A feeding system

Abstract

This invention discloses a feeding system, including a hopper, a material handling mechanism, a conveyor belt, and a feeding mechanism. A feeding station and a material handling station are respectively arranged on both sides of the conveyor belt. The material handling mechanism is used to remove material from the hopper to the feeding station, and the feeding mechanism is used to transfer material from the material handling station to a box on the conveyor belt. This invention uses the material handling mechanism to remove material from the hopper and place it at the feeding station, while the feeding mechanism handles material handling at the feeding station. The feeding station and the material handling station are respectively located on both sides of the conveyor belt, and the conveyor belt transports material from the feeding station to the material handling station. Since feeding and material handling are performed at different stations, they can be carried out simultaneously, solving the distance problem between the hopper and the conveyor belt while ensuring efficient material feeding.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of packaging machine technology, and in particular to a feeding system. Background Technology

[0002] With the diversification of packaging products, traditional blister packaging methods can no longer meet the diverse needs of packaging products. New one-piece packaging methods, with their advantages of standardization and modularity, have achieved significant development and have broad prospects. Furthermore, the environmental problems associated with traditional PVC blister packaging have been largely alleviated by the emergence of paper trays. Solving the problems of cutting booklets / instruction manuals and paper trays is a key technology for successful product boxing.

[0003] Existing cartoning machines, such as the fully automatic intermittent cartoning machine with patent number CN201510249280.4, include an automatic cartoning machine bottle feeding turntable, an vial indexing turntable feeding mechanism, and an intermittent conveying device mounted on the machine frame, connected in sequence. The upper side of the intermittent conveying device is equipped with a sequentially connected instruction manual feeding device, a carton loading device, a carton opening mechanism, a medicine loading device, a fully automatic steel mold printing mechanism, and a fully automatic tongue-and-groove sealing device. In this prior art, the hopper is located above the conveying mechanism. Given the considerable horizontal distance between the hopper for holding instruction manuals or paper trays and the conveying mechanism for transporting them, there is no relevant description in the prior art regarding how to transfer the material from the hopper to the conveying mechanism. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a feeding system that solves the problem of how to transfer materials from the silo to the conveying mechanism when there is a long distance between the silo and the conveying mechanism.

[0005] The present invention is implemented as follows: a feeding system includes a hopper, a material picking mechanism, a conveyor belt, and a feeding mechanism. A feeding station and a material picking station are respectively set on both sides of the conveyor belt. The material picking mechanism is used to pick up the material in the hopper and place it at the feeding station. The feeding mechanism is used to transfer the material at the material picking station to the box on the conveyor mechanism.

[0006] The material is placed in the hopper, and the conveying mechanism of the conveyor box is set on the discharge side of the hopper. There is a relatively long distance between the discharge port of the hopper and the conveying mechanism. This invention uses a material picking mechanism to take the material out of the hopper and place it at the loading station. The loading mechanism picks up the material at the picking station. The loading station and the picking station are respectively set on both sides of the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt transports the material from the loading station to the picking station. The picking and loading are carried out at different stations, so the picking and loading can be carried out simultaneously, solving the problem of the distance between the hopper and the conveying mechanism while ensuring the material loading efficiency.

[0007] A further technical solution of the present invention is: a buffer station is provided between the feeding station and the unloading station.

[0008] The buffer station is located between the loading station and the unloading station. It can buffer materials and also enable docking when there is a large distance between the silo and the conveying mechanism, thus ensuring the working efficiency of the loading system.

[0009] A further technical solution of the present invention is: multiple sets of carriers are provided on the conveyor belt along the direction from the loading station to the unloading station.

[0010] Multiple vehicles can serve as buffers for multiple sets of materials.

[0011] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the carrier is provided with a clearance groove for accommodating the material picking end of the material picking mechanism.

[0012] After the material-retrieving mechanism picks up the material from the hopper, it moves towards the carrier. Once it reaches the carrier, the material is above the material-retrieving mechanism. To avoid interference between the material-retrieving mechanism and the carrier and to ensure that the material enters the carrier smoothly, a clearance groove is provided on the carrier to accommodate the material-retrieving end of the material-retrieving mechanism. After the material falls into the carrier, the movement of the conveyor belt causes the material-retrieving mechanism to separate from the carrier, thus completing the feeding of the material-retrieving mechanism.

