Card dispensing system and method

Abstract

A card counting device, a card counting system and a card counting method. The card counting device comprises a turning mechanism and a card sucking mechanism. The turning mechanism comprises a support seat, a box frame rotatably mounted on the support seat, and a first driving assembly connected with the box frame. Opposite ends of the box frame are respectively provided with an inlet and an outlet. An accommodation cavity is arranged in the box frame and is communicated with the inlet and the outlet. The first driving assembly is used to drive the box frame to rotate between a first position and a second position. When the box frame is in the first position, the accommodation cavity extends in a horizontal direction, and the inlet and the outlet are respectively directed to the back and the front. When the box frame is in the second position, the accommodation cavity extends in a vertical direction, and the inlet and the outlet are respectively directed to the back and the front. In this way, the card counting device can receive a card box placed horizontally and adjust the card box from a horizontal position to a vertical position, which is conducive to the simplification of the structure of the matching card box taking mechanism and the improvement of the stability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of mechanical equipment technology, specifically to card processing equipment, and more specifically, to a card counting device, a system and method for quantitatively distributing cards. Background Technology

[0002] In the existing field of bank card or transportation card manufacturing, raw card materials are typically stored in card boxes, which are then uniformly stored in shelves with multiple cells (see Chinese Utility Model Patent Application No. CN201921068335.1). When cards need to be retrieved, the traditional method is manual card counting, a tedious and error-prone process. To address this, the applicant provided an intelligent warehouse card counting and bundling device in Chinese Utility Model Patent Application No. CN201921068463.6. This device allows for automatic card counting by simply removing the card boxes from the shelf and placing them in their corresponding mounting brackets. The current problem is that the card boxes on the shelves are usually horizontally placed, while the intelligent warehouse card counting and bundling device in the aforementioned patent can only accept vertically positioned card boxes. In other words, the intelligent warehouse card counting and bundling device requires the card boxes to be installed vertically for automatic card counting. This necessitates that the card box retrieving mechanism of the intelligent warehouse card counting and bundling device be able to rotate 90° in a vertical plane. It should be understood that the box-retrieving mechanism needs to move in mutually perpendicular X, Y, and Z axes to complete the action of retrieving the corresponding card box from the shelf (see Chinese Utility Model Patent Application No. CN201921068335.1). In order to cooperate with the smart warehouse card counting and binding device of the above-mentioned patent, the box-retrieving mechanism is further required to be able to rotate 90° in the vertical plane. This makes the structure of the box-retrieving mechanism too complex, and the overall stability of the box-retrieving mechanism will be greatly reduced, which is not conducive to long-term stable operation. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a card counting device that can receive a horizontally placed card box and can automatically adjust the card box from a horizontal position to a vertical position, which is beneficial to simplifying the structure and improving the stability of the matching card box picking mechanism.

[0004] Another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a system for quantitatively distributing cards.

[0005] Another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method for quantitatively distributing cards.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the invention is to provide a card counting device, which includes a steering mechanism for inserting and rotating a horizontally positioned card holder, and a card suction mechanism for picking up cards from the bottom of a vertically positioned card holder. The steering mechanism includes a support base, a frame rotatably mounted on the support base, and a first driving component connected to the frame. The frame has an inlet and an outlet at opposite ends, and the interior of the frame has a receiving cavity communicating with the inlet and the outlet. The first driving component is used to drive the frame to rotate between a first position and a second position. When the frame is in the first position, the receiving cavity extends horizontally, and the inlet and the outlet face directly backward and directly forward, respectively. When the frame is in the second position, the receiving cavity extends vertically, and the inlet and the outlet face directly backward and directly forward, respectively.

[0007] In the card counting device provided by the present invention, the support base includes a first side plate and a second side plate arranged at relative intervals, and a horizontally extending rotating shaft is rotatably mounted between the first side plate and the second side plate; the back plate of the box frame is connected to the rotating shaft; the first driving assembly includes a rotary cylinder, and the piston rod of the rotary cylinder extends in a vertical direction; a connecting rod is fixed on the side of the back plate of the box frame where the rotating shaft is located; when the box frame is in the first position, the connecting rod is located behind the rotating shaft; when the box frame is in the second position, the connecting rod is located above the rotating shaft; the upper end of the piston rod of the rotary cylinder is rotatably connected to the connecting rod.

[0008] In the card counting device provided by the present invention, the card counting device includes a mounting panel, a first side plate and a second side plate are fixed on the upper side of the mounting panel, and a clearance hole is provided on the mounting panel at a position between the first side plate and the second side plate; when the box frame is in the second position, the outlet of the box frame is directly opposite the clearance hole.

