A cigarette supply device and a control method thereof

Abstract

The application provides a cigarette feeding device, which comprises N lower flues, N cigarette pushing mechanisms, a mold box conveying mechanism and a controller, N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2, and a first detector is arranged at a predetermined depth of the lower flue; the cigarette pushing mechanism comprises a cigarette pushing motor and a single-degree-of-freedom motion assembly, a cigarette pushing row is arranged on the top of the single-degree-of-freedom motion assembly, the cigarette pushing motor drives the single-degree-of-freedom motion assembly to move, and drives the cigarette pushing row to make linear reciprocating motion; the mold box conveying mechanism comprises a driving motor, a conveying belt rotating under the driving of the driving motor and a plurality of mold boxes arranged at intervals on the outer periphery of the conveying belt; the controller is electrically connected with the driving motor and the N cigarette pushing motors respectively and is in communication connection with the first detector. The application also provides a control method of the cigarette feeding device. The application has the beneficial effect that the electronic cam curves of each mechanism are switched by the controller, and the work of cleaning the lower flue or troubleshooting is completed without stopping the machine.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the tobacco packaging technical field, and particularly to a cigarette feeding device and a control method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] The existing cigarette feeding device includes a tobacco warehouse, a lower tobacco channel arranged in the tobacco warehouse, a cigarette pushing mechanism corresponding to the lower tobacco channel, and a mold box conveying mechanism. The mold box conveying mechanism includes a conveying belt and a plurality of mold boxes arranged on the conveying belt. The cigarettes in the tobacco warehouse fall from the lower tobacco channel to form a cigarette group. The cigarette group is pushed by a pushing row in the cigarette pushing mechanism to a cigarette box. Then, the cigarette box containing the cigarette group is pushed into a mold box. The mold box moves with the conveying belt to convey the cigarette box to a downstream packaging station. The pushing movement of the cigarette pushing mechanism and the movement of the mold box are both intermittent movements. The cigarette pushing mechanism and the mold box conveying mechanism share one power source. If some of the lower tobacco channels are blocked, the cigarette pushing mechanism needs to be stopped to clean the tobacco channel. The production can only be restarted after the machine is stopped and processed, which undoubtedly greatly reduces the production efficiency. SUMMARY

[0003] In view of the above defects, the present application aims to provide a cigarette feeding device which can handle the blockage of the lower tobacco channel or the failure of the cigarette pushing mechanism without stopping the machine.

[0004] The present application provides a cigarette feeding device, which includes N lower tobacco channels for feeding cigarettes, N cigarette pushing mechanisms, a mold box conveying mechanism, and a controller. N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2. A first detector is arranged at a predetermined depth of the lower tobacco channel to detect whether a cigarette blockage occurs in the lower tobacco channel. The N cigarette pushing mechanisms and the N lower tobacco channels are arranged one by one. The cigarette pushing mechanism includes a cigarette pushing motor and a single-degree-of-freedom motion assembly. The top of the single-degree-of-freedom motion assembly is provided with a pushing row. The cigarette pushing motor drives the single-degree-of-freedom motion assembly to move, driving the pushing row to make a linear reciprocating motion and pushing the cigarette group at the bottom of the lower tobacco channel. The mold box conveying mechanism includes a driving motor, a conveying belt rotating under the driving of the driving motor, and a plurality of mold boxes arranged at intervals on the outer periphery of the conveying belt. The mold boxes are used to receive the cigarette group. The controller is electrically connected with the driving motor and the N cigarette pushing motors, and is communicatively connected with the first detector.

[0005] Preferably, a second detector is arranged near the conveying belt to detect whether there is a cigarette missing phenomenon in the mold box. The controller is communicatively connected with the second detector.

