Absolute first-in first-out storage and conveying method for materials

Abstract

The invention provides an absolute first-in first-out storage and conveying method for materials, which comprises the following steps of: taking out an empty box group from a storage library, sequentially inputting empty boxes, and filling the empty boxes with the materials in the conveying process; at least two full boxes which are continuously output in the first horizontal direction and filled with the materials are sequenced according to the output sequence to form a full box group, the full box group is stored in a storage library in a translation mode, and the storage time is recorded; taking out the full box group with the earliest warehousing time from the storage library in a translation manner, and inputting the full box group along a second horizontal direction opposite to the first horizontal direction; materials in the full boxes are emptied in the process of conveying the full boxes in the currently taken-out full box group, and at least two empty boxes which are continuously output after the materials are emptied form an empty box group and are stored in a storage library; wherein before the full box group is stored in the storage library or after the full box group is taken out from the storage library, the full boxes in the current full box group are arranged in an inverted order. Absolute first-in first-out of material storage is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of material buffering, and in particular to a material storage and transportation method with absolute first-in-first-out. Background Art

[0002] In the material production process, the buffer conveying device is an important equipment connecting the upstream and downstream machines. When the upstream material production machine and the downstream material packaging machine have a speed mismatch or one of them fails and stops for a short time, the buffer conveying device can be used to cache or output materials to ensure the normal operation of the production line.

[0003] At present, the caching device is usually based on the first-in-last-out method. For example, the method for conveying and transferring rod-shaped objects provided in Chinese patent CN201810984683.7 is a first-in-last-out caching method. However, during the production process, if the upstream machine outputs unqualified materials due to a malfunction, the first-in-last-out method cannot accurately determine the position of the faulty materials produced during this period on the entire conveying path, resulting in it being difficult to trace the quality of the corresponding materials after the defective products are mixed. Moreover, for some time-sensitive materials, such as new tobacco, the first-in-last-out caching method cannot meet the product's quality requirements for timeliness. In addition, when the malfunction of the downstream material packaging machine cannot be eliminated in a short time, the material in the channel connecting the packaging machine and the cache conveying device can only be sent back to the cache conveying device through manual recovery and other processing methods, which is difficult to operate and inefficient. Due to manual intervention, the product quality cannot be unified, and even some materials can only be discarded, resulting in a waste of resources.

[0004] In summary, there is an urgent need for a method that can cache materials and achieve absolute first-in-first-out for the cached materials. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of this, an embodiment of the present invention provides a material storage and transportation method with absolute first-in-first-out, which is used to solve the problems that the existing first-in-last-out material caching method cannot meet the timeliness requirements of material products, cannot accurately determine the position of faulty materials produced upstream on the entire conveying path, and when a downstream machine fails, the materials between the downstream machine and the caching device can only be manually recovered or even discarded.

[0006] The present disclosure provides a material storage and transportation method with absolute first-in-first-out, including the following steps: S1: taking out an empty box group from a storage bin and outputting the empty boxes in the currently taken out empty box group to the first entrance in sequence; wherein the empty box group includes at least 2 empty boxes for storing materials; S2: conveying the empty boxes input from the first inlet in the first conveying channel, and filling the materials from the upstream into the empty boxes conveyed in the first conveying channel, so as to obtain full boxes conveyed to the first outlet; S3: sorting the at least two full boxes continuously outputted from the first outlet in an output order to form a full box group, storing the current full box group in the storage repository in a translation manner and recording the storage time; wherein the full box output direction of the first outlet is a first horizontal direction; the translation manner means that the relative positions of the projections of the full boxes in the full box group in the horizontal plane remain unchanged before and after the full box group moves; S4: taking out the full box group with the earliest storage time from the storage in a translation manner, and inputting the full boxes in the current full box group from the second entrance in sequence along a second horizontal direction; wherein the second horizontal direction is parallel to the first horizontal direction and in the opposite direction; S5: conveying the full box input from the second inlet to the second conveying channel, emptying the material in the full box conveyed in the second conveying channel, outputting the emptied material to the downstream through the third conveying channel, and obtaining an empty box conveyed to the second outlet at the same time; S6: forming an empty box group by forming at least two empty boxes continuously outputted from the second outlet, and storing the currently formed empty box group into the storage library; Before storing the current full box group into the storage repository in a translation manner in S3, or after taking out the full box group with the earliest storage time from the storage repository in S4, the method further comprises the steps of: Arrange the full boxes in the current full box group in reverse order.

