An automatic bottle dispensing machine

Abstract

This invention discloses an automatic bottle sorting machine, including a conveyor line, an identification mechanism, a main flow channel, secondary flow channels, a main blow molding mechanism, and a secondary blow molding mechanism. The identification mechanism is mounted on the conveyor line and is used to identify the type of plastic bottles on the conveyor line. The main flow channel is positioned above the end of the conveyor line and forms a gap with the end of the conveyor line. Several secondary flow channels are arranged in multiple rows from top to bottom within the gap. The main blow molding mechanism is located at the end of the conveyor line and is used to receive the identification information from the identification mechanism and correspondingly blow one type of plastic bottle into the main flow channel, and blow other types of plastic bottles in several parabolic arcs spreading from front to back. This invention uses the identification mechanism to identify the type of plastic bottles on the conveyor line, and then, in conjunction with the main blow molding mechanism and the secondary blow molding mechanism, blows the plastic bottles of corresponding types into the main flow channel and multiple secondary flow channels, thus performing multi-category subdivision and sorting of the plastic bottles.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of plastic bottle recycling and sorting technology, specifically to an automatic bottle sorting machine. Background Technology

[0002] In the recycling of plastic bottles, due to the different materials of the plastic bottles, bottle sorting is required. At present, most of them use spectral identification for judgment. For example, Chinese Patent 201822114158.8 discloses a plastic bottle sorting system based on infrared spectroscopy, which includes a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt is arranged in sequence along the conveying direction with a feeding mechanism, a photoelectric sensor, a near-infrared spectral identification mechanism, a sorting mechanism, and an industrial control computer connected to the photoelectric sensor, the near-infrared spectral identification mechanism, and the sorting mechanism.

[0003] In plastic bottle recycling, existing equipment performs blow molding and sorting of plastic bottles. Under rapid material feeding, it can usually only perform two or three sortings, grouping the main recycling types of plastic bottles into one category and mixing other types of plastic bottles into another. However, with the current spectral recognition technology combined with machine vision, it is possible to identify more than a dozen types of plastic bottles at once. In order to further subdivide and sort plastic bottles into multiple categories for subsequent targeted recycling operations, how to perform rapid subdivision and sorting of plastic bottles into multiple categories under continuous feeding is a technical problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the above-mentioned technical deficiencies and propose an automatic bottle sorting machine to solve the technical problem of how to quickly sort and classify plastic bottles into multiple categories while continuously feeding them.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned technical objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] This invention provides an automatic bottle-splitting machine, comprising:

[0007] Conveyor line;

[0008] An identification mechanism, installed on the conveyor line, is used to identify the type of plastic bottle on the conveyor line;

[0009] The main channel is positioned above the tail end of the conveyor line and is spaced apart from the tail end of the conveyor line.

[0010] Secondary flow channels, a plurality of said secondary flow channels are arranged in multiple rows from top to bottom within the interval;

[0011] The main blow molding mechanism, located at the end of the conveyor line, receives identification information from the identification mechanism and accordingly blows one type of plastic bottle into the main flow channel, as well as blows other types of plastic bottles in several parabolic arcs spreading from front to back; and

[0012] The secondary blow molding mechanism, wherein several secondary blow molding mechanisms are arranged in the interval corresponding one-to-one with each row of secondary flow channels, for blowing corresponding types of plastic bottles into the corresponding secondary flow channels.

[0013] In some embodiments, the main blow molding mechanism includes a main nozzle, an angle drive, a pressure control, and a control. A plurality of the main nozzles are arranged at equal intervals along the width direction of the conveyor line. Each main nozzle is connected to an angle drive and a pressure control. The angle drive and the pressure control are used to adjust the jet angle and jet pressure of the main nozzle, respectively. The control is used to receive identification information from the identification mechanism and to control the angle drive and the pressure control to adjust according to the identification information.

[0014] In some embodiments, the identification mechanism includes a gantry, a hyperspectral camera, and an information processing module. The hyperspectral camera and the information processing module are both mounted on the gantry, which is located at the top of the conveyor line. The information processing module is used to process the identification information from the hyperspectral camera and transmit the identification information to the control unit.

