A double-gauge cigarette pack automatic unpacking system and method

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of double product specification cigarette package automatic unpacking system and method, belong to tobacco equipment silk making technical field, the system includes feeding buffer area and automatic unpacking area, the feeding buffer area is provided with the roller conveyor and tobacco package transplanting machine connected, one end of the tobacco package transplanting machine is provided with the first product specification feed channel and the second product specification feed channel arranged in columns;The automatic unpacking area is provided with first unpacking robot and second unpacking robot, first tobacco package turner and second tobacco package turner, the first unpacking robot and second unpacking robot are used to grab tobacco package outer packaging box, after outer packaging box is removed, paperboard pad on the top of tobacco package is taken away using paperboard taking device integrated on unpacking clamp, and after overturning, inner paper box and bottom paperboard are taken away.The application can be realized in limited space only by installing a set of automatic unpacking system, namely, the automatic unpacking and feeding of two product specification tobacco packages of two silk production lines.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of tobacco processing technology, and specifically relates to an automatic unpacking system and method for dual-grade cigarette packs. Background Technology

[0002] Tobacco processing equipment is mainly used for cutting and drying tobacco leaves to ensure that the dried tobacco meets quality standards, facilitating subsequent cigarette making and transportation. This equipment plays a crucial role in the tobacco industry, significantly improving production efficiency and product quality. Unpacking the tobacco packages is a vital step in the tobacco processing line's feeding stage. Its purpose is to remove the packaging boxes from the tobacco leaf packs produced in the leaf threshing and re-drying process, allowing the raw tobacco leaves to be fed into the subsequent processing stages. The tobacco packages are packaged in cardboard boxes, including an inner and outer box, secured with strapping. The unpacking process involves cutting the strapping, removing the outer cardboard box and top cardboard, and removing the inner cardboard box and bottom cardboard. Figure 1 As shown.

[0003] Traditional unpacking methods involve manual unpacking, manual tape cutting, and the use of a packing trolley to remove the packs from the cigarette box. In recent years, domestic cigarette manufacturers have adopted automated unpacking systems. These existing systems use automated unpacking devices or robots for automatic unpacking. Current technology uses one automated unpacking system per production line, and can only unpack one type of cigarette pack at a time; this is also known as a single-type cigarette pack automated unpacking system. Its process flow is referenced... Figure 2 As shown, this automatic unpacking system for single-item cigarette packs typically uses two robots, one of which cuts the tape and the other picks up the cardboard box.

[0004] Existing automated unpacking systems are all single-product cigarette pack unpacking systems, which can only be connected to one tobacco processing production line. That is, only one product type of cigarette pack can be unpacked at any given time. For factories that cannot equip two production lines with separate automated unpacking systems due to space constraints, this means that one production line cannot automatically unpack and feed the cigarette packs, and can only use manual unpacking and feeding methods. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the above, the purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic unpacking system and method for two types of cigarette packs, which can simultaneously realize the automatic unpacking and feeding of two types of cigarette packs from two tobacco processing production lines by installing only one automatic unpacking system in a limited space; in addition, this invention can also realize buffering, reordering and error prevention functions before unpacking the two types of cigarette packs.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides an automatic unpacking system for dual-specification cigarette packs, comprising a feeding buffer area and an automatic unpacking area. The feeding buffer area is equipped with a connected roller conveyor and a cigarette pack transplanter. The roller conveyor is used for horizontal conveying of cigarette packs, and the cigarette pack transplanter is used for horizontal 90-degree transplanting of cigarette packs. One end of the cigarette pack transplanter is provided with a first specification feeding channel and a second specification feeding channel arranged in parallel. The automatic unpacking area is equipped with a first unpacking robot and a second unpacking robot, a first flipping machine and a second flipping machine. The packaging machine includes a first and a second unpacking robot for gripping the outer packaging box of the cigarette pack. After removing the outer packaging box, a cardboard removal device integrated on the unpacking fixture removes the cardboard pad at the top of the cigarette pack. After the cigarette pack is flipped 180 degrees, the inner carton and bottom cardboard are removed. The first and second flipping machines are used to flip the cigarette pack 180 degrees after the first and second unpacking robots remove the cardboard pad at the top of the cigarette pack and then transport it to the first and second unpacking robots for gripping the inner carton and bottom cardboard.

