Cigarette replenishment device and cigarette pack insertion barcode detection and association method

Abstract

The present invention provides a cigarette replenishing device and a method for detecting and associating a QR code of a cigarette pack into a barcode, and relates to the technical field of cigarette processing. The cigarette replenishing device includes a cigarette replenishing mechanism and a verification mechanism. The cigarette replenishing device is provided with a left cigarette replenishing channel and a right cigarette replenishing channel. The left cigarette replenishing channel is provided with a first window, and the right cigarette replenishing channel is provided with a second window. The pusher assembly can push the cigarette pack placed in the cigarette replenishing device onto the conveyor belt; the material level detection assembly, the code reading assembly, and the verification code reader are all communicatively connected to an industrial control computer; wherein, the material level detection assembly can detect the number of cigarette packs placed in the left and right cigarette replenishing channels, the code reading assembly can read the QR code of the cigarette packs in the left and right cigarette replenishing channels, the verification code reader can read the QR code of the cigarette packs pushed onto the conveyor belt, and the industrial control computer can perform box-strip association comparison and verification. The cigarette replenishing device and the method for detecting and associating a QR code of a cigarette pack into a barcode can accurately and quickly obtain the QR code information of the cigarette packs in the cigarette replenishing device and ensure the accuracy of the box-strip association.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of cigarette processing, and in particular to a cigarette replenishing device and a method for detecting and associating a barcode inserted into a cigarette pack. Background Art

[0002] In order to meet the needs of anti-counterfeiting, monopoly protection, and cigarette process tracking, it is necessary to print a QR code on the side of the small package of cigarettes, and the data content of the QR code of each pack of cigarettes is unique. The QR code is also printed on the cigarette pack box. When packaging the cigarette packs, it is necessary to ensure that the QR code information on the cigarette pack is associated with the QR code information on the box. Therefore, it is necessary to set up a code reader, industrial control computer, etc. on the packaging machine.

[0003] During the cigarette packaging process, a portion of the packs must be inspected to ensure quality. These inspected packs are then stored in the F8 packaging machine's cigarette refill unit and packaged into strips. However, the existing refill unit used in the F8 packaging machine is unable to read the QR code information on the packs after the inspected packs are placed in the refill unit, rendering the F8 packaging machine inoperable. Manually reading the QR code information on the packs in the refill unit is inefficient and inaccurate, and the accuracy of the box-to-strip association cannot be guaranteed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a cigarette replenishing device and a cigarette pack entry bar QR code detection and association method, which can accurately and quickly obtain the QR code information of the cigarette pack in the cigarette replenisher and ensure the accuracy of the box-strip association.

[0005] To achieve this object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] The cigarette replenishment device is used to detect, associate and verify the cigarette packs after inspection and recovery by reading the QR code, including:

[0007] The cigarette supply mechanism includes a cigarette supply device, a pusher assembly, and a conveyor belt. The cigarette supply device is provided with a left cigarette supply channel and a right cigarette supply channel, each of which can accommodate a plurality of cigarette packs. The left cigarette supply channel is provided with a first window, and the right cigarette supply channel is provided with a second window opposite to the first window. The lower ends of the left and right cigarette supply channels are both provided with a pack outlet. The pusher assembly can push the cigarette packs placed in the cigarette supply device onto the conveyor belt through the corresponding pack outlets.

[0008] The verification mechanism includes a material level detection component, a code reading component, a verification code reader, and an industrial computer. The material level detection component and the code reading component are correspondingly arranged with the smoke replenisher, and the verification code reader is correspondingly arranged with the conveyor belt. The material level detection component, the code reading component, and the verification code reader are all communicatively connected with the industrial computer.

[0009] Among them, the ten adjacent boxes of cigarette packs pushed onto the conveyor belt form a strip, the material level detection component can detect the number of the cigarette packs placed in the left cigarette replenishment channel and the right cigarette replenishment channel, the code reading component can read the QR codes of the cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel and the right cigarette replenishment channel through the corresponding window, the verification code reader can read the QR code of the cigarette pack pushed onto the conveyor belt, the industrial computer can associate the QR code information of the cigarette strip in the industrial computer with the QR code information of the ten adjacent boxes of cigarette packs pushed onto the conveyor belt, and can compare and verify the QR code information of the cigarette pack obtained by the code reading component with the QR code information of the cigarette pack obtained by the verification code reader.

[0010] As a further technical solution, the left smoke supply channel, the right smoke supply channel, the first window, and the second window all extend in the height direction, and the pusher assembly is arranged at the bottom of the smoke supply device.

[0011] As a further technical solution, the material level detection assembly includes a left material level detection member provided corresponding to the left smoke supply channel and a right material level detection member provided corresponding to the right smoke supply channel;

[0012] The left material level detection component and the right material level detection component both include height sensors and are both located above the smoke replenisher, and / or the left material level detection component and the right material level detection component both include weight sensors and are both located in the pusher assembly.

[0013] As a further technical solution, the code reading component includes a plurality of reference code readers arranged at intervals along the height direction, and the plurality of reference code readers are arranged opposite to the first window. When the plurality of cigarette packs are placed in the cigarette replenisher, the plurality of reference code readers simultaneously read the QR code information of the cigarette packs in the corresponding code reading area.