[0013] A further technical solution of the present invention is that the vehicle is detachable.

[0014] The vehicle is detachable to accommodate different sizes of parts.

[0015] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the hopper includes a storage area and a discharge area, wherein the discharge area is arranged at an angle downward.

[0016] The feeding area is tilted downwards, and the material picking mechanism can pick up the material by rotating it at a certain angle. This makes it convenient for the material picking mechanism to pick up the material, reduces the related drives of the material picking mechanism, improves work efficiency, and reduces the load on the material picking mechanism.

[0017] A further technical solution of the present invention is that the storage area is inclined and the inclination angle is smaller than that of the unloading area.

[0018] The inclined design of the storage area can increase the storage capacity of materials; the inclination angle is smaller than that of the unloading area to ensure that the material can fall smoothly from the storage area into the unloading area.

[0019] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the material handling mechanism includes a motor, a drive shaft and a material handling component, the motor is used to drive the drive shaft to rotate, and one end of the material handling component is connected to the drive shaft and the other end is provided with a material handling suction cup.

[0020] The motor drives the drive shaft to rotate, and the material-picking component is mounted on the drive shaft and rotates synchronously with it. A suction cup is located at the end of the material-picking component furthest from the drive shaft to pick up materials for transfer. The coordination between the material-picking mechanism, the hopper, and the conveyor belt allows the material-picking mechanism to transfer materials from the hopper to the carrier on the conveyor belt with only one drive, reducing the load on the material-picking mechanism and achieving high transfer efficiency.

[0021] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the material picking component includes two material picking rods, and the suction cup is placed above the material picking rods.

[0022] For some materials that are quite long, in order to ensure the stability of the material handling mechanism, the material handling component includes two material handling rods to ensure the stability of the material conveying mechanism.

[0023] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the feeding mechanism includes a spider hand and a clamp placed at one end of the spider hand, the clamp being used to pick up materials from the material picking station.

[0024] The clamp works in conjunction with the material handling station to pick up or suck up materials from the station. The spider-arm then transfers the materials from the clamp to the conveyor's housing, completing the loading process. The spider-arm's high efficiency meets the high-efficiency loading requirements of this invention.

[0025] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: Materials are placed in a silo, and the conveying mechanism of the conveyor box is located on the discharge side of the silo. There is a relatively long distance between the discharge port of the silo and the conveying mechanism. This invention uses a material-retrieving mechanism to remove materials from the silo and place them at a loading station. The loading mechanism retrieves materials at the material-retrieving station. The loading station and the material-retrieving station are respectively located on both sides of the conveyor belt, and the conveyor belt transports materials from the loading station to the material-retrieving station. Since material retrieval and loading are performed at different stations, they can be carried out simultaneously, solving the distance problem between the silo and the conveying mechanism while ensuring efficient material loading. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a top view of a feeding system provided by the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of a feeding system provided by the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of a feeding system provided by the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 This is a side view of a feeding system provided by the present invention.

[0030] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the conveyor belt and the material handling mechanism provided by the present invention.

[0031] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the vehicle provided by the present invention.

[0032] Attached reference numerals: 1. Hopper, 11. Storage area, 12. Unloading area.

[0033] 2. Material handling mechanism; 21. Motor; 22. Drive shaft; 23. Material handling component; 25. Synchronous belt; 26. Synchronous pulley.

[0034] 3. Conveyor belt; 31. Loading station; 32. Unloading station; 33. Carrier; 34. Clearance chute; 35. Buffer station.

[0035] 4. Feeding mechanism; 41. Spider arm; 42. Clamp;

[0036] 5. Materials. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0038] It should be noted that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc., illustrated in the accompanying drawings are merely for illustrative purposes to aid those skilled in the art and to facilitate understanding and reading. They are not intended to limit the scope of the invention and therefore have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in proportions, or adjustments to size, without affecting the effectiveness and purpose of the invention, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed herein. Furthermore, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "middle," and "one" used in this specification are merely for clarity and not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Changes or adjustments to their relative relationships, without substantially altering the technical content, should also be considered within the scope of the invention.

