An online cotton packaging system and packaging method for automated packaging

Abstract

This invention relates to an automated online cotton packaging system and method, employing a parcel packaging approach. A three-dimensional coordinate system is established with the center of the packaging mechanism as the origin, the X-axis parallel to the long side of the packaging mechanism as the x-axis, the Y-axis parallel to the short side of the packaging mechanism as the y-axis, and the Z-axis perpendicular to the placement surface of the packaging mechanism as the z-axis. A bag-collecting area is located on one side of the packaging mechanism along the positive Y-axis, and a conveyor belt is located on the other side along the negative Y-axis. Several flat, stacked cloth bags are placed on the bag-collecting area. A main pressing mechanism is located at the top of the packaging mechanism along the positive Z-axis. Gripping mechanisms are installed on both sides of the packaging mechanism along the X-axis. These gripping mechanisms pick up the same cloth bag from the bags in the bag-collecting area and place it at the packaging mechanism's workstation. This invention fulfills the requirements of a series of processes in the online cotton packaging process, including cotton feeding, bag picking, bag installation, cotton compression, cotton bale packaging, and bundling.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an automated online cotton packaging system and method, belonging to the field of cotton packaging. Background Technology

[0002] Cotton baling is the final step in cotton processing. The task of baling is to separate the ginned cotton, stripped cotton lint, and recycled cotton fibers into standard bales. These bales must also be packaged according to their different grades and fiber lengths to facilitate transportation, storage, and proper use. Although cotton baling differs significantly from the preceding processing steps, its importance is irreplaceable. Ultimately, all cotton reaching the market must undergo baling; without packaging, it cannot enter the market. Therefore, cotton baling is a crucial link in the entire cotton processing and production process that directly reaches the market.

[0003] There are two types of cotton bale packaging: one with the strapping inside and the packaging outside, known in the industry as a "naked bale"; and the other with the strapping outside and the packaging inside, known as a "parcel bale". While baling machines have fully automated the process for "naked bales," they suffer from a higher rate of damage and lower safety, prone to issues like strapping joint breakage and bale collapse, causing economic losses to cotton processing plants. Therefore, the latest national standard requires replacing "naked bales" with the safer "parcel bales".

[0004] Current cotton baling systems mainly fall into two categories: offline baling and online baling. The task of online cotton baling systems is to improve and innovate upon traditional cotton baling machines, applying reasonable structures and power mechanisms to overcome problems that previous cotton baling machines could not solve. The current pain points of online cotton baling systems are: first, they can only automate the baling of bare bales with lower security; baling of more secure parcels still relies on manual methods, which is not only inefficient but also poses potential safety risks to operators; second, there are problems with the precise grasping of cotton cloth in the baling area. Due to the thin and soft nature of cotton cloth, when multiple pieces are laid flat in the baling area, it is difficult for the baling machine to accurately and efficiently separate and retrieve individual pieces; third, when installing the cloth bag, how to prevent the cotton cloth from falling off after installation, causing baling failure.

[0005] CN112046877A discloses an intelligent cotton baling machine with adjustable cotton bale specifications. Its structure includes a cotton collecting component, a forming component, a wrapping component, a separating component, and a walking mechanism. This mechanism receives the cotton bale specifications from the intelligent cotton baling machine and controls the operation of hydraulic actuators. The hydraulic actuators adjust the bale specifications in the forming component, enabling film wrapping of the bales and achieving adjustable cotton bale specifications while ensuring accuracy. CN111959862B discloses a linear cotton baling and binding system and method. Two cotton bale transport trolleys are added between the cotton baling machine and the binding machine for bale transfer. Cotton baling and binding are performed at different workstations, effectively saving baling time. By having one binding machine correspond to two baling machines, the working efficiency of the binding machine is also effectively improved. However, the above methods have the following problems: both adopt the bare bale baling method of directly bundling compressed cotton, which has a high rate of damaged bales and low safety, and is prone to situations such as the joint of the cotton bale baling strap breaking and the cotton bale breaking apart. In addition, the former has low baling efficiency and cannot meet the growing market demand. Although the latter improves the working efficiency of the baling machine, it does not improve the baling process and cannot meet the industry standard of baling before bundling. Therefore, an online improvement system for cotton baling machines that can realize the automation of parcel baling is needed. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This invention provides an automated online cotton packaging system and method that meets the requirements of a series of processes in the online cotton packaging process, including cotton feeding, bag clamping, bag installation, cotton compression, cotton bale packaging, and bundling.

[0007] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve its technical problem is:

[0008] An automated online cotton packing system includes a packing mechanism. The cotton bales are packed at the workstation of the packing mechanism. A three-dimensional coordinate system is established with the center of the packing mechanism as the origin, the direction parallel to the long side of the packing mechanism as the X-axis, the direction parallel to the short side of the packing mechanism as the Y-axis, and the direction perpendicular to the placement surface of the packing mechanism as the Z-axis.

