Automatic feeding mechanism for tobacco flakes and feeding method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of threshing and redrying equipment, in particular to an automatic tobacco flake feeding mechanism and a feeding method.The feeding mechanism is integrally arranged on the upstream of a feeding machine conveying belt and used for automatically grabbing, laying and accurately feeding tobacco flakes in a tobacco frame, and the feeding mechanism comprises a rack, a mechanical arm and a tobacco frame carrying and moving mechanism; a weighing conveyor and a control main board; the rack is erected above the weighing conveyor; the manipulator is arranged above the weighing conveyor and is mounted on the rack; the two tobacco frame carrying and moving mechanisms are arranged below the machine frame and installed on the two sides of the weighing conveyor respectively. Manual operation is completely replaced, upstream and downstream information intercommunication is achieved, and the tobacco feeding efficiency is remarkably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of tobacco leaf threshing and re-baking equipment, and in particular to an automatic tobacco leaf feeding mechanism and a feeding method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Leaf threshing and redrying is a preparatory process for transforming tobacco leaves from agricultural products into industrial raw materials. The technological quality level of each link of leaf threshing and redrying plays an important role and significance to the formula and quality of cigarette silk.

[0003] In order to effectively control the quality of cigarette-making raw materials, the existing leaf threshing and redrying workshops have basically achieved fully automatic operation of each production line. However, the leaf laying and feeding section of the pre-treatment section of leaf beating and redrying involves many links. For example, there are at least two specifications of tobacco frames for placing tobacco slices, one is a large tobacco frame, which can place two rows of tobacco slices, and the other is a small tobacco frame, which can place one row of tobacco slices. Specifically, the length direction of the tobacco slices in the large tobacco frame is consistent with the width direction of the tobacco frame, and the length direction of the tobacco slices in the small tobacco frame is consistent with the length direction of the tobacco frame. However, when feeding tobacco slices, it is required that the length direction of the tobacco slices is perpendicular to the feeding direction, so that the part of the tobacco leaves that need to be cut is facing the blade of the cutter to ensure that the tobacco slices transported to the cutting process by the conveyor belt of the feeder can be cut from the waist of the tobacco leaves. For example, the tobacco slice feeding process needs to be synchronized with the tobacco slice grouping, which has high requirements on the feeding uniformity and feeding amount. In addition, the tobacco slice feeding process also needs to be grouped (that is, feeding according to the leaf group formula ratio). In order to meet the flexible operability between each link, the existing technology mainly adopts manual feeding of tobacco slices, but in actual production, manual feeding has at least the following problems:

[0004] 1. The feeding section is isolated from the rest of the production line by laying leaves manually. It cannot achieve information connection with the downstream production line, which ultimately makes it impossible to finely control the product quality.

[0005] 2. Since the downstream production lines are all automated, the manual work does not match the automation level of the downstream processes. To keep up with the speed of the upstream and downstream production lines, a large amount of manpower is required. The more manual work is involved, the greater the labor intensity, the greater the quality risk, and the greater the cost;

[0006] 3. The process of manual participation cannot be fully recorded, so it cannot be traced. Even if the downstream equipment is fully automated and can accurately control the quality of the corresponding process, the production quality is still out of control throughout the entire production process.

[0007] 4. The manual laying amount and speed are not balanced, and the feeding accuracy is poor, which cannot meet the requirements of uniform feeding of tobacco leaves.

[0008] The present invention is proposed to solve at least one of the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0009] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0010] The first aspect of the present invention provides an automatic feeding mechanism for tobacco slices, which is arranged as a whole upstream of a conveyor belt of a feeder, and is used to automatically grab, lay and accurately feed tobacco slices in a cigarette frame 0, and the feeding mechanism is connected to the conveyor belt of the feeder;

[0011] The feeding mechanism comprises: a frame 1, a manipulator 2, a cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanism 3, a weighing conveyor 4 and a control mainboard; the frame 1 is mounted above the weighing conveyor 4; the manipulator 2 is mounted on the frame 1 and arranged above the weighing conveyor 4; there are two cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanisms 3, both of which are located below the frame 1 and are respectively arranged close to both sides of the weighing conveyor 4;

[0012] The frame 1 is used to install the running track of the manipulator 2, and the manipulator 2 can move along the running track to achieve the grasping and laying of the tobacco sheets;

[0013] The frame 1 further comprises at least two legs arranged close to both sides of the weighing conveyor 4, and the legs are arranged at adjacent positions of the two cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanisms 3, and the positions of the legs facing the cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanisms 3 are provided with photoelectric detection devices, and the photoelectric detection devices are used to detect the size of the cigarette frame 0; wherein the photoelectric detection device can be any photoelectric detection device in the current prior art, and the size of the cigarette frame can be determined as long as it can determine whether the cigarette frame is blocked at the target position;

[0014] The manipulator 2 is used to grab a certain amount of tobacco slices from the cigarette frame and lay the grabbed tobacco slices on the belt 41 of the weighing conveyor 4; the weighing conveyor 4 is used to weigh and accurately feed the tobacco slices laid on its belt 41; the cigarette frame carrying mechanism 3 is used to place and carry the cigarette frame 0; the control main board is used to control the overall action of the automatic feeding mechanism.