[0007] In some embodiments, after S6, the method further includes the steps of: S7: when receiving a stop feeding request from the downstream, controlling the second conveying channel and the third conveying channel to convey in the reverse direction, refilling the remaining materials in the third conveying channel into the empty boxes conveyed in the reverse direction in the second conveying channel in a last-in-first-out order, and obtaining full boxes conveyed to the second entrance; S8: sort the at least two full boxes continuously outputted from the second entrance into a full box group in output order and store them in the storage repository in a translation manner, and record the entry time of the full box group currently entering the storage as earlier than the earliest entry time corresponding to the full box group in the current storage repository.

[0008] In some embodiments, the S8 further includes: If the number of full boxes finally outputted from the second entrance is less than 2, the full boxes finally outputted from the second entrance are left on the docking channel between the storage library and the second entrance.

[0009] In some embodiments, the S2 specifically includes: The empty boxes input from the first inlet are conveyed in the first conveying channel along the third horizontal direction, and the materials conveyed in the fourth conveying channel are filled into the empty boxes conveyed in the first conveying channel by the material filling device located on the upper side of the first conveying channel, so as to obtain full boxes conveyed to the first outlet; wherein the fourth conveying channel is located above the first conveying channel, and the third horizontal direction is perpendicular to the first horizontal direction.

[0010] In some embodiments, a conveying direction of the fourth conveying channel is parallel to and opposite to the third horizontal direction.

[0011] In some embodiments, the length direction of the empty boxes conveyed in the first conveying channel is along the third horizontal direction, and the width direction of the full boxes output by the first outlet is along the first horizontal direction.

[0012] In some embodiments, the step of conveying the full box input from the second inlet to the second conveying channel and emptying the material in the full box conveyed in the second conveying channel in S5 specifically includes: The full boxes input from the second inlet are conveyed in the second conveying channel along the fourth horizontal direction, and the materials in the full boxes conveyed in the second conveying channel are emptied by the material emptying device located on the upper side of the second conveying channel; wherein, the third conveying channel is located above the second conveying channel, and the fourth horizontal direction is perpendicular to the second horizontal direction.

[0013] In some embodiments, a conveying direction of the third conveying channel is parallel to and in the same direction as the fourth horizontal direction.

[0014] In some embodiments, the length direction of the full boxes conveyed in the second conveying channel is along the fourth horizontal direction, and the width direction of the full boxes conveyed by the second inlet is along the second horizontal direction.

[0015] The material storage and transportation method provided by the present invention is to take out the empty material boxes on the storage rack and output them continuously to the first conveying channel, and after the empty boxes are filled with materials, the full boxes are stored in the storage. When the downstream machine needs materials, the full boxes are taken out and the materials therein are unloaded in a first-in-first-out manner, and the empty boxes after unloading are stored in the storage, and the continuously transported materials are output at the same time. Through the above process, the material boxes can be continuously circulated between the storage and the external material loading and unloading station to realize the storage and transportation of materials. Among them, multiple material boxes filled with materials are stored in groups to improve the access efficiency. On the one hand, the full box group stored first is output first, which can ensure the first-in-first-out of the full box group in the storage; on the other hand, by making the directions of the full box group inputting and outputting the storage in opposite directions, and accessing the full box group in the storage in a translational manner, and before the full box group is stored in the storage or after it is taken out from the storage, the full boxes in the full box group are arranged in reverse order, and the box filled with materials first in each full box group can also be output first. Thus, the material storage is absolutely first-in-first-out, which not only meets the timeliness requirements of material products, but also can determine the location of the faulty material produced upstream on the entire conveying path by tracing the material box because the stored materials are absolutely first-in-first-out. In addition, when the downstream machine needs to be shut down for a long time, this method can return the materials in the connecting channel (third conveying channel) between the downstream machine and the cache to the cache for storage while ensuring the traceability of the materials, further ensuring the stability of the material storage environment and improving the quality of the materials. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 A flow chart of a material storage and transportation method with absolute first-in-first-out provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a material storage and conveying device with absolute first-in-first-out that can be used to implement the method of the present invention; Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the back structure of the device shown; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a specific implementation structure of the sequencing device of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a top view of a route from empty boxes being taken out of a warehouse to full boxes being put into a warehouse in Embodiment 1; Figure 6A schematic diagram of a top-down route from full box outbound storage to empty box inbound storage in Example 1; Figure 7 A flow chart of a material storage and transportation method with absolute first-in-first-out provided in the second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a top view of a route from empty boxes being removed from storage to full boxes being received in Example 2; Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a top-down route from full boxes out of the warehouse to empty boxes in the warehouse in Example 2; Fig.10 A front view of a material conveyor for realizing a material reflux function in a third conveying channel; Fig.11 for Fig.10 A top view of the transmission structure of the material conveyor; Fig.12 is a schematic structural diagram of the upstream transmission mechanism 61B; Fig.13 It is a structural schematic diagram of a one-way overrunning clutch.

