Multifunctional integrated electric energy meter sorting and cleaning platform and method

Abstract

The application discloses a multifunctional integrated electric energy meter sorting and cleaning platform and method, which comprises a moving mechanism, the moving mechanism is used for moving the electric energy meter and rotating different areas of the electric energy meter to different cleaning tools; the moving mechanism is connected with cleaning areas, and the cleaning areas are respectively provided with various cleaning devices; an identification module is comprised, the moving mechanism is connected with the identification module, and the identification module is used for detecting the position of sundries on the surface of the electric energy meter; the rotation motor and the conveying motor are started and stopped at the same time, synchronous control of the cleaning and conveying processes is realized, all sundries can be detected in advance through the image acquisition device, local detection and control are realized through the feedback sampling part and the multiple cleaning devices, automatic operation is realized, and the cleaning efficiency is improved; the position of the sundries of the electric energy meter is acquired through one-time comparison, it is judged in which area according to the position, and then the type of the sundries is determined and cleaned.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electricity meter sorting and cleaning technology, and in particular to a multifunctional integrated electricity meter sorting and cleaning platform and method. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing number of electricity users, the number of electricity meters being replaced is growing rapidly. Currently, there is a lack of standardized and efficient methods and equipment for sorting, cleaning, and cleaning disassembled electricity meters. The dirt and haphazard labels on the surfaces of disassembled electricity meters are difficult to clean, affecting the reuse rate of the meters. Tools and auxiliary materials used in the sorting and cleaning process are also haphazardly installed and placed. In existing technologies, the cleaning of disassembled electricity meters is done manually, wiping and cleaning each meter individually. This method cannot achieve high-quality and efficient cleaning and polishing, especially since the types of dirt on the meters are numerous and scattered. Manual cleaning is inefficient, and the degree of cleaning is difficult to control, making automated cleaning of disassembled electricity meters impossible and hindering the development of disassembled meter sorting operations at sorting centers.

[0003] In existing technologies, multiple automatic cleaning tools are often used to clean specific types of dirt. However, it is impossible to completely remove multiple types of dirt, and different tools need to be used to clean them separately. Otherwise, there will be problems with incomplete cleaning. At the same time, since each electricity meter often has multiple types of dirt at the same time, the electricity meter cleaning process is cumbersome and results in low work efficiency.

[0004] For example, a "Automatic Cleaning and Polishing Device and Method for Dismantled Electricity Meters" disclosed in Chinese patent literature, publication number CN113752145A, discloses a device including a motion controller module, a loading rotary table, an electricity meter handling mechanism, a translation mechanism, a cleaning and polishing mechanism, and an unloading rotary table. The loading rotary table has two fixed-position storage platforms, and each storage position holds only one dismantled electricity meter. This solution can automatically perform grinding and polishing, but it cannot solve the above-mentioned problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the inconvenience and incompleteness of cleaning various contaminants on electricity meters in existing technologies, this invention provides a multifunctional integrated electricity meter sorting and cleaning platform and method. This platform can locate and target various contaminants on electricity meters, improving cleaning efficiency. It also provides timely feedback on the cleaning effect, further enhancing the cleaning outcome.

[0006] A further objective of this invention is to achieve automated operation and improve cleaning efficiency by using a feedback sampling unit and multiple cleaning devices for localized detection and control; and to achieve rapid and thorough cleaning with a high degree of automation by performing different cleaning methods on the dirt and grime on the electricity meter at different locations.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0008] A multifunctional integrated electricity meter sorting and cleaning platform includes: a moving mechanism for moving electricity meters and rotating different areas of the meters towards different cleaning tools; a cleaning area connected to the moving mechanism, each cleaning area being equipped with various cleaning devices; and an identification module connected to the moving mechanism for detecting the location of dirt on the surface of the electricity meters. The platform body has the moving mechanism fixedly connected to its upper surface. The cleaning area is located on the upper surface of the platform body, and the identification module is also located on the upper surface of the platform body. The cleaning module enables various cleaning methods for the electricity meters, while the identification module determines the location of dirt, allowing for targeted cleaning and improved efficiency. The moving mechanism changes the position of the electricity meters, enabling omnidirectional cleaning and facilitating targeted cleaning of specific locations. The identification module includes a feedback sampling unit located in the cleaning area, which detects the appearance of the electricity meters at each cleaning tool, providing feedback during the cleaning process and ensuring effective cleaning.