[0014] As a further technical solution, the verification mechanism further includes a testing assembly, which includes a plurality of testers spaced apart on the conveyor belt along the running direction of the conveyor belt, the plurality of testers being used to detect the number of cigarette packs conveyed on the conveyor belt and being communicatively connected to the industrial computer;

[0015] When the plurality of detectors detect that there is no cigarette pack on the current conveyor belt, the pusher assembly pushes the cigarette pack toward the conveyor belt (130), and when the material level detection assembly detects that there is no cigarette pack in the left cigarette replenishment channel, cigarettes are replenished into the cigarette replenisher.

[0016] As a further technical solution, the verification mechanism also includes a fault prompt and two cigarette refilling end buttons. The fault prompt and the two cigarette refilling end buttons are both communicatively connected to the industrial computer. After the cigarette refilling is completed in the cigarette refilling channel, the corresponding cigarette refilling end button is pressed to enable the code reading component to read the QR code of the cigarette pack in the corresponding cigarette refilling channel through the corresponding window.

[0017] The method for detecting and associating a barcode in a cigarette pack, applied to a cigarette replenishing device, comprises the following steps:

[0018] S1: Multiple cigarette packs are placed in the right supplementary cigarette channel, and then the supplementary cigarette end button corresponding to the right supplementary cigarette channel is pressed. The reference code reader sequentially reads the QR code information of the multiple cigarette packs in the right supplementary cigarette channel through the first window and the second window. The right material level detection component detects the number of the multiple cigarette packs in the right supplementary cigarette channel and transmits the number of the multiple cigarette packs in the right supplementary cigarette channel and the QR code information as reference information to the industrial computer;

[0019] S2: Multiple cigarette packs are placed in the left supplementary cigarette channel, and then the supplementary cigarette end button corresponding to the left supplementary cigarette channel is pressed. The reference code reader reads the QR code information of the multiple cigarette packs in the left supplementary cigarette channel through the first window. The left material level detection component detects the number of the multiple cigarette packs in the left supplementary cigarette channel and transmits the number of the multiple cigarette packs in the left supplementary cigarette channel and the QR code information as reference information to the industrial computer.

[0020] S3, the pusher assembly pushes the cigarette packs toward the conveyor belt. The pusher assembly pushes the two lowest cigarette packs in the left cigarette supply channel and the two lowest cigarette packs in the right cigarette supply channel onto the conveyor belt in one push, thereby forming two stacked pack groups on the conveyor belt.

[0021] S4, along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt, five adjacent stacked pack groups are formed into a strip, and a verification code reader reads the QR code information of the cigarette packs in the five stacked pack groups, transmits it to the industrial computer, and associates it with the QR code information of the corresponding cigarette strip in the industrial computer;

[0022] S5, along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt, the verification code reader reads the QR code information of the cigarette packs in the first group of stacked packs and the sixth group of stacked packs, and compares the QR code information with the reference information in the industrial computer. When the QR code information is the same as the reference information in the industrial computer, the box strip association is accurate.

[0023] As a further technical solution, the number of the cigarette packs placed in the left cigarette supply channel is less than or equal to the number of the cigarette packs placed in the right cigarette supply channel.

[0024] As a further technical solution, after the pusher assembly pushes the cigarette pack onto the conveyor belt, it also includes replenishing cigarettes, including:

[0025] When multiple inspectors detect that there is no cigarette pack on the conveyor belt, the pusher assembly pushes the cigarette pack onto the conveyor belt. When the left material level detector detects that there is no cigarette pack in the left cigarette replenishment channel, the operator replenishes cigarettes into the cigarette replenisher.

[0026] As a further technical solution, before and after refilling the cigarette, a fault reminder alarm is also included. When the fault reminder alarms, the operator refills the cigarette. The situations in which the fault alarm is triggered include:

[0027] When adding cigarettes to the cigarette refilling device, the cigarette refilling end button corresponding to the right cigarette refilling channel is not pressed first;

[0028] and / or, when supplying cigarettes to the right cigarette supply channel, the left material level detection component detects the presence of the cigarette pack in the left cigarette supply channel;

[0029] And / or, the number of the cigarette packs placed in the left cigarette supply channel is greater than the number of the cigarette packs placed in the right cigarette supply channel.

[0030] Compared with the existing technology, the cigarette replenishing device and the cigarette pack barcode detection and association method provided by the present invention have the following technical advantages:

[0031] 1. Since a first viewing window is provided on the left cigarette replenishment channel and a second viewing window is provided on the right cigarette replenishment channel opposite to the first window, the material level detection component and the code reading component are provided in correspondence with the cigarette replenisher, and the verification code reader is provided in correspondence with the conveyor belt. Therefore, when it is necessary to pack the inspected and recovered cigarette packs into strips, multiple inspected and recovered cigarette packs are first placed sequentially in the right cigarette replenishment channel. The material level detection component then senses and obtains the number of cigarette packs placed in the right cigarette replenishment channel. Simultaneously, the code reading component sequentially obtains the QR code information of the multiple cigarette packs placed in the right cigarette replenishment channel through the first window and the second window, and transmits this information as reference information to the industrial computer. Subsequently, multiple inspected and recovered cigarette packs are placed in the left cigarette replenishment channel. The material level detection component then senses and obtains the number of cigarette packs placed in the left cigarette replenishment channel. Simultaneously, the code reading component obtains the QR code information of the multiple cigarette packs placed in the left cigarette replenishment channel through the first window, and transmits this information as reference information to the industrial computer. This completes the acquisition of the QR code information of the multiple cigarette packs in the cigarette replenisher. Throughout this process, the material level detection component and the barcode reader component, through corresponding windows, first obtain the quantity and QR code information of multiple cigarette packs in the right replenishment channel, and then obtain the quantity and QR code information of multiple cigarette packs in the left replenishment channel, ensuring the efficiency and accuracy of obtaining the quantity and QR code information of the cigarette packs in the replenishment device. The quantity information obtained by the material level detection component and the number of QR code information obtained by the barcode reader can be cross-referenced to further improve accuracy. When the pusher component pushes the cigarette packs in the replenishment device onto the conveyor belt through the corresponding pack outlet, the verification barcode reader can read the QR code information of the cigarette packs pushed onto the conveyor belt and transmit it to the engineering computer. The industrial computer then associates the QR code information of the cigarette packs in the industrial computer with the QR code information of the ten adjacent cigarette packs pushed onto the conveyor belt, thus achieving box-to-box association. At the same time, the industrial computer compares and verifies the QR code information of the cigarette packs obtained by the barcode reader component with the QR code information of the cigarette packs obtained by the verification barcode reader to ensure the accuracy of the box-to-box association.

