Automatic separation method and automatic separation device

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of tobacco production, and discloses an automatic separation method and an automatic separation device. According to the automatic separation method, inflation operation and demolding operation are sequentially carried out. And after the paper box is opened and / or the material wrapped with the thin film is conveyed to the first conveying belt and the paper box is pulled out of the material wrapped with the thin film, air inflation operation is executed, and air is inflated between the material and the thin film wrapped outside the material. After the material wrapped with the film is conveyed to the first conveying belt and the paper box is pulled out of the material wrapped with the film, film removing operation is executed, specifically, the first conveying belt is controlled to work, the limiting structure ascends and descends, and the material wrapped with the film is made to abut against the limiting structure; cutting three surfaces of the film; and when the friction force of the first conveying belt drives the lower half film to separate from the bottom of the material, the limiting structure is controlled to lift away from the material and clamp away from the film. The occupied space is small, and the phenomena that tobacco leaves are scattered when the tobacco stack is turned over and film scraps are inserted into the tobacco stack when the film is cut from a material top sealing opening are avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of tobacco production equipment, and in particular to an automatic separation method and an automatic separation device. Background Art

[0002] To facilitate the transportation of tobacco leaves, they are usually compacted into stacks, wrapped with film and packaged in cardboard boxes. In the production process of cigarettes, the stacks wrapped with film need to be removed from the boxes, and the film wrapped around the stacks needs to be separated after being removed from the boxes, so that the stacks can be further processed later.

[0003] Specifically, when the cigarette stack wrapped with film is removed from the box, the upper part of the cardboard box is opened manually or by a box opening mechanism. When separating the film wrapped outside the cigarette stack: one separation method in the prior art is to first turn the cardboard box, cigarette stack and film as a whole by using a turning mechanism 180° at the first turning station, turn 180° to the second turning station and move to the first film removal station to remove the cardboard box, then cut the film in a circle around the cigarette stack and remove the upper half of the film, then turn the cigarette stack and the lower half of the film at the first film removal station as a whole by using a turning mechanism 180°, turn 180° to the second film removal station and remove the lower half of the film, so as to remove the film from the cigarette stack, but this separation method requires turning twice, and two turning stations and two film removal stations are set, resulting in a large space occupation, and the process of turning from the first film removal station to the second film removal station is time consuming. It is easy to cause tobacco leaves to scatter and waste, and the scattered tobacco leaves will cause dust; another separation method in the prior art is to directly cut the film on the top of the cigarette stack and take away the cut film, and then turn the cardboard box, the cigarette stack and the remaining film as a whole 180° at the first turning station using a turning mechanism, and then turn it 180° to the second turning station and take away the cardboard box and the remaining film in turn. Although it only needs to be turned once, it can save space, but the tobacco leaves still scatter during the process of turning from the first turning station to the second turning station. Secondly, since the sealing part of the film is located at the top of the cigarette stack and the film at the sealing part is folded in multiple layers, and the cutting force is vertically downward, it is easy to cause film fragments to be inserted into the cigarette stack when cutting the film on the top of the cigarette stack and cannot be taken away at one time. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide an automatic separation method and an automatic separation device to solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the prior art when both the cardboard box and the film are separated from the cigarette stack.

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

[0006] The automatic separation method comprises an automatic separation device including a first conveyor belt and a limiting structure spaced apart from the first conveyor belt in a height direction; the limiting structure can be raised and lowered in the height direction; the automatic separation method comprises an inflation operation and a film stripping operation performed in sequence:

[0007] After the carton is opened, and / or after the material wrapped with the film is conveyed to the first conveyor belt and the carton is pulled away from the material wrapped with the film, the inflation operation is performed;

[0008] The inflation operation includes: inflating air between the material and the film wrapped around the material, so that part of the film embedded in the material is ejected;

[0009] After the material wrapped with the film is conveyed to the first conveyor belt and the cardboard box is pulled away from the material wrapped with the film, the film stripping operation is performed;

[0010] The film stripping operation includes: controlling the first conveyor belt to work, controlling the limiting structure to rise and fall along the height direction, so that the material wrapped with the film along the conveying direction of the first conveyor belt abuts against the limiting structure; starting from a certain position in the height direction of the material, cutting the film on three sides along the circumference of the material, so that the film is divided into an upper half of the film and a lower half of the film; when the friction force of the first conveyor belt drives the lower half of the film to separate from the bottom of the material, controlling the limiting structure to rise and fall along the height direction away from the material, and clamping the film.