[0009] In the card counting device provided by this invention, the card suction mechanism is arranged on the lower side of the mounting panel. The card suction mechanism includes an X-axis of a card-retrieving robot, a Z-axis of a card-retrieving robot, a Z-axis motor, an X-axis motor, a vacuum suction cup for adsorbing cards, and a connecting post for fixing the vacuum suction cup. The connecting post extends vertically, and its lower end is fixed to the Z-axis of the card-retrieving robot. The vacuum suction cup is fixed to the upper end of the connecting post and is aligned with the clearance hole. The card counting device includes a transport mechanism for transporting cards. The transport mechanism includes guide strips extending in the left-right direction laid on the upper side of the mounting panel. The guide strips pass through the bottom of the first side plate and the second side plate. The two guide strips are spaced apart and arranged parallel to each other. The clearance hole is located at the two... Between the guide strips; the transport mechanism includes two synchronous belts and a rotary motor connected to both synchronous belts simultaneously. The transport direction of the synchronous belts is parallel to the left-right direction. The two synchronous belts are spaced apart and arranged in parallel. The clearance hole is located between the two synchronous belts. Each synchronous belt includes an upper part and a lower part that are spaced apart and parallel to each other. The upper part of the synchronous belt is located on the upper side of the mounting panel. The height difference between the upper surface of the upper part of the synchronous belt and the upper surface of the guide strip is greater than the thickness of the card. Two drive wheels are spaced apart on the output shaft of the rotary motor. The transport mechanism also includes two driven wheels that correspond to the two drive wheels respectively. Each synchronous belt is wound around the corresponding drive wheel and the driven wheel.

[0010] To solve the aforementioned technical problem, the invention provides a system for quantitatively distributing cards. The system includes a shelf, a card-retrieving mechanism, and a card-counting device as described above. The shelf comprises multiple cells, each containing a card box placed horizontally. The card box stores cards. The card-retrieving mechanism is used to horizontally remove the card box from the shelf cell and then horizontally insert it into the turning mechanism of the card-counting device. The card-retrieving mechanism is also used to horizontally remove the card box from the turning mechanism of the card-counting device and then horizontally insert it into the shelf cell.

[0011] In the card dispensing system provided by the present invention, the card retrieval mechanism includes a horizontally arranged support plate, a clamping assembly, and a second driving assembly connected to the clamping assembly; the support plate is used to support the bottom of the card box, the clamping assembly is used to clamp or release the card box, and the second driving assembly is used to drive the clamping assembly to translate in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions, wherein the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions are perpendicular to each other.

[0012] In the quantitative card dispensing system provided by the present invention, the clamping assembly includes two symmetrically arranged clamping arms and a clamping power assembly connected to the two clamping arms; the extension direction of the clamping arms and the card box stored in the shelf is the Y-axis direction, which is the front-back direction; the clamping power assembly is used to drive the two clamping arms to clamp or release the card box; the front and rear ends of the clamping arms are respectively provided with claws, and the front and rear ends of the card box are respectively provided with card holes that match the claws; when the two claws at the front end or rear end of the two clamping arms respectively engage with the two card holes at the front end or rear end of the card box, the clamping arms can clamp the card box and drive the card box to move in the front-back direction on the support plate.

[0013] In the quantitative card dispensing system provided by the present invention, the clamping power assembly is used to drive the two clamping arms to move towards each other to clamp the card box or move away from each other to release the card box; the box frame has opposing left and right boxes, and the entrances of the left and right boxes are provided with clearance notches. When the two clamping arms clamp the card box and move it in the front-back direction and insert the card box into the box frame, the claws of the two clamping arms enter the clearance notches of the left and right boxes respectively.

[0014] To solve another technical problem mentioned above, the invention provides a method for quantitatively distributing cards, wherein the cards are stored in a card box, which is placed horizontally within a shelf unit. The method includes the following steps:

[0015] The card box retrieval mechanism removes the card box from the shelf cell in a horizontal direction and inserts the card box horizontally into the turning mechanism of the card counting device as described above;

[0016] The steering mechanism rotates the card holder from a horizontal position to a vertical position.

[0017] The card-collecting mechanism of the card counting device picks up cards from the bottom of the vertically positioned card box.

[0018] In the method for quantitative card dispensing provided by the present invention, the card holder mechanism includes a horizontally arranged support plate, a clamping assembly, and a second driving assembly connected to the clamping assembly; the support plate is used to support the bottom of the card holder, the clamping assembly is used to clamp or release the card holder, and the second driving assembly is used to drive the clamping assembly to translate in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions, wherein the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions are perpendicular to each other; the clamping assembly includes two symmetrically arranged clamping arms and a clamping power assembly connected to the two clamping arms; the extension direction of the clamping arms and the card holder stored in the shelf is the Y-axis direction, which is the front-to-back direction;

[0019] The step of "the card box retrieval mechanism horizontally removes the card box from the shelf cell and horizontally inserts the card box into the turning mechanism of the card counting device as described above" includes the following process:

[0020] The second drive component drives the clamping component to translate in the X-axis and Z-axis directions, so that the clamping component is aligned with one of the card boxes in the shelf.