[0015] Preferably, the top of the frame 1 includes two beams 11 parallel to each other, the two beams 11 are perpendicular to the long sides of the belt 41 of the weighing conveyor, and each of the beams 11 is respectively installed with a guide rod 12, a slide bar 13 is connected between the two guide rods 12, the slide bar 13 is perpendicular to the two guide rods 12, and the slide bar 13 can reciprocate along the length direction of the two guide rods 12. The cooperation between the guide rod 12 and the slide bar 13 can adopt any technology in the prior art, as long as the two ends of the slide bar 13 can reciprocate along the two guide rods 12 synchronously and at the same speed, so as to realize the reciprocating motion of the slide bar 13 along the X-axis direction.

[0016] Preferably, the slide bar 12 is also connected to a slider 5, and the slider 5 can reciprocate along the length direction of the slide bar 12. The slide bar 12 and the slider 5 can be matched with any technology in the prior art, and it is only necessary to realize that the slider 5 can reciprocate along the length direction of the slide bar 12, so as to realize that the slider 5 reciprocates along the Y-axis direction.

[0017] Preferably, the manipulator 2 comprises a mechanical gripper 21, a mechanical arm 22 and a rotating module 23, wherein the top of the mechanical gripper 21 is connected to the bottom of the mechanical arm 22 via the rotating module 23, and the mechanical gripper 21 is rotatably connected to the mechanical arm 22 via the rotating module 23. The rotating module 23 is provided to realize multi-angle rotation of the mechanical gripper 21, so as to realize that the mechanical gripper 21 can adjust the gripping direction and realize that the mechanical gripper 21 can adjust the direction of tobacco leaves when gripping tobacco leaves, and the specific structure and working method of the rotating module 23 can adopt any technology in the prior art, as long as the above functions can be realized.

[0018] Preferably, the manipulator 2 is connected to the slider 5 via a manipulator 22, and the manipulator 22 is slidably connected to the slider 5. The purpose of the slidable connection between the manipulator 22 and the slider 5 is to enable the manipulator 22 to carry the manipulator gripper 21 to reciprocate along the direction perpendicular to the belt 41 of the weighing conveyor 4, that is, the Z-axis direction. Therefore, the connection and matching method between the manipulator 22 and the slider 5 can adopt any existing technology, as long as the manipulator 22 can cooperate with the manipulator gripper 21 to reciprocate in the Z-axis direction.

[0019] Preferably, the feeding mechanism further includes an X-axis servo motor, a Y-axis servo motor and a Z-axis servo motor; the X-axis servo motor is used to drive the slide bar 13 to reciprocate along the length direction of the guide rod 12; the Y-axis servo motor is used to drive the slider 5 to reciprocate along the length direction of the slide bar 12; the Z-axis servo motor is used to drive the mechanical arm 22 to reciprocate along the direction perpendicular to the belt 41 of the weighing conveyor 4. It should be noted that the specific work of the X-axis servo motor, the Y-axis servo motor and the Z-axis servo motor is controlled by the control mainboard.

[0020] Preferably, the cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanism 3 comprises: a fixed seat 31; and a fork arm 32 slidably connected to the fixed seat 31; wherein the sliding connection between the fixed seat 31 and the fork arm 32 can be that a slideway is provided on the upper surface of the fixed seat 31, and a roller is connected to the lower surface of the fork arm 32, and through clearance fit, the roller drives the fork arm 32 to slide in the slideway on the upper surface of the fixed seat 31. Of course, the sliding connection between the fixed seat 31 and the fork arm 32 can also be other modes, as long as the fork arm 32 can be slidably connected to the fixed seat 31;

[0021] Specifically, the cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanism 3 also includes an electric push rod or a gas rod, etc., which is connected to the non-open end of the fork arm 32 and can drive the fork arm 32 to reciprocate on the fixed seat 31;

[0022] The fork arm 32 is in a "C" shape as a whole, and three positioning blocks 3211 are respectively provided on the two arms 321 of the fork arm 32. The positioning blocks 3211 are distributed in sequence from the end of the arm 321 to the root of the arm 321, and the six limit blocks 3211 on the two arms 321 correspond to each other from the end of the arm 321 to the root of the arm 321, wherein the distance between the two limit blocks 3211 closest to the end of the arm 321 and the farthest from the end on each arm 321 is equal to the width of the large cigarette frame base, and the distance between the limit block 3211 closest to the end of the arm 321 and the adjacent limit block 3211 is equal to the width of the small cigarette frame base.

