Tobacco material conveying system and method of controlling the same, tobacco production system
By setting up two-stage height detection and thinning components in the tobacco material conveying system, the problems of uneven thickness and clumping of tobacco shreds during conveying are solved, the accuracy of impurity identification is improved, and the quality of tobacco materials is ensured.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- XIAMEN TOBACCO IND
- Filing Date
- 2024-05-14
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-28
AI Technical Summary
The existing tobacco production equipment has poor performance in identifying impurities in tobacco materials. This is mainly due to uneven flow rate, inconsistent thickness, and frequent clumping of tobacco shreds during transport. The lack of effective height control measures affects the accuracy of impurity identification and product quality.
Two-stage height detection components and corresponding thinning components are set in the tobacco material conveying system. The excessively high areas are thinned by the primary and secondary thinning components. Combined with the material rejection mechanism, the uniformity of tobacco thickness and flow rate is achieved, avoiding clumping and improving the accuracy of impurity identification.
This achieves uniformity in tobacco thickness and flow rate, improves the recognition accuracy of subsequent debris identification devices, avoids accidental or missed rejection of materials, and ensures the quality of cigarette raw materials.
Smart Images
Figure CN118285553B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of tobacco material conveying technology, and in particular to a tobacco material conveying system and its control method, and a tobacco production system. Background Technology
[0002] In recent years, with the rapid development of my country's tobacco industry, improving product purity and ensuring product quality during the processing and production of tobacco materials has become a focus of industry attention. Currently, many domestic companies have begun to explore the use of advanced technologies such as spectral recognition and machine vision to develop applications for the identification and removal of impurities after tobacco leaf shredding.
[0003] Image recognition technology, spectral recognition technology, and machine vision recognition technology, which are widely used in the cigarette manufacturing process, are developed for the identification and removal of foreign objects after tobacco leaves are shredded. Most of these technologies are based on conveying mechanisms (vibrating troughs, belts) to perform single-layer and discrete processing on cigarette raw materials such as tobacco leaves and stems, so as to improve the accuracy of image acquisition, processing and recognition, and then accurately remove foreign objects and other foreign objects from cigarette raw materials.
[0004] The current problem is that this type of recognition system has extremely high requirements for input quality, and the recognition effect of subsequent debris recognition devices is poor. Summary of the Invention
[0005] This disclosure provides a tobacco material conveying system and its control method, as well as a tobacco production system, which can improve the effectiveness of identifying and removing impurities from tobacco materials.
[0006] The first aspect of this disclosure provides a tobacco material conveying system, comprising:
[0007] Conveying components, configured to convey materials;
[0008] The primary height detection component and the secondary height detection component are located above the conveying component and are configured to detect the height of the material. The secondary height detection component is spaced apart from the primary height detection component along the conveying direction and is located downstream of the primary height detection component.
[0009] A primary thinning component, located along the conveying direction between the primary height detection component and the secondary height detection component, is configured to thin the material area exceeding a first preset height detected by the primary height detection component; and
[0010] The secondary thinning component, located downstream of the secondary height detection component along the conveying direction, is configured to thin the material area exceeding the second preset height detected by the secondary height detection component.
[0011] In some embodiments, both the primary height detection component and the secondary height detection component include a plurality of detectors spaced apart along the width direction of the conveying component, and the plurality of detectors are configured to detect the material height at different positions in the width direction.
[0012] In some embodiments, the primary spreading assembly includes a plurality of guiding components arranged side by side along the width direction of the conveying component. The guiding components are configured to spread material by movement, and the plurality of guiding components operate independently.
[0013] In some embodiments, each guide component includes:
[0014] The guide plate is vertically positioned above the conveying surface of the conveying component; and
[0015] The first driving component is located at the bottom of the conveying component and its output end is connected to the middle area of the guide plate. The first driving component is configured to drive the guide plate to rotate.
[0016] In some embodiments, the guide plate is configured to be in a normal material feeding state when rotated to extend in the same direction as the conveying direction, and in a material spreading state when rotated to be at an angle to the conveying direction.
[0017] In some embodiments, the guide plate is configured to rotate toward the thinner side of the material to spread the material thinner.
[0018] In some embodiments, the guide plate is an equilateral trapezoid, with the upper base length being greater than the lower base length.
[0019] In some embodiments, the secondary thinning component includes:
[0020] Flexible conveyor components are configured to form a partial conveying surface along the conveying direction; and
[0021] Multiple actuators are arranged side by side along the width of the conveying component and located below the flexible conveying component. The output ends of the multiple actuators extend independently to partially lift the flexible conveying component and spread the material at that location.
[0022] In some embodiments, the tobacco material conveying system further includes a material rejection mechanism disposed between the primary height detection component and the primary thinning component along the conveying direction, configured to form a material release channel to allow excess material to leave the conveying component when activated.
[0023] In some embodiments, the material rejection mechanism is configured to activate when the cross-sectional area of the material detected by the primary height detection component exceeds the cross-sectional area corresponding to the third preset height, and the size of the material release channel is configured to change according to the detection information of the secondary height detection component.
[0024] In some embodiments, the material rejection mechanism includes:
[0025] A material slide plate has a downwardly extending inclined section for material to slide down;
[0026] A baffle, the first end of which abuts against the inclined section, and the second end of which is rotatably connected to the conveying component; and
[0027] The second drive component, located at the bottom of the baffle, is configured to drive the baffle to rotate, thereby selectively forming or closing a material release channel between the first end of the baffle and the inclined section.