[0011] As a preferred solution of the above automatic separation method, the first conveyor belt is a particle conveyor belt; or,

[0012] The outer peripheral surface of the first conveyor belt is provided with an anti-slip pattern.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment of the above automatic separation method, the following steps are included between the time when the carton is opened and the time when the material wrapped with the film is pulled out of the carton:

[0014] Convey the cardboard box and the material wrapped with film as a whole to the turning mechanism;

[0015] Controlling the flipping mechanism to flip the cardboard box and the material wrapped with the film as a whole, so that along the height direction, the opening of the cardboard box faces downward and the material wrapped with the film at the opening is supported on the flipping mechanism;

[0016] The turned-over cardboard box and the material wrapped with the film are conveyed as a whole to the first conveyor belt.

[0017] As a preferred embodiment of the automatic separation method, in the inflation operation: before inflating air between the material and the film wrapping the material, the film above the top of the material is pierced to form a vent hole; and air is inflated between the material and the film wrapping the material through the vent hole.

[0018] As a preferred solution of the above automatic separation method, whether a portion of the film embedded in the material is ejected is determined based on the amount of air inflated between the material and the film wrapping the material and / or the duration of the air inflated.

[0019] The automatic separation device comprises a first conveyor belt and a limiting structure spaced apart from the first conveyor belt in a height direction, wherein the limiting structure can be raised and lowered in the height direction; and is used to execute the above-mentioned automatic separation method.

[0020] As a preferred solution of the above-mentioned automatic separation device, the automatic separation device also includes a cutting mechanism, which includes a first multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism, a cutting drive member arranged at the output end of the first multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism, and a cutting knife arranged at the output end of the cutting drive member, the first multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism can drive the cutting drive member and the cutting knife to move synchronously, and the cutting drive member can drive the cutting knife to cut.

[0021] As a preferred solution of the above-mentioned automatic separation device, the automatic separation device also includes an inflation mechanism, which includes a second multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism, an inflation nozzle fixedly arranged at the output end of the second multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism, and a gas source selectively connected to the input end of the inflation nozzle, the second multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism can drive the inflation nozzle to move, and the gas source is used to deliver gas to the inflation nozzle.

[0022] As a preferred solution of the automatic separation device, the automatic separation device further comprises a flipping mechanism, the flipping mechanism comprises a flipping driving member and a flipping frame, the output end of the flipping driving member is fixedly connected to the flipping frame and can drive the flipping frame to rotate around its own central axis, and the central axis of the flipping frame, the height direction and the conveying direction of the first conveyor belt are perpendicular to each other;

[0023] Along the conveying direction, an inlet and outlet are arranged on one side of the turning frame.

[0024] As a preferred solution of the above-mentioned automatic separation device, the automatic separation device also includes two second conveyor belts. Along the height direction, the two second conveyor belts are arranged one by one at the top and the bottom of the flip frame; the second conveyor belts are used to convey the structure to be conveyed into and out of the flip frame through the inlet and outlet.

[0025] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0026] The present invention provides an automatic separation method and an automatic separation device. The automatic separation method includes an inflation operation and a film stripping operation performed in sequence. After the carton is opened, and / or before the material wrapped with a film is conveyed to the third conveyor belt and the carton is pulled away from the material wrapped with a film, the inflation operation is performed. The inflation operation includes: inflating between the material and the film wrapped outside the material so that part of the film embedded in the material is ejected. After the material wrapped with a film is conveyed to the first conveyor belt and the carton is pulled away from the material wrapped with a film, the film stripping operation is performed. The film stripping operation includes: controlling the first conveyor belt to work, controlling the limit structure to rise and fall in the height direction, so that the material wrapped with a film along the conveying direction of the first conveyor belt abuts against the limit structure; starting from a certain position in the height direction of the material, cutting the film on three sides along the circumference of the material, so that the film is divided into an upper half of the film and a lower half of the film; when the friction force of the first conveyor belt drives the lower half of the film to separate from the bottom of the material, controlling the limit structure to rise and fall in the height direction away from the material and clamping the film away.