[0006] Preferably, the single degree of freedom motion assembly comprises a mounting bracket, a driving shaft, a first passive shaft, a second passive shaft, a first connecting rod, a second connecting rod, a third connecting rod, a fourth connecting rod and a fifth connecting rod, the driving shaft is hinged in the mounting bracket, one end of the driving shaft is connected with the cigarette pushing motor, and a swing arm is arranged on the driving shaft, a lower end of the swing arm is hinged with the first connecting rod, an upper end of the swing arm is hinged with the second connecting rod, the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod are hinged through the third connecting rod, and the cigarette pushing device is arranged at the top of the third connecting rod; the first passive shaft is hinged in the mounting bracket, one end of the fourth connecting rod is hinged with the first passive shaft, and the other end of the fourth connecting rod is hinged with the first connecting rod; the second passive shaft is hinged in the mounting bracket, one end of the fifth connecting rod is hinged with the second passive shaft, and the other end of the fifth connecting rod is hinged with the second connecting rod.

[0007] Preferably, the cigarette pushing motor is an alternating current servo motor.

[0008] The application further provides a control method of the cigarette feeding device.

[0009] According to the cigarette pushing demand, electronic cam curves of the driving motor and the N cigarette pushing motors are respectively set, and the controller controls the driving motor and the N cigarette pushing motors to operate according to the respective electronic cam curves, so that the mold box conveying mechanism and the N cigarette pushing mechanisms perform intermittent motion in coordination with each other, and it is ensured that each mold box is filled with a cigarette group.

[0010] When the first detector detects that the cigarette blocking phenomenon occurs in a lower cigarette channel or a fault occurs in a cigarette pushing mechanism, the controller controls the corresponding cigarette pushing motor to stop working, and switches the electronic cam curves of the cigarette pushing motors in the remaining N-1 cigarette pushing mechanisms, so that the rhythm of cigarette pushing is changed, the cleaning of the blocked lower cigarette channel or the troubleshooting is completed without stopping, and it is ensured that each mold box is filled with a cigarette group.

[0011] The application has the advantages that the cigarette pushing mechanism and the mold box conveying mechanism are respectively driven by an independent motor, the electronic cam curves of the mechanisms are switched by the controller, the cleaning of the lower cigarette channel or the troubleshooting is completed without stopping, the loss caused by stopping is reduced, and the production efficiency is greatly improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 A perspective view of the cigarette feeding device of the application Figure One ;

[0013] Figure 2 A perspective view of the cigarette feeding device of the application Figure Two ;

[0014] Figure 3 A perspective view of the cigarette pushing mechanismFigure One ;

[0015] Figure 4 The perspective view of the smoke pushing mechanism after the installation support is removed Figure Two ;

[0016] Figure 5 The electronic cam curve switching diagram of the motor in the first, second and third smoke pushing mechanisms when the first lower flue is blocked / the first smoke exhaust mechanism is out of order;

[0017] Figure 6 The electronic cam curve switching diagram of the motor in the first, second and third smoke pushing mechanisms when the second lower flue is blocked / the second smoke exhaust mechanism is out of order;

[0018] Figure 7 The electronic cam curve switching diagram of the motor in the first, second and third smoke pushing mechanisms when the third lower flue is blocked / the third smoke exhaust mechanism is out of order.

[0019] Element number explanation:

[0020] 1 warehouse

[0021] 2 lower flue

[0022] 21 first lower flue

[0023] 22 second lower flue

[0024] 23 third lower flue

[0025] 3 smoke pushing mechanism

[0026] 301 smoke pushing row

[0027] 302 smoke pushing motor

[0028] 303 installation support

[0029] 304 swing arm

[0030] 305 first connecting rod

[0031] 306 second connecting rod

[0032] 307 third connecting rod

[0033] 308 fourth connecting rod

[0034] 309 fifth connecting rod

[0035] 310 drive shaft

[0036] 311 first driven shaft

[0037] 312 second passive shaft

[0038] 31 first cigarette pushing mechanism

[0039] 32 second cigarette pushing mechanism

[0040] 33 third cigarette pushing mechanism

[0041] 4 mold box conveying mechanism

[0042] 41 mold box

[0043] 42 driving motor

[0044] 43 conveying belt

[0045] 5 first detector

[0046] 6 second detector DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The specific embodiments of the present application will be further described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are only used to illustrate the present application, and are not intended to limit the present application.