[0009] The bag-retrieving mechanism has a bag-picking area on one side of the positive Y-axis and a conveyor belt on the other side of the negative Y-axis; several cloth bags are laid flat and stacked on the bag-picking area.

[0010] The main pressure mechanism is located at the top of the packaging mechanism in the positive Z-axis direction;

[0011] The bag-out mechanism has gripping mechanisms installed on both sides of the X-axis. After the gripping mechanism picks up the same bag from several bags in the bag-retrieving area, it clamps the bag and places it at the bag-out mechanism station.

[0012] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the gripping mechanism includes a pneumatic mechanical claw and a mechanical arm, wherein the pneumatic mechanical claw is connected to the mechanical arm via a claw-arm connecting disc.

[0013] The pneumatic mechanical gripper includes a base, a connecting column, a connecting block, a fixed connecting base, a long connecting rod, a short connecting rod, a gripper, a simplified cylinder, a cylinder push rod, and a connecting base.

[0014] A simplified cylinder is coaxially mounted at the center of the bottom of the base. One end of the cylinder push rod is inserted into the simplified cylinder, and the other end of the cylinder push rod is linked to the connecting base. Several evenly distributed connecting columns are installed along the circumference of the bottom of the base. The connecting columns are parallel to the central axis of the simplified cylinder. That is, one end of each connecting column is fixed to the base, and the other end of the connecting column is connected to the fixed connecting base. The connecting base is located in the inner cavity of the fixed connecting base.

[0015] The connecting base includes multiple extension ends. Each extension end is movably connected to one end of a long connecting rod of a gripper via a connecting block. At the same time, the long connecting rod of the gripper is movably connected to the fixed connecting base near one end. One end of a short connecting rod is movably connected to the fixed connecting base. The other ends of the long connecting rod and the short connecting rod are fixed to the gripper. The other end of the short connecting rod is close to the extension line of the simplified cylinder's central axis. The gripping end of the gripper extends towards the extension line of the simplified cylinder's central axis.

[0016] The top of the base is equipped with a claw arm connecting plate, which is fixed to the robotic arm;

[0017] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the robotic arm includes a first section, a second section, a third section, and a fourth section connected in sequence. One end of the first section is movably connected to the rotating disk via a first joint. One end of the second section is movably connected to the other end of the first section via a second joint. One end of the third section is movably connected to the other end of the second section via a third joint. One end of the fourth section is movably connected to the other end of the third section via a fourth joint. The other end of the fourth section is connected to the top of the base via a claw arm connecting plate.

[0018] Motors are installed at the first, second, third, and fourth joints;

[0019] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the robotic arm, the length of the first section is greater than the length of the second section, the length of the second section is greater than the length of the fourth section, and the length of the fourth section is greater than the length of the third section;

[0020] The plane formed by the rotation of the second section relative to the first section, the plane formed by the rotation of the third section relative to the second section, and the plane formed by the rotation of the fourth section relative to the third section are all on the same plane;

[0021] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the gripping mechanism further includes a suction mechanism, which includes a micro air pump, a suction cup, and an air guide plate. The top of the micro air pump is connected to the center of the bottom of the connecting base through a connecting column; the bottom of the micro air pump is connected to the suction cup through an air guide channel, and an air guide plate is installed at the junction of the suction cup and the air guide channel.

[0022] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the main pressing mechanism includes a pressing head, which has a square structure. Two guide rails are provided on the side of the pressing head parallel to the Z-axis. Each guide rail is parallel to the Z-axis. At the same time, a slider clamp is slidably connected in each guide rail. The slider clamp is used to clamp the cloth bag.

[0023] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the slider clamp includes a guide rail slider, a slider clamp and a clamp limiting strip, and the guide rail slider includes two sliders, which are arranged relatively parallel to each other to form a space between the two sliders.

[0024] The chuck limiting strip is fixed in the space and is perpendicular to the guide rail slider, and is fixed at the outer end of the guide rail slider; the slider chuck is L-shaped, and its lateral part can be rotatably fixed in the space formed between the two guide rail sliders through a rotating shaft;

[0025] The packaging method based on the online cotton packaging system of the automated parcel package.

[0026] Step S1: Several cloth bags are laid flat and stacked in the bag retrieval area. The bag dispensing mechanism is activated, and the gripping mechanism located on both sides of the X-axis is activated. The two pneumatic mechanical claws move to the bag retrieval area and run in the negative direction of the Z-axis, approaching the several cloth bags laid flat and stacked.

[0027] Step S2: The cylinder push rod in the pneumatic mechanical gripper is pushed out in the negative direction of the Z-axis, which links the long connecting rod and the short connecting rod of the gripper to open the gripper. At the same time, the cylinder push rod drives the suction mechanism to adhere to both sides of the several fabric bags that are laid flat and stacked.

