A cabinet type automatic material following system for cigarette and working method thereof

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of tobacco processing, and particularly relates to a tobacco cabinet equipment automatic material following system and a working method. The automatic material following system comprises a cleaning device and a recovery device. The cleaning device comprises a box body, a connecting assembly, a brush and a roller set. The connecting assembly connects two box bodies. The brush is arranged on the outer side of the box body. The rear side of the box body is arranged in an inclined manner. The roller set is installed on the rear side of the box body. The recovery device comprises a driving mechanism and a recovery rope. The driving mechanism is fixed on a cabinet body. One end of the recovery rope is connected with the driving mechanism, and the other end is connected with the connecting assembly. The present application replaces manual cleaning of residual materials in the cabinet, effectively improves the cleaning efficiency, reduces the labor cost, and eliminates the safety risk of personnel entering the cabinet.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of tobacco processing technology, and in particular to an automatic material tracking system and working method for tobacco cabinet equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In the tobacco processing industry, especially in the tobacco refining workshop, cabinet-type equipment plays a crucial role. These devices are primarily used to store materials such as tobacco stems, tobacco flakes, shredded leaves, and finished tobacco products, while also regulating production rhythm and balancing the temperature and humidity of the process media and materials. Due to their importance in the production process, the demand for cabinet-type equipment is high; they are typically used in pairs to maximize storage capacity and material distribution efficiency. However, these devices require regular maintenance, including daily, weekly, and monthly maintenance, as well as cleaning the material remaining on both sides of the cabinet bottom at the end of each batch of production.

[0003] In existing technologies, cleaning cabinet-type equipment mainly relies on manual entry into the cabinets. This manual cleaning method is not only inefficient, but also poses safety hazards for workers entering the cabinets. Furthermore, inconsistencies in manual cleaning can affect the cleanliness of materials and production quality. Therefore, to improve cleaning efficiency, reduce labor costs, and ensure worker safety, it is necessary to develop a device capable of automating the cleaning task.

[0004] Therefore, the existing technology has the following main problems:

[0005] 1. Manual cleaning is inefficient and consumes a lot of manpower and time.

[0006] 2. There is a safety hazard for workers to enter the cabinet.

[0007] 3. Inconsistencies in manual cleaning may affect the cleanliness of materials and production quality. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, the purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic material tracking system for cigarette cabinet equipment, which replaces manual cleaning of residual materials in the cabinet, effectively improves cleaning efficiency, reduces labor costs, and eliminates the safety risks of people entering the cabinet.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of the present invention provide the following technical solutions:

[0010] An automatic material tracking system for cigarette cabinet equipment includes: a cleaning device and a recycling device; the cleaning device includes a housing, a connecting assembly, a brush, and a roller assembly, the connecting assembly connects two housings, the brush is disposed on the outer side of the housing, the rear side of the housing is inclined, and the roller assembly is installed on the rear side of the housing; the recycling device includes a drive mechanism and a recycling rope, the drive mechanism is fixed to the housing, one end of the recycling rope is connected to the drive mechanism, and the other end is connected to the connecting assembly.

[0011] The cleaning device consists of a housing, connecting components, brushes, and rollers. Brushes are installed on the outer side of the housing to clean residual material from the bottom. The rear side is angled to facilitate the installation and movement of the rollers. During retraction, the rollers contact the bottom plate of the housing, converting sliding friction into rolling friction. The connecting components link the two housings together, ensuring structural stability and operational consistency during operation.

[0012] The retrieval device includes a drive mechanism and a retrieval rope. The drive mechanism rotates a reel via a motor, which in turn pulls the retrieval rope to reset the cleaning device. One end of the retrieval rope is connected to the reel, and the other end is connected to the connecting assembly of the cleaning device. After the cleaning device completes cleaning under the action of friction, the retrieval rope is pulled by the drive mechanism, causing the cleaning device to be retrieved to its initial position, ready for the next cycle.

[0013] Optionally, the cleaning device's housing consists of an inner side panel, an outer side panel, a front baffle, and a bottom plate. The bottom plate is curved, forming the bottom and rear sides of the housing. The curved bottom plate is welded to or bolted to the front baffle, inner and outer side panels to form an integral frame, enhancing the rigidity and stability of the housing. The bottom side of the bottom plate supports the load of the cleaning device, while the rear side is the mounting location for the roller assembly, providing a support platform for the rollers' movement. The curved bottom plate design adapts to the structural characteristics of the cabinet's bottom while supporting the stable movement of the cleaning device, ensuring the efficient operation of the entire cleaning system.