[0028] In some embodiments, the tobacco material conveying system further includes a flow guiding component disposed on the conveying surface of the conveying component and located upstream of the primary height detection component;
[0029] The flow guiding component includes at least two rows of flow guiding groups spaced apart along the conveying direction. Each flow guiding group includes multiple flow guiding elements spaced apart along the width direction of the conveying component. The flow guiding elements are used to guide the material to flow to both sides. The flow guiding elements in two adjacent flow guiding groups are staggered along the width direction.
[0030] A second aspect of this disclosure provides a tobacco production system, including: the tobacco material conveying system of the above embodiments.
[0031] A third aspect of this disclosure provides a control method for a tobacco material conveying system based on the above embodiments, comprising:
[0032] Level 1 detection steps: Obtain the height and position information of materials exceeding the first preset height detected by the level 1 height detection component. The position information includes the position along the conveying direction and the width direction.
[0033] First-stage thinning step: The first-stage thinning component thins the material area exceeding the first preset height;
[0034] Secondary detection step: Obtain the height and position information of materials exceeding the second preset height detected by the secondary height detection component. The position information includes the position along the conveying direction and the width direction.
[0035] Secondary thinning step: The secondary thinning component thins the material area that exceeds the second preset height.
[0036] In some embodiments, the primary thinning assembly includes a plurality of guiding components arranged side by side along the width direction. Each guiding component includes a guiding plate, which is vertically disposed above the conveying surface of the conveying component and rotatable about a pivot located in the central region. The primary thinning step includes:
[0037] Based on the position and height information of the material exceeding the first preset height, determine the guide plate that needs to perform the thinning action, as well as the rotation angle and direction of the guide plate;
[0038] Based on the position information of the material exceeding the first preset height along the conveying direction, determine the first delay time for the guide plate to start performing the guiding action;
[0039] After the first delay time, the selected guide plate is opened to guide the material at the corresponding position to the lower position.
[0040] After the guide plate performs the guiding action for the first preset time, it returns to the material feeding position where the guide plate is parallel to the conveying direction.
[0041] In some embodiments, the secondary thinning assembly includes: a flexible conveyor configured to form a partial conveying surface along the conveying direction; and a plurality of actuators arranged side-by-side along the width direction and disposed below the flexible conveyor; the secondary thinning step includes:
[0042] Based on the position and height information of the material exceeding the second preset height, determine the actuator that needs to perform the thinning action, as well as the extension length of the output end of the actuator;
[0043] Based on the position information of the material exceeding the second preset height along the conveying direction, a second delay time is determined for the actuator to begin performing the material guiding action;
[0044] After the second delay time, the output end of the selected actuator extends by a predetermined length to lift the flexible conveyor at the corresponding position and guide the material to the lower positions on both sides.
[0045] After the actuator performs the material guiding action for the second preset time, the output end retracts to the material feeding position where the flexible conveyor is horizontal.
[0046] In some embodiments, the tobacco material conveying system further includes: a material rejection mechanism disposed between the primary height detection component and the primary thinning component along the conveying direction; the control method further includes:
[0047] If the cross-sectional area of the material detected by the first-level height detection component exceeds the cross-sectional area corresponding to the third preset height, the material rejection mechanism is activated to form a material release channel so that the excess material leaves the conveying component.
[0048] Adjust the size of the material release channel based on the detection information from the secondary height detection component.
[0049] In some embodiments, the primary thinning assembly includes a plurality of guiding components arranged side by side along the width direction, each guiding component including: a guiding plate, vertically disposed above the conveying surface of the conveying component and rotatable about a pivot located in the central region, the guiding plate being in the shape of an inverted trapezoid; the control method further includes:
[0050] Rotate all the guide plates 180° periodically to loosen the clumps of tobacco.
[0051] The tobacco material conveying system of this embodiment is equipped with two-stage height detection components during the conveying process after the tobacco material is shredded. After obtaining the position and height information of the material, two-stage thinning components are set up to thin it out. This makes the thickness and flow of the tobacco shreds conveyed by the conveying components uniform, providing uniform material for subsequent processes. It can greatly improve the recognition accuracy of the subsequent foreign matter identification device, avoid the mis-rejection or omission of materials, and thus accurately remove foreign matter from the cigarette raw materials, thereby improving the quality of tobacco materials. Attached Figure Description
[0052] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0053] Figure 1 This is a side view of some embodiments of the tobacco material conveying system disclosed herein.
[0054] Figure 2 This is a top view of some embodiments of the tobacco material conveying system disclosed herein.
[0055] Figure 3 Schematic diagrams of some embodiments of a material rejection mechanism.
[0056] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the lifting and flipping mechanism in the material rejection system.
[0057] Figure 5 This is a structural schematic diagram of some embodiments of the primary thinning component.
[0058] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a single material guiding unit in the primary thinning component.
[0059] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the secondary thinning component.
[0060] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures
[0061] 1. Conveying components;
[0062] 2. Level 1 height detection component;
[0063] 3. Material rejection mechanism; 31. Tobacco shreds hopper; 32. Lifting and flipping mechanism; 321. Second drive component; 322. Baffle; 323. Baffle shaft; 33. Sliding plate;
[0064] 4. Primary thinning component; 41. Guide plate; 42. First drive component; 43. Rotary shaft; 40. Guide component;
[0065] 5. Secondary height detection component;
[0066] 6. Secondary thinning component; 61. Flexible conveying component; 62. Actuator.
