Automatic Feeding Flow Regulation System and Method for Leaf Loader

Abstract

The present invention discloses an automatic feeding flow rate adjustment system and method for a leaf feeder. The main design concept of the present invention is to form a systematic feeding machine supply flow rate control scheme through multiple hardware architectures such as an inclined conveyor belt, a feeding bin, an electronic belt scale, and a horizontal conveyor belt. Through the material level detection measure on the feeding bin, the motor realizes precise self-adaptive control of the feeding speed, replaces the existing single storage cabinet with a large volume by three means of coordinated material transportation, namely the electronic belt scale, the inclined conveyor belt, and the horizontal conveyor belt, and can comprehensively adjust the supply flow rate based on the independent speed matching of the three, so as to ensure the stable flow supply target of the feeding machine.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of cigarette manufacturing, and particularly to an automatic feeding flow rate adjusting system and method for a leaf flavoring machine. Background Art

[0002] In the process of cigarette cut tobacco processing, after the raw tobacco leaves are rehumidified, they need to immediately enter the flavoring machine to add sugar flavorings. However, this process is likely to cause fluctuations in the feeding flow rate of the flavoring machine. Therefore, the industry considers adding a feeding device that can buffer materials and adjust the flow rate of raw tobacco leaves after rehumidification to ensure the stability of the feeding flow rate of the flavoring machine.

[0003] Currently, the main technical measure taken in the industry to solve the above problems is to install a storage cabinet in front of the flavoring machine. Before the flavoring machine works, the storage cabinet is first filled with materials, and then the feeding stability is ensured by adjusting the discharging speed of the storage cabinet.

[0004] However, after practical application, it is found that the method of adding a storage cabinet mainly has the following two disadvantages:

[0005] ① To meet the feeding flow rate of 6000 to 7000 kg / h per hour of the flavoring machine, the volume of the storage cabinet must be too large, which is very inconvenient for installation and use.

[0006] ② The method of meeting the feeding flow rate is mainly to adjust the bottom belt speed of the storage cabinet. This mechanism especially depends on experience, so it cannot reliably suppress fluctuations, resulting in the inability to achieve the expected feeding flow rate control. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide an automatic feeding flow rate adjusting system and method for a leaf flavoring machine to solve the aforementioned technical problems.

[0008] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0009] The present invention provides an automatic feeding flow rate adjusting system for a leaf flavoring machine, which includes an inclined conveyor belt, a feeding bin, an electronic belt scale, and a horizontal conveyor belt arranged in sequence, wherein the end of the inclined conveyor belt corresponds to the entrance of the feeding bin; the outlet of the feeding bin corresponds to the head end of the electronic belt scale, and the electronic belt scale is driven by a motor; the end of the electronic belt scale is connected to the head end of the horizontal conveyor belt, and the end of the horizontal conveyor belt corresponds to the flavoring machine;

[0010] The operating speed of the electronic belt scale for adjusting the supply flow rate is controlled by the operating frequency of the motor, and the motor is electrically connected to a level detection device arranged at the feeding bin.

[0011] In at least one possible implementation manner, the feeding bin is at least composed of a feeding bin vertical baffle and a feeding bin adjusting plate.

[0012] In at least one possible implementation, the adjustment system further includes a rotating shaft for adjusting the angle of the feeding bin adjusting plate.

[0013] In at least one possible implementation, the maximum adjustment limit of the feeding bin adjusting plate is 65 degrees.

[0014] In at least one possible implementation, the material level detection device includes at least three photoelectric switches corresponding to high, medium, and low material levels from top to bottom.

[0015] In at least one possible implementation, a rotating rake is provided at the end of the electronic belt scale.

[0016] In at least one possible implementation, a bin structure is provided above the electronic belt scale.