[0015] In some embodiments, a secondary conveying mechanism is also included, comprising a collection hopper and a transfer belt. The collection hopper is disposed within the interval and located below the secondary flow channel for collecting unidentified and missed-sorted plastic bottles. The two ends of the transfer belt are respectively connected to the bottom end of the collection hopper and the starting end of the conveying line.

[0016] In some embodiments, the secondary blowing mechanism includes a secondary nozzle and a detection element. A plurality of the secondary nozzles are arranged equidistantly in a compartment along the conveying direction of the conveyor line. The detection element is disposed in the compartment and located above the secondary nozzles to detect whether the bottle has reached the position. The control component is used to receive identification information from the identification mechanism, and after adjusting the control angle drive component and the air pressure control component according to the identification information, it controls the opening or closing of the secondary nozzles according to the detection signal of the detection element.

[0017] In some embodiments, the angle driving component includes a cylinder push rod and a base frame. A plurality of cylinder push rods and main nozzles are hinged to the base frame and correspond one-to-one with the position of the main nozzles. The telescopic ends of the plurality of cylinder push rods are respectively hinged to the corresponding main nozzles.

[0018] In some embodiments, the air pressure control component includes an air source and an electric air pressure regulating valve, wherein the air source is connected to the electric air pressure regulating valve and the electric air pressure regulating valve is connected to the main nozzle.

[0019] In some embodiments, both the main flow channel and the secondary flow channel are inclined downwards.

[0020] In some embodiments, the detection element is a camera.

[0021] In some embodiments, the detection element is an infrared laser sensor.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the automatic bottle sorting machine provided by the present invention identifies the types of plastic bottles on the conveyor line through an identification mechanism. Then, in conjunction with the main blow molding mechanism and the secondary blow molding mechanism, the plastic bottles are blown into the main flow channel and multiple secondary flow channels according to their corresponding types, so as to perform multi-category subdivision and sorting of plastic bottles, achieving the effect of sorting more than a dozen types of plastic bottles, and the sorting is fast. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the automatic bottle-splitting machine provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a front view structural schematic diagram of the automatic bottle-separating machine provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the left-side structure of the automatic bottle-splitting machine provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 This is provided by the embodiments of the present invention. Figure 1 A magnified view of part A;

[0027] Figure 5 This is provided by the embodiments of the present invention. Figure 2 A magnified view of part B.

[0028] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0029] 1. Conveyor line; 101. Interval;

[0030] 2. Identification mechanism; 21. Gantry frame; 22. Hyperspectral camera; 23. Information processing module;

[0031] 3. Mainstream path;

[0032] 4. Secondary flow channel;

[0033] 5. Main blow molding mechanism; 51. Main nozzle; 52. Angle drive component; 53. Air pressure control component; 521. Cylinder push rod; 522. Base frame; 531. Air source; 532. Electric air pressure regulating valve;

[0034] 6. Secondary blow molding mechanism; 61. Secondary nozzle; 62. Detection element;

[0035] 7. Secondary conveying mechanism; 71. Collection hopper; 72. Transfer belt. Detailed Implementation

[0036] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention.

[0037] To address the technical challenge of rapidly sorting and classifying plastic bottles into multiple categories while continuously feeding them, this invention provides an automatic bottle sorting machine capable of high-speed sorting and classification of plastic bottle types, with a sorting capacity of more than a dozen categories.

[0038] It should be noted that the automatic bottle sorting machine described in this invention is used for, but not limited to, sorting plastic bottles. For ease of explanation, this invention will only use the automatic bottle sorting machine applied to the sorting of plastic bottles after spectral identification as an example. The principle of the automatic bottle sorting machine applied to the sorting of other types of lightweight bottles is essentially the same as that applied to the sorting of plastic bottles after spectral identification, and will not be described in detail here.