[0067] 7. Flow guide; 8. Controller. Detailed Implementation
[0068] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit this disclosure or its application or use. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this disclosure without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.
[0069] Techniques, methods, and equipment known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, they should be considered part of the specification.
[0070] In the description of this disclosure, it should be understood that the terms “center,” “lateral,” “longitudinal,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” “up,” “down,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” and “outer,” 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 this disclosure and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific positional relationship.
[0071] The inventors noted that existing tobacco production equipment has a poor ability to identify impurities in tobacco materials. The main reason is that existing conveying equipment generally suffers from uneven flow and thickness of tobacco shreds during transport, and the thickness and uniformity of the material cannot be effectively controlled.
[0072] Moreover, the existing material thinning methods used in the tobacco processing production process before the impurity identification equipment have at least the following problems:
[0073] 1. The overall uniformity of the material is poor, exhibiting unevenness. This problem is common in existing smoke conveying equipment. The material cannot be evenly distributed during the spreading process, affecting the accuracy of subsequent debris identification devices, leading to mis-rejection or missed rejection of material, indirectly increasing the workload of operators, and impacting product quality.
[0074] 2. Insufficient clumping handling capacity: Clumping is unavoidable during material transportation, but existing equipment has limited processing capacity. Clumping easily traps impurities, making it difficult for subsequent impurity identification devices to accurately identify them. This can lead to impurities entering the finished product, negatively impacting product quality.
[0075] 3. Lack of material height control methods: The height of the material has a significant impact on the recognition quality and accuracy of the debris identification device. Most debris identification devices have certain material thickness requirements; excessively thick material may exceed its recognition range, increasing the risk of missed debris detection. Existing conveying equipment cannot precisely control the material height according to the needs of the debris identification device, limiting the flexibility of the production process.
[0076] Therefore, in order to improve the identification of impurities in tobacco materials, it is necessary to further improve the uniformity of the thickness of tobacco materials during the transportation process.
[0077] Following this improvement approach, such as Figures 1 to 7 As shown, this disclosure provides a tobacco material conveying system, which in some embodiments includes:
[0078] Conveying component 1 is configured to convey materials;
[0079] The primary height detection component 2 and the secondary height detection component 5 are located above the conveying component 1 and are configured to detect the height of the material. The secondary height detection component 5 is arranged at intervals with the primary height detection component 2 along the conveying direction X and is located downstream of the primary height detection component 2.
[0080] The primary thinning component 4, located along the conveying direction X between the primary height detection component 2 and the secondary height detection component 5, is configured to thin the material area exceeding a first preset height detected by the primary height detection component 2; and
[0081] The secondary thinning component 6 is located downstream of the secondary height detection component 5 along the conveying direction X, and is configured to thin the material area that exceeds the second preset height detected by the secondary height detection component 5.
[0082] Among them, the conveying component 1 can be a high-frequency vibrating trough, which can have the function of variable frequency speed regulation. The high-frequency vibrating trough receives the tobacco material after it is cut into strips, so as to realize the vibration conveying of tobacco strips and the initial spreading of material.
[0083] Alternatively, the conveying component 1 can also be a belt conveyor. The primary height detection component 2 and the secondary height detection component 5 can be photoelectric sensors, grating sensors, or ultrasonic sensors, etc., to detect the height of the material. When an area with excessive height is detected, the position information along the conveying direction X and width direction Y of the conveying component 1 can also be sent to the controller 8. The controller 8 is electrically connected to the primary height detection component 2 and the secondary height detection component 5.
[0084] The primary thinning component 4 is configured to thin the material area exceeding the first preset height detected by the primary height detection component 2. After the thinning effect of the primary thinning component 4, if the secondary height detection component 5 still detects a material area exceeding the second preset height, the secondary thinning component 6 continues to thin the material area exceeding the second preset height detected by the secondary height detection component 5. The relationship between the first preset height and the second preset height is not limited.
[0085] This embodiment sets up two-stage height detection components during the conveying process of tobacco materials after shredding. After obtaining the position and height information of the material, two-stage thinning components are set up to thin the tobacco, which can make the thickness and flow of the tobacco conveyed by the conveying component 1 uniform, providing uniform material for subsequent processes. This can greatly improve the recognition accuracy of the subsequent foreign matter identification device, avoid the mis-removal or omission of materials, and thus accurately remove foreign matter in cigarette raw materials, thereby improving the quality of tobacco materials.
[0086] In some embodiments, both the primary height detection component 2 and the secondary height detection component 5 include a plurality of detectors spaced apart along the width direction Y of the conveying component 1. The plurality of detectors are configured to detect the material height at different positions in the width direction Y. For example, the plurality of detectors may cover the entire width of the conveying component 1.
[0087] This embodiment uses multiple detectors at different positions along the width direction Y to measure the material height at different width positions of the conveying component 1, making it easy to accurately determine the position of the area with high material on the conveying surface in the width direction Y.
[0088] In some embodiments, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the primary spreading component 4 includes multiple material guiding components 40, which are arranged side by side along the width direction Y of the conveying component 1. The material guiding components 40 are configured to spread the material by movement, and the multiple material guiding components 40 work independently.