[0021] The second driving component drives the clamping component to move forward a certain distance so that the front end of the clamping arm approaches the rear end of the card box;

[0022] The clamping power assembly drives the two clamping arms so that the front ends of the two clamping arms clamp the rear end of the card holder;

[0023] The second driving component drives the clamping component to move backward a certain distance, so that the card box is dragged by the clamping arm to the middle of the support plate;

[0024] The second drive component drives the clamping component to translate in the X-axis and Z-axis directions, so that the clamping component is aligned with the steering mechanism of the card counting device.

[0025] The clamping power assembly drives the two clamping arms to release the card holder;

[0026] The second driving component drives the clamping component to move forward a certain distance so that the rear end of the clamping arm approaches the front end of the card box;

[0027] The clamping power assembly drives the two clamping arms so that the rear ends of the two clamping arms clamp the front end of the card holder;

[0028] The second drive component drives the clamping component to move backward a certain distance, so that the card holder is pushed by the clamping arm into the steering mechanism aligned with the clamping component.

[0029] The card counting device of the present invention can achieve at least the following beneficial effects: The card counting device includes a steering mechanism for inserting and rotating a horizontally positioned card holder, and a card suction mechanism for picking up cards from the bottom of a vertically positioned card holder; the steering mechanism includes a support base, a frame rotatably mounted on the support base, and a first driving component connected to the frame; the frame has an inlet and an outlet at opposite ends, and the interior of the frame has a receiving cavity communicating with the inlet and the outlet; the first driving component is used to drive the frame to rotate between a first position and a second position; when the frame is in the first position, the receiving cavity extends horizontally, and the inlet and the outlet face directly backward and forward, respectively; when the frame is in the second position, the receiving cavity extends vertically, and the inlet and the outlet face directly backward and forward, respectively. Thus, the card counting device can receive horizontally placed card holders and can autonomously adjust the card holders from a horizontal position to a vertical position, which is beneficial for simplifying the structure and improving the stability of the matching card picking mechanism. Attached Figure Description

[0030] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0031] Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram (I) of the digital card device provided in this embodiment;

[0032] Figure 2 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram (II) of the digital card device provided in this embodiment;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a reference diagram showing the usage status of the digital card device provided in this embodiment;

[0034] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the card-absorbing mechanism provided in this embodiment;

[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the shelf and the box-retrieving mechanism in the system provided in this embodiment;

[0036] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A magnified view of a portion of the image;

[0037] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the box-retrieving mechanism and the card counting device in the system provided in this embodiment;

[0038] Figure 8 for Figure 7 A magnified view of a portion of the image.

[0039] Explanation of reference numerals in the detailed embodiments:

[0040]

[0041] Detailed Implementation

[0042] To facilitate understanding of the invention, a more complete description will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Typical embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings. However, the invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make the disclosure of the invention more thorough and complete.

[0043] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention.

[0044] Example 1

[0045] This embodiment provides a digital card device. See also: Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram (I) of the digital card device provided in this embodiment. Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram (II) of the digital card device provided in this embodiment, as shown below. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the card counting device includes a steering mechanism 100 for inserting and rotating a horizontally positioned card holder 500, and a card suction mechanism 300 for drawing cards from the bottom of a vertically positioned card holder 500. The steering mechanism 100 includes a support base 101, a frame 102 rotatably mounted on the support base 101, and a first drive assembly 103 connected to the frame 102. The frame 102 has an inlet 1021 and an outlet 1022 at opposite ends, and a receiving cavity 1023 communicating with the inlet 1021 and the outlet 1022 inside. The first drive assembly 103 drives the frame 102 to rotate between a first position and a second position. (See also...) Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a reference diagram showing the usage status of the digital card device provided in this embodiment, such as... Figure 3As shown, when the box frame 102 is in the first position, the accommodating cavity 1023 extends horizontally, and the inlet 1021 and the outlet 1022 face directly rearward and directly forward, respectively. Figure 1 As shown, when the box frame 102 is in the second position, the receiving cavity 1023 extends vertically, and the inlet 1021 and the outlet 1022 face directly rearward and directly forward, respectively. Thus, the card counting device can receive a horizontally placed card box 500 and can autonomously adjust the card box 500 from a horizontal position to a vertical position, which facilitates the simplification of the structure and improvement of the stability of the matching card retrieval mechanism.