[0048] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application. In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third" are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0049] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connecting", "connection" should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixed connection, or detachable connection, or integrally connected; it can be mechanical connection, or electrical connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or the internal communication of two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0050] Figure 2 The figure shows the perspective view of the cigarette supply device of the present application Figure Two In the following description, the drawings in Figure 2 are used as the reference basis for the direction, and in Figure 2In the embodiment, the extending direction of the conveying belt 43 is defined as the left-right direction, and the second detector 6 is located at the left side of the lower flue 2; the extending direction of the lower flue 2 is defined as the up-down direction, and the smoke pushing row 301 is located below the lower flue 2; the extending direction of the smoke pushing row 301 is defined as the front-back direction, and the lower flue 2 is located at the front side of the smoke pushing mechanism 3.

[0051] As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 The present application provides a cigarette feeding device, which comprises a cigarette warehouse 1, N lower flues 2 for feeding cigarettes, a first detector 5 arranged at a predetermined depth of the lower flue 2, N smoke pushing mechanisms 3, a mold box conveying mechanism 4 and a controller, wherein N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0052] The first detector 5 is used to detect whether the lower flue 2 is blocked. Specifically, the first detector 5 is a non-contact photoelectric sensor, which can avoid damaging the cigarettes. When the light emitted by the emitter of the first detector 5 can be received by the receiver, it indicates that the lower flue 2 is unblocked; otherwise, when the light emitted by the emitter of the first detector 5 is blocked for a long time, it indicates that the lower flue 2 is blocked.

[0053] The N smoke pushing mechanisms 3 and the N lower flues 2 are arranged one by one, the N lower flues 2 are distributed in sequence along the left-right direction, and the distribution direction of the N smoke pushing mechanisms 3 is parallel to the distribution direction of the N lower flues 2. Each smoke pushing mechanism 3 comprises a smoke pushing motor 302 and a single-degree-of-freedom motion assembly, the top of the single-degree-of-freedom motion assembly is provided with a smoke pushing row 301, the smoke pushing motor 302 drives the single-degree-of-freedom motion assembly to move, thereby driving the smoke pushing row 301 to move linearly and reciprocally in the front-back direction, and pushing the group of cigarettes located at the bottom of the lower flue 2. The smoke pushing motor 302 is preferably an AC servo motor.

[0054] The single-degree-of-freedom motion assembly has various forms, which can be a cam linkage assembly, or a cam-follower linkage assembly as shown in Figures 3-4The multi-link assembly is shown. The multi-link assembly includes a mounting bracket 303, a driving shaft 310, a first passive shaft 311, a second passive shaft 312, a first link 305, a second link 306, a third link 307, a fourth link 308, and a fifth link 309. The mounting bracket 303 is fixedly arranged along the front-rear direction, wherein the second passive shaft 312, the driving shaft 310, and the first passive shaft 311 are sequentially hinged from front to rear. One end of the driving shaft 310 is connected with the cigarette pushing motor 302, which rotates under the driving of the cigarette pushing motor 302. The driving shaft 310 is further provided with a swing arm 304, the lower end of the swing arm 304 is hinged with the first link 305, the upper end of the swing arm 304 is hinged with the second link 306, the first link 305 and the second link 306 are hinged through the third link 307, and the cigarette pushing row 301 is arranged at the top of the third link 307. One end of the fourth link 308 is hinged with the first passive shaft 311, and the other end is hinged with the middle part of the first link 305; one end of the fifth link 309 is hinged with the second passive shaft 312, and the other end is hinged with the second link 306.

[0055] As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 The mold box conveying mechanism 4 includes a driving motor 42, a conveying belt 43 rotating under the driving of the driving motor 42, and a plurality of mold boxes 41 arranged at intervals on the outer periphery of the conveying belt 43, the mold boxes 41 being used for receiving groups of cigarettes. Specifically, the extension direction of the conveying belt 43 is parallel to the distribution direction of the N lower smoke channels 2 (i.e. the left-right direction), and is arranged between the driving wheel and the driven wheel, the driving motor 42 drives the driving wheel to rotate, thereby driving the conveying belt 43 to rotate, and the mold boxes 41 on the conveying belt 43 to translate along the left-right direction.