[0018] Reference numerals: 1. Material filling device; 2. Material emptying device; 3. Storage; 4. Material box transfer device; 5. Sequencing device; 6. Material conveyor; 10. Packaging machine; 11. First entrance; 12. First conveying channel; 13. Fourth conveying channel; 14. First exit; 21. Second entrance; 22. Second conveying channel; 23. Third conveying channel; 24. Second exit; 31. Dehumidification device; 51. Full box conveyor; 52. Shifting mechanism; 53. Full box buffer conveyor; 61. Transmission mechanism; 62. Frame; 61A, downstream transmission mechanism; 61B, upstream transmission mechanism; 611, sprocket; 612, shaft; 613, one-way overrunning clutch; 614, gear set; 615, electric drive assembly; 6131, one-way overrunning clutch inner ring; 6132, one-way overrunning clutch outer ring; 100, position of material filling device; 200, position of material emptying device; T1, first horizontal direction; T2, second horizontal direction; T3, third horizontal direction; T4, fourth horizontal direction; T5, fifth horizontal direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0020] Embodiment 1 Figure 1 A flow chart of a material storage and transportation method with absolute first-in-first-out provided in the first embodiment of the present invention is shown as follows: Figure 1 As shown in , the method comprises the following steps: S1: taking out an empty box group from the storage and outputting the empty boxes in the currently taken out empty box group to the first entrance in sequence; Wherein, the empty box group includes at least 2 empty boxes for storing materials.

[0021] S2: The empty boxes input from the first inlet are conveyed in the first conveying channel, and the materials from the upstream are filled into the empty boxes conveyed in the first conveying channel to obtain full boxes conveyed to the first outlet.

[0022] In some optional embodiments, step S2 transports the empty boxes input from the first inlet in the first conveying channel along the third horizontal direction, and fills the materials transported in the fourth conveying channel into the empty boxes transported in the first conveying channel through the material filling device located on the upper side of the first conveying channel; wherein the fourth conveying channel is located above the first conveying channel. Preferably, the conveying direction of the fourth conveying channel is parallel to and opposite to the third horizontal direction.

[0023] S301: Group at least two full boxes continuously outputted from the first outlet into a full box group according to the output sequence.

[0024] Wherein, the full box output direction of the first outlet is a first horizontal direction.

[0025] For example, assuming that the current first outlet outputs two full boxes numbered ① and ② in sequence along the first horizontal direction, step S301 groups the two full boxes numbered ① and ② into one group, and this grouping does not change the position order of the full boxes currently output in the first horizontal direction.

[0026] Preferably, the third horizontal direction is perpendicular to the first horizontal direction. Preferably, the length direction of the empty boxes conveyed in the first conveying channel is along the third horizontal direction, and the width direction of the full boxes output from the first outlet is along the first horizontal direction.

[0027] S302: Arrange the full boxes in the current full box group in reverse order.

[0028] For example, assuming that after step S301, the full boxes are grouped, and the full boxes in the current full box group are numbered ① and ② from the beginning to the end in the first horizontal direction, then in step S302, the full boxes in the current full box group are arranged in reverse order: the full boxes are numbered ② and ① from the beginning to the end in the first horizontal direction.

[0029] S303: storing the full box group currently arranged in reverse order into the storage library in a translation manner and recording the storage time.

[0030] The translation mode means that the relative positions of the projections of the full boxes in the full box group in the horizontal plane remain unchanged before and after the full box group moves.

[0031] S4: taking out the full box group with the earliest storage time from the storage in a translation manner, and inputting the full boxes in the full box group currently taken out from the second entrance in sequence along the second horizontal direction; The second horizontal direction is parallel to the first horizontal direction and has opposite directions.

[0032] S5: conveying the full box input from the second inlet in the second conveying channel, emptying the material in the full box conveyed in the second conveying channel, outputting the emptied material to the downstream through the third conveying channel, and obtaining an empty box conveyed to the second outlet at the same time.

[0033] In some optional embodiments, step S5 conveys the full box input from the second inlet in the second conveying channel along the fourth horizontal direction, and empties the material in the full box conveyed in the second conveying channel through a material emptying device located on the upper side of the second conveying channel; wherein, the third conveying channel is located above the second conveying channel, and the fourth horizontal direction is perpendicular to the second horizontal direction.

[0034] Preferably, the conveying direction of the third conveying channel is parallel to and in the same direction as the fourth horizontal direction.

[0035] Preferably, the length direction of the full boxes conveyed in the second conveying channel is along the fourth horizontal direction, and the width direction of the full boxes conveyed by the second inlet is along the second horizontal direction.

[0036] S6: Group at least two empty boxes continuously outputted from the second outlet into an empty box group, and store the currently formed empty box group into the storage library.