[0089] For example, the controller 8 is configured to determine the material guide component 40 that needs to perform a thinning action based on the position of the material over-height area in the width direction Y detected by the primary height detection component 2, and to determine the first delay time for the material guide component 40 to start performing the material guide action based on the position of the material over-height area in the conveying direction X detected by the primary height detection component 2. After the first delay time, the material in the over-height area is conveyed to the position of the material guide component 40. After the material guide component 40 is activated, it performs a thinning action to guide the material at the corresponding position to a lower height position. After the material guide component 40 performs the material guide action for the first preset time, it returns to the normal material feeding position.
[0090] This embodiment sets up multiple material guiding components 40 along the width direction Y, which cooperate with multiple detectors in the first-level height detection component 2 to accurately spread the material in the excessively high area. Since multiple material guiding components 40 work independently, the operation of some material guiding components 40 will not affect the material height status in other areas, and can save equipment energy consumption.
[0091] In some embodiments, such as Figure 6 As shown, each guiding component 40 includes: a guiding plate 41, which is vertically arranged above the conveying surface of the conveying component 1; and a first driving component 42, which is located at the bottom of the conveying component 1 and whose output end is connected to the middle area of the guiding plate 41. The first driving component 42 is configured to drive the guiding plate 41 to rotate.
[0092] Specifically, when any two adjacent guide plates 41 rotate to extend along the width direction Y, there is a gap between the two adjacent guide plates 41 to ensure that the guide plates 41 rotate smoothly around the entire circumference without collision. That is, the gap between adjacent guide plates 41 is at least large enough to ensure that the guide plates 41 have sufficient space to complete a 360° rotation around the axis. For example, the first drive component 42 can be a motor or similar device. The output end of the first drive component 42 is provided with a rotating shaft 43, which extends along the height direction and connects to the middle area of the guide plate 41 laterally. The first drive component 42 may be equipped with an encoder to keep the guide plate 41 stationary at a specific position.
[0093] This embodiment can drive the guide plate 41 to rotate and stir the area where the material is higher, so that excess material flows to the side, thereby achieving a thin and uniform thickness of the material. Since the thickness of the material after shredding is relatively large and there will be a lot of clumping, this method can guide the material flow by actively applying force, which has a better thinning effect and can reduce the clumping of material.
[0094] In some embodiments, the guide plate 41 is configured to be in a normal material feeding state when rotated to be aligned with the conveying direction X, and in a material spreading state when rotated to be at an angle to the conveying direction X.
[0095] In this embodiment, under normal material feeding conditions, the guide plate 41 extends along the conveying direction X, forming the largest possible material passage channel between adjacent guide plates 41 to allow the material to pass smoothly. When thinning is required, the rotation direction and angle of the guide plate 41 can be determined by the material height information of the extra-high area detected by the first-level height detection component 2. The guide plate 41 rotates towards the side of the thinner material, and the higher the material, the greater the required rotation angle, so that the excess material is dispersed over a larger area.
[0096] In some embodiments, the guide plate 41 is configured to rotate toward the side where the material is thinner to spread the material thinner. Thus, excess material can be guided to the thinner areas on both sides by the action of the guide plate 41.
[0097] In some embodiments, the guide plate 41 is an equilateral trapezoid, with the upper base being longer than the lower base. This structure allows the material to flow through the area below the inclined side when the guide plate 41 rotates, preventing the material from being too thin at the location of the guide plate 41. Furthermore, the "claw" structure formed on both sides can loosen and untangle the clumps of tobacco shreds under the vibration of the conveying component 1, such as a high-frequency vibrating trough.
[0098] The primary thinning component 4 of this structure provides a means to handle tobacco clumps, preventing clumping that occurs during material transportation and processing. On one hand, this avoids the inaccurate identification of impurities trapped within the clumps, preventing them from negatively impacting product quality in subsequent processes. On the other hand, the loosening of tobacco clumps also ensures processing stability in subsequent steps, reducing the risk of wet clumps and guaranteeing product quality. The clump-opening and unclumping function of the tobacco material conveying system can be operated independently of other modes, allowing for independent control of its activation or deactivation.
[0099] Specifically, when this function is enabled, the controller 8 will periodically control all guide plates 41 to perform a 180° rotation after a set delay to prevent the tobacco from being blocked in the "claw" structure and affecting the opening effect.
[0100] In some embodiments, such as Figure 7 As shown, the secondary thinning component 6 includes:
[0101] Flexible conveyor 61 is configured to form a partial conveying surface along the conveying direction X; and
[0102] Multiple actuators 62 are arranged side by side along the width direction Y of the conveying component 1 and located below the flexible conveying component 61. The output ends of the multiple actuators 62 extend independently to partially lift the flexible conveying component 61 through the output end extension to spread the material at the location.
[0103] The secondary thinning component 6 is installed inside the high-frequency vibrating trough, enabling more precise thinning after the primary thinning stage. For example, the flexible conveyor 61 can be an elastic soft cloth, serving as part of the conveying surface of the conveying component 1. It can be parallel to the surface of the high-frequency vibrating trough, forming part of the trough body, operating together without affecting the trough's function. The actuator 62 can be a cylinder; multiple cylinders can extend and retract independently. When the flexible conveyor 61 extends upwards at the cylinder's output end, it can deform, protruding from the conveying surface and stopping at a specific position.
[0104] In this embodiment, the uniformity of material thickness is improved after the first-stage thinning. Further precise thinning can be achieved through the second-stage thinning component 6. The way the output end of the actuator 62 extends to deform the flexible conveyor 61 beyond the conveying surface avoids directly applying agitation force to the material. Instead, when the flexible conveyor 61 partially protrudes, excessively high material flows freely to the surrounding area, minimizing the impact on the original material distribution and achieving a better thinning effect.