[0027] By using this automatic separation method to separate the cardboard box and the film from the cigarette stack, the space occupied by the automatic separation device can be effectively reduced; secondly, it can effectively avoid the waste of tobacco leaves scattered due to the overturning of the cigarette stack and the phenomenon that the scattered tobacco leaves will cause dust; thirdly, it can effectively avoid the phenomenon that the film fragments are inserted into the cigarette stack and cannot be removed at one time due to direct cutting of the film on the top of the cigarette stack. Thereby, the cost of separating the film is effectively reduced, and the quality of the separating film is effectively improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figures 1 to 12 It is a process diagram of separating the cardboard box and the film from the material provided by a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Fig.13 It is a flow chart of the automatic separation method provided by a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] In the figure:

[0031] 100, cardboard box; 110, material; 120, film; 121, upper part of the film; 122, lower part of the film;

[0032] 1. First conveyor belt; 2. Limit block; 3. Cutting knife; 4. Inflating nozzle; 5. Turning frame; 51. Inlet and outlet; 6. First clamping head; 7. Second clamping head. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention, rather than to limit the present invention. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, only parts related to the present invention, rather than all structures, are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0034] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connected", "connected", and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0035] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0036] In the description of this embodiment, the terms "upper", "lower", "right", etc., directions or positional relationships are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of description and simplification of operation, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish in the description and have no special meaning.

[0037] Figures 1 to 12 1 is a process diagram of separating the cardboard box 100 and the film 120 from the material 110 in this embodiment. Figures 1 to 12 The up and down direction is the height direction; Figures 1 to 12 The direction from left to right in the figure is the conveying direction of the first conveyor belt 1 .

[0038] The invention discloses an automatic separation device, which comprises a first conveyor belt 1 and a limiting structure, a box opening mechanism, a cutting mechanism, an inflation mechanism, a turnover mechanism and two second conveyor belts.

[0039] The limiting structure is spaced apart from the first conveyor belt 1 in the height direction. The limiting structure can be raised and lowered in the height direction. When the first conveyor belt 1 conveys the material 110, the setting position of the limiting structure in the height direction can be adaptively adjusted according to the actual working conditions. Specifically, when it is necessary to limit the material 110 to the expected position along the conveying direction of the first conveyor belt 1, the limiting structure is controlled to be raised and lowered in the height direction so as to abut against the material 110, so as to limit the material 110 to the expected position; Figures 6 to 10 As shown, for the need to peel off the film 120 wrapped around the material 110, the limiting structure is controlled to rise and fall in the height direction so as to abut against the material 110, and starting from a certain position in the height direction of the material 110, the film 120 is cut on three sides along the circumference of the material 110 to divide the film 120 into an upper half film 121 and a lower half film 122, and then the lower half film 122 is driven to separate from the bottom of the material 110 under the friction force of the first conveyor belt 1. After the lower half film 122 separates from the bottom of the material 110, the limiting structure is controlled to rise and fall in the height direction away from the material 110, and clamp the film 120, so as to realize the peeling off of the film 120 wrapped around the material 110.

[0040] Preferably, when the film 120 is cut on three sides, the film 120 is cut from any position between the middle position in the height direction of the material 110 and the bottom in the height direction of the material 110. This is to improve the efficiency of driving the lower half of the film 122 away from the bottom of the material 110 under the friction of the first conveyor belt 1. In other embodiments, when the film 120 is cut on three sides, the film 120 is cut from any position between the middle position in the height direction of the material 110 and the top in the height direction of the material 110. In this embodiment, Figure 7 As shown, when the film 120 is cut on three sides, the film 120 is cut exemplarily from the middle position in the height direction of the material 110 .

[0041] Preferably, in this embodiment, the first conveyor belt 1 is a particle conveyor belt. The reliability of the first conveyor belt 1 driving the lower half of the film 122 to separate from the bottom of the material 110 can be effectively improved, and the efficiency of peeling off the film 120 wrapped around the material 110 can be effectively improved. As an alternative, the outer peripheral surface of the first conveyor belt 1 is provided with an anti-skid pattern. The anti-skid pattern can also increase the friction of the first conveyor belt 1, thereby effectively improving the reliability of the first conveyor belt 1 driving the lower half of the film 122 to separate from the bottom of the material 110, and the efficiency of peeling off the film 120 wrapped around the material 110 can be effectively improved.

[0042] Specifically, in the present embodiment, the material 110 is a cigarette stack. It is understandable that it can also be used for other materials 110 that need to be packaged and transported by the film 120 and the cardboard box 100. It is understandable that the cardboard box 100 can also be replaced by other types of hard packaging shells, etc.

[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, based on the type of material 110, the first conveyor belt 1 is preferably made of food-grade TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer). In other embodiments, other food-grade materials may also be used to make the first conveyor belt 1. It is understandable that, if the material 110 is non-food, other non-food-grade materials may also be used to make the first conveyor belt 1.

[0044] Specifically, the automatic separation device further comprises a first conveyor belt driving mechanism for driving the first conveyor belt 1 to convey the material 110. The specific structure of the first conveyor belt driving mechanism belongs to the prior art and will not be described in detail herein.