[0037] The method provided in the first embodiment is described in detail below with reference to an exemplary device. Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a material storage and conveying device with absolute first-in-first-out that can be used to implement the method of the present invention. Figure 3 for Figure 2 The back structure diagram of the device shown is as follows. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the device comprises: a material filling device 1, a material emptying device 2, a storage bin 3, a material box transfer device 4 and a sequencing device 5. The material first-in-first-out storage working principle of the device is: The material box transfer device 4 inputs the empty box group taken out from the storage 3 through the first entrance 11 located at the lower layer of the device, and then the empty boxes are transported from left to right (i.e., the third horizontal direction) in the first conveying channel 12. During the conveying process, the material conveyed in the fourth conveying channel 13 is filled into the empty boxes conveyed in the first conveying channel 12 by the material filling device 1 located on the upper side of the first conveying channel 12. Finally, the full box filled with materials is conveyed to the first outlet 14 on the right side in the first conveying channel 12. At the first outlet 14, the full box is transported along a vertical direction. Figure 2 The horizontal direction from front to rear of the front panel of the device shown in the figure (i.e., the first horizontal direction, such as Figure 3 After the full boxes are output along the direction indicated by the arrow T1 at the first exit 14, several full boxes output continuously are regarded as a group. Then, the sequencing device 5 arranges the full boxes in each full box group in reverse order in the first horizontal direction. The material box transfer device 4 then translates the sequenced full box group to the storage rack of the storage warehouse 3 for storage, and records the entry time of the currently stored full box group. In order to implement the first-in-first-out of materials in the storage warehouse 3, each time the material box transfer device 4 takes out the full box group with the earliest entry time from the storage warehouse 3 in a translational manner (translation in the vertical direction and / or horizontal direction), and places the currently taken out full box group in the storage warehouse 3 as shown in the arrow T1. Figure 3 The conveyor belt 32 of the second entrance 21 connected to the storage 3 at the rear side can convey the full boxes in the full box group currently taken out along the horizontal direction perpendicular to the front panel of the device from the back to the front (i.e., the second horizontal direction, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 As shown by arrow T2 in FIG. 2 , the first and second input ports 21 are input in sequence. Then, the first and second input ports 21 are input in sequence. Figure 2 , the full box input from the second inlet 21 is transported from right to left (i.e., the fourth horizontal direction) in the second conveying channel 22, and during the conveying process, the material in the full box transported in the second conveying channel 22 is emptied by the material emptying device 2 located on the upper side of the second conveying channel 22, and an empty box is transported to the second outlet 24 on the left side of the second conveying channel 22, and the emptied material is output to the downstream packaging machine 10 through the third conveying channel 23 on the upper side of the second conveying channel 22. Among them, the material filling device 1 and the material emptying device 2 are prior art, such as the devices disclosed in the applicant's prior applications CN115226935A and CN115969084A, or the device disclosed in German patent DE450897C, etc., and the specific implementation structures of the material filling device 1 and the material emptying device 2 are not described here.

[0038] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a specific implementation structure of the sequencing device of the present invention, as shown in FIG. Figure 4As shown in , the sequencing device 5 may include a full box conveyor 51, a full box buffer conveyor 53, and a shift mechanism 52. Among them, the full box conveyor 51 conveys the full boxes A, B, C, D, and E output from the first outlet 14 to the bottom of the shift mechanism 52 in sequence along the first horizontal direction, and the shift mechanism 52 places the full box A first conveyed to the bottom of itself on the full box buffer conveyor 53 along the horizontal direction transverse to the first horizontal direction, and then the full box buffer conveyor 53 conveys forward at least one box width (preferably the width of one box) in the reverse direction of the first horizontal direction, and the shift mechanism 52 places the next full box B on the full box buffer conveyor 53, and repeats the action continuously. Assuming that each full box group is specified to be 5 boxes, when a full box group EDCBA is formed from the beginning to the end along the first horizontal direction on the full box buffer conveyor 53, the full box group EDCBA is translated and stored in the storage 3 through the material box transfer device 4, so that the full box sequencing in the full box group is realized.

[0039] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a top view of a route from empty boxes being removed from storage to full boxes being received in Example 1. Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , the first entrance 11 sequentially inputs empty boxes from the storage 3, wherein the serial numbers ①②③④……in order represent the serial numbers of the boxes sequentially input by the first entrance 11, and the first conveying channel 12 conveys these input empty boxes along the Figure 5 The third horizontal direction shown by the arrow T3; the empty box passes by Figure 5 The position 100 shown in the dotted line box is filled with materials from the upstream. Obviously, the empty box at the head end in the third horizontal direction is filled first and then becomes a full box; when the full box reaches the first outlet 14, the full box along the Figure 5 Output in the first horizontal direction as indicated by the middle arrow T1; assuming that 2 full boxes are a group, the first outlet 14 outputs the full boxes numbered ① and ② in sequence along T1, and then arranges the full boxes in the full box group ①② composed of ① and ② in reverse order to obtain a full box group ②① composed of the full boxes numbered ② and ① in sequence in the first horizontal direction, and then translates the full box group ②① to the shelf (full box storage area) of the storage library 3 for storage.