[0023] It should be noted that the existing cigarette frame 0 has four bases, and the bottoms of the four bases are all concave structures. The size and shape of the above-mentioned limit blocks 3211 need to match the shape of the placement feet of the cigarette frame 0 to achieve the positioning of the cigarette frame 0; it should be further explained that a total of 6 limit blocks 3211 are arranged on the fork arm 32, including 3 on each support arm 321, and the 4 limit blocks 3211 on the two support arms 321 that are closest to the end of the support arm 321 and farthest from the end are used to cooperate with the placement feet of the large cigarette frame 0, that is, the 4 limit blocks 3211 are used to place and limit the large cigarette frame 0; the limit blocks 3211 on the two support arms 321 that are closest to the end of the support arm 321 and the limit blocks 3211 adjacent thereto, the 4 limit blocks are the same as those that cooperate with the placement feet of the small cigarette frame 0, that is, the 4 limit blocks 3211 are used to place and limit the small cigarette frame 0.

[0024] Preferably, a travel switch is also provided on the side wall of the fixing seat 31 closest to the weighing conveyor 4, and the travel switch is used to detect the transfer position of the cigarette frame 0;

[0025] The photoelectric detection mechanism is directly above the limit block 3211 which is closest to the root of the fork arm 32 .

[0026] Preferably, a barrier wing is provided on each side of the weighing conveyor 4, and the two barrier wings are arranged in a slope, and the two together form an inverted "eight" shape; the travel switch is installed below the tail wing of the barrier wing that is turned outward and downward. It should be noted that when the cigarette frame 0 is placed on the cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanism 3, its overall height should not exceed the height of the lowest edge of the tail wing of the barrier wing. The travel switch is further arranged below the tail wing of the barrier wing that is turned outward and downward, so that when the device of the present invention is in working state, the frame of the cigarette frame 0 closest to the weighing conveyor 4 can partially overlap with the tail wing of the barrier wing, so as to prevent the cigarette pieces from falling into the position other than the cigarette frame 0 and the belt 41 during the process of grasping and conveying the cigarette pieces by the robot arm.

[0027] The second aspect of the present invention provides a method for feeding tobacco slices using the automatic feeding mechanism of the first aspect, comprising the following steps:

[0028] Step (1), according to the size of the cigarette frame, the four feet of the cigarette frame 0 containing the cigarette slices are placed on the four positioning blocks 3211 of the fork arm 32 accordingly. After the cigarette frame 0 is placed, the fork arm 32 is controlled to carry the cigarette frame 0 to move in the direction close to the weighing conveyor 4 until the cigarette frame 0 touches the travel switch. The control main board controls the fork arm 32 to stop moving according to the trigger signal of the travel switch. Synchronously, when the cigarette frame 0 stops moving, the control main board controls the photoelectric detection mechanism to perform photoelectric detection. If there is light reflection, it means that there is a cigarette frame on the limit block 3211 at the root of the fork arm 32. The control main board determines that the cigarette frame is a large cigarette frame according to the signal. If there is no light reflection, it means that there is no cigarette frame on the limit block 3211 at the root of the fork arm 32. The control main board determines that the cigarette frame is a small cigarette frame according to the signal.

[0029] Step (2), the control main board controls the manipulator 2 to perform the cigarette grabbing action according to the size of the cigarette frame 0, wherein:

[0030] When the cigarette frame 0 is a large cigarette frame, the control mainboard controls the manipulator 2 to synchronously move in the direction close to the cigarette frame and adjust the manipulator's grasping direction, so that the manipulator 21 rotates to grasp two rows of tobacco leaves. When the manipulator 2 moves to the top of the cigarette frame 0, the control mainboard controls the manipulator 2 to move vertically downward, and the synchronous control mainboard controls the manipulator 2 to move downward to grasp the tobacco leaves after a predetermined time.

[0031] When the cigarette frame 0 is a small cigarette frame, the control mainboard controls the manipulator 2 to synchronously move in the direction close to the cigarette frame and adjust the gripping direction of the manipulator so that the manipulator 21 rotates to grip a row of tobacco leaves. When the manipulator 2 moves to the top of the cigarette frame 0, the control mainboard controls the manipulator 2 to move vertically downward. The synchronous control mainboard controls the manipulator 2 to move downward to grip the tobacco leaves after a predetermined time.

[0032] Step (3), after the manipulator 2 completes grasping the tobacco leaves, the control mainboard controls the manipulator 2 to move vertically upward, and rotates the manipulator 2 to adjust the direction of the tobacco leaves so that the length direction of the tobacco leaves is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the weighing conveyor 4, and synchronously controls the manipulator 2 to carry the tobacco leaves and move in the direction close to the weighing conveyor 4. When the manipulator 2 moves to just above the belt 41 of the weighing conveyor 4, the control mainboard controls the manipulator 2 to move vertically downward to a preset height or a predetermined time, and then releases the manipulator gripper 21, and the tobacco leaves are laid on the belt of the weighing conveyor 4;

[0033] Step (4), after the tobacco slices are laid, the robot arm 2 rises back to the starting position or continues to repeat the above steps, the weighing conveyor 4 weighs the tobacco slices on the belt 41, and the control main board controls the movement or stop of the belt 41 according to the preset feeding amount to achieve feeding according to the preset feeding amount.