[0009] Preferably, the moving mechanism includes a conveyor with a frustum fixedly connected to it. An array of photoresistors is arranged on the side face of the frustum. The photoresistors are connected to a relay switch, which in turn is connected to a rotary motor. The rotary motor is connected to a turntable, which is rotatably connected to the frustum. The upper face of the turntable engages with the electricity meter. The conveyor is fixed to the surface of the platform body and includes a belt conveyor and a block conveyor. A frustum is fixedly connected to the upper face of the conveyor, and a turntable is rotatably connected to the upper face of the frustum. A rotating shaft is fixed at the center of the turntable, and the rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the rotary motor via a reduction gear set. The relay switch closes when energized, short-circuiting the rotary motor. The photoresistors are resistors whose resistance rapidly decreases upon receiving light of a specific resistance value. The rotary motor is connected to the conveyor motor of the conveyor, allowing both the rotary motor and the conveyor motor to start and stop simultaneously. The start and stop control of the rotary motor is achieved through the photoresistors and the relay switch, thereby stopping the electricity meter at a specific rotation angle and realizing automatic intermittent switching between different zones of the electricity meter.

[0010] Preferably, the cleaning area is arranged around the conveyor, with a first cleaning device and a second cleaning device sequentially installed within the cleaning area. A third cleaning device is located at the end of the conveyor within the cleaning area. Each of the first and second cleaning devices is equipped with a light emitter, which is connected to a processor. The conveyor passes through the cleaning area from front to back. The first and second cleaning devices are positioned to simultaneously clean different areas of the electricity meter. The light emitters are located below the first and second cleaning devices, at the same horizontal level as the frustum-shaped end face on the upper side of the conveyor, and their orientation is fixed and the same as the corresponding cleaning device. The third cleaning device is located at the edge of the cleaning area, away from the conveyor's entry side. The third cleaning device is used to collect the cleaning waste generated by the first and second cleaning devices and simultaneously deodorize and remove dust from the cleaned electricity meter. The processor controls the light emitters to emit specific light. The first and second cleaning devices allow for simultaneous cleaning of different areas of the electricity meter with varying levels of contaminants, while the third cleaning device removes dust and odors from the cleaned meter, resulting in a thoroughly clean electricity meter. The first and second cleaning devices include a robotic arm capable of moving with multiple degrees of freedom, with cleaning tools at the end of the robotic arm and a light emitter located on the base of the robotic arm.

[0011] Preferably, the identification module includes an image acquisition device connected to a processor, located on the side of the cleaning area away from the end of the conveyor. The image acquisition device is positioned above the conveyor and includes a camera. The camera acquires images of the electricity meter at a fixed angle, and by rotating the meter, it acquires images of different areas of the meter multiple times. The camera transmits the acquired images to the processor, which processes the images to determine the location of contaminants. Based on the location of the contaminants, it activates the light emitter of the corresponding cleaning device, sending the image of the contaminated area to the feedback sampling unit corresponding to the determined cleaning device. The feedback sampling unit compares the real-time image of the clean area with the image of the contaminated area. Upon successful comparison, it activates the light emitter, triggering the photoresistor of the corresponding area on the electricity meter, thus achieving targeted cleaning. The feedback sampling unit is equipped with a miniature camera for acquiring images of the cleaning device's location. The miniature camera is connected to a second processing module, which is connected to the light emitter. The second processing module performs a second comparison based on the cleaned image; upon successful second comparison, it sends an extinguishing signal to the light emitter.