[0040] Figure 6 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a top view of a route from a full box out of a warehouse to an empty box in a warehouse in Example 1. Figure 6 As shown in Figure 5 Based on the storage example shown, when it is necessary to supply materials to the downstream, the full box group ①② with the earliest storage time is taken out from the storage 3 in a horizontal manner, and the full box group ①② is moved along the storage 3. Figure 6 The full boxes ① and ② in the full box group ①② are sequentially input from the second entrance 21 in the second horizontal direction indicated by the middle arrow T2; then the full boxes ① and ② are transported along the second conveying channel 22. Figure 6 The fourth horizontal direction of transport indicated by the middle arrow T4, full boxes ① and ② pass by Figure 6 When the empty box reaches the position 200 shown in the dotted line frame, the material in the box is emptied and becomes an empty box (the unnumbered dotted line frame in the figure represents an empty box); when the empty box reaches the second outlet 24, it moves along Figure 6 The fifth horizontal direction output is indicated by the middle arrow T5, and finally at least two empty boxes output continuously are combined into an empty box group and stored in the storage library 3 (empty box storage area) (the storage of the empty boxes here does not need to ensure absolute first-in-first-out).

[0041] Obviously, in the above-mentioned material storage and transportation process, the head end of the material flow transported by the upstream machine (the first material produced) is stored in the first empty box in the first conveying channel, and the first filled box is also the first to enter the storage warehouse for storage in the full box group. The material box transfer device 4 takes out the full box group with the earliest storage time each time, so it can ensure the absolute first-in-first-out of the full box group; in addition, since the first horizontal direction and the second horizontal direction are parallel to each other but in opposite directions, when storing in the warehouse, by adjusting the sequence of the head and tail of the full box group, the full box in each full box group that is first stored in the first horizontal direction can be the first to be taken out of the warehouse in the second horizontal direction, thereby ensuring the absolute first-in-first-out of the boxes in the full box group.

[0042] In the embodiment of the present invention, each time the material is stored in the form of a full box group, compared with the form of storing only one box each time, the number of times the material box transfer device 4 transfers between the first entrance 11, the first exit 14, the second entrance 21, the second exit 24 and the storage 3 within a fixed time interval can be greatly reduced. Since each transfer of a material box requires time, the method of transferring multiple boxes at a time can significantly improve the efficiency of material entry and exit. In addition, by translating the full box group into or out of the warehouse, the structure of the material box transfer device 4 can be simplified, the floor space of the material box transfer device 4 can be reduced, and the device is miniaturized.

[0043] Embodiment 2 Figure 7 A flow chart of a material storage and transportation method with absolute first-in-first-out provided in the second embodiment of the present invention is shown as follows: Figure 7 As shown in , the method comprises the following steps: S1: taking out an empty box group from the storage library and outputting the empty boxes in the currently taken out empty box group to the first entrance in sequence.

[0044] S2: The empty boxes input from the first inlet are conveyed in the first conveying channel, and the materials from the upstream are filled into the empty boxes conveyed in the first conveying channel to obtain full boxes conveyed to the first outlet.

[0045] In this embodiment, the specific implementation of steps S1-S2 is the same as steps S1-S2 in the embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0046] S3: sorting the at least two full boxes continuously outputted from the first outlet into a full box group in the output order, storing the currently formed full box group into the storage repository in a translation manner and recording the storage time.

[0047] The full box output direction of the first outlet is the first horizontal direction; the translation mode means that the relative positions of the projections of the full boxes in the full box group in the horizontal plane remain unchanged before and after the full box group moves.

[0048] Figure 8 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a top view of a route from empty boxes being removed from storage to full boxes being received in Example 2. Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 1 , the first entrance 11 sequentially inputs empty boxes, wherein the serial numbers ①②③④……in order represent the serial numbers of the boxes sequentially input by the first entrance 11, and the first conveying channel 12 conveys these input empty boxes along the Figure 8 The third horizontal direction shown by the arrow T3; the empty box passes by Figure 8 The position 100 shown in the dotted line box is filled with materials from the upstream. Obviously, the empty box at the head end in the third horizontal direction is filled first and then becomes a full box; when the full box reaches the first outlet 14, the full box along the Figure 8 The first horizontal direction output is indicated by the middle arrow T1; assuming that 2 full boxes are a group, the first outlet 14 outputs the full boxes numbered ① and ② in sequence along the direction of T1, and then the full box group ①② consisting of the full boxes numbered ① and ② in sequence in the direction of T1 is directly translated to the shelf (full box storage area) of the storage library 3 for storage.