[0056] Preferably, a second detector 6 is further arranged near the conveying belt 43, the second detector 6 is used for detecting whether there is a cigarette missing phenomenon in the mold box 41, and also adopts a non-contact photoelectric sensor. When the light emitted by the emitter in the second detector 6 is blocked, it is known that the mold box 41 has been filled and the cigarettes are sufficient; on the contrary, when the light emitted by the emitter in the second detector 6 can be received by the receiver, it is known that the mold box 41 has a gap and the cigarettes are missing.

[0057] The controller is electrically connected with the driving motor 42, the N cigarette pushing motors 302 through four drivers respectively, and is communicatively connected with the first detector 5 and the second detector 6. Specifically, the controller and the four drivers adopt real-time field bus.

[0058] In one specific embodiment of the present application, N=3, that is, it includes the first lower smoke channel 21, the second lower smoke channel 22, and the third lower smoke channel 23 distributed from left to right, and the first cigarette pushing mechanism 31, the second cigarette pushing mechanism 32, and the third cigarette pushing mechanism 33 distributed from left to right. The working principle of the cigarette feeding device of this embodiment is as follows:

[0059] The tobacco magazine 1 feeds the cigarette into the first lower flue 21, the second lower flue 22 and the third lower flue 23 respectively, and the cigarettes freely fall along the first lower flue 21, the second lower flue 22 and the third lower flue 23 to form groups of cigarettes at the bottom of the first lower flue 21, the second lower flue 22 and the third lower flue 23 respectively. The three cigarette pushing motors 302 and the driving motor 42 drive the cigarette pushing rows 301 and the conveying belt 43 to make intermittent movements in coordination with each other, so that the groups of cigarettes at the bottom of the first lower flue 21, the second lower flue 22 and the third lower flue 23 are pushed into different mould boxes 41 respectively, and then the mould boxes 41 filled with the groups of cigarettes move with the conveying belt 43 to convey the groups of cigarettes to the downstream packaging stations.

[0060] The present application also provides a control method of the cigarette feeding device, which comprises the following steps:

[0061] According to the cigarette pushing demand, the electronic cam curves of the driving motor 42 and the three cigarette pushing motors 302 are set respectively, and the electronic cam curves are stored in the controller in the form of data table. The controller controls the driving motor 42 and the three cigarette pushing motors 302 to operate according to the corresponding electronic cam curves respectively, so that the mould box conveying mechanism 4 and the three cigarette pushing mechanisms 3 make intermittent movements in coordination with each other, and ensure that each mould box 41 is filled with a group of cigarettes.

[0062] When the first detector 5 detects that the groups of cigarettes in a lower flue 2 are blocked, or a fault occurs in a cigarette pushing mechanism 3, the controller controls the corresponding cigarette pushing motor 302 to stop working, and switches the electronic cam curves of the cigarette pushing motors 302 in the remaining two cigarette pushing mechanisms 3, so as to change the rhythm of pushing cigarettes, complete the cleaning of the blocked lower flue 2 or remove the fault of the cigarette pushing mechanism 3 without stopping the machine, and ensure that each mould box 41 is filled with a group of cigarettes.

[0063] Figure 5 、 Figure 6 and Figure 7 are respectively the electronic cam curve switching diagrams of the cigarette pushing motors 302 in the first cigarette pushing mechanism 31, the second cigarette pushing mechanism 32 and the third cigarette pushing mechanism 33 under different fault conditions. Among them Figure 5 (a), Figure 6 (a) and Figure 7 (a) correspond to the electronic cam curve switching diagram of the first cigarette pushing mechanism 31, Figure 5 (b), Figure 6 (b) and Figure 7 (b) correspond to the electronic cam curve switching diagram of the second cigarette pushing mechanism 32, Figure 5 (c), Figure 6 (c) and Figure 7 (c) correspond to the electronic cam curve switching diagram of the third cigarette pushing mechanism 33.

