrete cigarette boxes to continue to be conveyed to the labeling machine (43) to label the discrete cigarette boxes with official cigarette labels.

16. The method for unstacking, palletizing and labeling cigarette cases according to claim 14, characterized in that A barcode reader (42) is further provided on the sorting line (40), and the barcode reader (42) is located between the depalletizing station (41) and the labeling machine (43); the method for depalletizing, labeling and palletizing cigarette boxes further includes: When the discrete cigarette boxes with official cigarette labels pass through the barcode reader (42), reading the official cigarette label information through the barcode reader (42); Matching the official cigarette label information read by the barcode reader (42) with the information pre-stored in the warehouse management system, and when the official cigarette label information is correct, enabling the discrete cigarette boxes to continue to be conveyed to the depalletizing station (41).

17. The method for unstacking, palletizing and labeling cigarette cases according to claim 14, characterized in that The step of switching the discrete cigarette boxes with official cigarette labels to another sorting line (40) includes: Compared with depalletizing, if the palletizing task is started by the picking component (35) in the same depalletizing and palletizing conveying component (3), the discrete cigarette cartons are conveyed from the sorter (44) to another sorting line (40) in the same depalletizing and palletizing conveying component (3) through the conveying component (45) for palletizing; Wherein, the conveying component (45) is connected between adjacent sorting lines (40) in the same sorting line assembly (4).

18. The method for unstacking, palletizing and labeling cigarette cases according to claim 14, characterized in that The steps of switching the discrete cigarette cartons after being affixed with the official cigarette label to another sorting line (40) include: Compared with depalletizing, if the palletizing task is started by the picking component (35) in different depalletizing and palletizing conveying components (3), the discrete cigarette cartons are conveyed from the sorter (44) to the main conveying line (5); The discrete cigarette cartons are conveyed to the sorting line (40) in another depalletizing and palletizing conveying component (3) through the main conveying line (5) for palletizing; Wherein, the main conveying line (5) is arranged on one side of the plurality of sorting line assemblies (4) away from the depalletizing and palletizing conveying component (3) along the first direction (x), and all the sorting lines (40) are connected to the main conveying line (5).

19. The method for unstacking, palletizing and labeling cigarette cases according to claim 14, characterized in that The cigarette carton depalletizing, palletizing and labeling system further includes: a pallet conveying platform (6) and a pallet conveying line (7). The pallet conveying platform (6) is provided with a depalletizing and palletizing machine (61). The pallet conveying line (7) is connected to the pallet conveying platform (6) and is used for conveying the pallet to any one of the conveying lines (30); The cigarette carton depalletizing, palletizing and labeling method includes: The pallet is disassembled and separated by the depalletizing and palletizing machine (61), and the pallet is conveyed to the conveying line (30) to be executed with the palletizing task through the pallet conveying platform (6) and the pallet conveying line (7); The pallet is placed on the depalletizing and palletizing platform (34) through the conveying line (30) to palletize the discrete cigarette cartons affixed with the official cigarette label onto the pallet.

20. The method for unstacking, palletizing and labeling cigarette cases according to claim 14, characterized in that The cigarette carton depalletizing, palletizing and labeling system further includes: a pallet conveying platform (6), and the pallet conveying platform (6) is provided with a depalletizing and palletizing machine (61); The cigarette carton depalletizing, palletizing and labeling method includes: After all the palletized cigarette cartons with temporary cigarette labels on the pallet at the depalletizing and palletizing platform (34) are depalletized, the empty pallet is conveyed from the depalletizing and palletizing platform (34) to the guiding platform (2); wherein, the guiding platform (2) extends along the second direction (y) and is arranged between the shelf (1) and the depalletizing and palletizing conveying component (3); The pallet is transported to the pallet conveying platform (6) by the transport vehicle (21) arranged on the guiding platform (2); The pallet is conveyed to the depalletizing and palletizing machine (61) for palletizing.

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