[0028] Step S3: Start the mini air pump, and the suction cup will adhere to the corresponding side of the cloth bag;

[0029] Step S4: The cylinder push rod in the pneumatic mechanical gripper retracts in the positive Z-axis direction, and the suction cup rises in the Z-axis direction to lift the two sides of the top layer of several flat stacked cloth bags. At the same time, the linkage gripper retracts to clamp the two sides of this cloth bag.

[0030] Step S5: After the pneumatic mechanical gripper moves the gripped cloth bag to the pressure head, it returns to the initial state;

[0031] Step S6: The slider chuck rotates in the direction of the guide rail slider to clamp and fix the cloth bag around the pressure head;

[0032] Step S7: Start the gripping mechanism. The two pneumatic mechanical claws move back to the bag-picking area and run in the negative Z-axis direction, approaching the remaining stacked cloth bags.

[0033] Step S8: The cylinder push rod in the pneumatic mechanical gripper is pushed out in the negative direction of the Z-axis, which links the long connecting rod and the short connecting rod of the gripper to open the gripper. At the same time, the cylinder push rod drives the suction mechanism to adhere to both sides of the remaining flatly stacked cloth bags.

[0034] Step S9: Start the mini air pump, and the suction cup will adhere to the corresponding side of the cloth bag;

[0035] Step S10: The pneumatic mechanical gripper moves the bag it has gripped again and places it on the bag dispensing mechanism's placement surface;

[0036] Step S11: Feed cotton, compressing the material into the cotton box;

[0037] Step S12: The cotton box moves in the negative Z-axis direction to continue compressing the material. The cotton box rises and the compressed cotton is formed.

[0038] Step S13: The slider clamp slides along the guide rail toward the compression cotton, so that the cloth bag fixed around the pressure head wraps around the compression cotton.

[0039] Step S14: The pneumatic mechanical gripper grabs both sides of the cloth bag located on the bag dispensing mechanism placement surface and moves the cloth bag in the positive Z-axis direction, so that the cloth bag on the bag dispensing mechanism placement surface is covered with compressed cotton.

[0040] Step S15: Retract the pneumatic mechanical gripper and start the strapping machine to strap the two cloth bags together to form a cotton bale;

[0041] Step S16: The unloading mechanism tilts towards the conveyor belt, dumping the cotton bales onto the conveyor belt;

[0042] Step S17: The receiving trolley receives and transports the cotton bales to the warehouse;

[0043] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the specific steps of step S11 are as follows:

[0044] Step S111: The material flows into the cotton feeding device through the cotton sliding channel. The cotton feeding cylinder pushes the material into the front end, and the foot plate at the lower end of the pre-pressing cylinder presses the material into the cotton box. After the pre-pressing cylinder moves to the preset position, the cotton feeding cylinder moves backward. After the cotton feeding cylinder moves backward to the preset position, the pre-pressing cylinder moves backward to the initial position, completing one pre-pressing cotton feeding cycle. The pre-pressing cotton feeding cycle repeats back and forth.

[0045] Step S112: The pre-compression cotton feeding cycle repeatedly presses the material into the cotton box. When the weight of the material in the cotton box reaches 217-237kg, the pressure relay for weight measurement sends a signal; the pre-compression cotton feeding stops, the baler starts to lift the box and turn the box; after the box is turned, the empty box is moved to the pre-compression side, and the pre-compression cotton feeding cycle continues. At the same time, the cotton box containing the material is moved to the main pressure mechanism placement surface.

[0046] Step S113: The main pressure cylinder of the main pressure mechanism is started, driving the pressure head to move towards the placement surface to compress the material. The set speed is gradually reduced from fast to slow, and the material is stopped when the compression height reaches 490-500 mm.

[0047] By employing the above technical solutions, the present invention has the following beneficial effects compared to the prior art:

[0048] 1. The automated online cotton packing system provided by this invention packs the cotton bags, avoiding the situation where the cotton bags break due to the breakage of the cotton bag binding strap joints, reducing the rate of damaged bags, improving safety, and avoiding the economic losses caused to cotton processing plants by bare bags.

[0049] 2. The automated online cotton packing system for parcels provided by this invention has a suction mechanism that can separate individual pieces of fabric when the pneumatic mechanical claw grasps flexible stacked objects such as fabric, overcoming the problem that general robotic arms are not easy to grasp flexible stacked objects such as fabric, resulting in a high success rate and stable grasping.