[0007] Preferably, the feeding buffer area is further provided with a vertical elevator, which is used to vertically transport the first and second cigarette packs of the feeding buffer area to the automatic unpacking area.

[0008] Preferably, the feeding buffer area is also equipped with a sequence-changing roller conveyor. When the order of batch cigarette packs needs to be changed, two adjacent cigarette packs can be changed in sequence at this station via the sequence-changing roller conveyor.

[0009] Preferably, the automatic unpacking area is further equipped with a tape-cutting robot, which is used by both the first and second cigarette packs to remove the packaging tape binding the packs; the tape-cutting robot is equipped with a CCD vision detection system to identify the pack binding tape.

[0010] Preferably, the automatic unpacking area is further provided with a first carton stacker and a second carton stacker for clamping the cartons and automatically stacking them into a carton stack.

[0011] Preferably, the automatic unpacking area is further provided with a first carton folding machine and a second carton folding machine. The first carton folding machine is connected to the first carton stacker, and the second carton folding machine is connected to the second carton stacker. The first carton folding machine is used to receive the cartons removed by the first unpacking robot and fold the cartons. The second carton folding machine is used to receive the cartons removed by the second unpacking robot and fold the cartons. Then, the folded cartons are supplied to the first carton stacker and the second carton stacker to form a carton stack.

[0012] Preferably, the automatic unpacking area is further provided with a first recycling bin and a second recycling bin, which are used to recycle the cardboard removed by the first unpacking robot and the second unpacking robot and the packaging tape cut by the tape-cutting robot.

[0013] Preferably, the automatic unpacking area is further provided with a bidirectional belt conveyor for conveying the first and second cigarette packs in both forward and backward directions.

[0014] Preferably, the automatic unpacking area is also equipped with a cigarette pack information detection device, which contains a visual recognition device. When a cigarette pack is transported to the cigarette pack verification station, the visual recognition device is invoked to identify the cigarette pack information and store the identification information.

[0015] The present invention also provides an automatic unpacking method for dual-grade cigarette packs using the above-mentioned unpacking system, comprising the following steps:

[0016] The first and second grade cigarette packs are respectively conveyed to the first grade feed channel A and the second grade feed channel B, and then conveyed forward by roller conveyor.

[0017] The first and second grade cigarette packs are vertically transported from the feeding buffer area to the automatic unpacking area via a vertical lift.

[0018] A visual inspection system using a tape-cutting robot identifies the binding straps on cigarette packs, determines the quantity of each strap, and locates its position. The tape-cutting robot then cuts the straps from the side of the cigarette pack based on their position and sends the cut straps to a recycling bin. The cigarette packs with the binding straps removed undergo information verification by a cigarette pack information detection device before entering the first and second transplanting machines. The first batch of cigarette packs is transported to channel A1, and the second batch is transported to channel B1.

[0019] When the first pack of cigarettes reaches station A1.1, the first unpacking robot takes the outer cardboard box and the top cardboard. The cardboard box is then sent to the first cardboard folding machine and the first cardboard stacker for folding and stacking. The cardboard is sent to the first recycling bin. After the first pack-flipping machine flips the first pack 90 degrees, it reaches station A1.2. The first unpacking robot takes the inner cardboard box and the bottom cardboard. The cardboard box is then sent to the first cardboard folding machine and the first cardboard stacker for folding and stacking. The cardboard is sent to the first recycling bin. At this point, the unpacking of the first pack of cigarettes is complete, and the cigarettes are sent to the subsequent production stages via the rotary belt conveyor and the first belt conveyor.