[0012] A method for sorting and cleaning electricity meters includes the following steps: S1, acquiring regional images of the electricity meter and establishing a regional image model; S2, determining the location of contaminants on the electricity meter based on the regional image model; S3, determining the type of contaminants based on their location and performing corresponding cleaning. The method involves continuously acquiring rotating images of the electricity meter, dividing the rotating images into regional images, acquiring a standard image, and comparing the actual detected regional images with the standard image to determine the contaminant areas. The contaminant areas are then cleaned according to a specific cleaning method: the gaps in the electricity meter are designated as the first type of area, the sides of the electricity meter as the second type, and the front of the electricity meter as the third type. A cleaning method is set for each type of area. The location of the contaminants is obtained through a single comparison, and the type of contaminant is determined based on its location, thus enabling cleaning. This method achieves unified classification of contaminants, improves contaminant detection efficiency, and uses the same detection standards for cleaning the same type of contaminants, further improving cleaning efficiency.

[0013] Preferably, regional images of different locations on the electricity meter are acquired, and the color distribution within these images is obtained. A regional image model is then established based on this color distribution, with the model input being the color distribution in the regional images and the model output being the region number of the electricity meter. Different regions on the electricity meter's seams and outer end face are numbered separately, and the pixels under each number are assigned a color. Area and quantity thresholds are set for any additional color distributions detected. This method of detecting contamination in the electricity meter through color distribution is highly efficient and accurate for the appearance inspection of electricity meters with a single color.

[0014] Preferably, step S2 includes: acquiring continuous images of the energy meter under test; segmenting the continuous images to obtain sampled images; determining whether the sampled images contain contaminants based on a region image model; and if so, assigning a region number to the sampled images. The continuously acquired images are sampled at equal intervals to obtain sampled images; the presence of contaminants is determined by comparing the sampled images with a standard image; and the region number of the corresponding standard image is output. This reduces the detection of repetitive regions, enabling rapid multi-region sampling for energy meters moving at a constant speed, and improving detection efficiency.

[0015] Preferably, step S3 includes determining the cleaning method based on the area number, and moving the energy meter's location corresponding to the area number towards the cleaning device corresponding to the determined cleaning method. A first cleaning device activation signal is set for the first type of area, a second cleaning device activation signal is set for the second type of area, and a third cleaning device activation signal is set for the third type of area. By performing different cleaning methods on the energy meters at different locations, rapid and thorough cleaning is achieved, with a high degree of automation.

[0016] The present invention has the following advantages:

[0017] (1) By starting and stopping the rotary motor and the conveyor motor simultaneously, the cleaning and conveying processes are synchronously controlled. All dirt can be detected in advance by the image acquisition device. Local detection and control are carried out by the feedback sampling unit and multiple cleaning devices to achieve automated operation and improve cleaning efficiency. (2) The location of dirt on the electricity meter is obtained by comparison. Based on the location, the area is determined, thereby determining the type of dirt and cleaning. The unified classification of dirt is achieved, improving the dirt detection efficiency. The same detection standard is set for dirt of the same type and cleaned uniformly, improving cleaning efficiency. (3) Dirt detection on the electricity meter is achieved by color distribution. The appearance detection of electricity meters with a single color is efficient and accurate. (4) By cleaning the dirt on electricity meters in different locations, fast cleaning and thorough cleaning are achieved. The process is highly automated. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The accompanying drawings described below are merely exemplary. Those skilled in the art can derive other embodiments based on the provided drawings without any inventive effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the method steps in this invention.

[0021] In the picture:

[0022] 1-Identification module; 2-Clean area; 3-Third cleaning device; 4-Conveyor motor. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] As shown in Figure 1, in a preferred embodiment, this invention discloses a multifunctional integrated electricity meter sorting and cleaning platform, comprising: a moving mechanism for moving the electricity meters and rotating different areas of the meters toward different cleaning tools; a cleaning area 2 connected to the moving mechanism, each cleaning area being equipped with various cleaning devices; and an identification module 1 connected to the moving mechanism for detecting the location of dirt on the surface of the electricity meters. The platform body includes a moving mechanism fixedly connected to its upper surface, with the cleaning area located on the upper surface of the platform body, and the identification module located on the upper surface of the platform body. The identification module includes a feedback sampling unit disposed in the cleaning area, used to detect the appearance of the electricity meters at each cleaning tool.