[0050] 3. The packaging method of the online cotton packaging system based on automated parcels provided by the present invention automates the process of packaging cotton into parcels, reducing labor costs and operational risks. Attached Figure Description

[0051] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0052] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the packaging method of the online cotton packaging system based on automated parcel packs provided by the present invention;

[0053] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the suction mechanism in a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0054] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the pneumatic mechanical gripper in a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0055] Figure 4 This is a detailed schematic diagram of the pneumatic mechanical gripper in a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0056] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the robotic arm in a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0057] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the main pressure mechanism in a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0058] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the slider clamp in a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0059] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0060] In the diagram: 1 is a suction cup, 2 is a miniature air pump, 4 is an air guide plate, 5 is a base, 6 is a connecting column, 7 is a connecting block, 8 is a fixed connecting base, 9 is a long connecting rod for the gripper, 10 is a short connecting rod, 11 is a gripper, 12 is a simplified cylinder, 13 is a cylinder push rod, 14 is a connecting base, 15 is a rotating disk, 16 is the first section, 17 is the second section, 18 is the third section, 19 is the fourth section, 20 is a gripper arm connecting disk, 21 is a guide rail slider, 22 is a slider chuck, 101 is a slider clamp, 102 is a guide rail, 103 is a pressure head, 201 is a pneumatic mechanical gripper, 202 is a bag-picking area, 203 is the main pressure mechanism, 204 is the bag-ejection mechanism, and 205 is a conveyor belt. Detailed Implementation

[0061] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "left side," "right side," "upper part," "lower part," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present 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. "First," "second," etc., do not indicate the importance of the components, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention. The specific dimensions used in this embodiment are only for illustrating the technical solution and do not limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0062] As described in the background section, the online packing method for parcels has several significant drawbacks. First, it can only automate the packing of bare bags with low security. When packing bare bags, the strapping is first tied and then wrapped, which forces the strapping to withstand the expansion force of the cotton bag, causing the strapping joints to break and the bag to burst. Second, when grasping stacked cloth bags, the packing machine cannot accurately and efficiently separate and retrieve individual cloth bags in the bag-grabbing area because the cotton cloth of the bags is thin and soft. Third, there is the issue of how to prevent the cloth bags from falling off after installation, which could lead to packing failure.

[0063] To overcome the above problems, this application provides an automated online cotton packing system. For the convenience of describing the preferred embodiment of this application, a three-dimensional coordinate system is established with the center of the packing mechanism 204 (which performs packing operations on cotton bales at the workstation of the packing mechanism) as the origin, the X-axis parallel to the long side of the packing mechanism as the X-axis, the Y-axis parallel to the short side of the packing mechanism as the Y-axis, and the Z-axis perpendicular to the placement surface of the packing mechanism as the Z-axis.

[0064] like Figure 8 As shown in the diagram, a distribution diagram of each workstation is constructed. The bag-removing mechanism is located on one side of the positive Y-axis and a bag-retrieving area is set up, with a conveyor belt 205 on the side of the negative Y-axis. Several cloth bags are laid flat and stacked on the bag-retrieving area. The main pressure mechanism 203 is set up at the top of the bag-removing mechanism in the positive Z-axis direction. The bag-removing mechanism is equipped with gripping mechanisms on both sides of the X-axis. After the gripping mechanism absorbs the same cloth bag from several cloth bags in the bag-retrieving area, it clamps the cloth bag and places it at the workstation of the bag-removing mechanism.

[0065] In the preferred embodiment, only two gripping mechanisms are provided, located on both sides of the bag dispensing mechanism, which not only meets the need to grip the cloth bag, but also reduces the packaging cost.

[0066] The gripping mechanism includes a pneumatic mechanical claw 201 and a robotic arm, which is one of the innovative aspects of this application. Figures 3-5 As shown, the pneumatic mechanical gripper is connected to the robotic arm via a gripper arm connecting disc 20. The pneumatic mechanical gripper includes a base 5, connecting columns 6, connecting blocks 7, a fixed connecting base 8, a long connecting rod 9, a short connecting rod 10, a gripper 11, a simplified cylinder 12, a cylinder push rod 13, and a connecting base 14. The simplified cylinder is coaxially mounted at the center of the bottom end of the base. One end of the cylinder push rod is inserted into the simplified cylinder, and the other end of the cylinder push rod is linked with the connecting base. Several evenly distributed connecting columns are installed along the circumferential direction of the bottom end of the base (in the preferred embodiment, five connecting columns are sufficient to meet the operational requirements). The connecting columns are parallel to the central axis of the simplified cylinder, that is, one end of each connecting column is fixed to the base, and the other end of the connecting column is connected to the fixed connecting base. The connecting base is located in the inner cavity of the fixed connecting base.

