Material transfer methods, control devices, and material transfer equipment

Abstract

This invention provides a material transfer method, control device, and material transfer equipment, relating to the field of material transfer technology. First, material arrival information on the first, second, and third transfer modules is acquired. Then, the status information of the downstream equipment is acquired. Next, based on the material arrival information on the first, second, and third transfer modules and the status information of the downstream equipment, it is determined whether a transfer interruption event has occurred. If a transfer interruption event occurs, the buffer module is controlled to operate the material on the second transfer module, so that the first, second, and third transfer modules continuously transfer the material output from the upstream equipment to the downstream equipment without stagnation, thereby improving product processing efficiency and ensuring product quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of material handling technology, and more specifically, to a material handling method, control device, and material handling equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, automated product processing often involves multiple stages. After each stage of processing, the material needs to be transferred to the next stage for further processing. The equipment at two adjacent stages can be referred to as upstream equipment and downstream equipment, respectively.

[0003] Currently, the most commonly used material transfer technology is uniform step-pitch transfer, which means that the output end of the upstream equipment is adjacent to the input end of the transfer module, and the output end of the transfer module is adjacent to the input end of the downstream equipment. Within a single cycle of material transfer by the upstream equipment, a complete set of start-stop actions of the transfer module is completed to successfully transfer the material to the downstream equipment.

[0004] Due to non-uniform gap processing in some equipment during material processing, such as the "N+1" processing mode, after processing N pieces of material at a uniform time, there is a certain waiting time before processing the N+1th piece of material. At this time, the material is stuck on the transmission module, and the upstream equipment is also in a stopped state, no longer outputting material. However, the material stuck on the upstream equipment continues to be processed by this link, which seriously affects the processing efficiency and quality of the crafts. Alternatively, the upstream equipment continues to output material, but the downstream equipment cannot receive material, causing the material to be stuck on the transmission module. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, embodiments of the present invention provide a material transfer method, a control device, and a material transfer equipment to avoid upstream equipment being shut down due to material stagnation on the transfer module, thereby improving product processing efficiency and ensuring product quality.

[0006] The embodiments of the present invention can be implemented as follows:

[0007] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a material transfer method, applied to a control device in a material transfer device. The material transfer device further includes a first transfer module, a second transfer module, and a third transfer module. The input end of the first transfer module is adjacent to the output end of an upstream device. The output end of the first transfer module is adjacent to the input end of the second transfer module. The output end of the second transfer module is adjacent to the input end of the third transfer module. The output end of the third transfer module is adjacent to the input end of a downstream device. The material transfer device further includes a buffer module disposed above the second transfer module. The first transfer module, the second transfer module, the third transfer module, and the buffer module are all electrically connected to the control device. The control device is also electrically connected to the downstream device. The method includes:

[0008] Obtain material arrival information for the first transmission module, the second transmission module, and the third transmission module;

[0009] Obtain the status information of the downstream device;

[0010] Based on the material arrival information of the first transmission module, the second transmission module, and the third transmission module, as well as the status information of the downstream equipment, it is determined whether a transmission interruption event has occurred.

[0011] If the transmission interruption event occurs, the buffer module is controlled to operate the material on the second transmission module so that the first transmission module, the second transmission module and the third transmission module continuously transmit the material output by the upstream device to the downstream device.

[0012] In an optional implementation, the transmission interruption event includes a material overload event and a material underload event. The step of determining whether a transmission interruption event has occurred based on the material arrival information of the first transmission module, the second transmission module, and the third transmission module, as well as the status information of the downstream equipment, includes:

[0013] Based on the material arrival information of the first transmission module, the second transmission module, and the third transmission module, as well as the status information of the downstream equipment, it is determined whether a material overload event or a material underload event has occurred.

[0014] If both the second and third transmission modules have materials and the downstream equipment is not in a waiting state, then it is determined that the material overload event has occurred.

[0015] If there is no material on either the first transmission module or the second transmission module, and the downstream equipment is in a waiting state, then a low material load event is determined to have occurred.

[0016] If neither the material overload event nor the material underload event occurs, then it is determined that the transmission interruption event has not occurred.

[0017] In an optional implementation, the step of determining whether a material overload event or a material underload event has occurred based on the material arrival information of the first transmission module, the second transmission module, and the third transmission module, and the status information of the downstream equipment, includes:

[0018] Based on the material arrival information of the second transmission module, determine whether there is material on the second transmission module;

[0019] If there is material on the second transmission module, then determine whether there is material on the third transmission module based on the material arrival information of the third transmission module;

[0020] If there is material on the third transmission module, then the status information of the downstream device is used to determine whether the downstream device is in a waiting state.

[0021] If the downstream equipment is not in a waiting state, then the material overload event is determined to have occurred.

[0022] In an optional implementation, the step of determining whether a material overload event or a material underload event has occurred based on the material arrival information of the first transmission module, the second transmission module, and the third transmission module, and the status information of the downstream equipment, further includes:

[0023] If there is no material on the second transmission module, then determine whether there is material on the first transmission module based on the material arrival information of the first transmission module;

[0024] If there is no material on the first transmission module, then the status information of the downstream device is used to determine whether the downstream device is in a waiting state.

[0025] If the downstream equipment is in a waiting state, then a low material load event is determined to have occurred.