[0039] Example 1:

[0040] Figure 1-6 A feeding system is shown, including a hopper 1, a material picking mechanism 2, a conveyor belt 3, and a feeding mechanism 4. A feeding station 31 and a picking station 32 are respectively arranged on both sides of the conveyor belt 3. The material picking mechanism 2 is used to pick up the material 5 in the hopper 1 and put it into the feeding station 31. The feeding mechanism 4 is used to transfer the material 5 on the picking station 32 into the box on the conveyor mechanism.

[0041] In this embodiment, the hopper has multiple discharge ports, and the arrangement direction of the discharge ports is parallel to the arrangement direction of the conveying mechanism. The material handling mechanism is placed between the hopper discharge port and the conveyor belt, and is close to the loading station side. The loading mechanism is placed above the conveying mechanism and the conveyor belt.

[0042] In this embodiment, a buffer station 35 is provided between the loading station 31 and the unloading station 32.

[0043] The buffer station is located between the loading station and the unloading station. It can buffer materials and also enable docking when there is a large distance between the silo and the conveying mechanism, thus ensuring the working efficiency of the loading system.

[0044] In this embodiment, multiple sets of carriers 33 are provided on the conveyor belt 3 along the direction from the loading station 31 to the unloading station 32.

[0045] Multiple vehicles can serve as buffers for multiple sets of materials.

[0046] In this embodiment, the carrier 33 is provided with a clearance groove 34 for accommodating the material picking end of the material picking mechanism 2.

[0047] After the material-retrieving mechanism picks up the material from the hopper, it moves towards the carrier. Once it reaches the carrier, the material is above the material-retrieving mechanism. To avoid interference between the material-retrieving mechanism and the carrier and to ensure that the material enters the carrier smoothly, a clearance groove is provided on the carrier to accommodate the material-retrieving end of the material-retrieving mechanism. After the material falls into the carrier, the movement of the conveyor belt causes the material-retrieving mechanism to separate from the carrier, thus completing the feeding of the material-retrieving mechanism.

[0048] In this embodiment, the drive end of the material handling mechanism is located below the hopper, and the material handling end of the material handling mechanism moves between the hopper and the carrier. This makes more efficient use of space, and the robotic arm of the material handling mechanism does not need to be too long, ensuring stability and accuracy. By rotating the robotic arm between the hopper and the carrier, the material is transferred from the hopper to the carrier. During this process, the hopper is tilted and the discharge port is tilted downwards. When the material handling end of the material handling mechanism picks up the material, the material is on one side of the material handling end. When the material handling mechanism is flipped and placed on the carrier, the material is above the material handling end. The material cannot be directly released to achieve feeding. In this invention, the carrier is provided with a clearance groove to avoid interference between the material handling end of the material handling mechanism and the carrier. At the same time, the material is detached from the material handling mechanism by the movement of the carrier, avoiding increasing the drive of the material handling mechanism, causing excessive load on the material handling mechanism, and affecting work efficiency.

[0049] In this embodiment, the vehicle 33 is detachable.

[0050] The vehicle is detachable to accommodate different sizes of parts.

[0051] In this embodiment, the carrier is a cubic structure with an open top. The carrier has an opening on the side facing the material outlet of the hopper. The opening is a clearance groove for avoiding the material picking end of the picking mechanism. As the carrier moves toward the picking station, the carrier gradually moves away from the picking mechanism, realizing the separation of the material from the picking mechanism, and the picking mechanism fully loads the material.

[0052] In this embodiment, the hopper 1 includes a storage area 11 and a discharge area 12, wherein the discharge area 12 is arranged at an angle downward.

[0053] The feeding area is tilted downwards, and the material picking mechanism can pick up the material by rotating it at a certain angle. This makes it convenient for the material picking mechanism to pick up the material, reduces the related drives of the material picking mechanism, improves work efficiency, and reduces the load on the material picking mechanism.

[0054] In this embodiment, a baffle is provided at the discharge end of the feeding area. The design of the baffle can prevent the material from sliding out freely.

[0055] In this embodiment, the storage area 11 is inclined and the inclination angle is smaller than that of the unloading area 12.

[0056] The inclined design of the storage area can increase the storage capacity of materials; the inclination angle is smaller than that of the unloading area to ensure that the material can fall smoothly from the storage area into the unloading area.

[0057] In this embodiment, the material handling mechanism 2 includes a motor 21, a drive shaft 22, and a material handling component 23. The motor 21 is used to drive the drive shaft 22 to rotate, and one end of the material handling component 23 is connected to the drive shaft 22, while the other end is provided with a material handling suction cup.