[0025] When in use, after the moving mechanism is started, the identification module is also activated. In the initial state, the cleaning area is not working. After the identification module identifies all areas on the surface of the electricity meter, it determines the location of dirt and sends different start signals to the cleaning area according to the location of dirt and sends the image of the location of dirt and sends it to the cleaning area. The cleaning area performs targeted cleaning based on the obtained dirt and controls the intermittent start and stop of the moving mechanism to ensure the cleaning effect.

[0026] The moving mechanism includes a conveyor with a truncated cone fixedly connected to it. An array of photoresistors is arranged on the side face of the truncated cone. The photoresistors are connected to a relay switch, which in turn is connected to a rotary motor. The rotary motor is connected to a turntable, which is rotatably connected to the truncated cone. The upper surface of the turntable engages with the electricity meter. The conveyor is fixed to the surface of the platform body and includes a belt conveyor and a block conveyor. A truncated cone is fixedly connected to the upper surface of the conveyor, and a turntable is rotatably connected to the upper surface of the truncated cone. A rotating shaft is fixed at the center of the turntable, and the rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the rotary motor via a reduction gear set. The relay switch closes when energized, short-circuiting the rotary motor. The photoresistors are resistors whose resistance rapidly decreases upon receiving light of a specific resistance value. The rotary motor is connected to the conveyor motor 4, allowing both the rotary motor and the conveyor motor to start and stop simultaneously. The start and stop control of the rotary motor is achieved through the photoresistors and the relay switch, thereby stopping the electricity meter at a specific rotation angle and realizing automatic intermittent switching of different zones of the electricity meter.

[0027] In operation, after the mechanism is powered on, the rotary motor drives the turntable to rotate on the circular platform. The turntable drives the attached energy meter to rotate. Once the energy meter rotates to the point where the recognition module obtains the real-time image corresponding to all standard images, the conveyor motor starts after a delay, thus conveying the energy meter to the cleaning area. The conveyor is a belt conveyor, arranged in an S-shape or U-shape on the surface of the platform and passing through the cleaning area. When the photoresistor is illuminated by the light emitted by the light emitter, its resistance decreases and the current increases, causing the circuit to conduct. The relay switch is energized and closes. The photoresistor and relay switch are connected in parallel with the rotary motor and conveyor motor, causing the rotary motor and conveyor motor to be short-circuited and temporarily stop working. This keeps the energy meter in a fixed position, facilitating cleaning of the cleaning area. The photoresistor continues to operate until the light emitter stops working, the increased resistance of the photoresistor causes the relay switch to de-energize and open, and the rotary motor and conveyor motor resume operation.

[0028] The cleaning area is arranged around the conveyor, and within it are sequentially installed a first cleaning device and a second cleaning device. A third cleaning device 3 is located at the end of the conveyor. Each of the first and second cleaning devices is equipped with a light emitter, which is connected to a processor. The conveyor passes through the cleaning area from front to back. The first and second cleaning devices are positioned to simultaneously clean different parts of the electricity meter. The light emitters are located below the first and second cleaning devices, at the same horizontal level as the frustum-shaped end face on the upper side of the conveyor, and their orientation is fixed and the same as the corresponding cleaning device. The third cleaning device is located at the edge of the cleaning area, away from the conveyor's entry side. This third cleaning device collects the cleaning waste generated by the first and second cleaning devices and simultaneously deodorizes and removes dust from the cleaned electricity meter. The processor controls the light emitters to emit specific light. The first and second cleaning devices include multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arms, each with cleaning tools at its end. The light emitters are located on the robotic arm's base.

[0029] In use, the first cleaning device includes an electric screwdriver, the second cleaning device includes a hot melt gun, and the third cleaning device includes a ventilation pipe and a water gun. The first, second, and third cleaning devices are all located at the top end of the robot arm, which can move up, down, left, right, forward, and backward. A recycling tank is provided behind the third cleaning device to recycle the water and waste generated during the cleaning process.

[0030] The identification module includes an image acquisition device connected to the processor, located on the side of the cleaning area furthest from the end of the conveyor. The image acquisition device, situated above the conveyor, includes a camera that captures images of the electricity meter at a fixed angle. By rotating the meter, multiple images of different areas are captured. The camera transmits the captured images to the processor, which processes them to identify the area of ​​contamination. Based on this, the processor activates the light emitter of the appropriate cleaning device, sending the image of the contaminated area to the corresponding feedback sampling unit. The feedback sampling unit contains a second processing module that compares the real-time image of the clean area with the image of the contaminated area. Upon successful comparison, the light emitter is activated, triggering the photoresistor of the corresponding area on the electricity meter for targeted cleaning. The second processing module performs a second comparison based on the cleaned image; upon successful second comparison, it sends an extinguishing signal to the light emitter.