[0017] The present invention also provides a method for automatically adjusting the feeding flow rate of a leaf feeder, which includes:

[0018] Determine the speed range of the electronic belt scale according to the flow process parameters of several grades in the production batch;

[0019] Calculate the target speed based on the supply amount of raw tobacco leaves;

[0020] If the target speed is within the speed range, control the operation of the electronic belt scale according to the calculated target speed; if the target speed exceeds the speed range, control the operation of the electronic belt scale according to the end point speed of the speed range;

[0021] During the feeding process, the actual material level of the feeding bin is detected in real time;

[0022] Based on the actual material level, adaptively adjust the feeding speed, including: establishing a speed correlation relationship between the inclined conveyor belt and the horizontal conveyor belt located before and after the electronic belt scale through the speed of the electronic belt scale.

[0023] In at least one possible implementation, the speed correlation relationship is: the speed of the horizontal conveyor belt is equal to 15 times the speed of the inclined conveyor belt.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the main design concept of the present invention is to form a systematic feeding machine supply flow regulation scheme through multiple hardware architectures such as an inclined conveyor belt, a feeding bin, an electronic belt scale, and a horizontal conveyor belt, and through the material level detection measures on the feeding bin, the motor realizes precise adaptive regulation of the feeding speed. Three means of coordinated material transportation, namely the electronic belt scale, the inclined conveyor belt, and the horizontal conveyor belt, are used to replace the existing single storage cabinet with an overly large volume, and the supply flow can be comprehensively adjusted based on the independent speed coordination of the three, so as to ensure the stable flow supply target of the feeding machine. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where:

[0026] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of an automatic feeding flow regulation system for a leaf feeding machine provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0027] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below. The examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, where the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements or elements with the same or similar functions from beginning to end. The embodiments described below by referring to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0028] An embodiment of an automatic feeding flow regulation system for a leaf feeding machine is proposed by the present invention. Specifically, as Figure 1 shown, it includes an inclined conveyor belt 2, a feeding bin, an electronic belt scale 6, and a horizontal conveyor belt 11 arranged in sequence. The head end of the inclined conveyor belt 2 corresponds to a humidifying machine (not shown in the figure), and the tail end of the inclined conveyor belt 2 corresponds to the inlet of the feeding bin; the outlet of the feeding bin corresponds to the head end of the electronic belt scale 6, and the electronic belt scale 6 is driven by a motor 1; the tail end of the electronic belt scale 6 is connected to the head end of the horizontal conveyor belt 11, and the tail end of the horizontal conveyor belt 11 corresponds to a feeding machine 12;

[0029] The operating speed of the electronic belt scale 6 for regulating the flow is controlled by the operating frequency of the motor 1, and the motor 1 is electrically signal-connected to a material level detection device 3 arranged at the feeding bin.

[0030] Specifically, the feeding bin is at least composed of a relatively fixed vertical baffle 4 of the feeding bin and an adjustable-angle adjusting plate 8 of the feeding bin. The material level detection device 3 is arranged on the vertical baffle 4 of the feeding bin. This preferred method can adapt to the supply quantity through the angle change of the adjusting plate 8 of the feeding bin according to the actual feeding situation, thereby forming the function of feeding buffer, which will be described later. Based on this concept, the adjusting system is also provided with a rotating shaft 7 for adjusting the angle of the adjusting plate 8 of the feeding bin. Of course, in application, it is not limited to manual or electric control methods to rotate the rotating shaft 7 so as to drive the connected adjusting plate of the feeding bin to change the angle.

[0031] In order to achieve more precise operating speed control, the material level detection device 3 at least includes three photoelectric switches corresponding to high, medium, and low material levels from top to bottom. And in some preferred embodiments, the material level detection device 3 not only serves as a control factor for the conveying speed, but also can use the material level parameters fed back by it as one of the conditions for adjusting the volume of the feeding bin.

[0032] Furthermore, in order to smoothly transfer the tobacco leaf raw materials on the electronic belt scale to the horizontal conveyor belt, a rotating rake 10 can be arranged at the end of the electronic belt scale 6. On the one hand, it improves the import efficiency, and on the other hand, it can also disperse the raw materials during the process of transferring the raw materials, which is beneficial to the subsequent addition of sugar and spices in the flavoring machine.