[0020] The second pack of cigarettes is conveyed to station B1.1 via a rotary roller conveyor. The second unpacking robot removes the outer carton and the top cardboard. The carton is then sent to the second carton folding machine and the second carton stacker for folding and stacking. The cardboard is sent to the second recycling bin. The second pack of cigarettes is then returned to the rotary roller conveyor station and fed into the second flipping machine for a 90-degree flip. It is then conveyed to station B1.2 via the first rail-mounted moving belt conveyor. The second unpacking robot removes the inner carton and the bottom cardboard. The carton is then sent to the second carton folding machine and the second carton stacker for folding and stacking. The cardboard is sent to the second recycling bin. At this point, the unpacking of the second pack of cigarettes is complete. The cigarettes are then fed into the subsequent production stages via the second rail-mounted moving belt conveyor and the second belt conveyor.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the automatic unpacking system and method for dual-grade cigarette packs according to the present invention has the following advantages or beneficial effects:

[0022] (1) In this invention, the first and second grade cigarette packs share a single tape-cutting robot and use corresponding unpacking robots and material channels respectively, so that the unpacked cigarette sheets are transported independently, thus preventing mutual contamination between the two grades of cigarette sheets.

[0023] (2) Set up a feeding buffer area, and set up roller conveyors, tobacco pack transplanters, etc. in the feeding buffer area to prevent the system from being inefficient due to untimely feeding or blockage.

[0024] (3) After the tape-cutting robot cuts the tape, a cigarette pack information detection device is designed to prevent incorrect feeding. First, it ensures that the subsequent paths of the two types of cigarette packs are correct and that incorrect feeding will not occur. Second, it ensures that the feeding sequence of the formula is correct.

[0025] (4) Set up a sequence-changing roller conveyor in the feeding buffer area and set up a sequence-changing station in the buffer line. For cigarette companies that use formula feeding, the feeding order of cigarette packs must be strictly ordered. Due to the differences in the front-end conveying method and conveying direction, a sequence-changing station is set up in the buffer line. If necessary, the feeding order of cigarette packs can be corrected here.

[0026] (5) Saves labor costs. The automatic unpacking system and method for dual-grade cigarette packs of the present invention adopts a fully automatic production mode, which does not require human intervention compared with the traditional manual unpacking method.

[0027] (6) Saving investment: The present invention can connect two silk production lines with one unpacking system. Compared with the existing model of one unpacking system connecting one silk production system, it can save investment significantly.

[0028] (7) Saves space: This invention can be flexibly arranged in a limited space. For factories that cannot equip both production lines with separate automatic unpacking systems due to space limitations, this system design can be used to solve the automatic unpacking of cigarette packs from two different brands.

[0029] (8) Improved production efficiency and greater production flexibility. This invention can realize single-product single-line feeding, single-product double-line feeding, and double-product mixed double-line feeding modes, meeting diverse and flexible production needs and greatly improving production flexibility. Attached Figure Description

[0030] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the unpacking process of cigarette packs in the prior art;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the process flow of an automatic unpacking system for single-item cigarette packs in the existing technology.

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the framework of an automatic unpacking system for dual-grade cigarette packs according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structural layout of the feeding buffer area according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic unpacking area structure layout according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the workflow of an automatic unpacking method for dual-grade cigarette packs according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Explanation of key figure labels:

[0038] 101. Vertical lifting platform; 102. Sequencing roller conveyor; 103. Tobacco bale transplanter; 104. Roller conveyor;

[0039] A. First specification feed channel; B. Second specification feed channel;

[0040] 201.1 First carton stacker; 201.2 Second carton stacker; 202.1 First carton folding machine; 202.2 Second carton folding machine; 203.1 First carton opening robot; 203.2 Second carton opening robot; 204 Rotary belt conveyor; 205.1 First bag-turning machine; 205.2 Second bag-turning machine; 206 Tape-cutting robot; 207 Rotary roller conveyor; 208.1 First rail-mounted moving belt conveyor; 208.2 Second rail-mounted moving belt conveyor; 209.1 First belt conveyor; 209.2 Second belt conveyor; 210 First transplanter; 211 Cigarette bag information detection device; 212 Bidirectional belt conveyor; 213 Second transplanter. Detailed Implementation

[0041] 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. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0042] The terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," etc. (if present) in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this invention are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of the invention described herein can be implemented in sequences other than those illustrated or described herein.