[0046] exist Figure 1 As can be seen, the support base 101 includes a first side plate 1011 and a second side plate 1012 arranged at relative intervals, and a horizontally extending rotating shaft 1013 is rotatably mounted between the first side plate 1011 and the second side plate 1012; the back plate 1024 of the box frame 102 is connected to the rotating shaft 1013. The first drive assembly 103 includes a rotary cylinder 1031, the piston rod of the rotary cylinder 1031 extending in a vertical direction; a connecting rod 1032 is fixed to the side of the back plate 1024 of the box frame 102 where the rotating shaft 1013 is located; when the box frame 102 is in the first position, the connecting rod 1032 is located behind the rotating shaft 1013; when the box frame 102 is in the second position, the connecting rod 1032 is located above the rotating shaft 1013; the upper end of the piston rod of the rotary cylinder 1031 is rotatably connected to the connecting rod 1032. Thus, the rotary cylinder 1031 can drive the box frame 102 to rotate between the first position and the second position.

[0047] The card counting device includes a mounting panel 400. A first side plate 1011 and a second side plate 1012 are fixed to the upper side of the mounting panel 400. A clearance hole 401 is provided on the mounting panel 400 at a position between the first side plate 1011 and the second side plate 1012. When the box frame 102 is in the second position, the outlet 1022 of the box frame 102 is directly opposite the clearance hole 401. (See also...) Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the card-absorbing mechanism 300 provided in this embodiment, as shown below. Figure 4As shown, the card suction mechanism 300 is arranged on the lower side of the mounting panel 400. The card suction mechanism 300 includes a card-retrieving robot X-axis 301, a card-retrieving robot Z-axis 302, a Z-axis motor 303, an X-axis motor 304, a vacuum suction cup 305 for adsorbing cards, and a connecting post 306 for fixing the vacuum suction cup 305. The connecting post 306 extends vertically, and its lower end is fixed to the card-retrieving robot Z-axis 302. The vacuum suction cup 305 is fixed to the upper end of the connecting post 306. The vacuum suction cup 305 is aligned with the clearance hole 401, so that the vacuum suction cup 305 can pass through the clearance hole 401 to pick up cards from the card holder 500 inside the box frame 102.

[0048] See also Figure 1 The card counting device includes a transport mechanism 200 for transporting cards. The transport mechanism 200 includes a guide strip 201 extending in the left-right direction and laid on the upper side of the mounting panel 400. The guide strip 201 passes through the bottom of the first side plate 1011 and the second side plate 1012. The two guide strips 201 are spaced apart and arranged in parallel. The clearance hole 401 is located between the two guide strips 201. The transport mechanism 200 includes two synchronous belts 202 and a rotary motor 203 connected to both synchronous belts 202. The transport direction of the synchronous belts 202 is parallel to the left-right direction. The two synchronous belts 202 are spaced apart and arranged in parallel. The clearance hole 401 is located between the two synchronous belts 202. Each synchronous belt 202 includes an upper part and a lower part that are spaced apart and parallel to each other. The upper part of the synchronous belt 202 is located on the upper side of the mounting panel 400. The height difference between the upper surface of the upper part of the synchronous belt 202 and the upper surface of the guide strip 201 is greater than the thickness of the card, so that the card will not be stuck when it is driven by the synchronous belts 202. Two drive wheels 204 are spaced apart on the output shaft of the rotary motor 203. The transport mechanism 200 also includes two driven wheels 205 corresponding to the two drive wheels 204 respectively. Each synchronous belt 202 is wound around the corresponding drive wheel 204 and driven wheel 205. In this way, the rotary motor 203 can drive the two synchronous belts 202 to rotate simultaneously in the same direction, so that the card placed on the two synchronous belts 202 can move in the left and right direction under the drive of the two synchronous belts 202.

[0049] As can be seen from the above, when the card counting device provided in this embodiment is used in conjunction with the card retrieval mechanism for retrieving the card box 500 from the shelf, the card frame 102 of the card counting device is first rotated to the first position. After the card retrieval mechanism retrieves the horizontally positioned card box 500 from the shelf, the horizontally positioned card box 500 can be pushed into the box frame 102 from the inlet 1021. After the horizontally positioned card box 500 has completely entered the receiving cavity 1023 of the box frame 102, the rotary cylinder 1031 drives the box frame 102 to rotate to the second position. The bottom of the card holder 500 within the frame 102 is aligned with the clearance hole 401. Then, the cards in the card holder 500, rotated to a vertical position, are picked up one by one from the bottom of the card holder 500 by the card-picking robot's Z-axis 302 in conjunction with the vacuum suction cup 305. Specifically, after the card is vacuum-picked, the card-picking robot's Z-axis 302 moves downwards so that the card lands on the corresponding position on the synchronous belt 202. It is understood that the vacuum suction cup 305 can only pull down one card at a time, and the card is transferred to the next workstation via the synchronous belt 202. Thus, the card counting device can receive horizontally placed card holders 500 and can autonomously adjust the card holder 500 from a horizontal to a vertical position, which simplifies the structure and improves the stability of the matching card-picking mechanism.