[0033] Finally, it can also be supplemented that a bin structure 9 is arranged above the electronic belt scale 6, that is, through components such as baffles, an electronic belt scale conveying bin as shown in the figure can be formed, which can not only ensure the stable weighing and conveying function of the electronic belt scale, but also accommodate the required tobacco raw materials to be fed into the flavoring machine to a certain extent.

[0034] Combined with the above embodiments, the working process of this solution is briefly described as follows: electrically control the inclined conveyor belt to send the raw tobacco leaves into the feeding bin composed of the vertical baffle of the feeding bin and the adjusting plate of the feeding bin; then drive the electronic belt scale by the motor to send the raw tobacco leaves into the end of the bin body of the electronic belt scale at the required speed, and then the rotating rake at this place guides the raw tobacco leaves to the horizontal conveyor belt, and then the horizontal conveyor belt continues to convey forward and falls into the flavoring machine.

[0035] Based on the above-mentioned hardware system, correspondingly, the present invention also provides an embodiment of a method for automatically adjusting the feeding flow rate of a leaf flavoring machine. It should be noted that the following examples are not limiting. On the basis of providing the above system architecture, those skilled in the art can use each hardware device in the above system to flexibly design a feeding flow rate adjustment scheme according to actual needs. Continuing from the previous text, the schematic adjustment method includes:

[0036] Determine the speed range of the electronic belt scale according to the flow process parameters of several brands in the production batch;

[0037] Calculate the target speed based on the supply quantity of raw tobacco leaves.

[0038] If the target speed is within the speed range, control the operation of the electronic belt scale according to the calculated target speed; if the target speed exceeds the speed range, control the operation of the electronic belt scale according to the endpoint speed of the speed range.

[0039] During the feeding process, the actual material level of the feeding bin is detected in real time.

[0040] Based on the actual material level, adaptively adjust the feeding speed, including: establishing a speed correlation relationship between the inclined conveyor belt and the horizontal conveyor belt located before and after the electronic belt scale through the speed of the electronic belt scale.

[0041] Specifically, taking a certain feeding production line as an example, assuming that the production line produces the following six brands in total, and the flow process requirements for different brands are 6300, 6900, 7200, 7300, 7400, and 7450 (kg / h) respectively. Thus, to ensure the flow requirements from 6300 to 7450, the operating frequency range of the electronic belt scale can be determined to be 18 to 35 Hz. In actual work, the target frequency can be calculated based on the density of raw tobacco leaves, and the operating frequency can be automatically selected between 18 and 35 Hz. To ensure stable feeding, when the calculated target frequency is less than 18 Hz, 18 Hz is preferably adopted, and when the calculated target frequency is greater than 35 Hz, the highest value of 35 Hz is preferably adopted.

[0042] In addition, to avoid abnormal situations such as blockage of the discharge port of the electronic belt scale bin caused by too fast feeding of the inclined conveyor belt or interruption of the electronic belt scale caused by too slow feeding, the following measures can be taken:

[0043] First, according to the flow rate change characterized by the material level detection, the size of the feeding bin can be adjusted to buffer the accommodation. The specific method can be referred to as: when the flow rate increases, trigger the rotary shaft 7 to rotate counterclockwise, and the feeding bin adjusting plate 8 can be driven and move to the upper right in the figure. The angle of the feeding bin adjusting plate 8 increases, which can increase the volume of the feeding bin within the allowable range. For example, in some preferred embodiments, the maximum adjustment limit of the feeding bin adjusting plate 8 can be set to 65 degrees.

[0044] Second, establish a correlation relationship between the speed of the inclined conveyor belt and the speed of the horizontal conveyor belt through the speed of the electronic belt scale, so that the feeding speed is adaptively adjusted according to the real-time flow rate. Specifically, the aforementioned speed correlation relationship can be quantitatively characterized as: the speed of the horizontal conveyor belt is equal to 15 times the speed of the inclined conveyor belt.