[0067] Figure 4It is evident that the connecting base includes multiple extension ends, each of which is movably connected to one end of a long connecting rod of the gripper via a connecting block. In this embodiment, three extension ends are designed. Simultaneously, the long connecting rod of the gripper is movably connected to the fixed connecting base near one end, and one end of the short connecting rod is movably connected to the fixed connecting base. The other ends of both the long and short connecting rods are fixed to the gripper, with the other end of the short connecting rod close to the extension line of the simplified cylinder's central axis. The gripping end of the gripper extends towards the extension line of the simplified cylinder's central axis. These three grippers achieve the most stable operation for gripping the cloth bag with minimal manufacturing cost. A gripper arm connecting disc is mounted on the top of the base, and the gripper arm connecting disc is fixed to the robotic arm.

[0068] Another innovation of this application is that the grasping mechanism also includes a suction mechanism. Figure 2 As shown, it includes a miniature air pump 2, a suction cup 1, and an air guide plate 4. The top of the miniature air pump is connected to the center of the bottom of the connecting base through a connecting column; the bottom of the miniature air pump is connected to the suction cup through an air guide channel, and an air guide plate is installed at the junction of the suction cup and the air guide channel.

[0069] The suction mechanism works in conjunction with a pneumatic gripper. Because multiple fabric bags are stacked flat, a regular pneumatic gripper cannot directly grasp a single bag. Therefore, the suction mechanism must first lift the sides of each individual bag before it can be picked up. Figure 3 From the perspective of the connecting base, the suction mechanism is fixed below the connecting base. The claws open as the connecting base moves downward. Therefore, when the connecting base moves downward, the claws open and the suction mechanism moves downward at the same time. The suction mechanism takes advantage of the semi-permeability of the cloth bag to pick up the topmost bag separately. While performing the gripping operation on the bag, the suction cup adsorbs the bag, making the gripping accurate and efficient.

[0070] Since the pneumatic gripper needs to rotate freely within the established three-dimensional coordinate system, the structure that enables the pneumatic gripper to rotate 360 ​​degrees is a robotic arm. Figure 5As shown, the robotic arm includes four sections connected in sequence: a first section 16, a second section 17, a third section 18, and a fourth section 19. One end of the first section is movably connected to the rotating disk 15 via a first joint; one end of the second section is movably connected to the other end of the first section via a second joint; one end of the third section is movably connected to the other end of the second section via a third joint; one end of the fourth section is movably connected to the other end of the third section via a fourth joint; and the other end of the fourth section is connected to the top of the base via a claw arm connecting plate. Motors are installed at the first, second, third, and fourth joints. The planes formed by the rotation of the second section relative to the first section, the third section relative to the second section, and the fourth section relative to the third section are all on the same plane. The first joint connects the rotating disk and the first section of the robotic arm, thus enabling the entire robotic arm to rotate. Simultaneously, the first section controls the lifting and lowering of the pneumatic gripper, while the second section controls the forward and backward movement of the pneumatic gripper. Because in the robotic arm, the length of the first section is greater than the length of the second section, the length of the second section is greater than the length of the fourth section, and the length of the fourth section is greater than the length of the third section, meaning that the third section is the shortest, the third section allows the pneumatic gripper to move a smaller distance when the joint moves at the same angle. Therefore, it can control the pneumatic gripper to make fine adjustments. The fourth section of the robotic arm can control the pneumatic gripper to adjust left and right, which greatly increases the working range of the robotic arm.

[0071] Figure 6 As shown, the main pressing mechanism provided in this application includes a pressing head 103, which has a square structure. Two guide rails 102 are opened on the side of the pressing head parallel to the Z-axis. Each guide rail is parallel to the Z-axis. At the same time, a slider clamp 101 is slidably connected in each guide rail. The slider clamp is used to clamp the cloth bag.

[0072] A preferred embodiment of the slider clamp is given here. Figure 7 As shown, the slider clamp includes a guide rail slider 21, a slider clamp 22, and a clamp limiting strip. There are two guide rail sliders arranged parallel to each other, forming a space between them. The clamp limiting strip is fixed within this space and perpendicular to the guide rail sliders, fixed to the outer end of each slider. The slider clamp is L-shaped, and its lateral portion is rotatably fixed within the space formed between the two guide rail sliders via a pivot. In other words, when the cloth bag is installed on the pressure head, it lies flat on the guide rail sliders. At this time, the slider clamp rotates around the pivot, causing the slider clamp to grip the cloth bag.

[0073] Finally, this application also provides a packing method based on the online cotton packing system of the automated parcel pack. Figure 1 As shown, the specific steps include:

[0074] Step S1: In the bag retrieval area 202, several cloth bags are laid flat and stacked. The bag dispensing mechanism is activated. The gripping mechanism located on both sides of the X-axis moves to the bag retrieval area and moves in the negative direction of the Z-axis, approaching the several cloth bags laid flat and stacked.

[0075] Step S2: The cylinder push rod in the pneumatic mechanical gripper is pushed out in the negative direction of the Z-axis, which links the long connecting rod and the short connecting rod of the gripper to open the gripper. At the same time, the cylinder push rod drives the suction mechanism to adhere to both sides of the several fabric bags that are laid flat and stacked.