[0043] It should be understood that in this invention, "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, for example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not explicitly listed or that are inherent to such process, method, product, or device.

[0044] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference 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.

[0045] like Figures 3 to 5As shown, the automatic unpacking system for dual-specification cigarette packs according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a feeding buffer area and an automatic unpacking area. The feeding buffer area is equipped with a connected roller conveyor 104 and a cigarette pack transplanter 103. The roller conveyor 104 is used for horizontal conveying of cigarette packs, and the cigarette pack transplanter 103 is used for horizontal 90-degree transplanting of cigarette packs. One end of the cigarette pack transplanter 103 is provided with a first specification feeding channel A and a second specification feeding channel B arranged in parallel. The automatic unpacking area is equipped with a first unpacking robot 203.1 and a second unpacking robot 203.2, a first pack flipping machine 205.1 and a second pack flipping machine 205.2, and the first unpacking robot 203.1... 3.1 and the second unpacking robot 203.2 are used to grasp the outer packaging box of the cigarette pack. After removing the outer packaging box, the cardboard pad on the top of the cigarette pack is removed by the cardboard removal device integrated on the unpacking fixture. After the cigarette pack is flipped 180 degrees, the inner carton and bottom cardboard are removed. The first flipping machine 205.1 and the second flipping machine 205.2 are used to flip the cigarette pack 180 degrees after the first unpacking robot 203.1 and the second unpacking robot 203.2 remove the cardboard pad on the top of the cigarette pack, and then transport the cigarette pack to the first unpacking robot 203.1 and the second unpacking robot 203.2 to grasp the inner carton and bottom cardboard. The output direction is 90 degrees from the feeding direction. After the first and second grade cigarette packs are dispatched from the formula warehouse scheduling system, they enter the buffer line at the front end of the automatic unpacking system for dual grade cigarette packs for buffering. When there is empty space in the buffer before the unpacking line of the first and second grade cigarette packs, the automatic unpacking system for dual grade cigarette packs sends a material supply request to the formula warehouse scheduling system, and the formula warehouse scheduling system supplies materials in sequence according to the material supply request.

[0046] In one embodiment of the present invention, a vertical lift 101 is further provided in the feeding buffer area. The vertical lift 101 is used to vertically transport the first and second cigarette packs of the feeding buffer area to the automatic unpacking area. The first and second cigarette packs of the feeding buffer area are mixed and lowered to the unpacking line inlet by the vertical lift 101. On the other hand, if the front-end feeding and the back-end production line are on the same production plane, the vertical lift is omitted.

[0047] In one embodiment of the present invention, the feeding buffer area is further provided with a sequence-changing roller conveyor 102. When the order of batch cigarette packs needs to be changed, two adjacent cigarette packs can be switched at this station via the sequence-changing roller conveyor 102. For cigarette manufacturers using formula-based feeding, the feeding order of cigarette packs is required to be strictly ordered. Due to differences in the front-end conveying method and conveying direction, a sequence-changing station is set up on the buffer line, where the feeding order of cigarette packs can be corrected when necessary.