[0026] In an optional implementation, the transmission interruption event includes a material overload event and a material underload event. The material overload event indicates that both the second transmission module and the third transmission module have material, and the downstream device is not in a waiting state. The material underload event indicates that neither the first transmission module nor the second transmission module has material, and the downstream device is in a waiting state. If a transmission interruption event occurs, the step of controlling the buffer module to operate the material on the second transmission module includes:

[0027] If the material overload event occurs, the buffer module is controlled to raise the material on the second transmission module to the top of the second transmission module according to a first preset time.

[0028] Control the first transmission module to transfer materials to the second transmission module;

[0029] If the material low load event occurs, the buffer module is controlled to lower the material above the second transmission module onto the second transmission module according to the second preset time.

[0030] Control the second transmission module to transfer materials to the third transmission module.

[0031] In an optional implementation, the first preset time and the second preset time satisfy the following formula:

[0032] T up ≥t2+t1-t3

[0033] T down ≤n·(t3-t1)

[0034] V·n·(t3-t1)=2S

[0035] L≥S

[0036] S≤V·t1

[0037] Wherein, T_up is the first preset time, T_down is the second preset time, t_1 is the uniform processing cycle of the downstream equipment, t_2 is the waiting processing time of the downstream equipment, t_3 is the operating cycle of the upstream equipment, V is the transmission speed on the first transmission module, the second transmission module and the third transmission module, S is the preset spacing of the material, and L is the length of the material.

[0038] In an optional implementation, the method further includes:

[0039] If the transmission interruption event does not occur, then obtain the status information of the first transmission module, the second transmission module, and the third transmission module;

[0040] The material transfer is controlled based on the material arrival information of the first transfer module, the second transfer module, and the third transfer module, as well as the status information of the first transfer module, the second transfer module, the third transfer module, and the status information of the downstream equipment.

[0041] In an optional implementation, the step of controlling the material transfer based on the material arrival information of the first transfer module, the second transfer module, and the third transfer module, as well as the status information of the first transfer module, the second transfer module, the third transfer module, and the status information of the downstream device, includes:

[0042] If there is material on the first transmission module, no material on the second transmission module, the downstream equipment is in a waiting state, and both the first transmission module and the second transmission module are stationary, then control the first transmission module to transmit material to the second transmission module;

[0043] If there is material on the second transmission module, no material on the third transmission module, the downstream equipment is in a waiting state, and both the second and third transmission modules are stationary, then control the second transmission module to transmit material to the third transmission module;

[0044] If there is material on the third transmission module, the downstream device is in a waiting state, and the third transmission module is stationary, then the third transmission module is controlled to transmit the material to the downstream device.

[0045] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a control device including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores machine-executable instructions, which, when executed by the processor, implement the method as described in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0046] Thirdly, the present invention provides a material transfer device, including a control device, a first transfer module, a second transfer module, a third transfer module, and a buffer module as described in the foregoing embodiments.

[0047] Compared to existing technologies, the material transfer method, control device, and material transfer equipment provided in this invention first acquire material arrival information from a first transfer module, a second transfer module, and a third transfer module; then, acquire status information from a downstream device; next, based on the material arrival information from the first, second, and third transfer modules and the status information from the downstream device, determine whether a transfer interruption event has occurred; if a transfer interruption event occurs, control a buffer module to operate the material on the second transfer module, so that the first, second, and third transfer modules continuously transfer the material output from the upstream device to the downstream device. Because this invention determines whether a transfer interruption event has occurred based on the material arrival information from the first, second, and third transfer modules and the status information from the downstream device, and controls the buffer module to operate the material on the second transfer module when a transfer interruption event is determined to have occurred, it avoids any stagnation in the process of the first, second, and third transfer modules transferring the material output from the upstream device to the downstream device, thereby improving product processing efficiency and ensuring product quality. Attached Figure Description

[0048] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present invention and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0049] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a material transfer device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 2 A schematic flowchart of a material transfer method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 3 This is another schematic flowchart of the material transfer method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating an implementation of step S103-1 provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0053] Figure 5 This is another schematic flowchart of the material transfer method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0054] Figure 6 A schematic block diagram of a control device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0055] Figure 7This is a functional unit block diagram of a material transfer module provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0056] Icons: 100 - Material transfer equipment; 110 - First transfer module; 120 - Second transfer module; 130 - Third transfer module; 140 - Buffer module; 150 - Control device; 151 - Memory; 152 - Processor; 200 - Upstream equipment; 300 - Downstream equipment; 400 - Material transfer module; 401 - Acquisition unit; 402 - Judgment unit; 403 - Control unit. Detailed Implementation

[0057] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0058] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the invention.

[0059] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.

[0060] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that if terms such as "upper," "lower," "inner," or "outer" are used to indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship in which the product of this invention is usually placed, they are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this invention.

[0061] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be interpreted as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0062] It should be noted that, where there is no conflict, the features in the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other.

[0063] To avoid the impact on the processing efficiency and quality of handicrafts caused by upstream equipment being shut down due to material stagnation on the conveying module, embodiments of the present invention provide a material conveying method, a control device, and a material conveying equipment, which will be described in detail below.

[0064] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 This diagram illustrates a structural schematic of a material transfer device 100 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The material transfer device 100 is disposed between an upstream device 200 and a downstream device 300. The material transfer device 100 includes a first transfer module 110, a second transfer module 120, a third transfer module 130, a buffer module 140, and a control device. Figure 1 (Not shown in the diagram), wherein the input terminal of the first transmission module 110 is adjacent to the output terminal of the upstream device 200, the output terminal of the first transmission module 110 is adjacent to the input terminal of the second transmission module 120, the output terminal of the second transmission module 120 is adjacent to the input terminal of the third transmission module 130, the output terminal of the third transmission module 130 is adjacent to the input terminal of the downstream device 300, and the buffer module 140 is disposed above the second transmission module 120. The first transmission module 110, the second transmission module 120, the third transmission module 130, and the buffer module 140 are all electrically connected to the control device. The control device is also electrically connected to the downstream device 300.