[0045] In summary, the main design concept of the present invention is to form a systematic feeding machine supply flow regulation scheme through multiple hardware architectures such as an inclined conveyor belt, a feeding bin, an electronic belt scale, and a horizontal conveyor belt. Through the material level detection measures on the feeding bin, the motor realizes precise adaptive regulation of the feeding speed. The electronic belt scale, the inclined conveyor belt, and the horizontal conveyor belt, which are three means of coordinated material transportation, are used to replace the existing single storage cabinet with an overly large volume. And it can comprehensively adjust the supply flow based on the independent speed coordination of the three, so as to ensure the stable flow supply target of the feeding machine.

[0046] In the embodiments of the present invention, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent the cases of A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. Where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after. "At least one of the following" and its similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, and c can represent: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0047] The structure, features, and function effects of the present invention have been described in detail based on the embodiments shown in the drawings above. However, the above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that for the technical features involved in the above embodiments and their preferred modes, those skilled in the art can reasonably combine and match them into multiple equivalent solutions without departing from and without changing the design concept and technical effects of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited by the scope shown in the drawings. Any changes made in accordance with the concept of the present invention or modified into equivalent embodiments with equivalent changes still fall within the spirit covered by the description and the drawings should be within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic adjustment method for the feeding flow rate of a leaf feeder, characterized in that, The adjustment method is based on an automatic feeding flow adjustment system for a vane feeder. The system includes an inclined conveyor belt, a feeding bin, an electronic belt scale, and a horizontal conveyor belt arranged in sequence, where the end of the inclined conveyor belt corresponds to the inlet of the feeding bin; the outlet of the feeding bin corresponds to the head end of the electronic belt scale, and the electronic belt scale is driven by a motor; the end of the electronic belt scale is connected to the head end of the horizontal conveyor belt, and the end of the horizontal conveyor belt corresponds to the feeder. The operating speed of the electronic belt scale for adjusting the feeding flow is controlled by the operating frequency of the motor, and the motor is electrically connected to a material level detection device arranged at the feeding bin. The adjustment method specifically includes: Determine the speed range of the electronic belt scale according to the flow process parameters of several grades in the production batch. Calculate the target speed based on the supply amount of raw tobacco leaves. If the target speed is within the speed range, control the operation of the electronic belt scale according to the calculated target speed; if the target speed exceeds the speed range, control the operation of the electronic belt scale according to the end point speed of the speed range. During the feeding process, the actual material level of the feeding bin is detected in real time. Based on the actual material level, the feeding speed is adaptively adjusted, including: establishing a speed correlation relationship between the inclined conveyor belt and the horizontal conveyor belt located before and after the electronic belt scale through the speed of the electronic belt scale.

2. The automatic feed flow regulation method of the vane feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that The speed correlation relationship is: the speed of the horizontal conveyor belt is equal to 15 times the speed of the inclined conveyor belt.

3. The automatic feed flow regulation method for the vane feeder according to claim 1, wherein The feeding bin is at least composed of a feeding bin vertical baffle and a feeding bin adjusting plate.

4. The automatic feeding flow rate adjustment method of the vane feeder according to claim 3, characterized in that The adjustment system further includes a rotating shaft for adjusting the angle of the feeding bin adjusting plate.

5. The automatic feeding flow rate adjustment method of the vane feeder according to claim 3, characterized in that, The maximum adjustment limit of the feeding bin adjusting plate is 65 degrees.

6. The automatic feed flow regulation method of the vane feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that The material level detection device at least includes three photoelectric switches corresponding to high, medium, and low material levels from top to bottom.

7. The automatic feeding flow rate adjustment method for the leaf feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, A rotating rake is provided at the end of the electronic belt scale.

8. The automatic feed flow regulation method for a leaf feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, A bin structure is provided above the electronic belt scale.

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