[0014] Optionally, a through hole is provided on the rear side of the base plate for mounting the roller assembly. The roller assembly includes rollers and bearing housings. The rollers are fixed to both sides of the through hole in the base plate via the bearing housings, and part of the rollers passes through the through hole into the base plate. The bearing housings are fixed to the inside of the base plate by welding or bolts, and the rotation shafts of the rollers are installed in the bearing housings to ensure that the rollers can rotate freely. Most of the rollers are located above the through hole, and a small portion is located below the base plate, contacting the bottom strip of the cabinet to reduce friction. The design of the roller assembly changes the friction mode of the cleaning device from sliding friction to rolling friction during the recycling process, which reduces energy consumption, avoids wear on the bottom strip of the cabinet, and significantly improves the service life and operating efficiency of the device.

[0015] Optionally, the roller and bearing housing are bolted together for easy installation and removal. The inner side plate has mounting holes corresponding to the bolt positions for the rollers. These mounting holes are pre-drilled openings precisely aligned with the roller mounting holes on the base plate. When the roller needs replacement or maintenance, simply loosen the bolts through the mounting holes on the inner side plate. This mounting hole design improves the roller's maintainability, allowing operators to quickly disassemble and replace parts, thus reducing maintenance costs.

[0016] Optionally, casters are installed on the outer side of the outer panel, and the casters are fixed to the outer panel by screws. One end of the caster is provided with a threaded screw, which passes through a pre-drilled hole in the outer panel and is then tightened with a nut. The casters can rotate freely in multiple directions, ensuring that the cleaning device does not deviate during movement.

[0017] Optionally, the brush is mounted on the outer side panel of the cabinet via an adjusting plate. This adjusting plate is bent, and the brush is at a predetermined angle to the outer side panel. The bent design of the adjusting plate creates two surfaces with an included angle of 120°-150°. The brush is fixed to the adjusting plate with bolts or clips, creating a certain angle between the brush and the outer side panel of the cabinet. This inclined installation design allows materials to be concentrated towards the center of the cabinet while also moving forward during cleaning, ensuring a more thorough cleaning.

[0018] Optionally, the adjustment plate has a vertically oriented elongated groove. The brush includes a handle and bristles. The handle is mounted on the groove and can move up and down relative to the adjustment plate. The handle engages with the groove via bolts or a slider. During sliding, the handle can be fixed in the desired position by tightening the nut to adjust the brush height. The bristles are fixed to the underside of the handle and contact the cabinet bottom plate for cleaning. The elongated groove design allows for adjustable brush height, which can be adjusted according to the amount of material residue or the actual height of the cabinet bottom plate, further improving the cleaning effect of the device.

[0019] Optionally, the connecting assembly includes a fixed base, a baffle, a connecting rod, and a bushing. The baffle is inserted into the fixed base via a slot, and the inner end of the connecting rod is connected via the bushing, while the outer end is connected to the housing. The fixed base is bolted to the inner side plate, and both ends of the baffle are inserted into the slots and slide against the fixed base, allowing the baffle to move freely up and down within the constraints of the fixed base. One end of the connecting rod is threaded to the housing, and the other end is connected to the bushing to form a single unit, ensuring sufficient rigidity of the baffle during operation. The design of the connecting assembly enhances the stability and deformation resistance of the baffle, enabling it to effectively propel materials forward during cleaning.

[0020] Optionally, the drive mechanism consists of a base, a mounting bracket, a motor, and a reel. The base is mounted on the cabinet and supports the motor and reel. The motor is mounted on the base via the mounting bracket, and its output shaft is connected to the reel, which is fixed to the motor's output shaft. The recovery rope is wound around the reel, with one end fixed to the reel and the other end connected to the cleaning device. The drive mechanism provides sufficient traction, and the rotation of the reel completes the retrieval operation of the cleaning device. The design of the base and bracket ensures the stability of the drive mechanism's operation.

[0021] This invention also provides a method for operating the above-mentioned automatic material tracking system for cigarette cabinet equipment, including two stages: cleaning and recycling.

[0022] Cleaning phase: The cleaning device moves forward synchronously with the bottom plate of the storage cabinet, the brush cleans the materials on both sides of the bottom of the cabinet, and the connecting components push the materials forward and concentrate them.