[0049] S401: Taking out the full box group with the earliest storage time from the storage library in a translation manner.

[0050] Fig. 9 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a top view of a route from full boxes out of the warehouse to empty boxes in the warehouse in Example 2. Fig. 9 As shown in Figure 8 Based on the storage example shown, since the full box groups ①② stored in storage 3 are put into storage earlier than the full box groups ③④, when it is necessary to supply materials to the downstream, the full box groups ①② with the earliest put into storage are taken out from storage 3 in a translation manner.

[0051] S402: Arrange the full boxes in the currently taken-out full box group in reverse order.

[0052] In this embodiment, a reordering device 5 similar to that described in Embodiment 1 can be used to reorder the boxes in a full box group, or other existing technologies such as a grasping robot can be used to reorder the boxes in a full box group, which will not be described in detail here.

[0053] S403: Outputting the full boxes in the full box group currently arranged in reverse order to the second entrance in sequence along the second horizontal direction.

[0054] The second horizontal direction is parallel to the first horizontal direction and has opposite directions.

[0055] like Fig. 9 As shown in FIG. 4 , S402 arranges the full boxes in the currently taken-out full box group ①② in reverse order to obtain full boxes numbered ① and ② in the second horizontal direction (indicated by arrow T2), and then S403 arranges the full boxes along the second horizontal direction (indicated by arrow T2). Fig. 9 The full boxes ① and ② are sequentially input from the second entrance 21 in the second horizontal direction indicated by the middle arrow T2.

[0056] S5: conveying the full box input from the second inlet in the second conveying channel, emptying the material in the full box conveyed in the second conveying channel, and outputting the emptied material to the downstream through the third conveying channel, and obtaining an empty box conveyed to the second outlet at the same time.

[0057] S6: Grouping at least two empty boxes continuously outputted from the second outlet into an empty box group, and storing the currently formed empty box group into the storage library.

[0058] like Fig. 9 As shown in FIG. 1 , after the full boxes ① and ② are sequentially input from the second entrance 21, the full boxes ① and ② are transported in the second transport channel 22 along the fourth horizontal direction indicated by the arrow T4. Fig. 9 When the empty box reaches the second outlet 24, the material in the box is emptied and becomes an empty box (the empty box is represented by an unnumbered dotted box in the figure); Fig. 9 The fifth horizontal direction output is indicated by the middle arrow T5, and finally at least two empty boxes output continuously are combined into an empty box group and stored in the storage library 3 (empty box storage area) (the storage of the empty boxes here does not need to ensure absolute first-in-first-out).

[0059] The second embodiment can achieve the same technical effect as the first embodiment, and will not be described in detail here.

[0060] Embodiment 3 In the third embodiment, based on the first or second embodiment, the second conveying channel and the third conveying channel also have a reverse conveying function. The method provided in the third embodiment may further include the following steps S7-S8 after the aforementioned step S6: S7: when receiving a stop feeding request from the downstream, controlling the second conveying channel and the third conveying channel to convey in the reverse direction, refilling the remaining materials in the third conveying channel into the empty boxes conveyed in the reverse direction in the second conveying channel in a last-in-first-out order, and obtaining full boxes conveyed to the second entrance; S8: sort the at least two full boxes continuously outputted from the second entrance into a full box group in the output order and store them in the storage repository in a translation manner, and record the storage time of the full box group currently entering the storage as earlier than the earliest storage time corresponding to the full box group in the current storage repository, then return to execute S8, and stop executing S7 and S8 until the remaining materials in the third conveying channel are completely loaded into the box.

[0061] Preferably, in step S8, if the number of full boxes finally outputted from the second entrance is less than 2, that is, the number of full boxes finally outputted from the second entrance is insufficient to form a full box group, the remaining full boxes finally outputted from the current second entrance are left on the docking channel between the storage library and the second entrance. Figure 3 The conveyor belt 32 shown in the figure is used to output the materials in this part of the boxes first when the downstream machine requests materials next time, so as to ensure the absolute first-in-first-out of materials.

[0062] The third embodiment of the present invention can, when the downstream machine needs to stop for a long time, return the materials in the connecting channel (the third conveying channel) between the downstream machine and the buffer warehouse to the buffer warehouse for storage in a first-out-last-back manner, thereby solving the problem in the prior art that the materials on the channel between the downstream packaging machine and the buffer conveying device can only be sent back to the buffer conveying device through manual recycling and other processing methods, which is difficult to operate and inefficient. Due to manual intervention, the product quality cannot be unified, and some materials can only be discarded, resulting in a waste of resources, and the problem of difficulty in tracing and locating materials after manual intervention.