[0032] 2. When placing cigarette packs into the cigarette replenisher, the cigarette packs are placed in the right replenishment channel first, and then in the left replenishment channel. This prevents the reference code reader from being unable to obtain the QR code information on multiple cigarette packs in the right replenishment channel due to the cigarette packs in the left replenishment channel blocking the second window. After the replenishment in the corresponding replenishment channel is completed, the corresponding replenishment end button needs to be pressed, which prevents the replenishment sequence from being incorrect and can timely trigger the reference code reader and the corresponding material level detection component to obtain the QR code information and quantity information of multiple cigarette packs in the corresponding replenishment channel. Since the verification code reader can read the QR code information of the cigarette packs in the five stacked pack groups and transmit it to the industrial computer, the industrial computer associates the QR code information of the cigarette strips in the industrial computer with the QR code information of the cigarette packs in the five stacked pack groups, thereby completing the box-strip association. After the association is completed, the accuracy of the association needs to be verified. Specifically, the verification code reader reads the QR code information of the cigarette packs in the first and sixth stacked pack groups and transmits it to the industrial computer. The industrial computer compares and verifies the QR code information with the QR code information of the cigarette packs obtained by the reference code reader. If the two information match, it indicates that the current box strip association of the five stacked pack groups is accurate. If it does not match, it is necessary to re-acquire and associate the information until the verification box strip association is accurate, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the box strip association. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in describing the embodiments of the present invention. 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 the contents of the embodiments of the present invention and these drawings without any creative work.

[0034] Figure 1 This is a simplified structural diagram of a smoke replenishing device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a portion of the structure of the smoke replenishing mechanism in the smoke replenishing device provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] In the picture:

[0037] 110, smoke replenisher; 111, left smoke replenishment channel; 112, right smoke replenishment channel; 1121, second viewing window; 120, pusher assembly; 130, conveyor belt;

[0038] 210, industrial computer; 221, left material level detection component; 222, right material level detection component; 230, reference code reader; 240, tester; 250, fault prompt component; 260, cigarette refill end button; 270, calibration code reader. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] Before any embodiments of the present application are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the application is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the foregoing drawings.

[0040] In this application, the terms "comprises," "includes," "has," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not preclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes the element.

[0041] In this application, the term "and / or" describes a relationship between related objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this application generally indicates that the related objects are in an "and / or" relationship.

[0042] In this application, the terms "connect," "combine," "couple," and "install" may refer to direct connection, combination, coupling, or installation, or indirect connection, combination, coupling, or installation. For example, a direct connection refers to two parts or components being connected together without an intermediary, and an indirect connection refers to two parts or components being connected to at least one intermediary, with the two parts or components being connected via the intermediary. Furthermore, "connect" and "couple" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections or couplings and may include electrical connections or couplings.

[0043] In this application, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that relative terms (e.g., "about," "approximately," "substantially," etc.) used in conjunction with quantities or conditions include the values ​​and have the meaning indicated by the context. For example, the relative terms include at least the degree of error associated with the measurement of a specific value, the tolerance caused by manufacturing, assembly, use, etc. associated with a specific value. Such terms should also be considered to disclose a range defined by the absolute values ​​of the two endpoints. Relative terms may refer to plus or minus a certain percentage (e.g., 1%, 5%, 10% or more) of the indicated value. Numerical values ​​that do not use relative terms should also be disclosed as specific values ​​with tolerances. In addition, "substantially" may refer to plus or minus a certain degree (e.g., 1 degree, 5 degrees, 10 degrees or more) on the basis of the indicated angle when expressing a relative angular position relationship (e.g., substantially parallel, substantially perpendicular).

[0044] In this application, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the function performed by an assembly can be performed by one assembly, multiple assemblies, one part, or multiple parts. Similarly, the function performed by a part can also be performed by one part, one assembly, or a combination of multiple parts.

[0045] In the present application, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "back" and other directional words are described based on the orientation and positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and should not be understood as limiting the embodiments of the present application. In addition, in the context, it is also necessary to understand that when it is mentioned that an element is connected to another element "upper" or "lower", it can not only be directly connected to the other element "upper" or "lower", but also be indirectly connected to the other element "upper" or "lower" through an intermediate element. It should also be understood that directional words such as upper side, lower side, left side, right side, front side, back side, etc. not only represent the positive orientation, but can also be understood as the lateral orientation. For example, below can include directly below, lower left, lower right, lower front and lower back, etc.