[0023] Recovery phase: When the sweeping device moves to the predetermined position, the drive mechanism is activated, the recovery rope pulls the box to tilt, the roller contacts the bottom belt, and the sweeping device is pulled back to the initial position.

[0024] This working method ensures efficient connection between the cleaning and recycling processes, achieving automated cycle of cleaning work.

[0025] One or more technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present invention have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0026] In this material tracking system, a brush is installed on the outside of the cleaning device housing to clean residual materials at the bottom of the cabinet. A roller assembly is installed on the rear side of the housing to contact the cabinet bottom plate during retrieval, converting sliding friction into rolling friction. Connecting components ensure the cleaning device maintains structural stability during operation. A drive mechanism pulls the retrieval rope to reset the cleaning device, returning it to its initial position for the next cycle. Compared to existing technologies, this system boasts a high degree of automation, replacing manual material tracking with automatic tracking, thus improving cleaning efficiency. It also offers high operational efficiency, as the automatic tracking process occurs alongside the production process and is automatically retrieved after tracking, resulting in significantly higher efficiency than manual tracking. Furthermore, it eliminates the safety hazards associated with manual entry into the cabinet, enhancing the inherent safety level of the production site. Precise control of the cleaning process ensures material cleanliness and production quality while minimizing damage to the internal structure of the cabinet.

[0027] Advantages of additional aspects of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0028] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort. In addition, the spacing or dimensions between the parts are exaggerated to show the position of each part, and the schematic diagrams are for illustrative purposes only.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic material tracking system provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cleaning device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the recycling device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the box and roller assembly provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the fixing base provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the adjustment plate provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 7 This is a flowchart provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] In the diagram: 1. Brush; 2. Adjusting plate; 3. Caster wheel; 4. Front baffle; 5. Inner side plate; 6. Roller; 7. Connecting rod; 8. Bushing; 9. Baffle; 10. Fixed base; 11. Loading / unloading hole; 12. Bearing seat; 13. Base plate; 14. Outer side plate; 15. Oil collection box; 16. Fixed bracket; 17. Motor; 18. Reel; 19. Base; Detailed Implementation

[0037] It should be noted that the following detailed description is illustrative and intended to provide further explanation of the invention. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used in this invention have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0038] Example 1

[0039] Please see Figure 1 - Figure 6This embodiment provides an automatic material tracking system for cigarette cabinet equipment, including a base plate 13, which is formed by bending a rectangular plate with a certain curvature at the bend. Two rectangular holes are pre-drilled on the base plate 13, and six bearing seats 12 are evenly distributed on both sides of each rectangular hole, arranged symmetrically in pairs, for mounting rollers 6. Bolts are passed through the round holes of the rollers 6 and the bearing seats 12 and fixed with bolts. After the rollers 6 are installed, most of them are above the base plate 13, and a small part are below the base plate 13. The purpose of installing the rollers 6 is that when the device finishes tracking the material and is recycled, the whole thing is supported by the rollers 6, and the rollers return to their initial position.

[0040] like Figure 2 , Figure 4 As shown, the inner side plate 5 is a curved quadrilateral thin plate, in which the shape formed by two sides and the arc in the middle coincides with the line formed by the bending of the base plate 13, and they are welded together along the coincident curve. The inner side plate 5 has mounting holes 11 to facilitate the removal and installation of bolts for fixing the roller 6. In addition, the inner side plate 5 also has 3 round holes, one of which is used for the connecting rod 7 to pass through, and the other two holes are used for connecting the fixing seat 10.

[0041] The outer side plate 14 and the inner side plate 5 have the same shape and size and are connected to the base plate 13 by welding. There are 5 holes on the outer side plate 14. The position of one of the holes corresponds to the position of one of the holes on the inner side plate 5. The connecting rod 7 passes through it. Two holes are used to install the caster wheel 3. The caster wheel 3 has a lead screw. After the lead screw of the caster wheel 3 is inserted into the reserved hole, it is fixed with a nut. The caster wheel 3 is used to prevent the device from running off-center during the recovery process, so as to improve the stability of the device. The other two holes on the outer side plate 14 are used to fix the adjustment plate 2.

[0042] The size and shape of the front baffle 4 are exactly the same as the blank shape formed after welding the base plate 13, inner side plate 5 and outer side plate 14, and are connected together by welding the corresponding edges of the base plate 13, inner side plate 5 and outer side plate 14.

