Blanking device and system and filling method

Abstract

The invention discloses a blanking device, a system and a filling method. The blanking device (200) includes: a feed port (204) disposed on an upper side of the blanking device and configured to receive an object; a first side wall (208) extending from the edge of the feed port in a direction offset from the vertical direction by a first angle; the second side wall (210) is arranged to be opposite to the first side wall and extends from the edge of the feeding opening in the direction deviating from the vertical direction by a second angle, and the second angle is larger than the first angle; and a discharge port (206) provided on a lower side of the blanking device and configured to discharge an object from the blanking device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of packaging equipment, and more particularly to blanking devices, systems, and filling methods. Background Art

[0002] In the packaging process of fast food in barrels or bowls, disposable forks are usually placed in barrels, bowls or cups for the convenience of consumers. The most traditional way to place the forks is to place them manually. Mechanical equipment is then used to automatically complete the placement and removal of the forks. However, in the current market, manual operation has the disadvantages of low efficiency and high labor costs, and mechanical equipment fork feeding is usually non-standard equipment. Therefore, it has the disadvantages of single structure, poor compatibility, low flexibility, and high maintenance cost. There are also some cases of feeding with mechanical arms on the market. Its design usually directly adopts a combination of vibrating bowls and conveyor belts, which occupies a large space.

[0003] Therefore, a new method is needed to reduce the workload and improve the efficiency of dropping objects (such as forks) and improve food safety. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the foregoing problems, various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide a blanking device, a system and a filling method.

[0005] In a first aspect, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a dropping device for dropping an object into a container. The dropping device comprises: a feed port, which is arranged on the upper side of a dropping chute and configured to receive an object; a first side wall, which extends from an edge of the feed port in a direction deviating from a vertical direction at a first angle; and a second side wall, which is arranged opposite to the first side wall and extends from the edge of the feed port in a direction deviating from a vertical direction at a second angle, the second angle being greater than the first angle; and a discharge port, which is arranged on the lower side of the dropping chute and configured to discharge the object from the dropping device.

[0006] By this arrangement, the posture of the object falling into the drop device can be adjusted to be suitable for falling by the inclined second side wall, and the inclined first side wall can prevent the object from being blocked and obstructed. Therefore, the efficiency of the object falling can be improved.

[0007] In some embodiments, the blanking device further includes a movable plate mechanism coupled to the second side wall. The movable plate mechanism includes: a movable plate configured to form a portion of the second side wall close to the discharge port; and a first drive assembly, which is disposed on one side of the blanking device and configured to drive the movable plate to reciprocate a predetermined distance in the extension direction of the second side wall at a predetermined frequency.

[0008] By this arrangement, in the event that an object is caught by the second side wall and thus an object jam occurs, the movable plate mechanism will eliminate the object jam.

[0009] In some embodiments, the movable plate has an elongated shape and includes the same width as the second sidewall, and the movable plate is configured to overlap the fixed portion of the second sidewall by a predetermined length.

[0010] With this arrangement, the movable plate can be moved relative to the fixed portion of the second side wall without creating a gap therebetween through which objects can fall out of the drop chute.

[0011] In some embodiments, the dropping device further comprises: a funnel disposed below the discharge port and configured to receive the objects discharged from the discharge port, the size and position of the funnel being configured to prevent the objects from falling out of the funnel when the movable plate reciprocates.

[0012] With this arrangement, the funnel is sized and positioned to ensure that objects do not fall out of the funnel as the movable plate reciprocates.

[0013] In some embodiments, the first drive assembly includes: a cylinder body; a piston rod, which is coupled to the cylinder body and is configured to move linearly under the action of the cylinder body; a guide rail, which is fixedly coupled to the outer wall of the blanking device; and a slider, which is arranged on the guide rail and coupled to one end of the piston rod, and the slider is configured to move linearly along the guide rail with the piston rod to drive a movable plate coupled to the slider.

[0014] With this arrangement, the movable plate can be moved under the action of the cylinder to prevent object jamming caused by the object being caught by the second side wall.

[0015] In some embodiments, the blanking chute further includes: a third side wall, which is coupled to the first side wall and the second side wall and extends in the vertical direction; wherein the upper end of the third side wall is provided with a bending portion for receiving the object.

[0016] With this arrangement, the bent portion can ensure that the object is received and falls into the drop chute.

[0017] In some embodiments, the blanking chute further includes: a fourth side wall, the fourth side wall is opposite to the third side wall, and the height of the fourth side wall is greater than the height of the third side wall.

[0018] With this arrangement, since the height of the fourth side wall is greater than that of the third side wall, objects are prevented from falling over the fourth side wall and out of the material dropping chute.

[0019] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a system. The system comprises: a drop-feeding device according to any one of the first aspects of the present disclosure; and a conveying device configured to convey an object from the drop-feeding device; and a filling device. The filling device comprises: a filling slot configured to receive an object from the conveying device, the filling slot comprising two movable bottom plates extending downward at a predetermined inclination angle relative to a horizontal plane along a moving direction of the object; and a second drive assembly configured to move the bottom plate in response to receiving a signal indicating that a container has arrived below the filling slot, so that the object falls into the container through an opening formed by the bottom plates moving away from each other.