[0076] Step S3: Start the mini air pump, and the suction cup will adhere to the corresponding side of the cloth bag;

[0077] Step S4: The cylinder push rod in the pneumatic mechanical gripper retracts in the positive Z-axis direction, and the suction cup rises in the Z-axis direction to lift the two sides of the top layer of several flat stacked cloth bags. At the same time, the linkage gripper retracts to clamp the two sides of this cloth bag.

[0078] Step S5: After the pneumatic mechanical gripper moves the gripped cloth bag to the pressure head, it returns to the initial state;

[0079] Step S6: The slider chuck rotates in the direction of the guide rail slider to clamp and fix the cloth bag around the pressure head;

[0080] Step S7: Start the gripping mechanism. The two pneumatic mechanical claws move back to the bag-picking area and run in the negative Z-axis direction, approaching the remaining stacked cloth bags.

[0081] Step S8: The cylinder push rod in the pneumatic mechanical gripper is pushed out in the negative direction of the Z-axis, which links the long connecting rod and the short connecting rod of the gripper to open the gripper. At the same time, the cylinder push rod drives the suction mechanism to adhere to both sides of the remaining flatly stacked cloth bags.

[0082] Step S9: Start the mini air pump, and the suction cup will adhere to the corresponding side of the cloth bag;

[0083] Step S10: The pneumatic mechanical gripper moves the bag it has gripped again and places it on the bag dispensing mechanism's placement surface;

[0084] Step S11: Feed cotton, compressing the material into the cotton box;

[0085] Step S111: The material flows into the cotton feeding device through the cotton sliding channel. The cotton feeding cylinder pushes the material into the front end, and the foot plate at the lower end of the pre-pressing cylinder presses the material into the cotton box. After the pre-pressing cylinder moves to the preset position, the cotton feeding cylinder moves backward. After the cotton feeding cylinder moves backward to the preset position, the pre-pressing cylinder moves backward to the initial position, completing one pre-pressing cotton feeding cycle. The pre-pressing cotton feeding cycle repeats back and forth.

[0086] Step S112: The pre-compression cotton feeding cycle repeatedly presses the material into the cotton box. When the weight of the material in the cotton box reaches 217-237kg, the pressure relay for weight measurement sends a signal; the pre-compression cotton feeding stops, the baler starts to lift the box and turn the box; after the box is turned, the empty box is moved to the pre-compression side, and the pre-compression cotton feeding cycle continues. At the same time, the cotton box containing the material is moved to the main pressure mechanism placement surface.

[0087] Step S113: The main pressure cylinder of the main pressure mechanism is started, which drives the pressure head to move towards the placement surface to compress the material. The set speed is gradually reduced from fast to slow down, and the material is stopped when the compression height reaches 490-500 mm.

[0088] Step S12: The cotton box moves in the negative Z-axis direction to continue compressing the material. The cotton box rises and the compressed cotton is formed.

[0089] Step S13: The slider clamp slides along the guide rail toward the compression cotton, so that the cloth bag fixed around the pressure head wraps around the compression cotton.

[0090] Step S14: The pneumatic mechanical gripper grabs both sides of the cloth bag located on the bag dispensing mechanism placement surface and moves the cloth bag in the positive Z-axis direction, so that the cloth bag on the bag dispensing mechanism placement surface is covered with compressed cotton.

[0091] Step S15: Retract the pneumatic mechanical gripper and start the strapping machine to strap the two cloth bags together to form a cotton bale;

[0092] Step S16: The unloading mechanism tilts towards the conveyor belt, dumping the cotton bales onto the conveyor belt;

[0093] Step S17: The receiving trolley receives and transports the cotton bales to the warehouse.

[0094] As can be seen from the above packaging method, this application is a packaging method for parcels. When packaging bare cotton, the cotton is first tied and then wrapped, which forces the tying strap to withstand the expansion force of the cotton bale during packaging, making the tying strap joints prone to breakage and causing the bale to burst. However, when packaging into parcels, the wrapping is inside and the tying strap is outside, which avoids the tying strap breaking. This method overcomes the problem that general robotic arms are not good at gripping flexible stacked objects such as cloth. When the cylinder pushes the rod downward, the gripper opens, and the suction mechanism moves downward with the connecting base, achieving the effect of "gripper opening and suction mechanism extending". When the cylinder pushes the rod upward, the gripper closes, and the suction mechanism moves upward with the connecting base, achieving the effect of "suction mechanism retracting and gripper grasping", resulting in a high success rate and stable gripping. The process of packaging cotton into parcels is automated, reducing labor costs and operational risks. The coordinated movement of the gripper and the suction mechanism is all achieved by the linkage of the cylinder pusher, which simplifies the machinery while improving functionality, making operation convenient and reducing costs.