[0043] like Figure 2 , Figure 6 As shown, the adjustment plate 2 is formed by bending a thin plate. The angle between the two surfaces formed after bending is 120°-150°. It has two round holes and is fixed to the outer plate 14 by bolts and nuts. It also has two long slots for connecting to the brush 1. The brush is fixed to the adjustment plate 2 by bolts and nuts. The height of the fixed brush 1 can be adjusted as needed. The lower end of the brush 1 is the bristles, which are used to clean up residual materials. The upper end is the brush handle, which has round holes for connecting to the adjustment plate 2.

[0044] like Figure 2 , Figure 5As shown, the fixed base 10 has two round holes, which are connected to the inner side plate 5 by bolts and nuts. The fixed base 10 also has a slot for inserting the baffle 9. After the baffle 9 is inserted, it can only move in the up and down direction. The baffle 9 is a long strip of thin plate. After the baffle 9 is installed in the slot of the fixed base 10, it is coplanar with the front baffle 4 and together pushes the residual material forward during the material feeding process.

[0045] There are two connecting rods 7, both of which have external threads. One end passes through the inner side plate 5 and the outer side plate 14 and is fixed with bolts. The other end is screwed into the bushing 8. The two connecting rods 7 and the bushing 8 form a whole, which together with the two inner side plates 5 and the baffle 9 forms a quadrilateral. This can improve the rigidity of the baffle 9 and prevent bending and deformation during material feeding and recycling.

[0046] The bushing 8 has internal threads at both ends, which are used to connect with the external threads at the end of the connecting rod 7. A ring is welded in the middle of the bushing 8 so that the rope can be tied to it. The other end of the rope is tied to the reel 18. When the material following device ends, the traction force is transmitted through the rope to pull the entire material following device back to the initial position.

[0047] The above are the components of the cleaning device. After the assembly of this part, the overall length along the axis of the connecting rod 7 is slightly less than the width inside the cabinet to ensure that the residual materials inside the cabinet are cleaned.

[0048] like Figure 3 As shown, the base 19 is a rectangular plate with four round holes for fixing it to the cabinet. The fixing bracket 16 uses four support rods with external threads at one end, along with pressure plates and nuts, to fix and disassemble the motor 17.

[0049] The motor 17 provides power for the sweeping device to retract. Its drive shaft is connected to the reel 18, which has a matching bracket. The reel can rotate or stop with the motor 17. One end of the retrieval rope is tied to the reel 18. During retrieval, as the motor 17 rotates, the reel 18 rotates synchronously, thereby retracting the rope and the material-following device. An oil collection box 15 is also provided on the lower side of the motor to collect dripping oil.

[0050] Example 2

[0051] This embodiment proposes a working method for an automatic material tracking system for tobacco cabinet equipment as described in Embodiment 1. Figure 7 As shown, it includes:

[0052] In conjunction with the control system, the automatic cleaning of materials and the automatic retrieval of the cleaning device are completed. The operator of the next process after the storage tank logs into the MES system, queries and issues work orders, and production begins. When the motor of the storage tank bottom belt starts to rotate, motor 17 is in a non-working state. The cleaning device is driven by the friction between the bottom plate 13 and the bottom belt surface and moves forward with the bottom belt. The retrieval rope on the roller 18 is also continuously pulled out. During this process, the brush 1 cleans the materials on both sides of the bottom of the tank. Due to the action of the adjustment plate 2, the working surface of the brush 1 and the forward direction of the device are at a certain angle. The materials accumulated by the brush 1 will move simultaneously in both the middle direction of the bottom belt and the forward direction. The baffle 9 will push the materials forward. Therefore, all the remaining materials will move forward continuously under the overall action of the cleaning device.

[0053] When the cleaning device triggers the pre-installed limit photoelectric switch, it transmits a signal to the PLC. The PLC then sends a signal to the motor 17, which first brakes and then reverses, causing the reel 18 to rotate. The recovery rope begins to bear force. At this time, the cleaning device is subjected to the combined action of the friction of the bottom belt and the tension of the recovery rope, and it tilts backward as a whole around the arc of the base plate 13. The roller 6 begins to contact the surface of the bottom belt. At this time, the friction between the cleaning device and the bottom belt changes from sliding friction to rolling friction, greatly reducing the friction force and preventing wear on the bottom belt. As the reel 18 continues to rotate, the cleaning device is pulled back as a whole. When the cleaning device is retracted into position, it triggers the photoelectric tube, which sends a device positioning signal to the PLC. After receiving the signal, the PLC sends a braking signal to the motor 17, and the reel 18 brakes synchronously with the motor 17. The cleaning device stops at the initial position, waiting for the production of the next batch of materials to begin, and so on.