[0045] Specifically, Figures 6 to 10 As shown, the limit structure includes a limit block driving mechanism and a limit block 2. The limit block 2 is connected to the output end of the limit block driving mechanism, and the limit block driving mechanism can drive the limit block 2 to rise and fall in the height direction. So that along the conveying direction of the first conveyor belt 1, the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 can abut against the limit block 2. Specifically, the limit block driving mechanism is a linear motor, an electric push rod or a cylinder, etc., which can drive the limit block 2 to rise and fall in the height direction.

[0046] As an alternative, the limit block driving mechanism is a multi-axis robot arm, which can drive the limit block 2 to rise, fall, translate, and rotate. As an alternative, the limit block driving mechanism is a lifting and translation mechanism, which can drive the limit block 2 to rise, fall, and translate. This arrangement enables the limit block 2 to limit the material 110 to any expected position on the first conveyor belt 1 according to actual working conditions. Among them, the specific structures of the linear motor, electric push rod, cylinder, multi-axis robot arm, and lifting and translation mechanism all belong to the prior art and will not be repeated here.

[0047] The box opening mechanism is used to unseal the paper box 100 and expose the top of the material 110 wrapped with the film 120. The specific structure of the box opening mechanism belongs to the prior art, so it will not be repeated here.

[0048] Among them, Figure 7 and Figure 8As shown, the cutting mechanism includes a first multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism, a cutting driving member arranged at the output end of the first multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism, and a cutting knife 3 arranged at the output end of the cutting driving member. The first multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism can drive the cutting driving member and the cutting knife 3 to move synchronously, and the cutting driving member can drive the cutting knife 3 to cut. So that the cutting knife 3 can be driven to cut the film 120 wrapped around the material 110. Specifically, the first multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism is a multi-axis robot arm, which can drive the cutting driving member and the cutting knife 3 to rise, fall, translate, and rotate synchronously. As an alternative, the first multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism is a lifting and translation mechanism, which can drive the cutting driving member and the cutting knife 3 to rise, fall, and translate synchronously. Among them, the specific structure of the cutting driving member belongs to the prior art and will not be repeated here.

[0049] Preferably, the cutting knife 3 is a cutting knife capable of cutting on three sides. This allows the film 120 to be cut on three sides at one time. Secondly, the cutting knife 3 is set as a cutting knife capable of cutting on three sides, so as to avoid structures such as the limit block 2. Secondly, the cutting knife 3 is set as a cutting knife capable of cutting on three sides. When the lower half of the film 122 is separated from the bottom of the material 110, the film 120 can be clamped away from the material 110 at one time. In other embodiments, the cutting knife 3 can also be a single-sided cutting knife, etc., which can achieve three-sided cutting of the film 120. Among them, the specific structures of the cutting knife capable of cutting on three sides and the single-sided cutting knife belong to the prior art and will not be repeated here.

[0050] Among them, Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the inflation mechanism includes a second multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism, an inflation nozzle 4 fixedly arranged at the output end of the second multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism, and a gas source selectively connected to the input end of the inflation nozzle 4. The second multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism can drive the inflation nozzle 4 to move, and the gas source is used to deliver gas to the inflation nozzle 4. It is configured in this way so that it is possible to inflate between the material 110 and the film 120 wrapped outside the material 110, so that part of the film 120 embedded in the material 110 can be ejected. Specifically, the second multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism is a multi-axis robotic arm that can drive the inflation nozzle 4 to rise, fall, translate, and rotate. As an alternative, the second multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism is a lifting and translation mechanism that can drive the inflation nozzle 4 to rise, fall, and translate. Specifically, in this embodiment, the gas source is compressed air. It can be understood that the gas of the gas source can also be adaptively adjusted to other types of gas according to the specific type of the material 110.

[0051] Preferably, the injection end of the inflation nozzle 4 is conical, and the large end of the cone is located between the small end of the cone and the input end of the inflation nozzle 4. In this way, before inflating between the material 110 and the film 120 wrapped outside the material 110, the second multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism first drives the inflation nozzle 4 to pierce the film 120 above the top of the material 110 to form an inflation hole; then the second multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism drives the inflation nozzle 4 to inflate between the material 110 and the film 120 wrapped outside the material 110 through the vent hole.