[0063] Furthermore, if Figure 2 As shown in the figure, by setting a dehumidification device 31 on the storage 3, the dehumidification device 31 is used to change the environmental humidity in the storage 3 to meet the environmental humidity required for long-term storage of materials. This improvement realizes the long-term storage of materials with strong water absorption (such as new tobacco). The materials in the third conveying channel are refluxed to the buffer 3 for storage, which can further improve the stability of the material storage environment, improve the material quality, and avoid the situation where the materials are detained in the open third channel for a long time and deteriorate.

[0064] like Figure 2 As shown in , the third conveying channel 23 described in the embodiment of the present invention can be realized as a material conveyor 6, and the material conveyor 6 is located between the packaging machine 10 and the material emptying device 2. Fig.10 is a front view of a material conveyor for realizing a material reflux function in the third conveying channel, Fig.11 for Fig.10 The top view of the transmission structure of the material conveyor. Fig.10 and Fig.11As shown in the figure, the material conveyor 6 is composed of a transmission mechanism 61 and a frame 62; the transmission mechanism includes a downstream transmission mechanism 61A and an upstream transmission mechanism 61B respectively arranged at both ends of the conveyor. When conveying materials to the downstream packaging machine, the downstream transmission mechanism 61A close to the packaging machine 10 is the active end, and the upstream transmission mechanism 61B close to the emptying device 2 is the driven end; when the materials in the third conveying channel need to be conveyed back to the box, the upstream transmission mechanism 61B close to the emptying device 2 is the active end, and the downstream transmission mechanism 61A close to the packaging machine 10 is the driven end.

[0065] Fig.12 61B is a schematic diagram of the structure of the upstream transmission mechanism 61B. The downstream transmission mechanism 61A has the same structure as the upstream transmission mechanism 61B and is symmetrical to the upstream transmission mechanism 61B. Fig.12 As shown in , the upstream transmission mechanism 61B includes a sprocket 611, a shaft 612, a one-way overrunning clutch 613, a gear set 614, and an electric drive assembly 615; the sprockets 611 of the downstream transmission mechanism 61A and the upstream transmission mechanism 61B are interconnected to form a rotating structure. Fig.13 Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a one-way overrunning clutch. Fig.12 and Fig.13 As shown in , the sprocket 611 is nested in one end of the shaft 612 through a flat key, the other end of the shaft 612 is connected to the inner ring 6131 of the one-way overrunning clutch, the outer ring 6132 of the one-way overrunning clutch is connected to the output wheel of the gear set 614, and the input wheel of the gear set 614 is connected to the electric drive assembly 615.

[0066] When the downstream transmission mechanism 61A is the active end, the downstream transmission mechanism 61A drives the one-way overrunning clutch outer ring 6132 through its electric drive assembly 615 to drive the overrunning clutch inner ring 6131 to rotate counterclockwise, thereby realizing the counterclockwise rotation of the sprocket 611. When the upstream transmission mechanism 61B is the active end, its electric drive assembly 615 drives the one-way overrunning clutch outer ring 6132 to rotate clockwise through the gear set 614, and the one-way overrunning clutch inner ring 6131 is finally driven to rotate by the internal conduction of the one-way overrunning clutch 613, thereby driving the sprocket 611 to rotate clockwise. That is, when the material in the third conveying channel needs to be conveyed to the packaging machine 10, the sprocket 611 of the downstream transmission mechanism 61A close to the packaging machine 10 rotates counterclockwise, and the sprocket 611 of the upstream transmission mechanism 61B close to the emptying device causes the inner ring 6131 of the one-way overrunning clutch of the upstream transmission mechanism 61B to rotate counterclockwise. In order to make the one-way overrunning clutch 613 work normally, the electric drive assembly 615 of the upstream transmission mechanism 61B as the driven end is required to drive the outer ring 6132 of the one-way overrunning clutch to rotate counterclockwise, and make the speed of the outer ring 6132 of the one-way overrunning clutch slightly greater than the inner ring 6131. ​​When the material in the third conveying channel needs to be conveyed in the reverse direction, the opposite is true. Of course, the one-way overrunning clutch in this embodiment can be replaced by a two-way overrunning clutch, so that the motor of the driven end does not need to be started.

[0067] The material conveyor 6 of the above embodiment has the advantage of being able to realize a special-shaped layout. When the packaging machine inlet and the material emptying outlet are not in the same plane, the material conveyor 6 path needs to be non-linear. Of course, when the conveying path is linear, the material conveyor 6 can be implemented by belt conveying.

[0068] So far, the absolute first-in-first-out material storage and transportation method and its corresponding implementation device provided by the embodiment of the present invention have been explained. Through the method of the present invention, the continuous operation of the upstream and downstream machines is guaranteed, and the absolute first-in-first-out storage and transportation of materials are guaranteed, providing the traceability of materials. For time-sensitive materials, the method also realizes the long-term stable storage of materials that have been output from the storage warehouse and re-enters the warehouse through the reflux of materials, solving the problems of difficult manual operations and material waste at this stage. The method provided by the present invention can improve production efficiency and product quality. The material input and output layout of the device is flexible and highly compatible with upstream and downstream machines of different models.