[0105] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the tobacco material conveying system also includes a material rejection mechanism 3, which is located between the primary height detection component 2 and the primary thinning component 4 along the conveying direction X. It is configured to form a material release channel when activated, allowing excess material to leave the conveying component 1.
[0106] For example, the material rejection mechanism 3 is installed inside the high-frequency vibrating trough. When the material rejection mechanism 3 is working, the tobacco material conveying system is in thickness-limited mode.
[0107] This embodiment can activate the material rejection mechanism 3 when the material conveyed on the conveying component 1 is too thick, so as to form a material release channel to allow the excess material to leave the conveying component 1. This can improve the recognition accuracy of the subsequent foreign matter recognition device, avoid the mis-rejection or omission of materials, and thus accurately remove foreign matter in cigarette raw materials, thereby improving the quality of tobacco materials.
[0108] Moreover, the material rejection mechanism 3 is located upstream of the first-stage thinning component 4. When the first-stage height detection component 2 detects that the material is too thick overall, the excess material is first rejected by the material rejection mechanism 3, and then the uniformity of the material thickness is adjusted by the subsequent two-stage thinning components. This not only ensures the final effect of material thinning, but also avoids the thinning mechanism from performing ineffective work.
[0109] In some embodiments, the material rejection mechanism 3 is configured to activate when the first-level height detection component 2 detects that the cross-sectional area of the material exceeds the cross-sectional area corresponding to the third preset height, and the size of the material release channel is configured to change according to the detection information of the second-level height detection component 5.
[0110] In this embodiment, when the first-level height detection component 2 detects that the cross-sectional area of the material exceeds the cross-sectional area corresponding to the third preset height, it indicates that the material in the current cross-section is not uneven in thickness, but rather generally thicker. At this time, the material rejection mechanism 3 is activated to form a material release channel so that the excess material leaves the conveying component 1. When the material rejection mechanism 3 is activated, it can form a preset initial gap in the material release channel, which can extend along the width direction Y.
[0111] In this mode, the secondary height detection component 5 can detect the flow rate of material after being rejected by the material rejection mechanism 3 in real time. The controller 8 adjusts the size of the material release channel according to the flow rate of the rejected material to further control the rejection accuracy until the material thickness reaches the thickness that can accurately identify impurities.
[0112] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the material rejection mechanism 3 includes:
[0113] The material slide plate 33 has a downwardly extending inclined section for material to slide down;
[0114] Baffle 322, the first end of baffle 322 abuts against the inclined section, and the second end of baffle 322 is rotatably connected to the conveying component 1; and
[0115] The second drive component 321, located at the bottom of the baffle 322, is configured to drive the baffle 322 to rotate, thereby selectively forming or closing a material release channel between the first end of the baffle 322 and the inclined section.
[0116] The lifting and tilting mechanism 32 may include a second driving component 321, a baffle 322, and a baffle shaft 323. The first end of the baffle 322 is rotatably connected to the conveying component 1 via the baffle shaft 323, and the second end has a wedge-shaped surface. When the material release channel is closed, the wedge-shaped surface precisely engages with the inclined section. The second driving component 321 may be a linear drive mechanism, such as a cylinder or motor. The linear drive mechanism is inclined and used to drive the baffle 322 to rotate around the baffle shaft 323 and stop at a specific position. Figure 3 The right side of the image indicates the direction of material delivery.
[0117] The material rejection mechanism 3 also includes a tobacco shred hopper 31, which is located below the conveying component 1. Materials falling along the sliding plate 33 can directly enter the tobacco shred hopper 31 for collection.
[0118] This embodiment uses the second driving component 321 to drive the baffle 322 to rotate, which can flexibly control the size of the material release channel, thereby accurately removing excess material and making it easy to control.
[0119] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2As shown, the tobacco material conveying system also includes a flow guiding component, which is located on the conveying surface of the conveying component 1 and upstream of the first-stage height detection component 2;
[0120] The flow guiding component includes at least two rows of flow guiding groups spaced apart along the conveying direction X. Each flow guiding group includes multiple flow guiding elements 7 spaced apart along the width direction Y of the conveying component 1. The flow guiding elements 7 are used to guide the material to flow to both sides. The flow guiding elements 7 in two adjacent flow guiding groups are staggered along the width direction Y.
[0121] For example, the guide member 7 can be V-shaped or W-shaped, with its opening facing downstream of the conveying component. This embodiment can guide the uniform conveying of materials.
[0122] In the above embodiments, the tobacco material conveying system of this application has the following beneficial technical effects:
[0123] First, the addition of a tobacco shred spreading system after shredding provides a very uniform and dense material for subsequent processes, which can greatly improve the recognition accuracy of the subsequent debris recognition device and avoid the mis-rejection or omission of materials.
[0124] Secondly, based on the material height position information output by the height detection device and controller, the precise action of the independently controlled combined guide plate and the uniform material execution cylinder can effectively achieve the precise spreading of materials at any distribution position, effectively improving the probability of foreign matter identification.
[0125] Finally, methods for handling tobacco clumps are provided to prevent clumping during material transportation and processing. On the one hand, this avoids the inaccurate identification of impurities hidden within the clumps, which could negatively impact product quality in subsequent processes. On the other hand, the loosening of tobacco clumps also ensures the stability of subsequent processing, reduces the risk of wet clumps, and guarantees product quality.