[0039] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 1This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of an automatic bottle sorting machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The automatic bottle sorting machine includes a conveyor line 1, an identification mechanism 2, a main flow channel 3, secondary flow channels 4, a main blow molding mechanism 5, and a secondary blow molding mechanism 6. The conveyor line 1 uses a belt conveyor to linearly transport plastic bottles in a flat manner, which has the effect of high-speed and high-volume transport of plastics. The identification mechanism 2 is mounted on the conveyor line 1 and is used to identify the type of plastic bottles on the conveyor line. While the plastic bottles are being transported on the conveyor line 1, the identification mechanism 2 determines the type. The main flow channel 3 is arranged opposite to the tail end of the conveyor line 1 and forms a gap 101 between it and the tail end of the conveyor line 1. The main flow channel 3 is slightly higher than the conveying plane of the conveyor line 1 and is used to sort the plastic bottle types that account for the largest proportion. Several secondary flow channels 4 are arranged in multiple rows from top to bottom in the secondary flow channels 6. Within interval 101, secondary flow channels 4 are used for sorting various subcategories of plastic bottles; the main blow molding mechanism 5 is located at the end of the conveyor line 1, used to receive identification information from the identification mechanism 2, and correspondingly blow one type of plastic bottle to the main flow channel 3, and blow other types of plastic bottles in several parabolic arcs spreading from front to back. After the identification mechanism 2 identifies and classifies the type of plastic bottle, it obtains the corresponding position on the conveyor line 1, and according to the conveying speed of the conveyor line 1, it can obtain the time to reach the main blow molding mechanism 5, and start the corresponding blowing according to the time. According to the blowing angle and air pressure, different blowing effects at different distances and heights are obtained; several secondary blow molding mechanisms 6 are arranged in interval 101 in a one-to-one correspondence with each row of secondary flow channels 4, used to blow the corresponding type of plastic bottle to the corresponding secondary flow channel 4, and blow the falling plastic bottle perpendicular to the conveying direction, blowing the plastic bottle into the corresponding type of secondary flow channel 4.

[0040] Understandably, the conveyor line continuously transports plastic bottles, and compared to existing bottle sorting machines, it basically does not reduce the feeding and sorting speed of existing bottle conveying and sorting machines, and can perform rapid sorting.

[0041] In this embodiment, the main blow molding mechanism 5 blows a primary type of plastic bottle into the main flow channel 3. This type of bottle accounts for the largest proportion of recycled plastic bottles. However, the plastic bottles that need to be sorted also contain more than ten other types of plastic bottles. Then, the main blow molding mechanism 5 blows other types of bottles that are not the primary type into the main flow channel 3, causing them to fall in a parabolic trajectory. This separates the other types of bottles into three main categories. Within each of the three main categories, they are further divided into specific types from top to bottom. That is, the main categories are first blown into the main flow channel, and then the bottles fall from top to bottom. In each corresponding main category, the secondary blow molding mechanism 6 blows the bottles into the corresponding specific type of secondary flow channel 4, which can achieve the effect of identifying and quickly classifying more than ten types of bottles.

[0042] Understandably, the secondary flow channel 4 can be expanded horizontally and vertically as needed to achieve the sorting of more types of plastic bottles.

[0043] To avoid overlap issues caused by bottles of the same major category moving side-by-side or close together to the end of the main channel 3 during the blowing process, please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 2 and Figure 3 By adjusting the spray angle and air pressure, the bottle type can be distributed in a parabolic pattern within the corresponding category range, thus achieving a dispersion effect and improving the accuracy of the sorting spray.

[0044] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 The main blow molding mechanism 5 includes a main nozzle 51, an angle drive component 52, a pressure control component 53, and a control component. Several main nozzles 51 are arranged at equal intervals along the width direction of the conveyor line 1, with an interval of about one centimeter. Each main nozzle 51 is connected to an angle drive component 52 and a pressure control component 53. The angle drive component 52 and the pressure control component 53 are used to adjust the jet angle and jet pressure of the main nozzle 51, respectively. The control component is used to receive the identification information from the identification mechanism 2 and control the angle drive component 52 and the pressure control component 53 to make adjustments according to the identification information.