[0034] Among them, the mechanical gripper 21 can at least complete the actions of opening, grasping, and then opening. The specific structure and working principle can refer to the mechanical gripper in the prior art. For the above step (2), when the mechanical arm 2 moves to the top of the cigarette frame 0, the control mainboard controls the mechanical arm 2 to move vertically downward, and the mechanical gripper 21 is in an open state. The control mainboard can control the amount of tobacco leaves grasped by the mechanical gripper 21 by controlling the time for the mechanical gripper 21 to move upward after contacting the surface of the tobacco leaves. Specifically, after the mechanical gripper 21 is in close contact with the surface of the tobacco leaves, the Z axis continues to move downward, and the mechanical arm and the Z axis are displaced. After the proximity switch detects the displacement signal, the Z axis moves upward, driving the mechanical arm to move upward. The shorter the upward movement time, the tighter the tobacco leaves are compressed. After moving up to the preset time, the mechanical gripper 21 grasps again. The shorter the preset upward movement time of the mechanical arm 2, the more tobacco leaves are grasped. Therefore, the amount of tobacco leaves grasped by the mechanical arm 2 can be controlled.

[0035] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0036] 1. The present invention solves the problem of manual adjustment of tobacco leaf direction during feeding by the coordinated operation of the frame 1, the manipulator 2 and the cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanism 3. The present invention adopts the cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanism 3 to transport the cigarette frame to the specified position, and installs a photoelectric detection device on the support leg of the frame 1 close to the cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanism 3, so as to detect whether it is a large cigarette frame or a small cigarette frame, and the manipulator 2 can flexibly adjust the gripping direction of the mechanical gripper 21 and the material laying direction under the control of the control main board.

[0037] 2. The present invention arranges a cigarette frame carrying and transferring mechanism 3 for self-identifying cigarette frame types on both sides of the weighing conveyor 4, thereby meeting the requirement of parallel feeding in rounds, that is, the cigarette frames on one cigarette frame carrying and transferring mechanism 3 are used for feeding and the cigarette frames on the other cigarette frame carrying and transferring mechanism 3 are used for preparing materials. Meanwhile, the requirements for cigarette piece assembly are also met. The cigarette piece types can be replaced in time according to the requirements for cigarette piece assembly, thereby greatly improving the feeding efficiency.

[0038] 3. The present invention realizes accurate feeding of tobacco slices through the cooperation of the manipulator 2 and the weighing conveyor 4. Specifically, the manipulator 2 grasps the tobacco slices according to a preset amount and accurately places the tobacco slices on the belt 41 of the weighing conveyor 4. The weighing conveyor 4 will feed according to the preset feeding amount under the control of the control mainboard. When the weight of the feeding reaches the preset target, the belt of the weighing conveyor 4 will stop transmitting.

[0039] 4. The present invention provides a baffle wing on each side of the weighing conveyor 4, and the two baffle wings are arranged into a slope stroke, the two together form an inverted "eight" shape, and the travel switch is installed below the tail wing of the baffle wing flipped outward, that is, the cigarette frame 0 will not stop until it reaches below the tail wing of the baffle wing flipped outward, which can effectively prevent the manipulator 2 from scattering tobacco leaves on the ground during the process of grasping or placing tobacco leaves. Specifically, during the process of the manipulator 2 running tobacco leaves, due to the setting of the baffle wing, there is an overlapping area in the transition between the weighing conveyor 4 and the cigarette frame, so that during the transportation process from the cigarette frame to the weighing conveyor 4, the tobacco leaves can only fall into the cigarette frame 0 or fall on the belt 41 of the weighing conveyor 4, and will not fall on the ground or other areas, thereby avoiding the problems of raw material waste and increased cleaning workload.

[0040] 5. After the automatic feeding device of the present invention was applied to the leaf threshing and re-roasting pretreatment stage, the tobacco leaf cutting rate reached 100% after multiple tests and statistics of multiple batches of production by the inventor. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0043] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of an automatic tobacco feeding mechanism of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 2 It is a front view of the manipulator of the present invention installed on the frame;

[0045] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanism in a specific implementation manner;

[0046] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the layout of tobacco leaves and cutters in a specific implementation manner;

[0047] Figure numerals: 0, cigarette frame; 1, frame; 11, beam; 12, guide rod; 13, slide rod; 14, support leg; 2, manipulator; 21, mechanical gripper; 22, mechanical arm; 23, rotating module; 3, cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanism; 31, fixed seat; 32, fork arm; 321, support arm; 3211, limit block; 4, weighing conveyor; 41, belt; 5, slider; 6, AGV cart. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the examples, but is not intended to limit the present invention. Any changes or improvements made based on the teachings of the present invention fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. If no specific techniques or conditions are specified in the examples, the techniques or conditions described in the literature in the art or in accordance with the product instructions are used.