[0058] The motor drives the drive shaft to rotate, and the material-picking component is mounted on the drive shaft and rotates synchronously with it. A suction cup is located at the end of the material-picking component furthest from the drive shaft to pick up materials for transfer. The coordination between the material-picking mechanism, the hopper, and the conveyor belt allows the material-picking mechanism to transfer materials from the hopper to the carrier on the conveyor belt with only one drive, reducing the load on the material-picking mechanism and achieving high transfer efficiency.

[0059] In this embodiment, the output end of the motor 21 is connected to the drive shaft via a synchronous pulley 25 and a synchronous belt 26. The drive shaft and the output end of the motor are set horizontally to reduce space occupation.

[0060] In this embodiment, the material picking component 23 includes two material picking rods, and the suction cup 24 is placed above the material picking rods.

[0061] For some materials that are quite long, in order to ensure the stability of the material handling mechanism, the material handling component includes two material handling rods to ensure the stability of the material conveying mechanism.

[0062] In another embodiment, when the material is small, a single suction cup can ensure stable suction, and the material handling component may consist of only one material handling rod.

[0063] In this embodiment, the material handling component is a curved structure to ensure that the material handling mechanism does not interfere with other mechanical structures when picking up materials from the hopper and transferring them to the carrier.

[0064] In this embodiment, the feeding mechanism 4 includes a spider hand 41 and a clamp 42 placed at one end of the spider hand 41. The clamp 42 is used to pick up material 5 from the material picking station 32.

[0065] The clamp works in conjunction with the material handling station to pick up or suck up materials from the station. The spider-arm then transfers the materials from the clamp to the conveyor's housing, completing the loading process. The spider-arm's high efficiency meets the high-efficiency loading requirements of this invention.

[0066] The working principle of this invention is as follows: The material is placed in the silo, and the conveying mechanism of the conveyor box is set on the discharge port side of the silo. There is a relatively long distance between the discharge port of the silo and the conveying mechanism. This invention uses a material picking mechanism to take out the material from the silo and place it at the loading station. The loading mechanism picks up the material at the material picking station. The loading station and the material picking station are respectively set on both sides of the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt transports the material from the loading station to the material picking station. The material picking and loading are carried out at different stations, so the material picking and loading can be carried out simultaneously, which solves the problem of the distance between the silo and the conveying mechanism while ensuring the material loading efficiency.

[0067] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A feeding system, characterized in that, The system includes a hopper (1), a material handling mechanism (2), a conveyor belt (3), and a loading mechanism (4). Loading stations (31) and material handling stations (32) are respectively set on both sides of the conveyor belt (3). Multiple sets of carriers (33) are provided on the conveyor belt (3). The carriers (33) are provided with clearance grooves (34) for accommodating the material handling end of the material handling mechanism (2). The material handling mechanism (2) can be flipped to take out the material (5) in the hopper (1) to the loading station (31). The loading mechanism (4) is used to transfer the material (5) on the loading station (32) to the box on the conveyor mechanism. A buffer station (35) is provided between the loading station (31) and the loading station (32).

2. The feeding system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple sets of carriers (33) are provided on the conveyor belt (3) along the direction from the loading station (31) to the unloading station (32).

3. The feeding system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The vehicle (33) is detachable.

4. The feeding system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hopper (1) includes a storage area (11) and a discharge area (12), the discharge area (12) being inclined downwards.

5. A feeding system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The storage area (11) is inclined and the inclination angle is smaller than that of the unloading area (12).

6. A feeding system according to claim 1, characterized in that, It includes a motor (21), a drive shaft (22) and a material picker (23). The motor (21) is used to drive the drive shaft (22) to rotate. The material picker (23) is installed on the drive shaft (22) and rotates synchronously with the drive shaft (22). One end of the material picker (23) is connected to the drive shaft (22) and the other end is provided with a material picker suction cup.

7. A feeding system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The material handling component (23) includes two material handling rods, and the suction cup (24) is placed above the material handling rods.

8. A feeding system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding mechanism (4) includes a spider hand (41) and a clamp (42) placed at one end of the spider hand (41), the clamp (42) being used to pick up materials (5) from the picking station (32).

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