[0046] Combine Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the cigarette replenishing device provided in this embodiment is applied to the F8 type packaging machine, and is used to detect, associate and verify the cigarette packs that have been inspected and recovered by reading the QR code, so as to accurately and quickly obtain the QR code information of the cigarette packs in the cigarette replenisher 110 and ensure the accuracy of the box-strip association. In this embodiment, taking the arrangement of the code reading assembly on the left side of the smoke replenisher 110 as an example, the structure and working principle of the smoke replenishing device are described, specifically: the smoke replenishing device includes a smoke replenishing mechanism and a verification mechanism; the smoke replenishing mechanism includes the smoke replenisher 110, a pusher assembly 120 and a conveyor belt 130, the smoke replenisher 110 is provided with a left smoke replenishing channel 111 and a right smoke replenishing channel 112, each of which can accommodate multiple cigarette packs, a first window is provided on the left smoke replenishing channel 111, and a second window 1121 is provided on the right smoke replenishing channel 112 opposite to the first window, the lower ends of the left smoke replenishing channel 111 and the right smoke replenishing channel 112 are both provided with a pack outlet, and the pusher assembly 120 can push the cigarette pack placed in the smoke replenisher 110 onto the conveyor belt 130 through the corresponding pack outlet.

[0047] The verification mechanism includes a material level detection component, a code reading component, a verification code reader 270 and an industrial computer 210. The material level detection component and the code reading component are arranged corresponding to the smoke replenisher 110, and the verification code reader 270 is arranged corresponding to the conveyor belt 130. The material level detection component, the code reading component and the verification code reader 270 are all communicatively connected to the industrial computer 210.

[0048] Among them, ten adjacent cigarette packs pushed onto the conveyor belt 130 form a strip, the material level detection component can detect the number of cigarette packs placed in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111 and the right cigarette replenishment channel 112, the code reading component can read the QR codes of the cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111 and the right cigarette replenishment channel 112 through the corresponding window, the verification code reader 270 can read the QR code of the cigarette pack pushed onto the conveyor belt 130, the industrial computer 210 can associate the QR code information of the cigarette strip in the industrial computer 210 with the QR code information of the ten adjacent cigarette packs pushed onto the conveyor belt 130, and can compare and verify the QR code information of the cigarette pack obtained by the code reading component with the QR code information of the cigarette pack obtained by the verification code reader 270.

[0049] Since a first viewing window is provided on the left smoke supply channel 111 and a second viewing window 1121 is provided on the right smoke supply channel 112 opposite to the first viewing window, the material level detection component and the code reading component are provided corresponding to the smoke supply device 110 , and the verification code reader 270 is provided corresponding to the conveyor belt 130 . Therefore, when it is necessary to pack the inspected and recycled cigarette packs into strips, first place multiple inspected and recycled cigarette packs in the right cigarette replenishment channel 112 in turn, and then the material level detection component senses and obtains the number of cigarette packs placed in the right cigarette replenishment channel 112, and at the same time, the code reading component obtains the QR code information of multiple cigarette packs placed in the right cigarette replenishment channel 112 through the first window and the second window 1121 in turn, and transmits the information as the reference information to the industrial computer 210; thereafter, place multiple inspected and recycled cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111, and then the material level detection component senses and obtains the number of cigarette packs placed in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111, and at the same time, the code reading component obtains the QR code information of multiple cigarette packs placed in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111 through the first window, and transmits the information as the reference information to the industrial computer 210; so as to complete the acquisition of the QR code information of multiple cigarette packs in the cigarette replenisher 110. During the entire process, with the help of the material level detection component and the code reading component, through the corresponding windows, the quantity information and QR code information of multiple cigarette packs in the right cigarette replenishment channel 112 are first obtained, and then the quantity information and QR code information of multiple cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111 are obtained, so as to ensure the efficiency and accuracy of obtaining the quantity information and QR code information of cigarette packs in the smoke replenisher 110; the quantity information obtained by the material level detection component and the number of QR code information obtained by the code reading component can be referenced with each other to further improve the accuracy. And when the pusher assembly 120 pushes the cigarette pack in the cigarette replenisher 110 onto the conveyor belt 130 through the corresponding pack outlet, the verification code reader 270 can read the QR code information of the cigarette pack pushed onto the conveyor belt 130 and transmit it to the engineering machine, and the industrial computer 210 associates the QR code information of the cigarette strips in the industrial computer 210 with the QR code information of the ten adjacent cigarette packs pushed onto the conveyor belt 130, thereby realizing the box-strip association; at the same time, the industrial computer 210 compares and verifies the QR code information of the cigarette pack obtained by the code reading assembly with the QR code information of the cigarette pack obtained by the verification code reader 270 to ensure the accuracy of the box-strip association.

[0050] Preferably, the left smoke supply channel 111 , the right smoke supply channel 112 , and the first and second viewing windows 1121 all extend in the height direction, and the pusher assembly 120 is disposed at the bottom of the smoke supply device 110 .