[0065] The first transmission module 110, the second transmission module 120, and the third transmission module 130 are used for material transmission. A piece of material output from the upstream device 200 is first transferred to the second transmission module 120 via a set of start-stop operations performed by the first transmission module 110, then transferred to the third transmission module 130 via a set of start-stop operations performed by the second transmission module 120, and finally transferred to the downstream device 300 via a set of start-stop operations performed by the third transmission module 130. Specifically, the first transmission module 110 performs one start-stop operation, transferring material to it; then it performs another start-stop operation, transferring material to the second transmission module 120; simultaneously, the second transmission module 120 performs one start-stop operation, transferring material to itself, and so on. The first transmission module 110, the second transmission module 120, and the third transmission module 130 can be belt conveyors including conveyor belts and servo motors driving the conveyor belts. The first transmission module 110, the second transmission module 120, and the third transmission module 130 also include a detection device (e.g., a position sensor) for detecting whether there is material on the transmission module. If there is material on the transmission module, a signal is sent directly to the control device, and the control device determines whether there is material on the transmission module based on whether it receives a signal from the position sensor.

[0066] The buffer module 140 can lift the material on the second transmission module 120 to a certain height above the second transmission module 120 by vertical lifting operation, or lower the material temporarily placed above the second transmission module 120 onto the second transmission module 120.

[0067] Typically, the buffer module 140 can be a suction cup located above the second transmission module to pick up materials and complete the buffering; or, the buffer module 140 can be the buffer module described in CN105618934B.

[0068] Of course, the buffer module 140 can also be used for other means of grabbing and buffering materials on the second transmission module 120, and releasing the buffered materials to the second transmission module 120.

[0069] The control device can control the startup and operation of the first transmission module 110, the second transmission module 120, the third transmission module 130, and the buffer module 140 to transfer the materials output from the upstream device 200 to the downstream device. The control device can be, but is not limited to, a single computer device, a cluster of multiple computer devices, or a storage array, etc.

[0070] As those skilled in the art will understand, the upstream device 200, downstream device 300, first transmission module 110, second transmission module 120, and third transmission module 130 are relative concepts. In some cases, the first transmission module may be located within the upstream device 200, and the third transmission module 130 may be located within the downstream device 300.

[0071] Below is the above Figure 1 Based on this, the material transfer method applied to the control device in the material transfer equipment 100 is introduced.

[0072] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 A schematic flowchart of a material transfer method provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown, the material transfer method including steps S101 to S104.

[0073] S101, Obtain material arrival information from the first transmission module, the second transmission module, and the third transmission module.

[0074] The material arrival information is obtained by the detection device on the transmission module and sent to the control device, which can indicate whether there is material on the transmission module. The control device determines whether there is material on the first transmission module 110, the second transmission module 120, or the third transmission module 130 based on the material arrival information of the first transmission module 110, the second transmission module 120, or the third transmission module 130.

[0075] Specifically, the detection device can be a position sensor. When the material arrives, the sensor detects it and sends a signal to the control device.

[0076] S102, Obtain the status information of downstream devices.

[0077] The status information of the downstream device 300 reflects its current processing stage. Since the downstream device 300 adopts an "N+1" processing mode, it includes two processing stages: the first stage involves processing N pieces of material at a uniform time, and the second stage is a waiting period before processing the (N+1)th piece of material. In the first processing stage, the downstream device 300 is in a waiting state and continuously receives material from the third transmission module 130. In the second processing stage, the downstream device 300 is not in a waiting state, and the third transmission module 130 stops because it cannot input material into the downstream device 300 through a set of start operations. This causes the first transmission module 110 and the second transmission module 120 to also stop, waiting for the downstream device 300 to return to a waiting state. S103, based on the material arrival information of the first, second, and third transmission modules, and the status information of the downstream device, it is determined whether a transmission interruption event has occurred.

[0078] A transmission interruption event refers to an interruption in the process of material output from upstream device 200 being transferred to downstream device 300 by the first transmission module 110, the second transmission module 120, and the third transmission module 130. The control device determines whether an interruption has occurred in the material transmission process based on whether there is material on the first transmission module 110, the second transmission module 120, or the third transmission module 130, and the processing stage of the downstream device 300. If a transmission interruption event occurs, step S104 is executed.

[0079] S104, control the buffer module to operate the material on the second transmission module so that the first transmission module, the second transmission module and the third transmission module continuously transmit the material output by the upstream device to the downstream device.

[0080] When the control device determines that the material transfer process between the upstream device 200 and the downstream device 300 is interrupted, it activates the buffer module 140. By controlling the vertical lifting operation of the buffer module 140, the material on the second transmission module 120 is raised to a certain height above the second transmission module 120, or the material temporarily placed above the second transmission module 120 is lowered onto the second transmission module 120, so as to restore the material transfer process between the upstream device 200 and the downstream device 300.

[0081] Preferably, the buffer module 140 can be installed directly above the center of the second transmission module 120. When the control device controls the buffer module 140 to raise the material on the second transmission module 120 to a certain height above the second transmission module 120, it will control the second transmission module 120 to move the material to its center position to facilitate the buffer module 140 in performing related operations. Understandably, when the control device controls the buffer module 140 to lower the material temporarily placed above the second transmission module 120 onto the second transmission module 120, the material is placed at the center position of the second transmission module 120.