[0052] Among them, Figures 3 to 5 As shown, the automatic separation device also includes a flip mechanism, which includes a flip drive and a flip frame 5. The output end of the flip drive is fixedly connected to the flip frame 5 and can drive the flip frame 5 to rotate around its own central axis. The central axis, height direction and conveying direction of the flip frame 5 are perpendicular to each other. Along the conveying direction, an inlet and outlet 51 is provided on one side of the flip frame 5. Specifically, the carton 100 and the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 are moved into the flip frame 5 as a whole through the inlet and outlet 51, and then the flip drive is controlled to drive the flip frame 5 to rotate 180° around its own central axis, so that the opening of the carton 100 faces downward and the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 at the opening is supported on the flip frame 5, and then the carton 100 and the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 are moved out of the flip frame 5 as a whole through the inlet and outlet 51, so that the carton 100 can be pulled out of the material 110 wrapped with the film 120. In this way, the carton 100 can be separated from the material 110 wrapped with the film 120. Specifically, in this embodiment, the flip driving member is a rotary motor. Further, the motor and the flip frame 5 can be connected by a coupling and / or a gear transmission structure. The specific connection method belongs to the prior art, so it will not be repeated here.

[0053] Specifically, the automatic separation device further includes two second conveyor belts, which are arranged one by one at the top and the bottom of the flip frame 5 in the height direction; the second conveyor belts are used to convey the structure to be conveyed into and out of the flip frame 5 through the inlet and outlet 51. It can be understood that in this embodiment, the structure to be conveyed includes a cardboard box 100 and a cigarette stack wrapped with a film 120. So that the cardboard box 100 and the material 110 wrapped with a film 120 can be moved into or out of the flip frame 5 as a whole through the inlet and outlet 51 before and after the flip frame 5 is flipped. Specifically, the automatic separation device further includes a second conveyor belt driving mechanism for driving the second conveyor belt to convey the material 110. The specific structure of the second conveyor belt driving mechanism belongs to the prior art and will not be repeated here.

[0054] As an alternative, roller conveying mechanisms may be provided at both the top and the bottom of the flip frame 5 in the height direction, and the roller conveying mechanisms may also be used to convey the carton 100 into and out of the flip frame 5 through the inlet and outlet 51. As another alternative, an electric push rod or a cylinder or other structure may be provided inside the flip frame 5 to push the carton 100 out of the flip frame 5 through the inlet and outlet 51; an electric push rod or a cylinder or other structure may be provided outside the flip frame 5 to push the carton 100 into the flip frame 5 through the inlet and outlet 51. The specific structure of the roller conveying mechanism belongs to the prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0055] Preferably, the automatic separation device further comprises a third conveyor belt and a third conveyor belt driving mechanism for driving the third conveyor belt to convey material 110, and the conveying direction of the third conveyor belt is parallel to the conveying direction of the first conveyor belt 1. The third conveyor belt is used to convey the structure to be conveyed. The specific structure of the third conveyor belt driving mechanism belongs to the prior art and will not be described here. As an alternative, the third conveyor belt can also be replaced by a roller conveying mechanism.

[0056] In this embodiment, along the conveying direction of the first conveyor belt 1, the unpacking mechanism, the third conveyor belt, the flip frame 5 and the first conveyor belt 1 are sequentially arranged. The carton 100 is first unpacked by the unpacking mechanism, and then the unpacked carton 100 and the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 are transported to the flip frame 5 as a whole through the third conveyor belt. One of the second conveyor belts moves the unpacked carton 100 and the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 into the flip frame 5 as a whole. The flip driving member drives the flip frame 5 to flip the unpacked carton 100 and the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 as a whole. Another second conveyor belt moves the flipped carton 100 and the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 out of the flip frame 5 to the first conveyor belt 1 as a whole. It can be understood that the conveying direction of the first conveyor belt 1, the conveying direction of the second conveyor belt and the conveying direction of the third conveyor belt are all parallel.

[0057] Preferably, if Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the automatic separation device also includes a first clamping head 6 and a first clamping drive mechanism for driving the first clamping head 6 to clamp the first structure to be clamped. Specifically, in this embodiment, the first structure to be clamped is a cardboard box 100. Specifically, the first clamping drive mechanism is a clamping mechanical arm. The specific structures of the clamping mechanical arm and the first clamping head 6 belong to the prior art and are not described here. As an alternative, the cardboard box 100 can also be manually pulled out.

[0058] Preferably, if Fig.11 and Fig.12As shown, the automatic separation device also includes a second clamping head 7 and a second clamping drive mechanism for driving the second clamping head 7 to clamp the second structure to be clamped. Specifically, in this embodiment, the second structure to be clamped is a film 120. Specifically, the second clamping drive mechanism is a clamping mechanical arm. The specific structures of the clamping mechanical arm and the second clamping head 7 belong to the prior art and are not described here. As an alternative, the film 120 can also be manually pulled out.