[0126] Secondly, this disclosure provides a tobacco production system, including the tobacco material conveying system of the above embodiments. Further, the tobacco production system also includes a shredder and a debris identification and removal device, wherein the shredder is used to shred tobacco leaves, and the debris identification and removal device is located downstream of the tobacco material conveying system to identify and remove foreign objects and impurities from the spread tobacco material.
[0127] This embodiment adds a tobacco shred spreading system after the shredding process to solve problems such as poor spreading quality of tobacco impurities during transportation after shredding, low flexibility in material height adjustment, and lack of clumping handling methods under existing technology conditions. It achieves efficient, stable, and accurate spreading of materials, while improving the recognition accuracy of the material rejection device and further improving product quality.
[0128] Finally, this disclosure provides a control method for a tobacco material conveying system based on the above embodiments, including:
[0129] Level 1 detection steps: Obtain the height and position information of the material exceeding the first preset height detected by the Level 1 height detection component 2. The position information includes the position along the conveying direction X and the width direction Y.
[0130] First-stage thinning step: The first-stage thinning component 4 thins the material area that exceeds the first preset height;
[0131] Secondary detection step: Obtain the height and position information of the material exceeding the second preset height detected by the secondary height detection component 5. The position information includes the position along the conveying direction X and the width direction Y.
[0132] Secondary thinning step: The secondary thinning component 6 thins the material area that exceeds the second preset height.
[0133] The primary and secondary detection steps monitor the material in real time. The primary thinning step thins the material when it exceeds a first preset height; if the material does not exceed the first preset height along the entire width direction Y, the primary thinning step is not required. The secondary thinning step thins the material when it exceeds a second preset height; if the material does not exceed the second preset height along the entire width direction Y, the secondary thinning step is not required. The positions along the conveying direction X and the width direction Y can be determined by the positions of the detectors.
[0134] In this embodiment, two levels of height detection components are set up during the conveying process of tobacco materials after shredding. After obtaining the position and height information of the material, two levels of thinning components are set up to thin the tobacco, which can make the thickness and flow of the tobacco conveyed by the conveying component 1 uniform, providing uniform material for subsequent processes. This can greatly improve the recognition accuracy of the subsequent foreign matter identification device, avoid the mis-rejection or omission of materials, and thus accurately remove foreign matter in cigarette raw materials, thereby improving the quality of tobacco materials.
[0135] In some embodiments, the primary thinning assembly 4 includes a plurality of guiding components 40 arranged side by side along the width direction Y. Each guiding component 40 includes a guiding plate 41, which is vertically disposed above the conveying surface of the conveying component 1 and rotatable about a pivot located in the central region. The primary thinning step includes:
[0136] Based on the position and height information of the material exceeding the first preset height, the guide plate 41 that needs to perform the thinning action is determined, as well as the rotation angle and direction of the guide plate 41;
[0137] Based on the position information of the material exceeding the first preset height along the conveying direction X, determine the first delay time for the guide plate 41 to start performing the guiding action;
[0138] After the first delay time, the selected guide plate 41 is opened to guide the material at the corresponding position to the lower position.
[0139] After the guide plate 41 performs the guiding action for the first preset time, it returns to the material feeding position where the guide plate 41 is parallel to the conveying direction X.
[0140] The greater the material height, the greater the rotation angle of the guide plate 41, and the rotation direction is towards the side of the material thinner on both sides of the guide plate 41. Since there is a certain distance between the first-level height detection component 2 and the first-level thinning component 4, it takes a certain period of time for the material at the first-level height detection component 2 to be conveyed to the first-level thinning component 4. Therefore, the guide plate 41 can wait for the first delay time to act. After the guide plate 41 maintains the material guiding action at a specific angle for the first preset time to achieve flattening, it returns to the normal material feeding position where the guide plate 41 is parallel to the conveying direction X.
[0141] The control method of this embodiment enables the tobacco material conveying system to operate in a uniform thickness mode. By driving the guide plate 41 to rotate and agitate the area with higher material density, excess material is directed to the sides, thereby achieving uniform material thickness. Since the thickness of the shredded material before thinning varies significantly and there is considerable clumping, this method actively applies force to guide the material flow, resulting in superior thinning effect and reducing clumping. This reduces the operating time of the primary thinning component 4 while ensuring effective thinning.
[0142] In some embodiments, the secondary thinning assembly 6 includes: a flexible conveyor 61 configured to form a partial conveying surface along the conveying direction X; and a plurality of actuators 62 arranged side-by-side along the width direction Y and disposed below the flexible conveyor 61; the secondary thinning step includes:
[0143] Based on the position and height information of the material exceeding the second preset height, determine the actuator 62 that needs to perform the thinning action, and the extension length of the output end of the actuator 62;
[0144] Based on the position information of the material exceeding the second preset height along the conveying direction X, determine the second delay time for the actuator 62 to start performing the material guiding action;
[0145] After the second delay time, the output end of the selected actuator 62 is extended by a predetermined length to lift the flexible conveyor 61 at the corresponding position and guide the material to the lower position on both sides.
[0146] After the actuator 62 performs the material guiding action for a second preset time, the output end retracts to the material feeding position where the flexible conveyor 61 is horizontal.