[0051] Combine Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, the smoke replenisher 110 includes a rear plate, a left partition, a middle partition, and a right partition. The left, middle, and right partitions are fixedly connected to the rear plate in parallel and spaced relation from left to right, and are all perpendicular to the rear plate. The left and middle partitions, along with a portion of the rear plate, form a left smoke replenishment channel 111, while the right and middle partitions, along with a portion of the rear plate, form a right smoke replenishment channel 112. The left partition is made of transparent glass, with the entire left partition serving as a first viewing window. A second window 1121 is provided in the middle partition and extends in the height direction. During the smoke replenishment process, the code reader component located on the left side of the smoke replenisher 110 can accurately and sequentially obtain the QR code information of multiple cigarette packs placed in the right smoke replenishment channel 112 and the QR code information of multiple cigarette packs placed in the left smoke replenishment channel 111. In the embodiment where the code reader assembly is positioned to the right of the smoke replenisher 110, a transparent glass slide is used for the right partition, and the entire right partition serves as the first viewing window, while the second window 1121 is still positioned on the middle partition. In other embodiments, the entire middle partition can be directly positioned as the second window 1121, in which case the middle partition is made of a transparent glass slide; alternatively, a through slot extending in the height direction is provided in the left partition, and this through slot serves as the first viewing window. The specific configuration method is determined based on actual needs and is not specifically limited here.

[0052] Because both the left and right cigarette supply channels 111, 112 extend in the height direction, and the pusher assembly 120 is disposed at the bottom of the cigarette supply device 110, when the pusher assembly 120 pushes the lower layer of cigarette packets onto the conveyor belt 130, the upper layer of cigarette packets fall under the action of their own gravity, thereby ensuring that the pusher assembly 120 pushes the cigarette packets onto the conveyor belt 130 continuously. The pusher assembly 120 is not the technical focus of this embodiment and can be configured with reference to the existing technology, and will not be described in detail here.

[0053] A limiting plate parallel to the rear plate is provided at one end of the middle partition plate away from the rear plate, and the limiting plate extends in the left and right directions to limit the relative positions of multiple cigarette packs placed in the left and right smoke supply channels 111, 112, to prevent multiple cigarette packs from tipping forward and falling out of the smoke replenisher 110; at the same time, by providing the limiting plate, the left and right smoke supply channels 111, 112 are prevented from being closed on one side away from the rear plate, which facilitates the operator to manually observe the cigarette packs in the left and right smoke supply channels 111, 112; the length of the limiting plate is less than the length of the rear plate, so that a pack outlet is formed below the left and right smoke supply channels 111, 112 to facilitate the pushing out of the cigarette packs.

[0054] Preferably, the material level detection component includes a left material level detection component 221 corresponding to the left smoke supply channel 111 and a right material level detection component 222 corresponding to the right smoke supply channel 112. In this way, the relatively independent left material level detection component 221 and the right material level detection component 222 can be used to further improve the speed and accuracy of obtaining the number of cigarette packs in the left smoke supply channel 111 and the right smoke supply channel 112.

[0055] The left material level detection member 221 and the right material level detection member 222 both include height sensors and are both located above the cigarette replenisher 110. By obtaining the distance from the topmost cigarette pack in the corresponding channel to the upper outlet of the corresponding channel, the number of cigarette packs in the corresponding channel is obtained. Alternatively, the left material level detection member 221 and the right material level detection member 222 are both configured as weight sensors and are both located in the pusher assembly 120. The number of cigarette packs in the corresponding channel is obtained by sensing the total weight of the cigarette packs in the corresponding channel. The two sensors can be set selectively or simultaneously, as long as the technical effect of improving the speed and accuracy of obtaining the number of cigarette packs in the corresponding channel is achieved. In order to further improve the speed of the code reading component in obtaining the QR code information of multiple cigarette packs in the corresponding channel, the code reading component includes a plurality of reference code readers 230 spaced apart in the height direction. The plurality of reference code readers 230 are all arranged opposite to the first window. When multiple cigarette packs are placed in the cigarette replenisher 110, the plurality of reference code readers 230 simultaneously read the QR code information of the cigarette packs in the corresponding code reading area.

[0056] In this embodiment, four reference code readers 230 are evenly spaced along the left side of the cigarette replenishment device 110 in the vertical direction. Each reference code reader 230 can acquire the QR code information of five cigarette packs. For example, when acquiring the QR code information of multiple cigarette packs placed in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111, if there are fewer than five cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111, only the bottom-most reference code reader 230 is active. If there are ten to fifteen cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111, all three reference code readers 230 except the top-most reference code reader 230 are active. If there are more than fifteen cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111, all reference code readers 230 are active. This further improves the speed and accuracy of acquiring QR code information for multiple cigarette packs in the corresponding channel. In other embodiments, the number of reference code readers 230 can be set to three, five, six, seven, etc., depending on actual needs, and the number of cigarette packs for which each reference code reader 230 can simultaneously acquire QR code information can be set to three, four, six, eight, etc., depending on actual needs.

[0057] Preferably, the verification mechanism also includes an inspection component, which includes a plurality of inspectors 240 arranged at intervals on the conveyor belt 130 along the running direction of the conveyor belt 130. The plurality of inspectors 240 are all used to detect the number of cigarette packs conveyed on the conveyor belt 130, and are all communicatively connected to the industrial computer 210; the industrial computer 210 detects the number of cigarette packs on the conveyor belt 130 by comparing the inspectors 240 with the current number of cigarette packs in the cigarette replenisher 110 to ensure that the cigarette packs do not fall from the conveyor belt 130 in the interval from the cigarette replenisher 110 to the inspection component, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the box strip association. At the same time, when multiple inspectors 240 all detect that there are no cigarette packs on the current conveyor belt 130, the pusher assembly 120 pushes the cigarette packs toward the conveyor belt 130. When the material level detection assembly detects that there are no cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111, the operator can replenish cigarettes into the cigarette replenisher 110, thereby avoiding the situation where the material level detection assembly obtains inaccurate number of cigarette packs in the corresponding channel due to premature replenishment of cigarettes, or the code reading assembly cannot obtain the QR code information of multiple cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111 and the right cigarette replenishment channel 112 in a timely and accurate manner, resulting in box strip association errors.