[0059] In summary, by adopting the above-mentioned automatic separation device, the cardboard box 100 and the film 120 can be fully automatically separated from the cigarette stack, thereby effectively saving labor costs.

[0060] The present invention also provides an automatic separation method, which is used to be implemented in the above-mentioned automatic separation device. By using the automatic separation method to detach the cardboard box 100 and the film 120 from the cigarette stack, the space occupied by the automatic separation device can be effectively reduced; secondly, it can effectively avoid the waste of tobacco leaves scattered due to the overturning of the cigarette stack and the phenomenon that the scattered tobacco leaves will cause dust; secondly, it can effectively avoid the phenomenon that the film fragments caused by directly cutting the film 120 on the top of the cigarette stack are inserted into the cigarette stack and cannot be removed at one time. Thereby, the cost of the separation film 120 is effectively reduced, and the quality of the separation film 120 is effectively improved.

[0061] Specifically, Fig.13 As shown, the automatic separation method includes an inflation operation and a demolding operation performed sequentially:

[0062] After the carton 100 is opened, and / or the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 is conveyed to the first conveyor belt 1 and the carton 100 is pulled away from the material 110 wrapped with the film 120, the inflation operation is performed. The inflation operation includes: inflating air between the material 110 and the film 120 wrapped outside the material 110, so that part of the film 120 embedded in the material 110 is ejected.

[0063] After the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 is conveyed to the first conveyor belt 1 and the cardboard box 100 is pulled away from the material 110 wrapped with the film 120, a film stripping operation is performed. The film stripping operation includes: controlling the first conveyor belt 1 to work, controlling the limiting structure to rise and fall in the height direction, so that the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 along the conveying direction of the first conveyor belt 1 abuts against the limiting structure; starting from a certain position in the height direction of the material 110, cutting the film 120 on three sides along the circumference of the material 110, so that the film 120 is divided into an upper half film 121 and a lower half film 122; when the friction force of the first conveyor belt 1 drives the lower half film 122 to separate from the bottom of the material 110, controlling the limiting structure to rise and fall in the height direction away from the material 110, and clamping the film 120 away.

[0064] Specifically, after the suitcase is opened, and / or, the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 is conveyed to the first conveyor belt 1 and the carton 100 is pulled away from the material 110 wrapped with the film 120, air is inflated between the material 110 and the film 120 wrapped outside the material 110, so that part of the film 120 embedded in the material 110 can be ejected, thereby facilitating the subsequent cutting of the film 120 on three sides, and can effectively avoid the phenomenon in the prior art that directly cutting the film on the top of the cigarette stack causes film fragments to be inserted into the cigarette stack and cannot be removed at one time.

[0065] Specifically, after the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 is conveyed to the first conveyor belt 1 and the cardboard box 100 is pulled away from the material 110 wrapped with the film 120, the film 120 will be cut on three sides along the circumference of the material 110, and then the friction force of the first conveyor belt 1 will drive the lower half of the film 122 to separate from the bottom of the material 110, which can effectively avoid the waste of tobacco leaves caused by the flipping of the cigarette stack in the prior art and the phenomenon that the scattered tobacco leaves will cause dust.

[0066] Specifically, between the cardboard box 100 being opened and the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 being removed from the cardboard box 100, the following steps are also included:

[0067] The cardboard box 100 and the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 are conveyed as a whole to the turning mechanism.

[0068] The flipping mechanism is controlled to flip the carton 100 and the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 as a whole, so that along the height direction, the opening of the carton 100 faces downward and the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 at the opening is supported on the flipping mechanism.

[0069] The turned-over carton 100 and the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 are conveyed as a whole to the first conveyor belt 1 .

[0070] This enables the cardboard box 100 to be pulled away from the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 .

[0071] Preferably, during the inflation operation: before inflating the space between the material 110 and the film 120 wrapped outside the material 110, the film 120 on the top of the material 110 is pierced to form a vent hole; and the space between the material 110 and the film 120 wrapped outside the material 110 is inflated through the vent hole. Specifically, the second multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism drives the inflation nozzle 4 to pierce the film 120 on the top of the material 110 to form the inflation hole; and the second multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism drives the inflation nozzle 4 to inflate the space between the material 110 and the film 120 wrapped outside the material 110 through the vent hole. This facilitates the inflation between the material 110 and the film 120 wrapped outside the material 110.