[0147] The greater the material height, the greater the stroke of the output end of the actuator 62, thereby increasing the degree of protrusion deformation of the flexible conveyor 61 and causing thicker materials to flow to the surrounding area. Since there is a certain distance between the secondary height detection component 5 and the secondary thinning component 6, it takes a certain period of time for the material at the secondary height detection component 5 to be conveyed to the secondary thinning component 6. Therefore, the actuator 62 can wait for the second delay time to act. After the actuator 62 maintains the material guiding action at a specific extension length for the second preset time to achieve flattening, it returns to the normal material feeding position where the guide plate 41 is parallel to the conveying direction X.
[0148] The control method of this embodiment enables the tobacco material conveying system to operate in a uniform thickness mode. After the first-stage thinning, the uniformity of the material thickness is improved, and the second-stage thinning component 6 can further achieve precise thinning. The way the output end of the actuator 62 extends to deform the flexible conveyor 61 and protrude from the conveying surface does not directly apply agitation force to the material. Instead, when the flexible conveyor 61 protrudes locally, the excessively high material flows freely to the surrounding area, which can minimize the impact on the original distribution of the material and achieve a better thinning effect.
[0149] In some embodiments, the tobacco material conveying system further includes: a material rejection mechanism 3, disposed along the conveying direction X between the primary height detection component 2 and the primary thinning component; the control method further includes:
[0150] If the cross-sectional area of the material detected by the first-level height detection component 2 exceeds the cross-sectional area corresponding to the third preset height, the material rejection mechanism 3 is activated to form a material release channel so that the excess material leaves the conveying component 1.
[0151] Adjust the size of the material release channel based on the detection information from the secondary height detection component 5.
[0152] The control method of this embodiment enables the tobacco material conveying system to operate in a thickness-limited mode. When the first-level height detection component 2 detects that the cross-sectional area of the material exceeds the cross-sectional area corresponding to the third preset height, it indicates that the material in the current cross-section is not uneven in thickness, but rather generally too thick. At this time, the material rejection mechanism 3 is activated to form a material release channel so that the excess material leaves the conveying component 1. In this mode, the second-level height detection component 5 can detect the flow rate of the material after rejection by the material rejection mechanism 3 in real time. The controller 8 adjusts the size of the material release channel according to the flow rate of the rejected material to further precisely control the rejection accuracy until the material thickness reaches a level that allows for accurate identification of impurities.
[0153] In some embodiments, the primary thinning assembly 4 includes a plurality of guiding components 40 arranged side by side along the width direction Y. Each guiding component 40 includes: a guiding plate 41, which is vertically arranged above the conveying surface of the conveying component 1 and rotatable about a pivot located in the central region. The guiding plate 41 is in the shape of an inverted trapezoid. The control method further includes:
[0154] All the guide plates 41 are rotated 180° periodically to loosen the clumps of tobacco.
[0155] The control method of this embodiment enables the tobacco material conveying system to operate in a clump-opening mode. The primary thinning component 4 provides a means to handle tobacco clumps, preventing clumps generated during material transportation and processing. On the one hand, this avoids the inaccurate identification of impurities trapped within the clumps, which could negatively impact product quality in subsequent processes. On the other hand, the loosening of tobacco clumps also ensures the stability of subsequent processing, reduces the risk of wet clumps, and guarantees product quality. The clump-opening function of the tobacco material conveying system can be operated independently of other modes, and can be independently controlled to open or close.
[0156] In addition, the control method disclosed herein also includes a normal feeding mode. During normal feeding, under the action of the first drive component 42 of the first-stage thinning component 4, all guide plates 41 are in the feeding position horizontal to the conveying direction X. At the same time, the actuator 62 of the second-stage thinning component 6 remains in a non-operating state. At this time, the thinning function is not activated, and the tobacco material can be directly conveyed from the conveying component 1 into the downstream production process.
[0157] The above are merely exemplary embodiments of this disclosure and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this disclosure should be included within the protection scope of this disclosure.
Claims
1. A material conveying system for tobacco products, characterized in that, include: The conveying component (1) is configured to convey materials; A primary height detection component (2) and a secondary height detection component (5) are disposed above the conveying component (1) and configured to detect the height of the material. The secondary height detection component (5) is spaced apart from the primary height detection component (2) along the conveying direction (X) and is located downstream of the primary height detection component (2). Both the primary height detection component (2) and the secondary height detection component (5) include a plurality of detectors spaced apart along the width direction (Y) of the conveying component (1). The plurality of detectors are configured to detect the height of the material at different positions in the width direction (Y). A primary thinning component (4) is located between the primary height detection component (2) and the secondary height detection component (5) along the conveying direction (X), and is configured to thin the material area exceeding a first preset height detected by the primary height detection component (2); the primary thinning component (4) includes a plurality of guiding components (40), which are arranged side by side along the width direction (Y) of the conveying component (1), and are configured to thin the material by movement, and the plurality of guiding components (40) work independently; and The secondary thinning component (6), located downstream of the secondary height detection component (5) along the conveying direction (X), is configured to thin the material area exceeding the second preset height detected by the secondary height detection component (5); The secondary thinning component (6) includes: a flexible conveyor (61) configured to form a partial conveying surface along the conveying direction (X); and a plurality of actuators (62) arranged side by side along the width direction (Y) of the conveying component (1) and located below the flexible conveyor (61), with the output ends of the plurality of actuators (62) extending independently to partially lift the flexible conveyor (61) through the output ends to thin the material at the location; Each of the material guiding components (40) includes: a material guiding plate (41), which is vertically disposed above the conveying surface of the conveying component (1); and a first driving component (42), which is disposed at the bottom of the conveying component (1) and whose output end is connected to the middle area of the material guiding plate (41). The first driving component (42) is configured to drive the material guiding plate (41) to rotate.