[0050] Further, see Figure 1 The card counting device includes multiple steering mechanisms 100, which are arranged in a row at intervals in the left-right direction. The mounting panel 400 has multiple clearance holes 401, also arranged in a row at intervals in the left-right direction. It should be understood that when the box frames 102 of the multiple steering mechanisms 100 are in the second position, the outlets 1022 of the multiple box frames 102 are respectively aligned with the multiple clearance holes 401. The card-retrieving robot's X-axis 301 extends in the left-right direction, and the X-axis motor 304 can drive the card-retrieving robot's Z-axis 302 to move (i.e., move left-right) on the card-retrieving robot's X-axis 301, so that the vacuum suction cups 305 are respectively aligned with the multiple clearance holes 401.

[0051] Example 2

[0052] This embodiment provides a system for quantitatively dispensing cards. The system includes a shelf 600, a card dispensing mechanism 700, and a card counting device 800 as provided in Embodiment 1. See also... Figure 5 and Figure 6 , Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the shelf 600 and the box-retrieving mechanism 700 in the system provided in this embodiment. Figure 6 for Figure 5 A magnified view of a portion of the diagram, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the shelf 600 includes multiple cells 601, each containing a horizontally placed card holder 500 for storing cards. In this embodiment, the card holder retrieval mechanism 700 removes the card holder 500 horizontally from the cell 601 of the shelf 600 and then horizontally inserts it into the turning mechanism 100 of the card counting device 800. Figure 5 As can be seen, the card holder retrieval mechanism 700 includes a horizontally arranged support plate 71, a clamping assembly 72, and a second drive assembly 73 connected to the clamping assembly 72. The support plate 71 is used to support the bottom of the card holder 500. The second drive assembly 73 is used to drive the clamping assembly 72 to translate in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions, which are perpendicular to each other. Here, the X-axis direction is the left-right direction, the Y-axis direction is the front-back direction, and the Z-axis direction is the up-down direction. Specifically, the second driving component 73 includes a first guide rail 731 extending in the left-right direction, a first slide block 732 slidably mounted on the first guide rail 731, a first servo motor 733 driving the first slide block 732 to move on the first guide rail 731, a second guide rail 734 extending in the up-down direction and fixed to the first slide block 732, a second slide block 735 slidably mounted on the second guide rail 734, a second servo motor driving the second slide block 735 to move on the second guide rail 734, a third guide rail 737 extending in the front-back direction and fixed to the second slide block 735, a third slide block 738 slidably mounted on the third guide rail 737, and a third servo motor driving the third slide block 738 to move on the third guide rail 737. The clamping component 72 is mounted on the third slide block 738. Thus, it can be understood that the clamping component 72 can be driven to move up, down, left, right, forward, and backward by the first servo motor 733, the second servo motor, and the third servo motor. The clamping assembly 72 is used to clamp or release the card holder 500. For details, please refer to [link to documentation]. Figure 5 The clamping assembly 72 includes two symmetrically arranged clamping arms 721 and a clamping power assembly connected to the two clamping arms 721. The clamping power assembly is used to drive the two clamping arms 721 to clamp or release the card holder 500. In this embodiment, the clamping power assembly is used to drive the two clamping arms 721 to move towards each other to clamp the card holder 500 or to move away from each other to release the card holder 500. Specifically, see... Figure 6 The clamping power assembly includes a slide rail 7221 extending in the left-right direction, two supports 7222 slidably mounted on the slide rail 7221, and clamping cylinders 7223 respectively connected to the two supports 7222. Figure 6As can be seen, the slide rail 7221 is laid on the third slide block 738. Here, when the clamping cylinder 7223 rotates forward or backward, it can drive the two supports 7222 to move towards each other or away from each other. Simultaneously, the two supports 7222 are respectively connected to the two clamping arms 721, thus the clamping cylinder 7223 can drive the two clamping arms 721 to move towards each other or away from each other. See also... Figure 5 and Figure 6 The clamping arms 721 and the card holder 500 stored in the shelf 600 both extend in the Y-axis direction, which, as described above, is the front-to-back direction. The clamping arms 721 have claws 7211 at both ends, and the card holder 500 has corresponding locking holes 51 at both ends. When the two claws 7211 at the front or rear end of the clamping arms 721 engage with the locking holes 51 at the front or rear end of the card holder 500, the clamping arms 721 can clamp the card holder 500 and move it along the front-to-back direction on the support plate 71. (See also...) Figure 7 and Figure 8 , Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the box-retrieving mechanism 700 and the card-counting device 800 in the system provided in this embodiment. Figure 8 for Figure 7 A magnified view of a portion of the diagram, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the box frame 102 has opposing left and right box walls, and each end of the left and right box walls where the entrance 1021 is located is provided with a clearance notch 1025. Here, when the two clamping arms 721 clamp the card holder 500 and move it in the front-back direction and insert the card holder 500 into the box frame 102, the claws 7211 of the two clamping arms 721 enter the clearance notches 1025 of the left and right box walls respectively.