[0048] In one embodiment of the present invention, the automatic unpacking area is further equipped with a tape-cutting robot 206. The first and second grade cigarette packs share the tape-cutting robot 206 to remove the packaging tape binding the cigarette packs. The tape-cutting robot 206 is equipped with a CCD vision inspection system, which identifies the binding tape of the tobacco sheet cigarette packs to identify the number of each binding tape and accurately locate the position of each binding tape. The CCD vision inspection system uses an industrial camera to replace the human eye for identification, measurement, positioning, and judgment, converts the captured target into image signals, and transmits them to a dedicated image processing system. By processing these signals, the system extracts the features of the target and controls the on-site equipment actions based on these features. The tape-cutting robot 206 precisely cuts the tape on the side of the tobacco sheet pack according to the positioning of the tape, and sends the cut tape to the recycling bin. After the tape cutting is completed, the CCD vision inspection system takes a picture again to check whether the tape cutting of the tobacco sheet pack is completed. If it is completed, the vertical lift 101 descends, and the first or second type of tobacco pack is transported to the next workstation by the diversion conveyor.

[0049] In one embodiment of the present invention, the automatic unpacking area is further provided with a first carton stacker 201.1 and a second carton stacker 201.2 for clamping cartons and automatically stacking them into a carton stack; the automatic unpacking area is further provided with a first carton folding machine 202.1 and a second carton folding machine 202.2, the first carton stacker 201.1 is connected to the first carton folding machine 202.1, and the second carton stacker 201.2 is connected to the second carton folding machine 202.2. The first carton folding machine 202.1 is used to receive the cartons removed by the first unpacking robot 203.1 and fold the cartons, and the second carton folding machine 202.2 is used to receive the cartons removed by the second unpacking robot 203.2 and fold the cartons, and then supply the folded cartons to the first carton stacker 201.1 and the second carton stacker 201.2 to stack them into a carton stack. Among them, the cardboard stacker can stack interlocking cardboard boxes and single cardboard boxes of different specifications without damaging the boxes, making it convenient for the recycling of cardboard boxes; the full stack of cardboard boxes can be automatically lowered to the ground, making it convenient for battery-powered vehicles or manual hydraulic trolleys to pull away.

[0050] In one embodiment of the present invention, the automatic unpacking area is further provided with a first recycling bin and a second recycling bin. The first and second recycling bins are used to collect the cardboard removed by the first unpacking robot 203.1 and the second unpacking robot 203.2, and the packaging tape cut by the tape-cutting robot 206. By setting up recycling bins in the automatic unpacking area, waste such as cardboard and packaging tape can be collected and classified, facilitating subsequent recycling and processing. At the same time, the use of recycling bins also helps to improve the cleanliness and hygiene of the production site.

[0051] In one embodiment of the present invention, the automatic unpacking area is further equipped with a bidirectional belt conveyor 212 for conveying the first and second grade cigarette packs in both forward and backward directions. The bidirectional belt conveyor 212 can quickly and continuously transport cigarette packs from one location to another. The conveyor line can be designed as needed to adapt to the layout requirements of different sites, thereby improving production efficiency.

[0052] In one embodiment of the present invention, the automatic unpacking area is further equipped with a cigarette pack information detection device 211. The cigarette pack information detection device 211 contains a visual recognition device. When a cigarette pack is transported to the cigarette pack verification station, the visual recognition device is invoked to identify and store the cigarette pack information. The system checks whether the cigarette pack information matches the current order of cigarette packs in the batch being fed. If they match, the pack is released; otherwise, an alarm is triggered, awaiting manual processing. The cigarette pack information detection device 211 re-verifies the information of the unpacked cigarette packs to ensure that the information and unpacking order of the cigarette packs entering the first or second specification are correct. The visual recognition device can simultaneously support the recognition of barcodes, QR codes, and OCR text.

[0053] The automatic unpacking system for dual-specification cigarette packs of this invention allows the first and second specifications of cigarette packs to share a single tape-cutting robot, while using corresponding unpacking robots and material channels respectively. This ensures that the unpacked cigarette sheets are transported independently, preventing cross-contamination between the two specifications. A feeding buffer area is provided to prevent system inefficiency caused by untimely feeding or blockages. A cigarette pack information detection device is designed after the tape-cutting robot cuts the tape to prevent erroneous feeding. A sequence-changing roller conveyor is installed in the feeding buffer area to correct the feeding sequence of cigarette packs when necessary.