[0049] Example 1

[0050] like Figure 1-3 The present invention provides an automatic feeding mechanism for tobacco slices, which is arranged as a whole upstream of the conveying belt of the feeder, and is used to automatically grab, lay and accurately feed the tobacco slices in the cigarette frame 0, and is connected to the belt of the weighing conveyor 4 and the conveying belt of the feeder;

[0051] The feeding mechanism comprises: a frame 1, a manipulator 2, a cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanism 3, a weighing conveyor 4 and a control mainboard; the frame 1 is mounted above the weighing conveyor 4; the manipulator 2 is mounted on the frame 1 and arranged above the weighing conveyor 4; there are two cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanisms 3, both of which are located below the frame 1 and are respectively arranged close to both sides of the weighing conveyor 4;

[0052] The frame 1 is used to install the running track of the manipulator 2, and the manipulator 2 can move along the running track to achieve the grasping and laying of the tobacco sheets;

[0053] The frame 1 includes four legs arranged closely on both sides of the weighing conveyor 4, and the legs are arranged at adjacent positions of the two cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanisms 3, wherein a photoelectric detection device is arranged on each leg on both sides of the weighing conveyor 4 at a position of the cigarette frame wall facing the cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanism 3 closest to the weighing conveyor 4, and the photoelectric detection device is used to detect the size of the cigarette frame 0; wherein the photoelectric detection device is any photoelectric detection device in the current prior art, and the size of the cigarette frame can be determined as long as it can determine whether the cigarette frame is blocked at the target position;

[0054] The manipulator 2 is used to grab a certain amount of tobacco slices from the cigarette frame and lay the grabbed tobacco slices on the belt 41 of the weighing conveyor 4; the weighing conveyor 4 is used to weigh and accurately feed the tobacco slices laid on its belt 41; the cigarette frame carrying mechanism 3 is used to place and carry the cigarette frame 0; the control main board is used to control the overall action of the automatic feeding mechanism.

[0055] The top of the frame 1 includes two parallel beams 11, and the two beams 11 are perpendicular to the long sides of the belt 41 of the weighing conveyor. A guide rod 12 is installed on each beam 11, and a sliding rod 13 is connected between the two guide rods 12. The sliding rod 13 is perpendicular to the two guide rods 12, and the sliding rod 13 can reciprocate along the length direction of the two guide rods 12.

[0056] The slide bar 12 is also connected to a slider 5 , and the slider 5 can reciprocate along the length direction of the slide bar 12 .

[0057] The robot 2 includes a robot gripper 21 , a robot arm 22 and a rotating module 23 . The top end of the robot gripper 21 is connected to the bottom end of the robot arm 22 via the rotating module 23 . The robot gripper 21 is rotationally connected to the robot arm 22 via the rotating module 23 .

[0058] The robot arm 2 is connected to the slider 5 via a robot arm 22 , and the robot arm 22 is slidably connected to the slider 5 .

[0059] The feeding mechanism further includes an X-axis servo motor, a Y-axis servo motor and a Z-axis servo motor; the X-axis servo motor is used to drive the slide bar 13 to reciprocate along the length direction of the guide rod 12; the Y-axis servo motor is used to drive the slider 5 to reciprocate along the length direction of the slide bar 12; the Z-axis servo motor is used to drive the mechanical arm 22 to reciprocate along the direction perpendicular to the belt 41 of the weighing conveyor 4. It should be noted that the specific work of the X-axis servo motor, the Y-axis servo motor and the Z-axis servo motor is controlled by the control main board.

[0060] The cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanism 3 comprises: a fixed seat 31; and a fork arm 32 slidably connected to the fixed seat 31; wherein the sliding connection between the fixed seat 31 and the fork arm 32 is that a slideway is provided on the upper surface of the fixed seat 31, and a roller is connected to the lower surface of the fork arm 32, and the roller drives the fork arm 32 to slide in the slideway on the upper surface of the fixed seat 31 through clearance fit;

[0061] Specifically, the cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanism 3 also includes an electric push rod, which is connected to the non-open end of the fork arm 32 and can drive the fork arm 32 to reciprocate on the fixed seat 31. The electric push rod is also controlled by the control main board;

[0062] The fork arm 32 is in a "C" shape as a whole, and three positioning blocks 3211 are respectively provided on the two arms 321 of the fork arm 32. The positioning blocks 3211 are distributed in sequence from the end of the arm 321 to the root of the arm 321, and the six limit blocks 3211 on the two arms 321 correspond to each other from the end of the arm 321 to the root of the arm 321, wherein the distance between the two limit blocks 3211 closest to the end of the arm 321 and the farthest from the end on each arm 321 is equal to the width of the large cigarette frame base, and the distance between the limit block 3211 closest to the end of the arm 321 and the adjacent limit block 3211 is equal to the width of the small cigarette frame base.