[0082] The method provided in this embodiment of the invention has the following advantages: by using the material arrival information of the materials on the first, second, and third transmission modules, as well as the status information of the downstream equipment, it determines whether a transmission interruption event has occurred. When a transmission interruption event is determined to have occurred, it controls the buffer module to operate the materials on the second transmission module, thereby preventing the process of the first, second, and third transmission modules transmitting the materials output from the upstream equipment to the downstream equipment from being halted, thus improving the processing efficiency of the product and ensuring the quality of the product.

[0083] If step S103 determines that no transmission interruption event has occurred, meaning that the material transmission process between upstream device 200 and downstream device 300 has not been interrupted, then please refer to the following again. Figure 1 The material transfer method further includes steps S105 and S106.

[0084] S105, obtain the status information of the first transmission module, the second transmission module and the third transmission module.

[0085] The status information of the first transmission module 110, the second transmission module 120, and the third transmission module 130 refers to their static or dynamic states. This can be obtained from the operation of the servo motor. As those skilled in the art know, the static or dynamic state of the transmission modules, transmission speed, position, and other new information can all be obtained from the operation of the servo motor. S106, based on the material arrival information of the first, second, and third transmission modules, as well as the status information of the first, second, and third transmission modules and the status information of the downstream equipment, the material transmission is controlled.

[0086] The control device controls the start and stop of the first transmission module 110, the second transmission module 120 and / or the third transmission module 130 based on whether there is material on the first transmission module 110, the second transmission module 120 and the third transmission module 130, the processing stage of the downstream equipment 300, and the operating status of the first transmission module 110, the second transmission module 120 and the third transmission module 130, so as to transfer the material from the upstream equipment 200 to the downstream equipment 300.

[0087] Since there are many possible scenarios for the first transmission module 110, the second transmission module 120, the third transmission module 130, and the downstream device 300, the control device needs to determine which scenarios have experienced transmission interruption events and which scenarios have not. Therefore, this embodiment of the invention also provides a possible implementation of step S103, which will be described in detail below.

[0088] Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 The diagram shows another flow chart of the material transfer method provided in the embodiment of the present invention, wherein step S103 includes steps S103-1 to S103-4.

[0089] S103-1, based on the material arrival information of the materials on the first transmission module, the second transmission module and the third transmission module, and the status information of the downstream equipment, determine whether a material overload event or a material underload event has occurred.

[0090] Among these, transmission interruption events include material overload events and material underload events. Material overload events generally occur in the second processing stage of downstream equipment 300, indicating that multiple pieces of material are stuck between upstream equipment 200 and downstream equipment 300. Material underload events generally occur in the first processing stage of downstream equipment 300, indicating that there is no material transmission between upstream equipment 200 and downstream equipment 300.

[0091] In this embodiment of the invention, if a material overload event occurs, steps S103-2 and S104 are executed; if a material underload event occurs, steps S103-3 and S104 are executed; if neither a material overload event nor a material underload event occurs, steps S103-4 and S105 to S106 are executed.

[0092] S103-2 If there are materials on both the second and third transmission modules and the downstream equipment is not in a waiting state, then it is determined that a material overload event has occurred.

[0093] When downstream device 300 is not in a waiting-for-materials state, it means that downstream device 300 is currently in the second processing stage and is not receiving materials. At this time, if there is material on the third transmission module 130, the material will be stopped, and the material being transmitted by the first transmission module 110 will also be stopped on the second transmission module 120. It can be understood that the material output from the upstream device 200 will subsequently be stopped on the first transmission module 110. Therefore, when the control device determines that there is material on both the second transmission module 120 and the third transmission module 130, and the downstream device 300 is not in a waiting-for-materials state, it can be determined that a material overload event has occurred.

[0094] S103-3 If there is no material on both the first and second transmission modules and the downstream equipment is in a waiting state, then a low material load event is determined to have occurred.

[0095] When downstream equipment 300 is in a waiting-for-materials state, it means that downstream equipment 300 is currently in the first processing stage and needs to receive materials. At this time, if there is no material on the first transmission module 110, then there will be no more material transmission on the second transmission module 120. Understandably, there will also be no material transmission to downstream equipment 300 from the third transmission module 130. Therefore, when the control device determines that there is no material on both the first transmission module 110 and the second transmission module 120, and downstream equipment 300 is in a waiting-for-materials state, it can be determined that a low-load event has occurred.

[0096] S103-4 If no material overload event or material underload event occurs, it is determined that no transmission interruption event has occurred.

[0097] When neither of the above situations occurs ("there is material on both the second transmission module 120 and the third transmission module 130, and the downstream device 300 is not in a waiting state") nor ("there is no material on both the first transmission module 110 and the second transmission module 120, and the downstream device 300 is in a waiting state"), it means that the material transmission process between the upstream device 200 and the downstream device 300 has not been interrupted, and the control device can determine that no transmission interruption event has occurred.

[0098] It should be noted that since steps S105 and S106 have already been described above, they will not be repeated here.

[0099] The above content describes the scenarios in which the first transmission module 110, the second transmission module 120, the third transmission module 130, and the downstream equipment 300 are located when material overload events and material underload events occur, respectively. The following will describe in detail how to determine whether the current scenario is the scenario corresponding to the material overload event or the material underload event, i.e., step S103-1.