[0069] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A material storage and transportation method with absolute first-in-first-out, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1: taking out an empty box group from a storage bin and outputting the empty boxes in the currently taken out empty box group to the first entrance in sequence; wherein the empty box group includes at least 2 empty boxes for storing materials; S2: conveying the empty boxes input from the first inlet in the first conveying channel, and filling the materials from the upstream into the empty boxes conveyed in the first conveying channel, so as to obtain full boxes conveyed to the first outlet; S3: sorting the at least two full boxes continuously outputted from the first outlet in an output order to form a full box group, storing the current full box group in the storage repository in a translation manner and recording the storage time; wherein the full box output direction of the first outlet is a first horizontal direction; the translation manner means that the relative positions of the projections of the full boxes in the full box group in the horizontal plane remain unchanged before and after the full box group moves; S4: taking out the full box group with the earliest storage time from the storage in a translation manner, and inputting the full boxes in the current full box group from the second entrance in sequence along a second horizontal direction; wherein the second horizontal direction is parallel to the first horizontal direction and in the opposite direction; S5: conveying the full box input from the second inlet to the second conveying channel, emptying the material in the full box conveyed in the second conveying channel, outputting the emptied material to the downstream through the third conveying channel, and obtaining an empty box conveyed to the second outlet at the same time; S6: forming an empty box group by forming at least two empty boxes continuously outputted from the second outlet, and storing the currently formed empty box group into the storage library; Before storing the current full box group into the storage repository in a translation manner in S3, or after taking out the full box group with the earliest storage time from the storage repository in S4, the method further comprises the steps of: Arrange the full boxes in the current full box group in reverse order.

2. The material storage and transportation method of absolute first-in-first-out according to claim 1 is characterized in that: After S6, the method further comprises the steps of: S7: when receiving a stop feeding request from the downstream, controlling the second conveying channel and the third conveying channel to convey in the reverse direction, refilling the remaining materials in the third conveying channel into the empty boxes conveyed in the reverse direction in the second conveying channel in a last-in-first-out order, and obtaining full boxes conveyed to the second entrance; S8: sort the at least two full boxes continuously outputted from the second entrance into a full box group in output order and store them in the storage repository in a translation manner, and record the entry time of the full box group currently entering the storage as earlier than the earliest entry time corresponding to the full box group in the current storage repository.

3. The material absolute first-in-first-out storage and transportation method according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The S8 further comprises: If the number of full boxes finally outputted from the second entrance is less than 2, the full boxes finally outputted from the second entrance are left on the docking channel between the storage library and the second entrance.

4. The material storage and transportation method of absolutely first-in-first-out according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The S2 specifically includes: The empty boxes input from the first inlet are conveyed in the first conveying channel along the third horizontal direction, and the materials conveyed in the fourth conveying channel are filled into the empty boxes conveyed in the first conveying channel by the material filling device located on the upper side of the first conveying channel, so as to obtain full boxes conveyed to the first outlet; wherein the fourth conveying channel is located above the first conveying channel, and the third horizontal direction is perpendicular to the first horizontal direction.

5. The material absolute first-in-first-out storage and transportation method according to claim 4 is characterized in that: The conveying direction of the fourth conveying channel is parallel to and opposite to the third horizontal direction.

6. The material storage and transportation method of absolutely first-in-first-out according to claim 4 is characterized in that: The length direction of the empty boxes conveyed in the first conveying channel is along the third horizontal direction, and the width direction of the full boxes output by the first outlet is along the first horizontal direction.

7. The material storage and transportation method of absolute first-in-first-out according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The step of conveying the full box input from the second inlet to the second conveying channel and emptying the material in the full box conveyed in the second conveying channel in S5 specifically includes: The full boxes input from the second inlet are conveyed in the second conveying channel along the fourth horizontal direction, and the materials in the full boxes conveyed in the second conveying channel are emptied by the material emptying device located on the upper side of the second conveying channel; wherein, the third conveying channel is located above the second conveying channel, and the fourth horizontal direction is perpendicular to the second horizontal direction.

8. The material storage and transportation method of absolute first-in-first-out according to claim 7 is characterized in that: The conveying direction of the third conveying channel is parallel to and in the same direction as the fourth horizontal direction.

9. The material absolute first-in-first-out storage and transportation method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The length direction of the full boxes conveyed in the second conveying channel is along the fourth horizontal direction, and the width direction of the full boxes conveyed by the second inlet is along the second horizontal direction.

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