[0054] In one embodiment of the present invention, the layout of each device in the present invention can be flexibly arranged according to different sites; in the process of unpacking and cutting the tape of cigarette packs, in addition to using robots, other unpacking and tape-cutting machines can also be used.

[0055] In one embodiment of the present invention, provided that the tape-cutting robot has sufficient capacity, the system can be expanded into an automatic unpacking system for multiple types of cigarette packs, that is, multiple types of cigarette packs share one tape-cutting machine, and after tape cutting, each pack is opened by a separate unpacking robot.

[0056] like Figure 6 As shown, the automatic unpacking method for dual-grade cigarette packs according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps:

[0057] The first and second grade cigarette packs are conveyed to the first grade feeding channel A and the second grade feeding channel B, respectively, and then conveyed forward by roller conveyor 104. According to the formula requirements, when passing through the cigarette pack transplanter 103, they can enter the sequence changing roller conveyor 102 to change the order of the cigarette packs. For cigarette companies that use formula feeding, the cigarette pack feeding order is required to be strictly ordered. Due to the differences in the front-end conveying method and conveying direction, a sequence changing station is set in the buffer line, where the feeding order of the cigarette packs can be corrected if necessary.

[0058] Batch cigarette packs are buffered in the buffer channel. After receiving a material request signal, the first and second batches of cigarette packs are vertically transported from the feeding buffer area to the automatic unpacking area via the vertical elevator 101. The visual inspection system of the tape-cutting robot 206 identifies the binding straps of the cigarette packs, identifies the number of each binding strap, and locates the position of each binding strap. The tape-cutting robot 206 cuts the binding straps on the side of the cigarette packs according to the position of each binding strap and sends the cut binding straps to the recycling bin. The cigarette packs with the packaging straps removed are verified by the cigarette pack information detection device 211 and then enter the first transplanter 210 and the second transplanter at station 213. The first batch of cigarette packs is transported to channel A1, and the second batch of cigarette packs is transported to channel B1.

[0059] When the first pack of cigarettes arrives at station A1.1, the first unpacking robot 203.1 removes the outer cardboard box and the upper cardboard. The cardboard box is then sent to the first cardboard folding machine 202.1 and the first cardboard stacker 201.1 for folding and stacking. The cardboard is then sent to the first recycling bin. After being flipped 90 degrees by the first pack-turning machine 205.1, the first pack of cigarettes arrives at station A1.2. The first unpacking robot 203.1 removes the inner cardboard box and the lower cardboard. The cardboard box is then sent to the first cardboard folding machine 202.1 and the first cardboard stacker 201.1 for folding and stacking. The cardboard is then sent to the first recycling bin. At this point, the unpacking of the first pack of cigarettes is complete, and the cigarettes are fed into the subsequent production stages via the rotary belt conveyor 204 and the first belt conveyor 209.1.

[0060] The second type of cigarette pack is conveyed to station B1.1 via rotary roller conveyor 207. The second unpacking robot 203.2 removes the outer carton and upper cardboard. The carton is then sent to the second carton folding machine 202.2 and the second carton stacker 201.2 for folding and stacking. The cardboard is sent to the second recycling bin. The second type of cigarette pack is then returned to station 207 and fed into the second flipping machine 205.2 for a 90-degree flip. It is then conveyed to station B1.2 via the first rail-mounted moving belt conveyor 208.1. The second unpacking robot 203.2 removes the inner carton and lower cardboard. The carton is then sent to the second carton folding machine 202.2 and the second carton stacker 201.2 for folding and stacking. The cardboard is sent to the second recycling bin. At this point, the unpacking of the second type of cigarette pack is complete. The cigarette pieces are then fed into the subsequent production stages via the second rail-mounted moving belt conveyor 208.2 and the second belt conveyor 209.2.