[0045] In this embodiment, the spray angle of the main nozzle 51 is adjusted by the angle drive component 52, which can control the elevation angle and direction of the spray parabola. The spray pressure is controlled by the air pressure control component 53, which can control the spray force and adjust the spray distance.

[0046] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 2 The identification mechanism 2 includes a gantry 21, a hyperspectral camera 22, and an information processing module 23. The hyperspectral camera 22 and the information processing module 23 are both mounted on the gantry 21, which is located at the top of the conveyor line 1. The information processing module 23 is used to process the identification information from the hyperspectral camera 22 and transmit the identification information to the control unit.

[0047] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 The secondary blow molding mechanism 6 includes a secondary nozzle 61 and a detection element 62. Several secondary nozzles 61 are arranged equidistantly in the compartment along the conveying direction of the conveyor line 1, with an interval of about one centimeter. The detection element 62 is located in the interval 101 and above the secondary nozzles 61, and is used to detect whether the bottle has reached the position. The control component is used to receive the identification information from the identification mechanism 2, and after adjusting the control angle drive component 52 and the air pressure control component 53 according to the identification information, it controls the opening or closing of the secondary nozzles 61 according to the detection signal of the detection element 62.

[0048] Understandably, the zone to which the bottle is sprayed is determined based on the angle and the spray pattern. Correspondingly, the detection element 62 in that zone is on standby, waiting for the plastic bottles to fall in sequence. The count of the falling bottles is used to determine whether the bottle was sprayed at that location, thus achieving the sorting purpose.

[0049] In this embodiment, optionally, the detection element 62 is a camera, which uses machine vision to determine whether the spray area has been reached.

[0050] In this embodiment, optionally, the detection element 62 is an infrared laser sensor, which determines whether the spray area has been reached by the obstruction of an object.

[0051] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 In order to re-sort any missing items in the entire bottle sorting process, a secondary conveying mechanism 7 is also included. The secondary conveying mechanism 7 includes a collection hopper 71 and a transfer belt 72. The collection hopper 71 is set in the interval 101 and located below the secondary flow channel 4. It is used to collect unidentified and missed plastic bottles. The two ends of the transfer belt 72 are respectively connected to the bottom end of the collection hopper 71 and the starting end of the conveying line 1.

[0052] Understandably, the transfer belt 72 includes a first conveyor line and a second conveyor line. The first conveyor line transports materials to the second conveyor line, and the second conveyor line transports materials obliquely upwards to the conveyor line 1.

[0053] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 5 The angle driving component 52 includes a cylinder push rod 521 and a base frame 522. Several cylinder push rods 521 are hinged to the base frame 522 and correspond one-to-one with the position of the main nozzle 51. The extension and retraction ends of several cylinder push rods 521 are respectively hinged to the corresponding main nozzle 51. The angle adjustment of the main nozzle 51 is controlled by the extension and retraction of the cylinder push rods 521.

[0054] Understandably, the angle drive component 52 can also be another mechanism with rotation angle adjustment, such as a drive motor.

[0055] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 5 The air pressure control component 53 includes an air source 531 and an electric air pressure regulating valve 532. The air source 531 is connected to the electric air pressure regulating valve 532, and the electric air pressure regulating valve 532 is connected to the main nozzle 51. Air is supplied through the air source 531, and the electric air pressure regulating valve 532 regulates the air supply pressure. Gas is sprayed out from the main nozzle 51.

[0056] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 1Both the main flow channel 3 and the secondary flow channel 4 are inclined downwards, and the material is guided by the inclined downwards sliding channel.