[0100] Please refer to Figure 4, Figure 4 The present invention illustrates a flowchart of an implementation of step S103-1 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Step S103-1 includes steps S103-1-1 to S103-1-7.

[0101] S103-1-1, Based on the material arrival information of the material on the second transmission module, determine whether there is material on the second transmission module.

[0102] The material arrival information can be detected by the detection device on the aforementioned transmission module. This detection device can be a position sensor, which can determine whether material has been transferred to the second transmission module 120. To quickly determine whether a material overload or underload event has occurred, the control device can first determine whether there is material on the second transmission module 120 based on the material arrival information from the second transmission module 120.

[0103] In this embodiment of the invention, if there is material on the second transmission module 120, step S103-1-2 is executed to further determine whether a material overload event has occurred; if there is no material on the second transmission module 120, step S103-1-5 is executed to further determine whether a material underload event has occurred.

[0104] S103-1-2, determine whether there is material on the third transmission module based on the material arrival information on the third transmission module.

[0105] When there is material on the second transmission module 120, the control device can determine whether there is material on the third transmission module 130 based on the material arrival information of the third transmission module 130, and thus determine whether a material overload event has occurred.

[0106] If there is no material on the third transmission module 130, it means that the material on the second transmission module 120 can be transferred to the third transmission module 130, and the material from the first transmission module 110 can be transferred to the second transmission module 120. That is, there will be no multiple material blocks stuck between the upstream device 200 and the downstream device 300, and it can be directly determined that no material overload event has occurred, i.e., proceed to step S103-4. If there is material on the third transmission module 130, then step S103-1-3 also needs to be executed.

[0107] S103-1-3, determine whether the downstream equipment is in a waiting state based on the status information of the downstream equipment.

[0108] When there is material on the third transmission module 130, the control device also needs to determine whether the downstream equipment 300 is in a waiting state in order to determine whether a material overload event has occurred.

[0109] If downstream device 300 is in a waiting state, it means that the material on the third transmission module 130 can be input into downstream device 300, and the material on the second transmission module 120 can be transferred to the third transmission module 130. Subsequently, the material from the first transmission module 110 can be transferred to the second transmission module 120. That is, there will be no multiple pieces of material stuck between upstream device 200 and downstream device 300, and it can be directly determined that no material overload event has occurred, i.e., proceed to step S103-4. If downstream device 300 is not in a waiting state, then proceed to step S103-1-4.

[0110] S103-1-4, determines that a material overload event has occurred.

[0111] If the downstream device 300 is not in a waiting state, it means that the material on the third transmission module 130 will be stagnant and cannot be input into the downstream device 300. The material on the second transmission module 120 will also be stagnant because it cannot be transmitted to the third transmission module 130. Understandably, the material in the first transmission module 110 will also be stagnant. That is, multiple pieces of material are stagnant between the upstream device 200 and the downstream device 300, which confirms that a material overload event has occurred.

[0112] S103-1-5, if there is no material on the second transmission module, then determine whether there is material on the first transmission module based on the material arrival information of the material on the first transmission module.

[0113] When there is no material on the second transmission module 120, the control device can determine whether there is material on the first transmission module 110 based on the material arrival information of the first transmission module 110, thereby determining whether a material low-load event has occurred. If there is material on the first transmission module 110, it means that the material on the first transmission module 110 can be transferred to the second transmission module 120, and then the second transmission module 120 will transfer the material to the third transmission module 130. That is, there will be no material shortage between the upstream device 200 and the downstream device 300, and it can be directly determined that no material low-load event has occurred, i.e., step S103-4 is executed. If there is no material on the first transmission module 110, step S103-1-6 also needs to be executed.

[0114] S103-1-6, Determine whether the downstream equipment is in a waiting state based on the status information of the downstream equipment.

[0115] When there is no material on the first transmission module 110, the control device also needs to determine whether the downstream device 300 is in a waiting state to determine whether a low-load event has occurred. If the downstream device 300 is not in a waiting state, it means that there is material on the third transmission module 130 that is stagnant, that is, there will be no material transfer between the upstream device 200 and the downstream device 300, and it can be directly determined that no low-load event has occurred, i.e., step S103-4 is executed. If the downstream device 300 is in a waiting state, then step S103-1-7 is executed.

[0116] S103-1-7, a low material load event has been determined.

[0117] If the downstream equipment 300 is in a waiting state, it means that there is no material stagnation in the third transmission module 130. Since there is no material transmitted from the first transmission module 110 to the second transmission module 120, there is also no material transmitted from the second transmission module 120 to the third transmission module 130. In other words, there is no material transmission between the upstream equipment 200 and the downstream equipment 300, which indicates that a low material load event has occurred.

[0118] It should be noted that since steps 103-4 have already been introduced earlier, they will not be repeated here.

[0119] The following will provide a detailed description of step S104.

[0120] The control device operates the buffer module 140 differently to restore the material transfer process between upstream device 200 and downstream device 300 for material overload and underload events, respectively. Please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 5 , Figure 5 This diagram illustrates another flow chart of the material transfer method provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Step S104 includes steps S104-1 to S104-4. Specifically, if the transmission interruption event is a material overload event, steps S104-1 and S104-2 are executed; if the transmission interruption event is a material underload event, steps S104-3 and S104-4 are executed.

[0121] S104-1, Control the buffer module to raise the material on the second transmission module to the top of the second transmission module according to the first preset time.