[0064] exist Figures 5-7 In the diagram, the X-axis represents the machine phase direction, with one scale tick representing one machine cycle. During time periods A and C, the first, second, and third lower flues 21, 22, and 23 remain unobstructed and all mechanisms function normally. During time period B, the lower flues become clogged or the exhaust mechanism malfunctions. The Y-axis represents the operating angle of the cigarette pusher motor 302. When the output shaft of the cigarette pusher motor 302 rotates to its maximum angle, the single-degree-of-freedom motion assembly drives the cigarette pusher exhaust 301 forward to its maximum travel, pushing the cigarette group into the mold box 41.

[0065] Depend on Figure 5 It can be seen that during time periods A and C, the output shaft of the cigarette pushing motor 302 first rotates to its maximum angle within one machine cycle, completing the "pushing" action, then returns to its original position within one machine cycle, completing the "collecting" action, and then stops operating within one machine cycle, repeating this cycle. During time period B, if the first lower flue 21 becomes clogged or the first cigarette pushing mechanism 31 malfunctions, the controller will control the first cigarette pushing mechanism 31 to stop operating. The cigarette pushing motors 302 in the second and third cigarette pushing mechanisms 32, 33 will then operate according to the principle of "rotating to their maximum angle within one machine cycle and returning to their original position within one machine cycle." In other words, by eliminating the machine cycle in which the second and third cigarette pushing mechanisms 32, 33 stop operating, the mold box 41 is ensured to be fully filled.

[0066] Depend on Figure 6 As can be seen, during time periods A and C, the output shaft of the cigarette pushing motor 302 first rotates to its maximum angle within one machine cycle, completing the "pushing" action, then returns to its original position within one machine cycle, completing the "collecting" action, and then stops operating within one machine cycle, following this regular cycle. During time period B, if the second lower flue 22 becomes clogged or the second cigarette pushing mechanism 32 malfunctions, the controller will control the second cigarette pushing mechanism 32 to stop operating. The cigarette pushing motors 302 in the first and third cigarette pushing mechanisms 31 and 33 will first repeat the cycle of "rotating to their maximum angle within half a machine cycle and returning to their original position within half a machine cycle" twice, and then stop operating within two machine cycles, following this regular cycle. Specifically, by varying the cigarette pushing rhythm of the first and third cigarette pushing mechanisms 31 and 33, the mold box 41 is ensured to be fully filled.

[0067] Depend on Figure 7It can be seen that in the A time period and the C time period, the output shaft of the pushing motor 302 rotates to the maximum angle in one machine cycle, completes the "pushing" action, then returns to the original position in one machine cycle, completes the "collecting" action, and then stops running in one machine cycle, and the cycle is repeated. In the B time period, the third lower flue 23 appears a blocking phenomenon or the third pushing mechanism 33 appears a fault, at this time the controller controls the third pushing mechanism 33 to stop working, and the pushing motors 302 in the first pushing mechanism 31 and the second pushing mechanism 32 operate according to the rule of "rotating to the maximum angle in one machine cycle and returning to the original position in one machine cycle", that is, by canceling the machine cycle in which the first pushing mechanism 31 and the second pushing mechanism 32 stop running, it is ensured that the mold box 41 is filled.

[0068] Specifically, when the second detector 6 detects that a certain mold box 41 appears a missing cigarette phenomenon, the controller determines the pushing mechanism 3 corresponding to the cigarette group according to the shift register in the controller, and when it is detected that the cigarette group pushed out by the same pushing mechanism 3 for a preset number of times successively is missing, the controller determines that the pushing mechanism 3 appears a fault, controls the pushing mechanism 3 to stop working, and switches the electronic cam curve of the pushing motor 302 in the remaining two pushing mechanisms 3, changes the rhythm of pushing, completes the adjustment of the pushing mechanism 3 without stopping, and ensures that each mold box 41 is filled with a cigarette group.