[0061] The automatic unpacking method for two types of cigarette packs of the present invention can simultaneously realize the automatic unpacking and feeding of two types of cigarette packs on two tobacco processing production lines within a limited space by installing only one automatic unpacking system. Compared with the existing mode, it can significantly save investment. It can realize single-line feeding of single type, single-line feeding of single type, and mixed double-line feeding of two types of cigarette packs, meeting flexible and diverse production needs and greatly improving production flexibility. In addition, the present invention can also realize buffering, reordering and error prevention functions before unpacking two types of cigarette packs.

[0062] The above description of the structure, features, and effects of the present invention is based on the embodiments shown in the figures. However, the above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that the technical features involved in the above embodiments and their preferred methods can be reasonably combined and matched by those skilled in the art to form a variety of equivalent solutions without departing from or changing the design concept and technical effects of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the scope of implementation shown in the figures. Any changes made in accordance with the concept of the present invention, or modifications to equivalent embodiments, that do not exceed the spirit covered by the specification and figures, should be within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic unpacking system for dual-grade cigarette packs, characterized in that, The system includes a feeding buffer area and an automatic unpacking area. The feeding buffer area is equipped with a connected roller conveyor (104) and a cigarette pack transplanter (103). The roller conveyor (104) is used for horizontal conveying of cigarette packs, and the cigarette pack transplanter (103) is used for horizontal 90-degree transplanting of cigarette packs. One end of the cigarette pack transplanter (103) is equipped with a first specification feeding channel and a second specification feeding channel arranged in rows. The automatic unpacking area is equipped with a first unpacking robot (203.1) and a second unpacking robot (203.2), a first pack flipping machine (205.1) and a second pack flipping machine (205.2). The first unpacking robot (203.1) is equipped with a first unpacking robot (203.1) and a second unpacking robot (203.2). 3.1) and the second unpacking robot (203.2) are used to grab the outer packaging box of the cigarette pack. After removing the outer packaging box, the cardboard pad on the top of the cigarette pack is removed by the cardboard removal device integrated on the unpacking fixture. After the cigarette pack is flipped 180 degrees, the inner carton and bottom cardboard are removed. The first flipping machine (205.1) and the second flipping machine (205.2) are used to flip the cigarette pack 180 degrees after the first unpacking robot (203.1) and the second unpacking robot (203.2) remove the cardboard pad on the top of the cigarette pack, and then transport the cigarette pack to the first unpacking robot (203.1) and the second unpacking robot (203.2) to grab the inner carton and bottom cardboard.

2. The automatic unpacking system for dual-grade cigarette packs according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding buffer area is also equipped with a vertical lift (101), which is used to vertically transport the first and second cigarette packs in the feeding buffer area to the automatic unpacking area.

3. The automatic unpacking system for dual-grade cigarette packs according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding buffer area is also equipped with a sequence-changing roller conveyor (102). When the order of batch cigarette packs needs to be changed, two adjacent cigarette packs can be changed in sequence at this station through the sequence-changing roller conveyor (102).

4. The automatic unpacking system for dual-grade cigarette packs according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic unpacking area is also equipped with a tape-cutting robot (206). The first and second cigarette packs share the tape-cutting robot (206) to remove the packaging tape binding the cigarette packs. The tape-cutting robot (206) is equipped with a CCD vision detection system to identify the cigarette pack binding tape.

5. The automatic unpacking system for dual-grade cigarette packs according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic unpacking area is also equipped with a first carton stacker (201.1) and a second carton stacker (201.2) for clamping the cartons and automatically stacking them into a carton stack.

6. The automatic unpacking system for dual-grade cigarette packs according to claim 5, characterized in that, The automatic unpacking area is also equipped with a first carton folding machine (202.1) and a second carton folding machine (202.2). The first carton folding machine (202.1) is connected to the first carton stacker (201.1), and the second carton folding machine (202.2) is connected to the second carton stacker (201.2). The first carton folding machine (202.1) is used to receive the carton removed by the first carton opening robot (203.1) and fold the carton. The second carton folding machine (202.2) is used to receive the carton removed by the second carton opening robot (203.2) and fold the carton. Then, the folded carton is supplied to the first carton stacker (201.1) and the second carton stacker (201.2) to form a carton stack.