[0058] Preferably, the verification mechanism also includes a fault prompt component 250 and two cigarette refilling end buttons 260. The fault prompt component 250 and the two cigarette refilling end buttons 260 are both communicated with the industrial computer 210. After the cigarette refilling is completed in the cigarette refilling channel, the corresponding cigarette refilling end button 260 is pressed to enable the code reading component to read the QR code of the cigarette pack in the corresponding cigarette refilling channel through the corresponding window.

[0059] During the cigarette replenishment process, after the operator places the cigarette packs into the right cigarette replenishment channel 112, he presses the cigarette replenishment end button 260 corresponding to the right cigarette replenishment channel 112, and then triggers the right material level detection component 222 and the reference code reader 230 through the industrial computer 210 to obtain information on the multiple cigarette packs in the right cigarette replenishment channel 112; then he places the cigarette packs into the left cigarette replenishment channel 111, and after placement, he presses the cigarette replenishment end button 260 corresponding to the left cigarette replenishment channel 111, and then triggers the left material level detection component 221 and the reference code reader 230 through the industrial computer 210 to obtain information on the multiple cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111. When replenishing cigarettes, if the cigarette replenishment end button 260 corresponding to the left cigarette replenishment channel 111 is triggered first, or when replenishing cigarettes, there are still multiple cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111, or after replenishing cigarettes, the number of cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111 is greater than the number of cigarette packs placed in the right cigarette replenishment channel 112, the fault prompting member 250 will issue an alarm prompt. When the operator receives the alarm prompt, it is necessary to refill cigarettes into the cigarette replenishing device 110. This avoids the situation where the material level detection component obtains an inaccurate number of cigarette packs in the corresponding channel due to inaccurate replenishment operation, and the code reading component cannot timely and accurately obtain the QR code information of multiple cigarette packs in the left and right cigarette replenishment channels 111 and 112, resulting in a box strip association error. The alarm prompt of the fault prompting member 250 can be set to a light prompt or a sound prompt according to actual needs, which is not specifically limited here.

[0060] A method for associating detection of a barcode in a cigarette pack is applied to a cigarette replenishing device and includes the following steps.

[0061] In the first step, multiple cigarette packs are placed in the right cigarette replenishment channel 112, and then the cigarette replenishment end button 260 corresponding to the right cigarette replenishment channel 112 is pressed. The reference code reader 230 reads the QR code information of the multiple cigarette packs in the right cigarette replenishment channel 112 through the first window and the second window 1121 in turn. The right material level detection component 222 detects the number of multiple cigarette packs in the right cigarette replenishment channel 112, and transmits the number of multiple cigarette packs in the right cigarette replenishment channel 112 and the QR code information as reference information to the industrial computer 210.

[0062] In the second step, multiple cigarette packs are placed in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111, and then the cigarette replenishment end button 260 corresponding to the left cigarette replenishment channel 111 is pressed. The reference code reader 230 reads the QR code information of the multiple cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111 through the first window, and the left material level detection component 221 detects the number of multiple cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111, and transmits the number of multiple cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111 and the QR code information as reference information to the industrial computer 210.

[0063] In the third step, the pusher assembly 120 pushes the cigarette packs toward the conveyor belt 130 . The pusher assembly 120 pushes the two cigarette packs at the bottom in the left cigarette supply channel 111 and the two cigarette packs at the bottom in the right cigarette supply channel 112 onto the conveyor belt 130 to form two stacked pack groups on the conveyor belt 130 .

[0064] In the fourth step, along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt 130, the five adjacent stacked pack groups are one line, and the verification code reader 270 reads the QR code information of the cigarette packs in the five stacked pack groups and transmits it to the industrial computer 210, and associates the box strips with the corresponding QR code information of the cigarette strips in the industrial computer 210.

[0065] In the fifth step, along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt 130, the verification code reader 270 reads the QR code information of the cigarette packs in the first group of stacked packs and the sixth group of stacked packs, and compares the QR code information with the reference information in the industrial computer 210. When the QR code information is the same as the reference information in the industrial computer 210, the box strip association is accurate.

[0066] Through the above steps, when placing cigarette packs into the cigarette replenishment device 110, the cigarette packs are placed first into the right cigarette replenishment channel 112 and then into the left cigarette replenishment channel 111. This can avoid the situation where the reference code reader 230 is unable to obtain the QR code information on the multiple cigarette packs in the right cigarette replenishment channel 112 due to the cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111 blocking the second window 1121. Since the corresponding cigarette replenishment channel is completed, it is necessary to press the corresponding cigarette replenishment end button 260, thereby avoiding the situation where the replenishment sequence is incorrect and can promptly trigger the reference code reader 230 and the corresponding material level detection component to obtain the QR code information and quantity information of the multiple cigarette packs in the corresponding cigarette replenishment channel. Since the verification code reader 270 can read the QR code information of the cigarette packs in the five stacked pack groups and transmit it to the industrial control computer 210, the industrial control computer 210 associates the QR code information of the cigarette strips in the industrial control computer 210 with the QR code information of the cigarette packs in the five stacked pack groups, thereby completing the box-strip association. After the association is completed, the accuracy of the association needs to be verified. Specifically, the verification code reader 270 reads the QR code information of the cigarette packs in the first group of stacked packs and the sixth group of stacked packs and transmits it to the industrial computer 210. The industrial computer 210 compares and verifies the QR code information with the QR code information of the cigarette packs obtained by the reference code reader 230. If the two information match, it means that the current box strip association of the five stacked pack groups is accurate. If it does not match, it is necessary to re-acquire and associate the information until the result of the verification box strip association is accurate, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the box strip association.