[0053] As can be seen from the above, the process of quantitatively distributing cards using the system provided in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0054] Step S1: The card box retrieval mechanism 700 removes the card box 500 from the cell 601 of the shelf 600 in a horizontal direction, and inserts the card box 500 horizontally into the turning mechanism 100 of the card counting device 800.

[0055] In step S2, the steering mechanism 100 drives the card holder 500 to rotate from a horizontal state to a vertical state;

[0056] Step S3: The card suction mechanism 300 of the card counting device 800 sucks up a card from the bottom of the vertically positioned card box 500 and places the sucked-up card on the transport mechanism 200 of the card counting device 800.

[0057] In step S4, the transport mechanism 200 of the card counting device 800 delivers the card to the next workstation.

[0058] Specifically, step S1 includes:

[0059] In step S11, the second drive component 73 drives the clamping component 72 to translate in the X-axis and Z-axis directions, so that the clamping component 72 is aligned with one of the card boxes 500 in the shelf 600. It should be understood that when the clamping component 72 is aligned with the card box 500, the upper surface of the support plate 71 of the clamping component 72 is exactly flush with the bottom surface of the card box 500.

[0060] In step S12, the second driving component 73 drives the clamping component 72 to move forward a certain distance so that the front end of the clamping arm 721 approaches the rear end of the card box 500; at this time, the distance between the two clamping arms 721 is greater than the width of the card box 500, and the claws 7211 at the front end of the two clamping arms 721 are aligned with the two card holes 51 at the rear end of the card box 500 respectively.

[0061] In step S13, the clamping power assembly drives the two clamping arms 721 to move towards each other, so that the claws 7211 at the front ends of the two clamping arms 721 respectively engage with the two card holes 51 at the rear end of the card holder 500, so that the front ends of the two clamping arms 721 clamp the rear end of the card holder 500 (see...). Figure 6 );

[0062] In step S14, the second driving component 73 drives the clamping component 72 to move backward a certain distance so that the card box 500 is dragged by the clamping arm 721 to the middle of the support plate 71.

[0063] In step S15, the second driving component 73 drives the clamping component 72 to translate in the X-axis and Z-axis directions, so that the clamping component 72 is aligned with the steering mechanism 100 of the card counting device 800. It should be understood that when the clamping component 72 is aligned with the steering mechanism 100, the box frame 102 of the steering mechanism 100 is in the first position, that is, the box frame 102 of the steering mechanism 100 extends in the horizontal direction, and the clamping component 72 is aligned with the box frame 102, and the upper surface of the support plate 71 of the clamping component 72 is flush with the inner surface of the back plate 1024 of the box frame 102.

[0064] In step S16, the clamping power assembly drives the two clamping arms 721 to move in opposite directions, so that the claws 7211 at the front ends of the two clamping arms 721 respectively disengage from the corresponding two card holes 51, thereby releasing the card box 500 by the two clamping arms 721; it should be understood that at this time, the interval between the two clamping arms 721 is greater than the width of the card box 500;

[0065] In step S17, the second driving component 73 drives the clamping component 72 to move forward a certain distance so that the rear end of the clamping arm 721 approaches the front end of the card box 500; at this time, the claws 7211 at the rear ends of the two clamping arms 721 are aligned with the two card holes 51 at the front end of the card box 500 respectively.

[0066] In step S18, the clamping power assembly drives the two clamping arms 721 to move towards each other, so that the claws 7211 at the rear ends of the two clamping arms 721 respectively engage with the two card holes 51 at the front end of the card holder 500, so that the rear ends of the two clamping arms 721 clamp the front end of the card holder 500 (see...). Figure 8 );

[0067] In step S19, the second driving component 73 drives the clamping component 72 to move backward a certain distance, so that the card holder 500 is pushed by the clamping arm 721 into the box frame 102 of the steering mechanism 100 aligned with the clamping component 72; Figure 6 As can be seen, when the card holder 500 is fully pushed into the box frame 102, the claws 7211 at the rear ends of the two clamping arms 721 respectively enter the clearance notches 1025 of the left box wall and the right box wall.

[0068] Furthermore, it should be understood that the card retrieval mechanism 700 can also be used to remove the card box 500 from the turning mechanism 100 of the card counting device 800 in a horizontal direction, and then horizontally insert the card box 500 into the cell 601 of the shelf 600. The specific process can be found in the description of "the card retrieval mechanism 700 removing the card box 500 from the cell 601 of the shelf 600 in a horizontal direction and horizontally inserting the card box 500 into the turning mechanism 100 of the card counting device 800," which will not be repeated here.