[0095] Those skilled in the art will understand that, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in general dictionaries should be understood to have the meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the prior art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless defined as herein.

[0096] The meaning of "and / or" as used in this application includes situations where each exists alone or both exist simultaneously.

[0097] The term "connection" as used in this application can mean a direct connection between components or an indirect connection between components through other components.

[0098] Based on the above-described preferred embodiments of the present invention, and through the foregoing description, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the inventive concept. The technical scope of this invention is not limited to the contents of the specification, but must be determined according to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An automated online cotton packing system, comprising a packing mechanism, wherein cotton bales are packed at a station of the packing mechanism, characterized in that: A three-dimensional coordinate system is established with the center of the bag-ejection mechanism as the origin, the X-axis parallel to the long side of the bag-ejection mechanism as the Y-axis, the direction parallel to the short side of the bag-ejection mechanism as the Z-axis, and the direction perpendicular to the placement surface of the bag-ejection mechanism as the Z-axis. A bag-retrieving area is set on one side of the bag-ejection mechanism in the positive direction of the Y-axis, and a conveyor belt is set on the other side in the negative direction of the Y-axis. Several flat and stacked cloth bags are placed on the bag-retrieving area. A main pressure mechanism is set on the top of the bag-ejection mechanism in the positive direction of the Z-axis. Gripping mechanisms are installed on both sides of the bag-ejection mechanism in the X-axis. After the gripping mechanisms pick up the same cloth bag from the several cloth bags in the bag-retrieving area, they clamp the cloth bag and place it at the workstation of the bag-ejection mechanism. The main pressing mechanism includes a pressing head, which has a square structure. Two guide rails are opened on the side of the pressing head parallel to the Z-axis. Each guide rail is parallel to the Z-axis. A slider clamp is slidably connected in each guide rail. The slider clamp is used to clamp the cloth bag.

2. The automated online cotton packing system for parcels according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gripping mechanism includes a pneumatic mechanical claw and a robotic arm. The pneumatic mechanical claw is connected to the robotic arm via a claw arm connecting disc. The pneumatic mechanical claw includes a base (5), connecting columns (6), connecting blocks (7), a fixed connecting base (8), a long connecting rod (9), a short connecting rod (10), a gripper (11), a simplified cylinder (12), a cylinder push rod (13), and a connecting base (14). The simplified cylinder is coaxially mounted at the center of the bottom end of the base (5). One end of the cylinder push rod is inserted into the simplified cylinder, and the other end of the cylinder push rod (13) is linked with the connecting base (14). Several evenly distributed connecting columns (6) are installed along the circumferential direction of the bottom end of the base. The connecting columns are parallel to the central axis of the simplified cylinder, that is, one end of each connecting column is connected to the machine arm. The base is fixed, and the other end of the connecting column is connected to the fixed connecting base (8). The connecting base (14) is located in the inner cavity of the fixed connecting base (8). The connecting base (14) includes multiple extension ends. Each extension end is movably connected to one end of a long connecting rod (9) of a pneumatic gripper through a connecting block (7). At the same time, the position of the long connecting rod of the pneumatic gripper near one end is movably connected to the fixed connecting base (8). One end of the short connecting rod (10) is movably connected to the fixed connecting base. The other end of the long connecting rod of the pneumatic gripper and the other end of the short connecting rod are fixed to the gripper (11). The other end of the short connecting rod is close to the extension line of the central axis of the simplified cylinder. The gripping end of the gripper extends towards the extension line of the central axis of the simplified cylinder. The top of the base is equipped with a gripper arm connecting plate, which is fixed to the mechanical arm.

3. The automated online cotton packing system for parcels according to claim 2, characterized in that: The robotic arm comprises a first section, a second section, a third section, and a fourth section connected in sequence. One end of the first section is movably connected to the rotating disk via a first joint. One end of the second section is movably connected to the other end of the first section via a second joint. One end of the third section is movably connected to the other end of the second section via a third joint. One end of the fourth section is movably connected to the other end of the third section via a fourth joint. The other end of the fourth section is connected to the top of the base via a claw arm connecting plate. Motors are installed at the first, second, third, and fourth joints.

4. The automated online cotton packing system for parcels according to claim 3, characterized in that: In the robotic arm, the length of the first section is greater than the length of the second section, the length of the second section is greater than the length of the fourth section, and the length of the fourth section is greater than the length of the third section; the plane formed by the rotation of the second section relative to the first section, the plane formed by the rotation of the third section relative to the second section, and the plane formed by the rotation of the fourth section relative to the third section are all on the same plane.