[0020] By this arrangement, the posture of the object falling into the drop chute can be adjusted, and the object can be prevented from being blocked and blocked. In addition, the inclined bottom plate of the filling chute can prevent the object from moving backward due to rebound, so as to ensure that the object can be accurately positioned at the appropriate position of the bottom plate and fall out of the filling chute from the opening, thereby achieving the desired effect.

[0021] In some embodiments, the drop chute further comprises: an insert plate adapted to be inserted into the cavity of the filling slot so as to block the object after the object enters the filling slot.

[0022] With this arrangement, the volume of the cavity of the filling slot can be adjusted to accommodate objects of different sizes so that the center of an object entering the filling slot remains in a position substantially aligned with the center of the opening of the container.

[0023] In some embodiments, the second drive assembly includes: a gripper, the gripper including a body defining a chamber, and a first piston and a second piston accommodated in the chamber, the first piston and the second piston being configured to move in response to an increase and decrease in pressure in the chamber, and a first base plate in the base plate and a second base plate in the base plate being connected to the first piston and the second piston respectively via a connecting rod mechanism.

[0024] With this arrangement, the first of the bottom plates and the second of the bottom plates can be driven quickly, whereby objects can be filled into the container in an efficient manner.

[0025] In some embodiments, the filling device further comprises: a sensor located at a lower side of the filling slot and configured to sense the falling of the object to generate a corresponding signal.

[0026] With this arrangement, the object can be monitored in real time, and if an abnormal situation occurs, a corresponding signal, such as an alarm signal, can be generated.

[0027] In some embodiments, the system further includes: a conveyor line configured to convey objects; a camera configured to monitor objects entering a predetermined area of ​​the conveyor line and generate monitoring information; and a robot configured to grab objects from the conveyor line based on the monitoring information and place the grabbed objects in each unit on the unit conveyor line.

[0028] With this arrangement, the camera can monitor the object to obtain the state information of the object and notify the robot of it. The robot can determine whether it can grasp the object based on the state information. Therefore, the robot can move more efficiently.

[0029] In some embodiments, the robot includes a main robot and an auxiliary robot configured to grab objects missed by the main robot and place them into a cell on a cell conveyor line.

[0030] Through this arrangement, the efficiency of grasping objects can be significantly improved.

[0031] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a filling method. The method includes: receiving an object to be filled; converting the falling posture of the object from a first posture to a second posture by using a drop device; moving the object converted to the second posture into a filling slot, wherein a bottom plate of the filling slot is movable and extends downward at a predetermined inclination angle relative to a horizontal plane along a moving direction of the object; and in response to receiving a signal indicating that a container has arrived below the filling slot, moving the bottom plates away from each other to form an opening at the bottom side of the filling slot, so that the object falls into the container.

[0032] In this way, objects can be accurately filled into the container, thereby achieving the desired effect. In addition, the efficiency of object filling can be significantly improved.

[0033] In some embodiments, the side wall of the material dropping chute includes a movable plate, which constitutes a portion of the second side wall of the material dropping chute close to the discharge port, wherein converting the falling posture of the object from a first posture to a second posture by using the material dropping chute includes: moving the movable plate at a frequency greater than the frequency of the falling object.

[0034] With this arrangement, object blockage in the blanking chute can be eliminated due to the frequent movement of the movable plate.

[0035] It should be understood that the invention summary is not intended to identify the key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein will become more understandable through the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, several exemplary embodiments disclosed herein will be shown by way of example and in a non-limiting manner, in which:

[0037] Figure 1 is a schematic front view showing a system for filling objects into a container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 2 is a schematic front view showing a system for filling objects into a container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a unit conveying line and a blanking device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a drop chute for dropping an object into a container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] Figure 5 Yes Figure 4 A schematic left side view of the blanking chute is shown;

[0042] Figure 6 Yes Figure 4 A schematic front view of a blanking chute is shown;

[0043] Figure 7 is a schematic rear view showing a unit conveying line and a blanking device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0044] Figure 8 According to the embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 7 An enlarged view of the component indicated by reference numeral A is shown;

[0045] Fig. 9 is a schematic left side view of a unit conveying line and a blanking device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0046] Fig.10 Yes Fig. 9 An enlarged view of the component indicated by reference numeral B is shown;

[0047] Fig.11 is a schematic left side view showing a movable plate mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0048] Fig.12 Yes Fig.11 a schematic rear view of the movable plate mechanism shown;

[0049] Fig.13 Yes Fig.11a schematic rear view of the movable plate mechanism shown;

[0050] Fig.14 Yes Fig.13 An enlarged view of the component indicated by reference numeral C is shown.