[0067] Preferably, the number of cigarette packs placed in the left cigarette supply channel 111 is less than or equal to the number of cigarette packs placed in the right cigarette supply channel 112. In this embodiment, each time the pusher assembly 120 pushes two stacked pack groups onto the conveyor belt 130, it is necessary to ensure that one group comes from the right cigarette supply channel 112 and the other group comes from the left cigarette supply channel 111. This configuration prevents the pusher assembly 120 from pushing cigarette packs onto the conveyor belt 130, preventing the situation where there are no cigarette packs in the right cigarette supply channel 112 while there are still multiple cigarette packs remaining in the left cigarette supply channel 111. This prevents the pusher assembly 120 from pushing only one stacked pack group onto the conveyor belt 130 in a single push process, resulting in a continuous flow of cigarette packs from the left cigarette supply channel 111 on the conveyor belt 130, thereby further ensuring the accuracy of the box strip association.

[0068] Preferably, after the pusher assembly 120 pushes the cigarette pack onto the conveyor belt 130, it also includes a replenishing cigarette function. This includes: when the multiple detectors 240 detect that there are no cigarette packs on the conveyor belt 130, the pusher assembly 120 pushes the cigarette pack onto the conveyor belt 130. When the left material level detection component 221 detects that the number of cigarette packs in the left replenishing channel 111 is zero, the operator can replenish cigarettes into the replenishing device 110. This prevents the operator from replenishing cigarettes prematurely, causing errors in the association of the box strips, and also avoids the overall processing efficiency being reduced due to the operator not replenishing cigarettes for a long time.

[0069] In order to avoid the situation where the material level detection component obtains inaccurate number of cigarette packs in the corresponding channel due to inaccurate operation during the cigarette replenishment process, or the code reading component cannot timely and accurately obtain the QR code information of multiple cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111 and the right cigarette replenishment channel 112, resulting in box strip association errors, in this embodiment, before and after cigarette replenishment, a fault prompt component 250 alarm reminder is also included. When the fault prompt component 250 reminds, the operator replenishes cigarettes again. The situations that trigger the fault alarm include: when replenishing cigarettes into the cigarette replenisher 110, the cigarette replenishment end button 260 corresponding to the right cigarette replenishment channel 112 is not pressed first; and / or, when replenishing cigarettes into the right cigarette replenishment channel 112, the left material level detection component 221 detects that there are cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111; and / or the number of cigarette packs placed in the left cigarette replenishment channel 111 is greater than the number of cigarette packs placed in the right cigarette replenishment channel 112.

[0070] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for the purpose of clearly illustrating the present invention and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention. A person skilled in the art would be able to make various obvious changes, readjustments, and substitutions without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention. It is not necessary and impossible to enumerate all embodiments here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cigarette replenishing device, used to detect, associate and verify cigarette packs recovered after inspection by reading QR codes, characterized by: include: A cigarette replenishing mechanism comprises a cigarette replenishing device (110), a pusher assembly (120) and a conveyor belt (130), wherein the cigarette replenishing device (110) is provided with a left cigarette replenishing channel (111) and a right cigarette replenishing channel (112), each of which can accommodate a plurality of cigarette packs, wherein the left cigarette replenishing channel (111) is provided with a first viewing window, and the right cigarette replenishing channel (112) is provided with a second viewing window (1121) opposite to the first viewing window, and the lower ends of the left cigarette replenishing channel (111) and the right cigarette replenishing channel (112) are both provided with a pack outlet, and the pusher assembly (120) can push the cigarette pack placed in the cigarette replenishing device (110) onto the conveyor belt (130) through the corresponding pack outlet; A verification mechanism comprises a material level detection component, a code reading component, a verification code reader (270) and an industrial control computer (210), wherein the material level detection component and the code reading component are arranged correspondingly to the smoke replenisher (110), the verification code reader (270) is arranged correspondingly to the conveyor belt (130), and the material level detection component, the code reading component and the verification code reader (270) are all communicatively connected to the industrial control computer (210); wherein the ten adjacent boxes of cigarette packs pushed onto the conveyor belt (130) form a strip, the material level detection component can detect the number of cigarette packs placed in the left cigarette supply channel (111) and the right cigarette supply channel (112), the code reading component can read the QR codes of the cigarette packs in the left cigarette supply channel (111) and the right cigarette supply channel (112) through the corresponding windows, the verification code reader (270) can read the QR codes of the cigarette packs pushed onto the conveyor belt (130), the industrial control computer (210) can associate the QR code information of the cigarette strip in the industrial control computer (210) with the QR code information of the ten adjacent boxes of cigarette packs pushed onto the conveyor belt (130), and can compare and verify the QR code information of the cigarette packs obtained by the code reading component with the QR code information of the cigarette packs obtained by the verification code reader (270); The left smoke supply channel (111), the right smoke supply channel (112), the first viewing window, and the second viewing window (1121) all extend in a height direction, and the pusher assembly (120) is arranged at the bottom of the smoke supply device (110); The code reading assembly includes a plurality of reference code readers (230) spaced apart along a height direction, and the plurality of reference code readers (230) are all arranged opposite to the first viewing window. When the plurality of cigarette packs are placed in the cigarette replenisher (110), the plurality of reference code readers (230) simultaneously read the two-dimensional code information of the cigarette packs in the corresponding code reading areas.