[0069] The embodiments of the invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. All of these are within the scope of protection of the invention.

Claims

1. A card counting device, characterized in that, The card counting device includes a steering mechanism (100) for inserting and rotating a horizontally positioned card holder, and a card suction mechanism (300) for drawing cards from the bottom of a vertically positioned card holder. The steering mechanism (100) includes a support base (101), a frame (102) rotatably mounted on the support base (101), and a first drive assembly (103) connected to the frame (102). The frame (102) has an inlet (1021) and an outlet (1022) at opposite ends, and the interior of the frame (102) is connected to the inlet (1021). The first drive assembly (103) is used to drive the box frame (102) to rotate between a first position and a second position. When the box frame (102) is in the first position, the receiving cavity (1023) extends horizontally, and the inlet (1021) and the outlet (1022) face directly backward and directly forward, respectively. When the box frame (102) is in the second position, the receiving cavity (1023) extends vertically, and the inlet (1021) and the outlet (1022) face directly backward and directly forward, respectively. The support base (101) includes a first side plate (1011) and a second side plate (1012) arranged at a distance from each other, and a horizontally extending pivot (1013) is rotatably mounted between the first side plate (1011) and the second side plate (1012); the back plate (1024) of the box frame (102) is connected to the pivot (1013); the first drive assembly (103) includes a rotary cylinder (1031), and the piston rod of the rotary cylinder (1031) extends in the vertical direction; A connecting rod (1032) is fixed to one side of the back plate (1024) of the box frame (102) where the pivot (1013) is located; when the box frame (102) is in the first position, the connecting rod (1032) is located behind the pivot (1013); when the box frame (102) is in the second position, the connecting rod (1032) is located above the pivot (1013); the upper end of the piston rod of the rotary cylinder (1031) is rotatably connected to the connecting rod (1032); The card counting device includes a mounting panel (400), a first side plate (1011) and a second side plate (1012) are fixed on the upper side of the mounting panel (400), and a clearance hole (401) is provided on the mounting panel (400) at a position between the first side plate (1011) and the second side plate (1012); when the box frame (102) is in the second position, the outlet (1022) of the box frame (102) is directly opposite the clearance hole (401); The card suction mechanism (300) is arranged on the lower side of the mounting panel (400), and the card suction mechanism (300) includes a vacuum suction cup (305) for adsorbing cards, the vacuum suction cup (305) being aligned with the clearance hole (401).

2. The card counting device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The card-collecting mechanism (300) includes an X-axis (301) and a Z-axis (302) of a card-collecting robot, a Z-axis motor (303), an X-axis motor (304), and a connecting post (306) for fixing a vacuum suction cup (305); the connecting post (306) extends vertically, the lower end of the connecting post (306) is fixed to the Z-axis (302) of the card-collecting robot, and the vacuum suction cup (305) is fixed to the upper end of the connecting post (306); the card counting device includes a... The transport mechanism (200) for transporting cards includes guide strips (201) extending in a left-right direction and laid on the upper side of the mounting panel (400). The guide strips (201) pass through the bottom of the first side plate (1011) and the second side plate (1012). The two guide strips (201) are spaced apart and arranged in parallel. The clearance hole (401) is located between the two guide strips (201). The transport mechanism (200) includes two identical... A step belt (202) and a rotary motor (203) simultaneously connected to two of the synchronous belts (202), the transport direction of the synchronous belts (202) being parallel to the left-right direction, the two synchronous belts (202) being spaced apart and arranged in parallel, the clearance hole (401) being located between the two synchronous belts (202), each synchronous belt (202) including an upper part and a lower part that are spaced apart and parallel to each other, the upper part of the synchronous belt (202) being located on the mounting panel (400). On the upper side of the synchronous belt (202), the height difference between the upper surface of the upper part of the synchronous belt (202) and the upper surface of the guide bar (201) is greater than the thickness of the card; two drive wheels (204) are spaced apart on the output shaft of the rotating motor (203), and the transport mechanism (200) also includes two driven wheels (205) respectively corresponding to the two drive wheels (204), and each synchronous belt (202) is wound around the corresponding drive wheel (204) and the driven wheel (205).