[0122] The first preset time is determined by the operating cycles of the upstream device 200 and the downstream device 300. The operating cycle of the upstream device 200 refers to its material output cycle, and the operating cycle of the downstream device 300 includes the time consumed by the downstream device 300 to process each piece of material in the first processing stage and the duration of the second processing stage. In the event of a material overload, the control device, based on the material arrival information on the second transmission module 120, controls the second transmission module 120 to move the material directly below the buffer module 140, and then controls the buffer module 140 to grab the material from the second transmission module 120 according to the first preset time, and raise the material above the second transmission module 120. Optionally, the buffer module 140 may have its own space for placing materials, or it may temporarily store materials in other devices at a certain height above the second transmission module 120.

[0123] S104-2, controls the first transmission module to transfer materials to the second transmission module.

[0124] In this process, after the buffer module 140 raises the material from the second transmission module 120 to above the second transmission module 120, the control device controls the first transmission module 110 to transfer the stagnant material to the second transmission module 120, so that the upstream device 200 continues to output material to the first transmission module 110.

[0125] S104-3, control the buffer module to lower the material above the second transmission module onto the second transmission module according to the second preset time.

[0126] The second preset time is determined by the operating cycle of the upstream device 200 and the downstream device 300, the transmission speed of the first transmission module 110, the second transmission module 120 and the third transmission module 130, the preset spacing of the materials, and the length of the materials. In the event of a material overload, the control device can control the buffer module 140 to release the temporarily stored materials in its own space to the second transmission module 120 according to the second preset time, or to lower materials temporarily stored in other devices at a certain height above the second transmission module 120 to the second transmission module 120.

[0127] Understandably, before executing step S104-3, the control device also needs to determine whether there is material stored in the space of the buffer module 140 itself, or whether there is material in other devices at a certain height above the second transmission module 120. If so, step S104-3 is executed.

[0128] S104-4 controls the second transmission module to transfer materials to the third transmission module.

[0129] In this process, after the buffer module 140 releases material to the second transmission module 120, the control device controls the second transmission module 120 to transfer the just-released material to the third transmission module 130, so that the third transmission module 130 continues to transfer material to the downstream equipment 300.

[0130] It should be noted that the time it takes for the buffer module 140 to raise the material on the second transmission module 120 to the top of the second transmission module 120 is the first preset time T. up The duration for the buffer module 140 to release materials to the second transmission module 120, i.e., the second preset time T. down Satisfy the following formula:

[0131] T up ≥t2+t1-t3

[0132] T down ≤n·(t3-t1)

[0133] V·n·(t3-t1)=2S

[0134] L≥S

[0135] S≤V·t1

[0136] In the formula, t1 is the time consumed by the downstream equipment 300 to process each piece of material in the first processing stage (i.e., the uniform processing cycle of the downstream equipment 300), t2 is the duration of the second processing stage of the downstream equipment 300 (i.e., the waiting processing time of the downstream equipment 300), t3 is the material output cycle of the upstream equipment 200 (i.e., the operating cycle of the upstream equipment 200), V is the transmission speed of the material on the first transmission module 110, the second transmission module 120 and the third transmission module 130, S is the preset spacing of the material, and L is the length of the sheet material.

[0137] The above describes how the control device operates the buffer module 140 to restore the material transfer process between the upstream device 200 and the downstream device 300 when a transmission interruption event occurs. The following will describe in detail how the control device controls the operation of the first transmission module 110, the second transmission module 120, and the third transmission module 130 to achieve material transfer when no transmission interruption event occurs, i.e., step S106. Step S106 includes steps S106-1 to S106-3.

[0138] S106-1 If there is material on the first transmission module, no material on the second transmission module, the downstream equipment is in a waiting state, and both the first and second transmission modules are stationary, then control the first transmission module to transmit material to the second transmission module.

[0139] When the control device determines that there is material on the first transmission module 110 and no material on the second transmission module 120, and both the first transmission module 110 and the second transmission module 120 are stationary and the downstream equipment 300 is also in a waiting state, the control device controls the first transmission module 110 to start and stop once to transfer the material to the second transmission module 120.

[0140] S106-2 If there is material on the second transmission module, no material on the third transmission module, the downstream equipment is in a waiting state, and both the second and third transmission modules are stationary, then control the second transmission module to transmit material to the third transmission module.

[0141] Specifically, when the control device determines that there is material on the second transmission module 120 and no material on the third transmission module 130, and both the second transmission module 120 and the third transmission module 130 are stationary, and the downstream equipment 300 is also in a waiting state, the control device controls the second transmission module 120 to start and stop once to transfer the material to the third transmission module 130.

[0142] S106-3 If there is material on the third transmission module, the downstream equipment is in a waiting state, and the third transmission module is stationary, then control the third transmission module to transmit the material to the downstream equipment.

[0143] When the control device determines that there is material on the third transmission module 130 and the third transmission module 130 is stationary and the downstream equipment 300 is also in a waiting state, the control device controls the third transmission module 130 to start and stop once to transfer the material to the downstream equipment 300.

[0144] Furthermore, this embodiment of the invention also provides a structural schematic block diagram of the control device 150, please refer to... Figure 6 The control device 150 may include a memory 151 and a processor 152.

[0145] The processor 152 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of a program for controlling the material transfer method provided in the above method embodiments.

[0146] The memory 151 may be a ROM or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, RAM or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but not limited thereto. The memory 151 may exist independently and be connected to the processor 152 via a communication bus. The memory 151 may also be integrated with the processor 152. The memory 151 is used to store machine-executable instructions for executing the scheme of this application. The processor 152 is used to execute the machine-executable instructions stored in the memory 151 to implement the above-described method embodiments.