2. The smoke supplement device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material level detection assembly comprises a left material level detection member (221) provided corresponding to the left smoke supplement channel (111) and a right material level detection member (222) provided corresponding to the right smoke supplement channel (112); The left material level detection component (221) and the right material level detection component (222) both include height sensors and are located above the smoke replenisher (110), and / or the left material level detection component (221) and the right material level detection component (222) both include weight sensors and are located on the pusher assembly (120).

3. The smoke supplement device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The verification mechanism further includes a testing component, the testing component including a plurality of testers (240) arranged on the conveyor belt (130) at intervals along the running direction of the conveyor belt (130), the plurality of testers (240) are all used to detect the number of cigarette packs conveyed on the conveyor belt (130), and are all communicatively connected to the industrial control computer (210); When the plurality of inspectors (240) all detect that there is no cigarette pack on the current conveyor belt (130), the pusher assembly (120) pushes the cigarette pack toward the conveyor belt (130), and when the material level detection assembly detects that there is no cigarette pack in the left cigarette replenishment channel (111), cigarettes are replenished into the cigarette replenisher (110).

4. The smoke supplement device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The verification mechanism further comprises a fault prompting member (250) and two cigarette refilling end buttons (260), wherein the fault prompting member (250) and the two cigarette refilling end buttons (260) are both communicatively connected to the industrial control computer (210), and when the cigarette refilling channel is completed, the corresponding cigarette refilling end button (260) is pressed to enable the code reading component to read the QR code of the cigarette pack in the corresponding cigarette refilling channel through the corresponding window.

5. A method for detecting and associating a barcode in a cigarette pack, applied to the cigarette replenishing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The steps include: S1, placing a plurality of cigarette packs in the right cigarette replenishment channel (112), then pressing the cigarette replenishment end button (260) corresponding to the right cigarette replenishment channel (112), the reference code reader (230) sequentially reads the QR code information of the plurality of cigarette packs in the right cigarette replenishment channel (112) through the first window and the second window (1121), the right material level detection element (222) detects the number of the plurality of cigarette packs in the right cigarette replenishment channel (112), and transmits the number of the plurality of cigarette packs in the right cigarette replenishment channel (112) and the QR code information as reference information to the industrial control computer (210); S2, placing a plurality of cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel (111), then pressing the cigarette replenishment end button (260) corresponding to the left cigarette replenishment channel (111), the reference code reader (230) reads the QR code information of the plurality of cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel (111) through the first window, the left material level detection element (221) detects the number of the plurality of cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel (111), and transmits the number of the plurality of cigarette packs in the left cigarette replenishment channel (111) and the QR code information as reference information to the industrial control computer (210); S3, the pusher assembly (120) pushes the cigarette packs toward the conveyor belt (130), and the pusher assembly (120) pushes the two cigarette packs at the bottom of the left cigarette supply channel (111) and the two cigarette packs at the bottom of the right cigarette supply channel (112) toward the conveyor belt (130) in one push, so as to form two stacked pack groups on the conveyor belt (130); S4, along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt (130), the five adjacent stacked pack groups are one line, the verification code reader (270) reads the QR code information of the cigarette packs in the five stacked pack groups and transmits it to the industrial control computer (210), and associates the box strip with the QR code information of the corresponding cigarette strip in the industrial control computer (210); S5, along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt (130), the verification code reader (270) reads the two-dimensional code information of the cigarette packs in the first stacked pack group and the sixth stacked pack group, and compares the two-dimensional code information with the reference information in the industrial control computer (210); when the two-dimensional code information is the same as the reference information in the industrial control computer (210), the box strip association is accurate.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The number of cigarette packs placed in the left cigarette supply channel (111) is less than or equal to the number of cigarette packs placed in the right cigarette supply channel (112).

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that After the pusher assembly (120) pushes the cigarette pack toward the conveyor belt (130), the pusher assembly (120) further includes replenishing cigarettes, including: When multiple detectors (240) all detect that there is no cigarette pack on the conveyor belt (130), the pusher assembly (120) pushes the cigarette pack toward the conveyor belt (130), and when the left material level detection component (221) detects that there is no cigarette pack in the left cigarette replenishment channel (111), the operator replenishes cigarettes into the cigarette replenisher (110).

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that During and after the addition of cigarettes, a fault prompting element (250) alarm is also provided. When the fault prompting element (250) reminds, the operator re-adds cigarettes. The situations in which the fault alarm is triggered include: When replenishing cigarettes into the cigarette replenisher (110), the cigarette replenishment end button (260) corresponding to the right cigarette replenishment channel (112) is not pressed first; and / or, when supplying cigarettes to the right cigarette supply channel (112), the left material level detection element (221) detects that the cigarette pack is present in the left cigarette supply channel (111); And / or, the number of cigarette packs placed in the left cigarette supply channel (111) is greater than the number of cigarette packs placed in the right cigarette supply channel (112).

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