5. The automated online cotton packing system for parcels according to claim 4, characterized in that: The gripping mechanism also includes a suction mechanism, which includes a micro air pump, a suction cup, and an air guide plate. The top of the micro air pump is connected to the center of the bottom of the connecting base through a connecting column; the bottom of the micro air pump is connected to the suction cup through an air guide channel, and an air guide plate is installed at the junction of the suction cup and the air guide channel.

6. The automated online cotton packing system for parcels according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slider clamp includes a guide rail slider, a slider chuck, and a chuck limiting strip. There are two guide rail sliders, which are arranged parallel to each other and form a space between them. The chuck limiting strip is fixed in the space and is perpendicular to the guide rail slider, and is fixed at the outer end of the guide rail slider. The slider chuck is L-shaped, and its lateral part can be rotatably fixed in the space formed between the two guide rail sliders through a pivot.

7. A packaging method based on the online cotton packaging system of any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: Step S1: Several cloth bags are laid flat and stacked in the bag retrieval area. The gripping mechanism located on both sides of the X-axis is activated. The two pneumatic mechanical grippers move to the bag retrieval area and move in the negative Z-axis direction, approaching the several flatly stacked cloth bags. Step S2: The cylinder push rod in the pneumatic mechanical gripper pushes out in the negative Z-axis direction, linking the long and short connecting rods of the gripper to open the gripper. At the same time, the cylinder push rod drives the suction mechanism to adhere to both sides of the flatly stacked cloth bags. Step S3: The micro air pump is activated, and the suction cups firmly adhere to the corresponding cloth bag sides. Step S4: The cylinder in the pneumatic mechanical gripper... The push rod retracts in the positive Z-axis direction, and the suction cup rises in the Z-axis direction to lift the two sides of the top layer of fabric bags in the flat stack. At the same time, the linkage gripper retracts to clamp the two sides of this fabric bag; Step S5: The pneumatic mechanical gripper moves the clamped fabric bag to the pressure head and then returns to the initial state; Step S6: The slider chuck rotates in the direction of the guide rail slider to clamp and fix the fabric bag around the pressure head; Step S7: The gripping mechanism is activated, and the two pneumatic mechanical grippers move back to the bag picking area and run in the negative Z-axis direction, approaching the remaining flat stack of fabric bags; Step S8: The pneumatic mechanical gripper pushes the cylinder rod in the negative Z-axis direction, linking the long and short connecting rods of the gripper to open the gripper. Simultaneously, the cylinder rod drives the suction mechanism to adhere to both sides of the remaining stacked fabric bags. Step S9: The micro air pump is activated, and the suction cups firmly grip the corresponding fabric bag sides. Step S10: The pneumatic mechanical gripper moves the re-grabbed fabric bag to the unloading mechanism's placement surface. Step S11: Cotton is fed, compressing the material into the cotton box. Step S12: The cotton box moves in the negative Z-axis direction, continuing to compress the material; the cotton box rises, and the compressed cotton is formed. S13: The slider clamp slides along the guide rail towards the compressed cotton, so that the cloth bag fixed around the pressure head is wrapped around the compressed cotton; Step S14: The pneumatic mechanical claw grabs both sides of the cloth bag located on the bale outlet mechanism placement surface, moves the cloth bag in the positive Z-axis direction, so that the cloth bag on the bale outlet mechanism placement surface is covered with compressed cotton; Step S15: The pneumatic mechanical claw is retracted, and the strapping machine is started to strap the two cloth bags together to form a cotton bale; Step S16: The bale outlet mechanism tilts towards the conveyor belt, pouring the cotton bale onto the conveyor belt; Step S17: The bale receiving trolley receives and transports the cotton bale to the warehouse.

8. The packaging method of the online cotton packaging system for automated parcel packaging according to claim 7, characterized in that: The specific steps of step S11 are as follows: Step S111: The material flows into the cotton feeding device through the cotton sliding channel, the cotton feeding cylinder pushes the material into the front end, and the foot plate at the lower end of the pre-pressing cylinder presses the material into the cotton box; after the pre-pressing cylinder moves to the preset position, the cotton feeding cylinder moves backward. After the cotton feeding cylinder retracts to the preset position, the pre-compression cylinder retracts to the initial position, completing one pre-compression cotton feeding cycle. The pre-compression cotton feeding cycle repeats back and forth. Step S112: The pre-compression cotton feeding cycle presses the material into the cotton box multiple times. When the weight of the material in the cotton box reaches 217-237kg, the pressure relay for weight measurement sends a signal. The pre-compression cotton feeding stops, the baler starts lifting the box, and rotates the box. After the box is rotated, the empty box is moved to the pre-compression side and the pre-compression cotton feeding cycle continues. At the same time, the cotton box containing the material is moved to the main compression mechanism placement surface. Step S113: The main compression cylinder of the main compression mechanism is started, driving the pressure head to run towards the placement surface to compress the material. The set speed is changed from fast to slow down. The material compression height stops when it reaches 490-500 mm.

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