[0072] Preferably, after the carton 100 is opened, the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 is conveyed to the first conveyor belt 1, and the carton 100 is pulled away from the material 110 wrapped with the film 120, the inflation operation is performed. It is understandable that when the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 is conveyed to the first conveyor belt 1, it indicates that the carton 100 and the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 have been turned over. When the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 is conveyed to the first conveyor belt 1 and the carton 100 is pulled away from the material 110 wrapped with the film 120, the inflation operation is also performed, so that the part of the film 120 corresponding to the part of the material 110 located at the bottom of the material 110 before the material 110 is turned over and embedded in the material 110 is ejected, and further the part of the film 120 around the material 110 embedded in the material 110 is ejected, so that it is further convenient to cut the film 120 on three sides along the circumference of the material 110 later, and further convenient to drive the lower half of the film 122 away from the bottom of the material 110 by the friction force of the first conveyor belt 1 later, and can further reduce the phenomenon of tobacco leaf scattering and waste, so as to further improve the quality of the separation film 120, and further facilitate the film 120 to be clamped away from the material 110 later. In other embodiments, the inflation operation is performed after the carton 100 is opened. In other embodiments, after the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 is conveyed onto the first conveyor belt 1 and the cardboard box 100 is removed from the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 , the inflation operation is performed.

[0073] Optionally, whether the portion of the film 120 embedded in the material 110 is ejected is determined based on the amount of air inflated between the material 110 and the film 120 wrapped outside the material 110 and / or the duration of air inflated. Specifically, when the amount of air inflated between the material 110 and the film 120 wrapped outside the material 110 is greater than or equal to the set amount of air inflated, it is determined that the portion of the film 120 embedded in the material 110 is substantially ejected. As an alternative, when the duration of air inflated between the material 110 and the film 120 wrapped outside the material 110 is greater than or equal to the set duration of air inflated, it is determined that the portion of the film 120 embedded in the material 110 is substantially ejected. As another alternative, when the amount of air inflated between the material 110 and the film 120 wrapped outside the material 110 is greater than or equal to the set amount of air inflated, and the inflation time between the material 110 and the film 120 wrapped outside the material 110 is greater than or equal to the set inflation time, it is determined that the portion of the film 120 embedded in the material 110 is substantially ejected. As another alternative, whether the portion of the film 120 embedded in the material 110 is ejected is determined by human observation.

[0074] Specifically, in this embodiment, Figures 1 to 12As shown, the exemplary process of separating the carton 100 and the film 120 from the material 110 is as follows: the carton 100 is opened by the carton opening mechanism. The second multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism drives the inflation nozzle 4 to pierce the film 120 on the top of the material 110 to form a vent hole, and the second multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism drives the inflation nozzle 4 to inflate between the material 110 and the film 120 wrapped outside the material 110 through the vent hole. The third conveyor belt conveys the unpacked carton 100 and the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 as a whole to the flip frame 5. The first second conveyor belt driving mechanism drives the second conveyor belt to move the unpacked carton 100 and the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 as a whole into the flip frame 5. The flip driving member drives the flip frame 5 to flip the unpacked carton 100 and the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 as a whole. Another second conveyor belt driving mechanism drives another second conveyor belt to move the flipped carton 100 and the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 as a whole out of the flip frame 5 to the first conveyor belt 1. The first clamping driving mechanism drives the first clamping head 6 to extract the carton 100 from the material 110 wrapped with the film 120. The first conveyor belt driving mechanism drives the first conveyor belt 1 to convey the material 110 wrapped with the film 120, and the limit block driving mechanism drives the limit block 2 to rise and fall, so that the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 abuts against the limit block 2 along the conveying direction of the first conveyor belt 1. After the material 110 wrapped with the film 120 abuts against the limit block 2, starting from a certain position in the height direction of the material 110, the cutting mechanism cuts the film 120 on three sides along the circumference of the material 110, so that the film 120 is divided into an upper half film 121 and a lower half film 122. The first conveyor belt driving mechanism drives the first conveyor belt 1 to continue to run. When the friction force of the first conveyor belt 1 drives the lower half of the film 122 to separate from the bottom of the material 110, the limit block driving mechanism drives the limit block 2 to rise and fall, so that the limit block 2 is away from the material 110 in the height direction. The second clamping driving mechanism drives the second clamping head 7 to clamp away from the film 120. The first conveyor belt driving mechanism drives the first conveyor belt 1 to continue to run, and conveys the material 110 to the expected position.