[0147] This invention also provides a machine-readable storage medium containing machine-executable instructions, which, when executed, can be used to perform related operations in the material transfer method provided in the above-described method embodiments.

[0148] Please refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 This is a functional unit block diagram of a material transfer module 400 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The material transfer module 400 may include an acquisition unit 401, a judgment unit 402, and a control unit 403. The acquisition unit 401, the judgment unit 402, and the control unit 403 can all be stored in a machine-readable storage medium in software form. It should be noted that the material transfer module 400 provided in this embodiment of the present invention has the same basic principle and technical effects as the above embodiments; for the sake of brevity, these are not mentioned in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0149] The acquisition unit 401 is used to acquire material arrival information of the first transmission module, the second transmission module and the third transmission module;

[0150] The acquisition unit 401 is also used to acquire the status information of the downstream device;

[0151] The judgment unit 402 is used to determine whether a transmission interruption event has occurred based on the material arrival information of the first transmission module, the second transmission module and the third transmission module, and the status information of the downstream equipment.

[0152] The control unit 403 is used to control the buffer module to operate the material on the second transmission module in the event of a transmission interruption, so that the first transmission module, the second transmission module and the third transmission module continuously transmit the material output from the upstream equipment to the downstream equipment.

[0153] In one implementation, the transmission interruption event includes a material overload event and a material underload event. The judgment unit 402 is specifically used to determine whether a material overload event or a material underload event has occurred based on the material arrival information of the first transmission module, the second transmission module, and the third transmission module, as well as the status information of the downstream equipment. If there is material on both the second and third transmission modules and the downstream equipment is not in a waiting state, then a material overload event is determined to have occurred. If there is no material on both the first and second transmission modules and the downstream equipment is in a waiting state, then a material underload event is determined to have occurred. If neither a material overload event nor a material underload event has occurred, then no transmission interruption event is determined to have occurred.

[0154] In one implementation, when the judgment unit 402 is used to determine whether a material overload event or a material underload event has occurred based on the material arrival information of the first, second, and third transmission modules and the status information of the downstream equipment, it is further specifically used to determine whether there is material on the second transmission module based on the material arrival information of the second transmission module; if there is material on the second transmission module, it determines whether there is material on the third transmission module based on the material arrival information of the third transmission module; if there is material on the third transmission module, it determines whether the downstream equipment is in a waiting state based on the status information of the downstream equipment; if the downstream equipment is not in a waiting state, it is determined that a material overload event has occurred. If there is no material on the second transmission module, it determines whether there is material on the first transmission module based on the material arrival information of the first transmission module; if there is no material on the first transmission module, it determines whether the downstream equipment is in a waiting state based on the status information of the downstream equipment; if the downstream equipment is in a waiting state, it is determined that a material underload event has occurred.

[0155] In one implementation, if a material overload event occurs, the control unit 403 is specifically used to control the buffer module to raise the material on the second transmission module to above the second transmission module according to a first preset time; and to control the first transmission module to transfer material to the second transmission module. If a material underload event occurs, the control unit 403 is also specifically used to control the buffer module to lower the material above the second transmission module to the second transmission module according to a second preset time; and to control the second transmission module to transfer material to the third transmission module. Furthermore, the first preset time and the second preset time satisfy the following formula:

[0156] T up ≥t2+t1-t3

[0157] Tdown ≤n·(t3-t1)

[0158] V·n·(t3-t1)=2S

[0159] L≥S

[0160] S≤V·t1

[0161] Where T_up is the first preset time, T_down is the second preset time, t_1 is the uniform processing cycle of the downstream equipment, t_2 is the waiting processing time of the downstream equipment, t_3 is the operating cycle of the upstream equipment, V is the transmission speed on the first transmission module, the second transmission module and the third transmission module, S is the preset spacing of the material, and L is the length of the material.

[0162] In one implementation, if no transmission interruption event occurs, the acquisition unit 401 is further configured to acquire the status information of the first transmission module, the second transmission module, and the third transmission module, and the control unit 403 is further configured to control the transmission of materials based on the material arrival information of the first transmission module, the second transmission module, and the third transmission module, as well as the status information of the first transmission module, the second transmission module, the third transmission module, and the status information of the downstream equipment.

[0163] In one implementation, the control unit 403 is further specifically configured to: if there is material on the first transmission module, no material on the second transmission module, the downstream equipment is in a waiting state, and both the first and second transmission modules are stationary, then control the first transmission module to transmit material to the second transmission module; if there is material on the second transmission module, no material on the third transmission module, the downstream equipment is in a waiting state, and both the second and third transmission modules are stationary, then control the second transmission module to transmit material to the third transmission module; if there is material on the third transmission module, the downstream equipment is in a waiting state, and the third transmission module is stationary, then control the third transmission module to transmit material to the downstream equipment.

[0164] In summary, the material transfer method, control device, and material transfer equipment provided by this invention first acquire material arrival information on the first, second, and third transfer modules; then, acquire the status information of the downstream equipment; next, based on the material arrival information of the first, second, and third transfer modules and the status information of the downstream equipment, determine whether a transfer interruption event has occurred; if a transfer interruption event occurs, control the buffer module to operate the material on the second transfer module, so that the first, second, and third transfer modules continuously transfer the material output from the upstream equipment to the downstream equipment. Because this invention determines whether a transfer interruption event has occurred based on the material arrival information of the first, second, and third transfer modules and the status information of the downstream equipment, and controls the buffer module to operate the material on the second transfer module when a transfer interruption event is determined to have occurred, it avoids any stagnation in the process of the first, second, and third transfer modules transferring the material output from the upstream equipment to the downstream equipment, thereby improving product processing efficiency and ensuring product quality.