2. The tobacco material conveying system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide plate (41) is configured to be in a normal material feeding state when rotated to be aligned with the conveying direction (X), and to be in a material spreading state when rotated to be at an angle to the conveying direction (X).
3. The tobacco material conveying system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide plate (41) is configured to rotate toward the side of the material that is thin to spread the material.
4. The tobacco material conveying system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide plate (41) is an equilateral trapezoid, and the length of the upper base of the trapezoid is greater than the length of the lower base.
5. The tobacco material conveying system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, It also includes a material rejection mechanism (3), which is disposed between the first-stage height detection component (2) and the first-stage thinning component (4) along the conveying direction (X), and is configured to form a material release channel to allow excess material to leave the conveying component (1) when activated.
6. The tobacco material conveying system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The material rejection mechanism (3) is configured to be activated when the cross-sectional area of the material detected by the first-level height detection component (2) exceeds the cross-sectional area corresponding to the third preset height, and the size of the material release channel is configured to change according to the detection information of the second-level height detection component (5).
7. The tobacco material conveying system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The material rejection mechanism (3) includes: The material slide (33) has a downwardly extending inclined section for material to slide down; A baffle (322), the first end of which abuts against the inclined section, and the second end of which is rotatably connected to the conveying component (1); and A second drive component (321), located at the bottom of the baffle (322), is configured to drive the baffle (322) to rotate, thereby selectively forming or closing the material release channel between the first end of the baffle (322) and the inclined section.
8. The tobacco material conveying system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, It also includes a flow guiding component, which is disposed on the conveying surface of the conveying component (1) and located upstream of the first-stage height detection component (2); The flow guiding component includes at least two rows of flow guiding groups spaced apart along the conveying direction (X). Each flow guiding group includes multiple flow guiding elements (7) spaced apart along the width direction (Y) of the conveying component (1). The flow guiding elements (7) are used to guide the material to flow to both sides. The flow guiding elements (7) in two adjacent flow guiding groups are staggered along the width direction (Y).
9. A tobacco production system, characterized in that, include: The tobacco material conveying system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
10. A control method for a tobacco material conveying system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, include: First-level detection steps: Obtain the height information and position information of the material exceeding the first preset height detected by the first-level height detection component (2), wherein the position information includes the position along the conveying direction (X) and the width direction (Y); First-stage thinning step: The first-stage thinning component (4) thins the material area exceeding the first preset height; Secondary detection step: Obtain the height information and position information of the material exceeding the second preset height detected by the secondary height detection component (5), wherein the position information includes the position along the conveying direction (X) and the width direction (Y); Secondary thinning step: The secondary thinning component (6) thins the material area that exceeds the second preset height.
11. The control method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The primary thinning component (4) includes multiple guiding components (40) arranged side by side along the width direction (Y). Each guiding component (40) includes a guiding plate (41) vertically positioned above the conveying surface of the conveying component (1) and rotatable about a pivot located in the central region. The primary thinning step includes: Based on the position and height information of the material exceeding the first preset height, the guide plate (41) that needs to perform the thinning action is determined, as well as the rotation angle and direction of the guide plate (41); Based on the position information of the material exceeding the first preset height along the conveying direction (X), a first delay time is determined for the guide plate (41) to start performing the guiding action; After the first delay time, the selected guide plate (41) is opened to guide the material at the corresponding position to a lower position; After the guide plate (41) performs the guiding action for a first preset time, it returns to the material feeding position where the guide plate (41) is parallel to the conveying direction (X).
12. The control method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The secondary thinning assembly (6) includes: a flexible conveyor (61) configured to form a partial conveying surface along the conveying direction (X); and a plurality of actuators (62) arranged side by side along the width direction (Y) and located below the flexible conveyor (61); the secondary thinning step includes: Based on the position and height information of the material exceeding the second preset height, the actuator (62) that needs to perform the thinning action is determined, as well as the extension length of the output end of the actuator (62); Based on the position information of the material exceeding the second preset height along the conveying direction (X), a second delay time is determined for the actuator (62) to start performing the material guiding action; After the second delay time, the output end of the selected actuator (62) is extended by a predetermined length to lift the flexible conveyor (61) at the corresponding position and guide the material to the lower position on both sides; After the actuator (62) performs the material guiding action for a second preset time, the output end retracts to the material passing position where the flexible conveyor (61) is horizontal.
13. The control method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that, The tobacco material conveying system further includes: a material rejection mechanism (3), disposed along the conveying direction (X) between the primary height detection component (2) and the primary thinning component (4); the control method further includes: When the first-level height detection component (2) detects that the cross-sectional area of the material exceeds the cross-sectional area corresponding to the third preset height, the material rejection mechanism (3) is activated to form a material release channel so that the excess material leaves the conveying component (1). The size of the material release channel is adjusted according to the detection information of the secondary height detection component (5).
14. The control method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that, The primary thinning component (4) includes a plurality of guide components (40) arranged side by side along the width direction (Y). Each guide component (40) includes a guide plate (41), which is vertically arranged above the conveying surface of the conveying component (1) and rotatable about a pivot located in the central region. The guide plate (41) is in the shape of an inverted trapezoid. The control method further includes: Rotate all the guide plates (41) 180° periodically to loosen the clumps of tobacco.