[0057] To better understand this invention, the following is combined with... Figures 1 to 5 The technical solution of the present invention is described in detail as follows: Plastic bottles are laid on the conveyor line 1 for transportation. During transportation, the hyperspectral camera 22 of the identification mechanism 2 identifies the type of bottles. The main blowing mechanism 5 blows the bottles of the main category to the main channel 3 according to the identified type information. For other types of bottles, the blowing is in a parabolic shape, so that they fall in the intervals 101 in front of multiple sets of vertically partitioned secondary channels 4. During the fall, the corresponding detection element 62 detects the position. When the bottles reach the corresponding position of the secondary channel 4, the secondary blowing mechanism 6 at that position blows them into the corresponding secondary channel 4 for transportation. For unidentified and missed-sorted plastic bottles, they fall freely to the collection hopper 71 and are collected. Then they are transferred back to the conveyor line 1 from the transfer belt 72 for secondary or multiple identifications.

[0058] The specific embodiments of the present invention described above do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of the present invention. Any other corresponding changes and modifications made in accordance with the technical concept of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic bottle-dispensing machine, characterized in that, include: Conveyor line; An identification mechanism, installed on the conveyor line, is used to identify the type of plastic bottle on the conveyor line; The main channel is positioned above the tail end of the conveyor line and is spaced apart from the tail end of the conveyor line. Secondary flow channels, a plurality of said secondary flow channels are arranged in multiple rows from top to bottom within the interval; The main blow molding mechanism, located at the end of the conveyor line, receives identification information from the identification mechanism and accordingly blows one type of plastic bottle into the main flow channel, as well as blows other types of plastic bottles in several parabolic arcs spreading from front to back; and The secondary blow molding mechanism, wherein several of the secondary blow molding mechanisms are arranged in the interval in a one-to-one correspondence with each row of secondary flow channels, is used to blow the corresponding type of plastic bottle to the corresponding secondary flow channel; The main blow molding mechanism includes a main nozzle, an angle drive, a pressure control, and a control component. Several main nozzles are arranged at equal intervals along the width of the conveyor line. Each main nozzle is connected to an angle drive and a pressure control. The angle drive and the pressure control are used to adjust the jet angle and jet pressure of the main nozzle, respectively. The control component is used to receive identification information from the identification mechanism and control the angle drive and the pressure control to adjust according to the identification information. The secondary blow molding mechanism includes secondary nozzles and detection elements. Several secondary nozzles are arranged at equal intervals along the conveying direction of the conveyor line within a gap. The detection elements are located within the gaps and above the secondary nozzles for detecting the bottle position. The control unit receives identification information from the identification mechanism, and after adjusting the control angle drive and air pressure control unit according to the identification information, it controls the opening or closing of the secondary nozzles according to the detection signal from the detection element.

2. The automatic bottle-splitting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The identification mechanism includes a gantry, a hyperspectral camera, and an information processing module. The hyperspectral camera and the information processing module are both mounted on the gantry, which is located at the top of the conveyor line. The information processing module is used to process the identification information from the hyperspectral camera and transmit the identification information to the control unit.

3. The automatic bottle-splitting machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, It also includes a secondary conveying mechanism, which includes a collection hopper and a transfer belt. The collection hopper is disposed within the interval and located below the secondary flow channel, and is used to collect unidentified and missed-sorted plastic bottles. The two ends of the transfer belt are respectively connected to the bottom end of the collection hopper and the starting end of the conveyor line.

4. The automatic bottle-splitting machine according to claim 3, characterized in that, The angle driving component includes a cylinder push rod and a base frame. Several cylinder push rods and main nozzles are hinged to the base frame, and the positions of the cylinder push rods and the main nozzles correspond one-to-one. The telescopic ends of the several cylinder push rods are respectively hinged to the corresponding main nozzles.

5. The automatic bottle-splitting machine according to claim 4, characterized in that, The air pressure control component includes an air source and an electric air pressure regulating valve. The air source is connected to the electric air pressure regulating valve, and the electric air pressure regulating valve is connected to the main nozzle.

6. The automatic bottle-splitting machine according to claim 5, characterized in that, Both the main flow channel and the secondary flow channel are inclined downwards.

7. The automatic bottle-splitting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The detection element is a camera.

8. The automatic bottle-splitting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The detection element is an infrared laser sensor.

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