[0054] This working method is simple and efficient, and can effectively replace manual labor to complete automatic material tracking. The material tracking effect not only meets the process requirements, but also eliminates the safety hazards of operators entering the cabinet.

[0055] While the specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, this is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications or variations that can be made by those skilled in the art without creative effort based on the technical solutions of the present invention are still within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic material tracking system for cigarette cabinet equipment, characterized in that, include: Cleaning and recycling equipment; The cleaning device includes a housing, a connecting assembly, a brush, and a roller assembly. The connecting assembly connects two housings. The brush is disposed on the outer side of the housing. The rear side of the housing is inclined. The roller assembly is mounted on the rear side of the housing. The recycling device includes a drive mechanism and a recycling rope. The drive mechanism is fixed to the cabinet, and one end of the recycling rope is connected to the drive mechanism and the other end is connected to the connecting assembly. When the motor of the storage tank bottom belt starts to rotate, the motor is in a non-working state, and the cleaning device moves forward following the bottom belt due to the friction between the bottom plate and the bottom belt surface. The enclosure includes an inner side panel, an outer side panel, a front baffle, and a bottom panel. The bottom panel is curved and forms the bottom and rear sides of the enclosure. A through hole is provided on the rear side of the base plate. The roller assembly includes rollers and bearing seats. The bearing seats are installed on both sides of the through hole on the inner side of the base plate. The rollers are rotatably mounted on the bearing seats, and a portion of the rollers passes through the through hole into the base plate. After the sweeping device moves to the predetermined position, the drive mechanism rotates and pulls the recovery rope. The sweeping device tilts backward as a whole with the arc of the base plate as the fulcrum. The rollers begin to contact the surface of the bottom belt. At this time, the friction between the sweeping device and the bottom belt changes from sliding friction to rolling friction. As the recovery rope is pulled, the sweeping device is pulled back.

2. The automatic material tracking system for cigarette cabinet equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The roller and the bearing housing are connected by bolts. The inner side plate has mounting holes, the positions of which correspond to the positions of the bolts that mount the roller.

3. The automatic material tracking system for cigarette cabinet equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A caster wheel is installed on the outer side of the outer side plate. One end of the caster wheel has a lead screw, which passes through the outer side plate and is fixed by a nut.

4. The automatic material tracking system for cigarette cabinet equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The brush is mounted on the outer side plate of the box via an adjustment plate, which is a bent plate. The brush is at a predetermined angle to the outer side plate to move the material in the forward and center directions.

5. The automatic material tracking system for cigarette cabinet equipment as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The adjustment plate is provided with a long groove, which is arranged vertically. The brush includes a handle and bristles. The handle is installed on the long groove of the adjustment plate and can move up and down relative to the adjustment plate. The bristles are installed on the lower side of the handle.

6. The automatic material tracking system for cigarette cabinet equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The connecting assembly includes a fixing seat, a baffle, a connecting rod, and a bushing. The fixing seat is installed on the inner side plate of the housing, and a slot is provided on the inner side of the fixing seat. Both ends of the baffle are inserted into the slot. The inner ends of the two connecting rods are connected by the bushing, and the outer ends of the connecting rods are connected to the housing.

7. The automatic material tracking system for cigarette cabinet equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The drive mechanism includes a base, a fixed bracket, a motor, and a reel. The base is mounted on the cabinet, the fixed bracket fixes the motor to the base, the reel is mounted on the output shaft of the motor, and the recovery rope is wound around the reel.

8. A method for operating an automatic material tracking system for tobacco cabinet equipment as described in any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, include: The cleaning device moves forward under the action of the bottom plate of the storage tank. The recovery rope is continuously pulled out, and the brush on the outside of the tank cleans the material on both sides of the bottom of the tank, so that the material moves in both directions, namely towards the middle of the bottom belt and the forward direction. At the same time, the connecting component pushes the material forward. After the sweeping device moves to the predetermined position, the drive mechanism rotates and pulls the recovery rope. The box tilts under the action of the recovery rope, so that the roller assembly contacts the ground. As the recovery rope is pulled, the sweeping device is pulled back.

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