[0031] In operation, the feedback sampling unit is equipped with a second processing module. This module receives images of dirt and real-time images of the energy meter in the cleaning area. It compares the dirt image with the real-time image, and once they determine that the dirt and real-time image are located in the same area of ​​the energy meter, it activates the light emitter to stop the energy meter's pose change and begins cleaning. Simultaneously, the second processing module compares the images during the cleaning process in real time. After cleaning is complete, the light emitter stops working, and the energy meter continues to be conveyed and rotated until the third cleaning device completes the final cleaning. The second processing module is located within a processor, which contains multiple second processing modules representing multiple cleaning devices.

[0032] In the second embodiment, the second processing module is located in the second processor, and there are multiple second processors located in multiple cleaning devices, all of which are communicatively connected to the processor.

[0033] like Figure 2 As shown, this solution discloses a method for sorting and cleaning electricity meters, including the following steps: S1, acquiring regional images of the electricity meter and establishing a regional image model; S2, determining the location of contaminants on the electricity meter based on the regional image model; S3, determining the type of contaminants on the electricity meter based on their location and performing corresponding cleaning. Continuously acquiring rotating images of the electricity meter, dividing the rotating images and determining regional images, acquiring standard images, and comparing the actual detected regional images with the standard images to determine the contaminated areas; cleaning the contaminated areas according to the cleaning method, setting the gaps in the electricity meter as the first type of area, the sides of the electricity meter as the second type of area, and the front of the electricity meter as the third type of area, and setting a cleaning method for each type of area; obtaining the location of contaminants on the electricity meter through a single comparison, determining which area the contaminant is in based on its location, thereby determining the type of contaminant and performing cleaning.

[0034] During operation, the processor acquires images of the electricity meter on the conveyor, compares these images with a standard image to determine the location of contaminants, assigns a contaminant type to each location, and sets a corresponding cleaning device. Electricity meter seals are often located in the meter's gaps; these gaps are designated as the first type of area, and the cleaning device for removing the seal is designated as the first cleaning device. Labels and markings are often located on the sides of the meter; these sides are designated as the second type of area, and the cleaning device for removing the label or marking is designated as the second cleaning device. The third cleaning device has two activation methods: a delayed start after the conveyor motor starts, and a third start signal issued from the third type of area.

[0035] S1 includes acquiring regional images of different locations on the electricity meter, obtaining the color distribution in the regional images, and building a regional image model based on the color distribution. The model input is the color distribution in the regional images, and the model output is the region number of the electricity meter. Different regions on the gaps and outer end face of the electricity meter are numbered separately, and the pixels under each number are assigned a color. Area and quantity thresholds are set for detected additional color distributions. This color distribution method enables the detection of contamination in the electricity meter, providing efficient and accurate appearance detection for electricity meters with a single color. S2 includes acquiring continuous images of the electricity meter under test, segmenting the continuous images to acquire sample images, and determining whether the sample images contain contamination based on the regional image model. If so, a region number is assigned to the sample images. The continuously acquired images are sampled at equal intervals to obtain sample images. The presence of contamination is determined by comparing the sample images with a standard image, and the region number of the sample image corresponding to the standard image is output. S3 includes determining the contamination cleaning method based on the region number and moving the position corresponding to the region number of the electricity meter towards the cleaning device corresponding to the determined contamination cleaning method. A first cleaning device activation signal is set for the first type of area, a second cleaning device activation signal is set for the second type of area, and a third cleaning device activation signal is set for the third type of area.

[0036] During use, after traversing each area, the images with contamination are classified according to the area number. The start signal is determined according to the area number, and the contamination image, the corresponding standard image, and the start signal are sent to the corresponding second processing module. The second processing module performs a comparison based on the contamination image once, and a second comparison based on the standard image after cleaning is completed, thus completing the cleaning process.