[0075] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, various obvious changes, readjustments and substitutions can be made without departing from the protection scope of the present invention. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the embodiments here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. Automatic separation method, characterized in that: The automatic separation device comprises a first conveyor belt (1) and a limiting structure spaced apart from the first conveyor belt (1) in a height direction; the limiting structure can be raised and lowered in the height direction; the automatic separation method comprises an inflation operation and a film stripping operation performed in sequence: After the carton (100) is opened, and / or after the material (110) wrapped with the film (120) is conveyed onto the first conveyor belt (1) and the carton (100) is removed from the material (110) wrapped with the film (120), the inflation operation is performed; The inflation operation comprises: inflating air between the material (110) and the film (120) wrapped outside the material (110), so that a portion of the film (120) embedded in the material (110) is ejected; After the material (110) wrapped with the film (120) is conveyed onto the first conveyor belt (1) and the cardboard box (100) is removed from the material (110) wrapped with the film (120), the film stripping operation is performed; The film stripping operation comprises: controlling the first conveyor belt (1) to operate, controlling the limiting structure to rise and fall in the height direction, so that the material (110) wrapped with the film (120) abuts against the limiting structure along the conveying direction of the first conveyor belt (1); starting from a certain position in the height direction of the material (110), cutting the film (120) on three sides along the circumference of the material (110), so that the film (120) is divided into an upper half film (121) and a lower half film (122); when the friction force of the first conveyor belt (1) drives the lower half film (122) to separate from the bottom of the material (110), controlling the limiting structure to rise and fall in the height direction away from the material (110), and clamping the film (120).

2. The automatic separation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first conveyor belt (1) is a particle conveyor belt; or, The outer peripheral surface of the first conveyor belt (1) is provided with an anti-slip pattern.

3. The automatic separation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The process from the cardboard box (100) being opened to the material (110) wrapped with the film (120) being removed from the cardboard box (100) comprises the following steps: The cardboard box (100) and the material (110) wrapped with the film (120) are conveyed as a whole to the turning mechanism; Controlling the flipping mechanism to flip the cardboard box (100) and the material (110) wrapped with the film (120) as a whole, so that along the height direction, the opening of the cardboard box (100) faces downward and the material (110) wrapped with the film (120) at the opening is supported on the flipping mechanism; The turned-over cardboard box (100) and the material (110) wrapped with a film (120) are conveyed as a whole to the first conveyor belt (1).

4. The automatic separation method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: In the inflation operation, before inflating air between the material (110) and the film (120) wrapping the material (110), the film (120) above the top of the material (110) is pierced to form a vent hole; and air is inflated between the material (110) and the film (120) wrapping the material (110) through the vent hole.

5. The automatic separation method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: Whether the portion of the film (120) embedded in the material (110) is ejected is determined based on the amount of air inflated between the material (110) and the film (120) wrapped outside the material (110) and / or the duration of the air inflated.

6. Automatic separation device, characterized in that: It comprises a first conveyor belt (1) and a limiting structure spaced apart from the first conveyor belt (1) in a height direction, wherein the limiting structure can be raised and lowered in the height direction; and is used to execute the automatic separation method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The automatic separation device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The automatic separation device also includes a cutting mechanism, which includes a first multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism, a cutting driving member arranged at the output end of the first multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism, and a cutting knife (3) arranged at the output end of the cutting driving member, the first multi-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism can drive the cutting driving member and the cutting knife (3) to move synchronously, and the cutting driving member can drive the cutting knife (3) to cut.

8. The automatic separation device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The automatic separation device also includes an inflation mechanism, which includes a second multi-degree-of-freedom drive mechanism, an inflation nozzle (4) fixedly arranged at the output end of the second multi-degree-of-freedom drive mechanism, and a gas source selectively connected to the input end of the inflation nozzle (4), the second multi-degree-of-freedom drive mechanism can drive the inflation nozzle (4) to move, and the gas source is used to transport gas to the inflation nozzle (4).

9. The automatic separation device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The automatic separation device further comprises a flipping mechanism, the flipping mechanism comprising a flipping driving member and a flipping frame (5), the output end of the flipping driving member being fixedly connected to the flipping frame (5) and capable of driving the flipping frame (5) to rotate around its own central axis, the central axis of the flipping frame (5), the height direction and the conveying direction of the first conveyor belt (1) being perpendicular to each other; Along the conveying direction, an inlet and outlet (51) is provided on one side of the turning frame (5).

10. The automatic separation device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The automatic separation device also includes two second conveyor belts, which are arranged one by one at the top of the flip frame (5) and the bottom of the flip frame (5) along the height direction; the second conveyor belts are used to convey the structure to be conveyed through the inlet and outlet (51) into and out of the flip frame (5).

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