[0063] It should be noted that the existing cigarette frame 0 has four bases, and the bottoms of the four bases are all concave structures. The size and shape of the above-mentioned limit blocks 3211 need to match the shape of the placement feet of the cigarette frame 0 to achieve the positioning of the cigarette frame 0; it should be further explained that a total of 6 limit blocks 3211 are arranged on the fork arm 32, including 3 on each support arm 321, and the 4 limit blocks 3211 on the two support arms 321 that are closest to the end of the support arm 321 and farthest from the end are used to cooperate with the placement feet of the large cigarette frame 0, that is, the 4 limit blocks 3211 are used to place and limit the large cigarette frame 0; the limit blocks 3211 on the two support arms 321 that are closest to the end of the support arm 321 and the limit blocks 3211 adjacent thereto, the 4 limit blocks are the same as those that cooperate with the placement feet of the small cigarette frame 0, that is, the 4 limit blocks 3211 are used to place and limit the small cigarette frame 0.

[0064] A travel switch is also provided on the side wall of the fixing seat 31 closest to the weighing conveyor 4, and the travel switch is used to detect the transfer position of the cigarette frame 0;

[0065] The photoelectric detection mechanism is installed on the support leg of the frame 1, and the detection end is directly above the limit block 3211 closest to the root of the fork arm 32; the specific detection principle is that when it is a large cigarette frame, a large cigarette frame will be placed on the limit block 3211 closest to the root of the fork arm 32. At this time, the photoelectric detection device detects that there is a cigarette frame at this position, thereby judging that the cigarette frame is a large cigarette frame, and when a large cigarette frame is placed on the limit block 3211 closest to the root of the fork arm 32, it is assumed that a small cigarette frame is placed.

[0066] The weighing conveyor 4 is also provided with a retaining wing on each side, and the two retaining wings are arranged in a slope, and the two together form an inverted "eight" shape; the travel switch is installed below the tail wing of the retaining wing that is turned outward and downward. It should be noted that when the cigarette frame 0 is placed on the cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanism 3, its overall height should not exceed the height of the lowest edge of the tail wing of the retaining wing. The travel switch is further arranged below the tail wing of the retaining wing that is turned outward and downward, so that when the device of the present invention is in working state, the frame of the cigarette frame 0 closest to the weighing conveyor 4 can partially overlap with the tail wing of the retaining wing, so as to prevent the cigarette pieces from falling into the position other than the cigarette frame 0 and the belt 41 during the process of grasping and conveying the cigarette pieces by the robot arm.

[0067] Example 2

[0068] This embodiment provides a method for feeding tobacco slices using the automatic feeding mechanism of the first aspect, comprising the following steps:

[0069] Step (1), according to the size of the cigarette frame, the AGV trolley places the cigarette frame 0 containing the cigarette slices on the fork arm 32, specifically, the four feet of the cigarette frame 0 are placed on the four positioning blocks 3211 of the fork arm 32 accordingly. After the cigarette frame 0 is placed, the fork arm 32 is controlled to carry the cigarette frame 0 to move in the direction close to the weighing conveyor 4 until the cigarette frame 0 touches the travel switch. The control main board controls the fork arm 32 to stop moving according to the trigger signal of the travel switch. Synchronously, when the cigarette frame 0 stops moving, the control main board controls the photoelectric detection mechanism to perform photoelectric detection. If there is light reflection, it means that there is a cigarette frame on the limit block 3211 at the root of the fork arm 32. The control main board determines that the cigarette frame is a large cigarette frame according to the signal. If there is no light reflection, it means that there is no cigarette frame on the limit block 3211 at the root of the fork arm 32. The control main board determines that the cigarette frame is a small cigarette frame according to the signal.

[0070] Step (2), the control main board controls the manipulator 2 to perform the cigarette grabbing action according to the size of the cigarette frame 0, wherein:

[0071] When the cigarette frame 0 is a large cigarette frame, the control mainboard controls the manipulator 2 to synchronously move in the direction close to the cigarette frame and adjust the manipulator's grasping direction, so that the manipulator 21 rotates to grasp two rows of tobacco leaves. When the manipulator 2 moves to the top of the cigarette frame 0, the control mainboard controls the manipulator 2 to move vertically downward, and the synchronous control mainboard controls the manipulator 2 to move downward to grasp the tobacco leaves after a predetermined time.

[0072] When the cigarette frame 0 is a small cigarette frame, the control mainboard controls the manipulator 2 to synchronously move in the direction close to the cigarette frame and adjust the gripping direction of the manipulator so that the manipulator 21 rotates to grip a row of tobacco leaves. When the manipulator 2 moves to the top of the cigarette frame 0, the control mainboard controls the manipulator 2 to move vertically downward. The synchronous control mainboard controls the manipulator 2 to move downward to grip the tobacco leaves after a predetermined time.