[0037] Although the present invention has been described in detail above with general descriptions and specific embodiments, modifications or improvements can be made to it, which will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, all such modifications or improvements made without departing from the spirit of the present invention fall within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention.

Claims

1. A multifunctional integrated electricity meter sorting and cleaning platform, characterized in that, include: The moving mechanism is used to move the electricity meter and rotate different areas of the electricity meter toward different cleaning tools. The mobile mechanism is connected to a cleaning area, and each cleaning area is equipped with a variety of cleaning devices; The moving mechanism includes a conveyor, on which a frustum is fixedly connected. An array of photoresistors is provided on the side end face of the frustum. The photoresistors are connected to a relay switch. When the photoresistors are irradiated by the light emitted by the light emitter, the resistance decreases and the current increases. The relay switch is energized and closed. The photoresistors and the relay switch are connected in series and then in parallel with the rotary motor and the conveyor motor. The first and second cleaning devices are each equipped with a light emitter. The light emitter is connected to a processor. The processor processes the acquired images to obtain the area where the dirt is located and determines to activate the light emitter of the different cleaning devices based on the location of the dirt. The device includes an identification module connected to a moving mechanism. The identification module is used to detect the location of dirt on the surface of the electricity meter. The identification module includes a feedback sampling unit set in the cleaning area. The feedback sampling unit is used to detect the appearance of the electricity meter at each cleaning tool location. The second processing module compares the images during the cleaning process in real time. After cleaning is completed, the light emitter stops working, and the photoresistor of the corresponding area on the electricity meter is triggered.

2. The multifunctional integrated energy meter sorting and cleaning platform according to claim 1, characterized in that, The relay switch is electrically connected to a rotating motor. When the relay switch is energized, it closes to short-circuit the rotating motor. The rotating motor is connected to a turntable, and the turntable is rotatably connected to a frustum.

3. The multifunctional integrated energy meter sorting and cleaning platform according to claim 2, characterized in that, The cleaning area is arranged around the conveyor, and a first cleaning device and a second cleaning device are sequentially arranged in the cleaning area. A third cleaning device is arranged at the end of the conveyor in the cleaning area. The first cleaning device includes an electric screwdriver, the second cleaning device includes a hot melt gun, and the third cleaning device includes a ventilation pipe and a water gun. The first, second, and third cleaning devices are all located at the top end of the robotic arm, which can move up, down, left, right, forward, and backward. A recycling trough is provided behind the third cleaning device.

4. The multifunctional integrated energy meter sorting and cleaning platform according to claim 3, characterized in that, The recognition module includes an image acquisition device connected to the processor, located in the clean area on the side away from the end of the conveyor.

5. A method for sorting and cleaning electricity meters, applicable to a multi-functional integrated electricity meter sorting and cleaning platform as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The process includes the following steps: S1. Obtain regional images of the electricity meter and establish a regional image model; S2. Determine the location of dirt and grime on the electricity meter based on the regional image model; S3. Determine the type of dirt and grime on the electricity meter based on the location of the dirt and grime and perform corresponding cleaning. The gaps in the electricity meter are designated as the first type of area, the sides of the electricity meter are designated as the second type of area, and the front of the electricity meter is designated as the third type of area. A cleaning method is set for each type of area.

6. The method for sorting and cleaning electricity meters according to claim 5, characterized in that, S1 includes acquiring area images of different locations of the electricity meter, acquiring the color distribution in the area images, establishing an area image model based on the color distribution, with the color distribution in the area images as the model input and the area number of the electricity meter as the model output.

7. The method for sorting and cleaning electricity meters according to claim 6, characterized in that, S2 includes obtaining a continuous image of the energy meter under test, obtaining a sampled image by segmenting the continuous image, determining whether there is contamination in the sampled image according to the regional image model, and if so, marking the sampled image with a regional number.

8. A method for sorting and cleaning electricity meters according to claim 6, characterized in that, S3 includes determining the cleaning method for dirt and grime based on the area number, and moving the position corresponding to the area number of the electric meter toward the cleaning device corresponding to the determined cleaning method for dirt and grime.

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