3. A system for distributing cards in fixed quantities, characterized in that, The system includes a shelf (600), a card retrieval mechanism (700), and a card counting device (800) as described in claim 1; the shelf (600) includes multiple cells (601), and a card box (500) is horizontally placed in each cell (601), the card box (500) storing cards; the card retrieval mechanism (700) is used to remove the card box (500) from the cell (601) of the shelf (600) in a horizontal direction, and then horizontally insert the card box (500) into the turning mechanism (100) of the card counting device (800); the card retrieval mechanism (700) is also used to remove the card box (500) from the turning mechanism (100) of the card counting device (800) in a horizontal direction, and then horizontally insert the card box (500) into the cell (601) of the shelf (600); The card holder mechanism (700) includes a horizontally arranged support plate (71), a clamping assembly (72), and a second drive assembly (73) connected to the clamping assembly (72); the support plate (71) is used to support the bottom of the card holder (500), the clamping assembly (72) is used to clamp or release the card holder (500), and the second drive assembly (73) is used to drive the clamping assembly (72) to translate in the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and Z-axis direction, wherein the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and Z-axis direction are perpendicular to each other; The clamping assembly (72) includes two symmetrically arranged clamping arms (721) and a clamping power assembly connected to the two clamping arms (721); the extension direction of the clamping arms (721) and the card box (500) stored in the shelf (600) is the Y-axis direction, which is the front-to-back direction; the clamping power assembly is used to drive the two clamping arms (721) to clamp or release the card box (500); the front and rear ends of the clamping arms (721) are respectively provided with The card box (500) has a claw (7211) and card holes (51) matching the claw (7211) at its front and rear ends respectively. When the two claws (7211) at the front or rear ends of the two clamping arms (721) are respectively engaged in the two card holes (51) at the front or rear ends of the card box (500), the clamping arms (721) can clamp the card box (500) and drive the card box (500) to move along the front and rear direction on the support plate (71). The box frame (102) has a left box wall and a right box wall. The left box wall and the right box wall have a clearance notch (1025) at one end where the entrance (1021) is located. When the two clamping arms (721) clamp the card box (500) and move it in the front-back direction and insert the card box (500) into the box frame (102), the claws (7211) of the two clamping arms (721) enter the clearance notch (1025) of the left box wall and the right box wall respectively.

4. The system for quantitatively distributing cards according to claim 3, characterized in that, The clamping power assembly is used to drive the two clamping arms (721) to move toward each other to clamp the card holder (500) or to move away from each other to release the card holder (500).

5. A method for quantitatively distributing cards, wherein the cards are stored in a card box (500), the card box (500) being horizontally placed in a cell (601) of a shelf (600), characterized in that, The method includes the following steps: The card box retrieval mechanism (700) removes the card box (500) from the cell (601) of the shelf (600) in a horizontal direction and inserts the card box (500) horizontally into the turning mechanism (100) of the card counting device (800) as described in claim 1; The steering mechanism (100) drives the card holder (500) to rotate from a horizontal state to a vertical state; The card-collecting mechanism (300) of the card counting device (800) picks up cards from the bottom of the vertically positioned card box (500); The card retrieval mechanism (700) includes a horizontally arranged support plate (71), a clamping assembly (72), and a second drive assembly (73) connected to the clamping assembly (72); the support plate (71) is used to support the bottom of the card box (500), the clamping assembly (72) is used to clamp or release the card box (500), and the second drive assembly (73) is used to drive the clamping assembly (72) to translate in the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and Z-axis direction, wherein the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and Z-axis direction are perpendicular to each other; the clamping assembly (72) includes two symmetrically arranged clamping arms (721) and a clamping power assembly connected to the two clamping arms (721); the extension direction of the clamping arms (721) and the card box (500) stored in the shelf (600) is the Y-axis direction, which is the front-back direction; The step of "the card box retrieval mechanism (700) horizontally removes the card box (500) from the cell (601) of the shelf (600) and horizontally inserts the card box (500) into the steering mechanism (100) of the card counting device (800) as described in claim 1" includes the following process: The second drive assembly (73) drives the clamping assembly (72) to translate in the X-axis and Z-axis directions, so that the clamping assembly (72) is aligned with one of the card boxes (500) in the shelf (600); The second drive component (73) drives the clamping component (72) to move forward a certain distance so that the front end of the clamping arm (721) approaches the rear end of the card holder (500); The clamping power assembly drives the two clamping arms (721) so that the front ends of the two clamping arms (721) clamp the rear end of the card holder (500); The second driving component (73) drives the clamping component (72) to move backward a certain distance so that the card box (500) is dragged by the clamping arm (721) to the middle of the support plate (71); The second drive assembly (73) drives the clamping assembly (72) to translate in the X-axis and Z-axis directions, so that the clamping assembly (72) is aligned with the steering mechanism (100) of the card counting device (800); The clamping power assembly drives the two clamping arms (721) to release the card holder (500); The second drive component (73) drives the clamping component (72) to move forward a certain distance so that the rear end of the clamping arm (721) approaches the front end of the card holder (500); The clamping power assembly drives the two clamping arms (721) so that the rear ends of the two clamping arms (721) clamp the front end of the card holder (500); The second drive assembly (73) drives the clamping assembly (72) to move backward a certain distance so that the card holder (500) is pushed into the steering mechanism (100) aligned with the clamping assembly (721) by the clamping arm (721).

Images