[0073] Step (3), such as Figure 4 As shown, after the manipulator 2 completes grasping the tobacco leaves, the control mainboard controls the manipulator 2 to move vertically upward, and rotates the manipulator 2 to adjust the direction of the tobacco leaves so that the length direction of the tobacco leaves is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the weighing conveyor 4, so that the part of the tobacco leaves that needs to be cut corresponds to the cutter of the subsequent slicing section, and the manipulator 2 is synchronously controlled to carry the tobacco leaves and move in the direction close to the weighing conveyor 4. When the manipulator 2 moves to just above the belt 41 of the weighing conveyor 4, the control mainboard controls the manipulator 2 to move vertically downward to a preset height or a predetermined time, and then releases the mechanical gripper 21, and the tobacco leaves are laid on the belt of the weighing conveyor 4;

[0074] Step (4), after the tobacco slices are laid, the robot arm 2 rises back to the starting position or continues to repeat the above steps, the weighing conveyor 4 weighs the tobacco slices on the belt 41, and the control main board controls the movement or stop of the belt 41 according to the preset feeding amount to achieve feeding according to the preset feeding amount.

[0075] Among them, the mechanical gripper 21 can at least complete the actions of opening, grasping, and then opening. The specific structure and working principle can refer to the mechanical gripper in the prior art. For the above step (2), when the mechanical arm 2 moves to the top of the cigarette frame 0, the control mainboard controls the mechanical arm 2 to move vertically downward, and the mechanical gripper 21 is in an open state. The control mainboard can control the amount of tobacco leaves grasped by the mechanical gripper 21 by controlling the time for the mechanical gripper 21 to move upward after contacting the surface of the tobacco leaves. Specifically, after the mechanical gripper 21 is in close contact with the surface of the tobacco leaves, the Z axis continues to move downward, and the mechanical arm and the Z axis are displaced. After the proximity switch detects the displacement signal, the Z axis moves upward, driving the mechanical arm to move upward. The shorter the upward movement time, the tighter the tobacco leaves are compressed. After moving up to the preset time, the mechanical gripper 21 grasps again. The shorter the preset upward movement time of the mechanical arm 2, the more tobacco leaves are grasped. Therefore, the amount of tobacco leaves grasped by the mechanical arm 2 can be controlled.

[0076] Finally, it should be noted that the above preferred embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Although the present application has been described in detail through the above preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that various changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the scope defined by the claims of the present application. The dimensions described in the drawings and embodiments are not related to the specific objects and are not used to limit the protection scope of the present application. The dimensions of the objects can be selected and changed according to actual needs.

Claims

1. An automatic feeding mechanism for tobacco slices, which is arranged as a whole upstream of a conveyor belt of a feeder, and is used for automatically grabbing, laying and accurately feeding tobacco slices in a tobacco frame (0), characterized in that: The feeding mechanism comprises: a frame (1), a manipulator (2), a cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanism (3), a weighing conveyor (4) and a control mainboard; the frame (1) is mounted above the weighing conveyor (4); the manipulator (2) is mounted on the frame (1) and arranged above the weighing conveyor (4); there are two cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanisms (3), both of which are located below the frame (1) and are respectively arranged close to both sides of the weighing conveyor (4); The frame (1) is used to install the running track of the manipulator (2), and the manipulator (2) can move along the running track; the frame (1) also includes at least two legs arranged closely on both sides of the weighing conveyor (4), and the legs are arranged at adjacent positions of the two cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanisms (3); the positions of the legs facing the cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanisms (3) are provided with photoelectric detection devices, and the photoelectric detection devices are used to detect the size of the cigarette frame (0); The manipulator (2) is used to quantitatively grab tobacco slices from a cigarette frame and lay the grabbed tobacco slices on a belt (41) of a weighing conveyor (4); the weighing conveyor (4) is used to weigh and accurately feed the tobacco slices laid on its belt (41); the cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanism (3) is used to place and carry the cigarette frame (0); and the control main board is used to control the overall action of the feeding mechanism.

2. The automatic tobacco feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top of the frame (1) comprises two beams (11) parallel to each other, the two beams (11) are perpendicular to the long sides of the belt (41) of the weighing conveyor, each beam (11) is respectively mounted with a guide rod (12), a slide rod (13) is connected between the two guide rods (12), the slide rod (13) is perpendicular to the two guide rods (12), and the slide rod (13) can reciprocate along the length direction of the two guide rods (12).

3. The automatic tobacco feeding mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The slide bar (12) is also connected to a slider (5), and the slider (5) can reciprocate along the length direction of the slide bar (12).

4. The automatic tobacco feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robot (2) comprises a robot gripper (21), a robot arm (22) and a rotating module (23); the top end of the robot gripper (21) is connected to the bottom end of the robot arm (22) via the rotating module (23); and the robot gripper (21) is rotationally connected to the robot arm (22) via the rotating module (23).

5. The automatic tobacco feeding mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The manipulator (2) is connected to the slider (5) via a manipulator arm (22), and the manipulator arm (22) is slidably connected to the slider (5).