[0069] As can be seen from the above, the cigarette feeding device of the present application can complete the adjustment of the blocked lower flue or the faulty pushing mechanism by switching the electronic cam curve of the motor without stopping, thereby greatly saving the waste of raw and auxiliary materials caused by machine stop (such as glue drying and cigarette package rejection caused by stop), and ensuring that the mold boxes conveyed by the mold box conveying mechanism to the downstream are filled, so that the rejection of aluminum foil paper and inner frame paper will not occur in the subsequent packaging process.

[0070] The above only describes the preferred embodiments of the present application, and it should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several improvements and replacements without departing from the technical principles of the present application, and these improvements and replacements should also be considered as the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A cigarette feed device, characterized in that, The application relates to a cigarette pushing device, which comprises N cigarette falling channels, N cigarette pushing mechanisms, a mold box conveying mechanism and a controller, wherein N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2, A first detector is arranged at a predetermined depth of the cigarette falling channel and used for detecting whether a cigarette blocking phenomenon occurs in the cigarette falling channel; The N cigarette pushing mechanisms and the N cigarette falling channels are arranged in one-to-one correspondence, the cigarette pushing mechanism comprises a cigarette pushing motor and a single-degree-of-freedom motion assembly, the top of the single-degree-of-freedom motion assembly is provided with a cigarette pushing row, and the cigarette pushing motor drives the single-degree-of-freedom motion assembly to move, drives the cigarette pushing row to make linear reciprocating motion, and pushes a cigarette group located at the bottom of the cigarette falling channel; The mold box conveying mechanism comprises a driving motor, a conveying belt rotating under the driving of the driving motor and a plurality of mold boxes arranged at the outer periphery of the conveying belt and used for receiving the cigarette group; The controller is electrically connected with the driving motor and the N cigarette pushing motors and is in communication connection with the first detector; The single-degree-of-freedom motion assembly comprises a mounting bracket, a driving shaft, a first passive shaft, a second passive shaft, a first connecting rod, a second connecting rod, a third connecting rod, a fourth connecting rod and a fifth connecting rod, The driving shaft is hinged in the mounting bracket, one end of the driving shaft is connected with the cigarette pushing motor, an oscillating arm is arranged on the driving shaft, the lower end of the oscillating arm is hinged with the first connecting rod, the upper end of the oscillating arm is hinged with the second connecting rod, the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod are hinged through the third connecting rod, and the cigarette pushing row is arranged at the top of the third connecting rod; The first passive shaft is hinged in the mounting bracket, one end of the fourth connecting rod is hinged with the first passive shaft, and the other end of the fourth connecting rod is hinged with the first connecting rod; The second passive shaft is hinged in the mounting bracket, one end of the fifth connecting rod is hinged with the second passive shaft, and the other end of the fifth connecting rod is hinged with the second connecting rod.

2. The cigarette feed device of claim 1, wherein, A second detector is arranged near the conveying belt and used for detecting whether a cigarette missing phenomenon occurs in the mold box; and the controller is in communication connection with the second detector.

3. The cigarette feed device of claim 1, wherein, The cigarette pushing motor is an AC servo motor.

4. A control method of a cigarette supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by, The application further relates to a cigarette pushing method, which comprises the following steps: According to the cigarette pushing demand, electronic cam curves of the driving motor and the N cigarette pushing motors are respectively set, the controller controls the driving motor and the N cigarette pushing motors to operate according to the respective electronic cam curves, the mold box conveying mechanism and the N cigarette pushing mechanisms are controlled to make intermittent motion with coordinated rhythm, and it is ensured that each mold box is filled with a cigarette group; When the first detector detects that a cigarette blocking phenomenon occurs in a certain cigarette falling channel or a certain cigarette pushing mechanism fails, the controller controls the corresponding cigarette pushing motor to stop working, switches the electronic cam curves of the cigarette pushing motors in the remaining N-1 cigarette pushing mechanisms, changes the rhythm of cigarette pushing, completes the cleaning of the blocked cigarette falling channel or the removal of the failure without stopping the machine, and ensures that each mold box is filled with a cigarette group.

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