7. The automatic unpacking system for dual-grade cigarette packs according to claim 4, characterized in that, The automatic unpacking area is also equipped with a first recycling bin and a second recycling bin, which are used to recycle the cardboard removed by the first unpacking robot (203.1) and the second unpacking robot (203.2) and the packaging tape cut by the tape-cutting robot (206).

8. The automatic unpacking system for dual-grade cigarette packs according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic unpacking area is also equipped with a bidirectional belt conveyor (212) for conveying the first and second cigarette packs in both front and rear directions.

9. The automatic unpacking system for dual-grade cigarette packs according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic unpacking area is also equipped with a cigarette pack information detection device (211). The cigarette pack information detection device (211) is equipped with a visual recognition device. When the cigarette pack is transported to the cigarette pack verification station, the visual recognition device is called to identify the cigarette pack information and store the identification information.

10. A method for automatically unpacking dual-grade cigarette packs using the unpacking system described in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: The first and second grade cigarette packs are respectively conveyed to the first grade feed channel (A) and the second grade feed channel (B), and then conveyed forward by the roller conveyor (104); The first and second grade cigarette packs are vertically transported from the feeding buffer area to the automatic unpacking area by a vertical elevator (101); The visual inspection system of the tape-cutting robot (206) is used to identify the binding straps of the cigarette packs, identify the number of each binding strap, and locate the position of each binding strap; the tape-cutting robot (206) cuts the binding straps on the side of the cigarette pack according to the position of each binding strap, and sends the cut binding straps to the recycling bin; the cigarette packs with the packaging straps cut off are inspected and verified by the cigarette pack information detection device (211), and enter the first transplanter (210) and the second transplanter at the (213) station. The first grade of cigarette packs is transported to the A1 channel, and the second grade of cigarette packs is transported to the B1 channel; When the first pack of cigarettes arrives at station A1.1, the first unpacking robot (203.1) takes the outer cardboard box and the upper cardboard. The cardboard box is sent to the first cardboard folding machine (202.1) and the first cardboard stacking machine (201.1) for folding and stacking. The cardboard is sent to the first recycling bin. After the first packing machine (205.1) flips the first pack of cigarettes 90 degrees, it arrives at station A1.

2. The first unpacking robot (203.1) takes the inner cardboard box and the lower cardboard. The cardboard box is sent to the first cardboard folding machine (202.1) and the first cardboard stacking machine (201.1) for folding and stacking. The cardboard is sent to the first recycling bin. At this point, the unpacking of the first pack of cigarettes is completed. The cigarettes are then sent to the subsequent production stages via the rotary belt conveyor (204) and the first belt conveyor (209.1). The second type of cigarette pack is transported to station B1.1 via a rotary roller conveyor (207). The second unpacking robot (203.2) removes the outer carton and the upper cardboard. The carton is then sent to the second carton folding machine (202.2) and the second carton stacker (201.2) for folding and stacking. The cardboard is sent to the second recycling bin. The second type of cigarette pack is then returned to station B1.1 via the rotary roller conveyor (207) and fed into the second flipping machine (205.2) for a 90-degree flip. Finally, it is transferred to the first rail-guided transfer machine. The moving belt conveyor (208.1) delivers the contents to station B1.

2. The second unpacking robot (203.2) takes out the inner carton and the bottom cardboard. The carton is then sent to the second carton folding machine (202.2) and the second carton stacker (201.2) for folding and stacking. The cardboard is then sent to the second recycling bin. At this point, the unpacking of the second type of cigarette pack is completed. The cigarettes are then sent to the subsequent production stages via the second rail-guided moving belt conveyor (208.2) and the second belt conveyor (209.2).

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