6. The automatic tobacco feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding mechanism also includes an X-axis servo motor, a Y-axis servo motor and a Z-axis servo motor; the X-axis servo motor is used to drive the slide bar (13) to reciprocate along the length direction of the guide rod (12); the Y-axis servo motor is used to drive the slider (5) to reciprocate along the length direction of the slide bar (12); and the Z-axis servo motor is used to drive the mechanical arm (22) to reciprocate along a direction perpendicular to the belt (41) of the weighing conveyor (4).

7. The automatic tobacco feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanism (3) comprises: Fixed seat (31); and a fork arm (32) slidably connected to the fixing seat (31), the fork arm (32) being in a "C" shape as a whole, three positioning blocks (3211) being respectively arranged on the two arms (321) of the fork arm (32), the positioning blocks (3211) being sequentially distributed from the end of the arm (321) to the root of the arm (321), and the six limiting blocks (3211) on the two arms (321) corresponding to each other from the end of the arm (321) to the root of the arm (321), wherein the distance between the two limiting blocks (3211) closest to the end of the arm (321) and the two limiting blocks (3211) farthest from the end of each arm (321) is equal to the width of the large cigarette frame base, and the distance between the limiting block (3211) closest to the end of the arm (321) and the limiting block (3211) adjacent thereto is equal to the width of the small cigarette frame base.

8. The automatic tobacco feeding mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that: A travel switch is also provided on the side wall of the fixing seat (31) closest to the weighing conveyor (4), and the travel switch is used to detect the transfer position of the cigarette frame (0); The photoelectric detection mechanism is directly opposite to the upper side of the limit block (3211) closest to the root of the support arm (321).

9. The automatic tobacco feeding mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: The weighing conveyor (4) is also provided with a retaining wing on each side, and the two retaining wings are arranged in a slope, and the two retaining wings as a whole form an inverted "eight" shape; the travel switch is installed below the tail wing of the retaining wing that is turned outward and downward; the height of the tail wing of the retaining wing that is turned outward is higher than the height of the cigarette frame (0) plus the height of the cigarette frame carrying and moving mechanism (3).

10. A method for feeding tobacco slices using the automatic feeding mechanism of claim 1, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Step (1), according to the size of the cigarette frame, four feet of the cigarette frame (0) containing cigarette pieces are correspondingly placed on the four positioning blocks (3211) of the fork arm (32), after the cigarette frame (0) is placed, the fork arm (32) is controlled to carry the cigarette frame (0) and move in the direction close to the weighing conveyor (4) until the cigarette frame (0) touches the travel switch, and the control main board controls the fork arm (32) to stop moving according to the trigger signal of the travel switch. Synchronously, when the cigarette frame (0) stops moving, the control main board controls the photoelectric detection mechanism to perform photoelectric detection, and if there is light reflection, it means that there is a cigarette frame on the limit block (3211) at the root of the fork arm (32), and the control main board determines that the cigarette frame is a large cigarette frame according to the signal, and if there is no light reflection, it means that there is no cigarette frame on the limit block (3211) at the root of the fork arm (32), and the control main board determines that the cigarette frame is a small cigarette frame according to the signal; Step (2), the control main board controls the manipulator (2) to perform a cigarette grabbing action according to the size of the cigarette frame (0), wherein: When the cigarette frame (0) is a large cigarette frame, the control main board controls the manipulator (2) to synchronously move in a direction close to the cigarette frame and adjust the gripping direction of the manipulator, so that the manipulator gripper (21) rotates to grip two rows of tobacco leaves. When the manipulator (2) moves to the top of the cigarette frame (0), the control main board controls the manipulator (2) to move vertically downward, and the synchronous control main board controls the manipulator (2) to move downward for a predetermined time to grip the tobacco leaves. When the cigarette frame (0) is a small cigarette frame, the control main board controls the manipulator (2) to synchronously move in a direction close to the cigarette frame and adjust the gripping direction of the manipulator so that the manipulator (21) rotates to grip a row of tobacco leaves. When the manipulator (2) moves to the top of the cigarette frame (0), the control main board controls the manipulator (2) to move vertically downward. The synchronous control main board controls the manipulator (2) to move downward for a predetermined time and then grips the tobacco leaves. Step (3), after the manipulator (2) completes grasping the tobacco leaves, the control main board controls the manipulator (2) to move vertically upward, and rotates the manipulator (2) to adjust the direction of the tobacco leaves so that the length direction of the tobacco leaves is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the weighing conveyor (4), and synchronously controls the manipulator (2) to carry the tobacco leaves and move in a direction close to the weighing conveyor (4). When the manipulator (2) moves to just above the belt (41) of the weighing conveyor (4), the control main board controls the manipulator (2) to move vertically downward to a preset height or after a predetermined time, the manipulator gripper (21) is released, and the tobacco leaves are laid on the belt of the weighing conveyor (4); Step (4), after the tobacco slices are laid, the mechanical arm (2) rises back to the starting position or continues to repeat the above steps, the weighing conveyor (4) weighs the tobacco slices on the belt (41), and the control main board controls the belt (41) to move or stop according to the preset feeding amount to achieve feeding according to the preset feeding amount.

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