[0165] The above are merely specific embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A material transfer method, characterized in that, A control device is applied in a material conveying equipment, the material conveying equipment further comprising a first conveying module, a second conveying module, and a third conveying module. The input end of the first conveying module is adjacent to the output end of an upstream device, the output end of the first conveying module is adjacent to the input end of the second conveying module, the output end of the second conveying module is adjacent to the input end of the third conveying module, and the output end of the third conveying module is adjacent to the input end of a downstream device. The material conveying equipment further comprises a buffer module disposed above the second conveying module. The first conveying module, the second conveying module, the third conveying module, and the buffer module are all electrically connected to the control device, and the control device is also electrically connected to the downstream device. The method includes: Obtain material arrival information for the first transmission module, the second transmission module, and the third transmission module; Obtain the status information of the downstream device; Based on the material arrival information of the first transmission module, the second transmission module, and the third transmission module, as well as the status information of the downstream equipment, it is determined whether a transmission interruption event has occurred. If the transmission interruption event occurs, the buffer module is controlled to operate the material on the second transmission module so that the first transmission module, the second transmission module and the third transmission module continuously transmit the material output by the upstream device to the downstream device; The transmission interruption events include material overload events and material underload events. The step of determining whether a transmission interruption event has occurred based on the material arrival information of the first transmission module, the second transmission module, and the third transmission module, as well as the status information of the downstream equipment, includes: Based on the material arrival information of the first transmission module, the second transmission module, and the third transmission module, as well as the status information of the downstream equipment, it is determined whether a material overload event or a material underload event has occurred. If both the second and third transmission modules have materials and the downstream equipment is not in a waiting state, then it is determined that the material overload event has occurred. If there is no material on either the first transmission module or the second transmission module, and the downstream equipment is in a waiting state, then a low material load event is determined to have occurred. If neither the material overload event nor the material underload event occurs, then it is determined that the transmission interruption event has not occurred.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining whether a material overload event or a material underload event has occurred based on the material arrival information of the first transmission module, the second transmission module, and the third transmission module, as well as the status information of the downstream equipment, includes: Based on the material arrival information of the second transmission module, determine whether there is material on the second transmission module; If there is material on the second transmission module, then determine whether there is material on the third transmission module based on the material arrival information of the third transmission module; If there is material on the third transmission module, then the status information of the downstream device is used to determine whether the downstream device is in a waiting state. If the downstream equipment is not in a waiting state, then the material overload event is determined to have occurred.

3. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The step of determining whether a material overload event or a material underload event has occurred based on the material arrival information of the first transmission module, the second transmission module, and the third transmission module, as well as the status information of the downstream equipment, further includes: If there is no material on the second transmission module, then determine whether there is material on the first transmission module based on the material arrival information of the first transmission module; If there is no material on the first transmission module, then the status information of the downstream device is used to determine whether the downstream device is in a waiting state. If the downstream equipment is in a waiting state, then a low material load event is determined to have occurred.

4. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The step of controlling the buffer module to operate the materials on the second transmission module in the event of a transmission interruption includes: If the material overload event occurs, the buffer module is controlled to raise the material on the second transmission module to the top of the second transmission module according to a first preset time. Control the first transmission module to transfer materials to the second transmission module; If the material low load event occurs, the buffer module is controlled to lower the material above the second transmission module onto the second transmission module according to the second preset time. Control the second transmission module to transfer materials to the third transmission module.

5. The method as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The first preset time and the second preset time satisfy the following formula: in, For the first preset time, For the second preset time, The time-limited processing cycle of the downstream equipment. The waiting time for the downstream equipment is [duration]. The operating cycle of the upstream equipment. The transmission speeds on the first transmission module, the second transmission module, and the third transmission module are... The preset spacing of the materials. The length of the material is given.

6. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the transmission interruption event does not occur, then obtain the status information of the first transmission module, the second transmission module, and the third transmission module; The material transfer is controlled based on the material arrival information of the first transfer module, the second transfer module, and the third transfer module, as well as the status information of the first transfer module, the second transfer module, the third transfer module, and the status information of the downstream equipment.

7. The method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The steps for controlling the material transfer based on the material arrival information of the first transfer module, the second transfer module, and the third transfer module, as well as the status information of the first transfer module, the second transfer module, the third transfer module, and the status information of the downstream equipment, include: If there is material on the first transmission module, no material on the second transmission module, the downstream equipment is in a waiting state, and both the first transmission module and the second transmission module are stationary, then control the first transmission module to transmit material to the second transmission module; If there is material on the second transmission module, no material on the third transmission module, the downstream equipment is in a waiting state, and both the second and third transmission modules are stationary, then control the second transmission module to transmit material to the third transmission module; If there is material on the third transmission module, the downstream device is in a waiting state, and the third transmission module is stationary, then the third transmission module is controlled to transmit the material to the downstream device.

8. A control device, characterized in that, The method includes a memory and a processor, the memory storing machine-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-7.

9. A material conveying device, characterized in that, It includes the control device as described in claim 8, the first transmission module, the second transmission module, the third transmission module, and the buffer module.

Images