[0051] Fig.15 is a perspective view showing a filling device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0052] Fig.16 Yes Fig.15 A schematic rear view of the filling device shown;

[0053] Fig.17 Yes Fig.15 A schematic right side view of the filling device shown;

[0054] Fig.18 is a perspective view of a gripper according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0055] Fig.19 is a perspective view of a filling tank according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0056] Fig. 20 yes Fig.19 a right side view of the filling tank shown;

[0057] Fig.21 Yes Fig.19 A top view of the filled slot is shown; and

[0058] Fig. 22 Yes Fig.19 Front view of the fill tank shown.

[0059] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers are used to refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to several example embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. Although example embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the description of the embodiments is only to help those skilled in the art better understand and thereby implement the present disclosure, rather than to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

[0061] The terms "including" or "comprising" and their variations should be interpreted as open-ended terms, meaning "including but not limited to". Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the term "or" should be interpreted as "and / or". The term "based on" should be interpreted as "based at least in part on". The term "operable to" means that a function, action, movement or state can be achieved through an operation caused by a user or an external mechanism. The terms "one embodiment" and "embodiment" should be interpreted as "at least one embodiment". The term "another embodiment" should be interpreted as "at least one other embodiment". The terms "first", "second", etc. may refer to different or identical objects. Other explicit and implicit definitions may be included below. The definitions of terms are consistent throughout the specification unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0062] As mentioned above, manual operation, traditional mechanical equipment feeding and robot arm feeding have drawbacks.

[0063] Specifically, with regard to manual feeding, a disposable bowl or cup containing food (such as bread) is transported to an operating station through a conveyor line, and an operator manually takes out a fork from a container in which the forks are stored in advance. Then, the operator puts the fork into the disposable bowl or cup containing the food. The efficiency of manual operation is low, and the labor cost is high. In addition, it is inevitable to lose the fork during the process.

[0064] Traditional mechanical equipment is usually non-standard equipment. Usually, its typical structure includes the following core components: belt conveyor mechanism for fork conveying, vibration mechanism for fork feeding, etc. These components need to be customized according to specific customer needs and material specifications, which results in the defects of single structure, poor compatibility, low flexibility and high maintenance cost. In addition, traditional mechanical equipment has low efficiency and high cost. In addition, the equipment occupies a large space.

[0065] Regarding robot arm feeding, although the degree of automation is relatively high, its design usually directly adopts a combination of a vibration bowl (fork) and a conveyor belt (noodle cup), which occupies a large space and still needs to improve production efficiency.

[0066] In view of the foregoing, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the present invention provides a dropping device for dropping an object into a container, a system for filling an object into a container, and a method for filling an object into a container.

[0067] The drop device includes a feed port, a first side wall, a second side wall and a discharge port. The feed port is arranged on the upper side of the drop chute and is configured to receive objects to be dropped. The first side wall extends from the edge of the feed port in a direction deviating from the vertical direction at a first angle. In other words, the first side wall extends from the edge of the feed port in a direction deviating from the vertical line passing through the center of the feed port. In this way, objects falling from the feed port are less likely to contact the inner wall of the first side wall. The second side wall is arranged opposite to the first side wall and extends from the edge of the feed port in a direction deviating from the vertical direction at a second angle. In this way, objects falling from the feed port may contact the inner wall of the second side wall and change the direction of falling out of the drop chute. That is, the second side wall is suitable for adjusting the posture of the object falling into the drop chute. The second angle is greater than the first angle. The discharge port is arranged on the lower side of the drop chute and is configured to discharge objects from the drop device. By this arrangement, the posture of the object falling into the drop chute can be adjusted to be suitable for falling by the inclined second side wall, and the object is prevented from being blocked and blocked by the inclined first side wall. Therefore, the efficiency of the object falling can be improved. The above ideas can be implemented in various ways, as will be described in detail in the following paragraphs.

[0068] In the following, reference will be made to Figures 1 to 22 The principle of the present disclosure is described in detail. Figures 1 to 3 ,in, Figure 1 is a schematic front view illustrating a system 100 for filling an object into a container 324 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 2 is a schematic front view illustrating a system for filling objects into a container 324 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and Figure 3 is a perspective view of a unit conveying line 180 and a blanking device 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0069] In some embodiments, Figure 1 As shown, the system 100 generally includes an elevator 110, an object allocation mechanism 120, a base 170, a camera 176, a robot 160, a support frame 178, a conveyor line 130, and a return line 140. For example, objects (e.g., forks or knives) may be poured into the storage 105 manually by a worker. The elevator 110 disposed in the unit conveyor line 180 may lift the objects from the storage 105 to the object allocation mechanism 120, which is disposed adjacent to the elevator 110 and supported by the base 170.

[0070] The object distribution mechanism 120 can separate the objects into separate groups, for example, each group can include one or two objects. The separated objects can be placed on the conveyor line 130 and transported to the working area of ​​the robot 160. The robot 160 includes an arm, and the end of each arm is configured to move within a three-dimensional working area covering at least a portion of the area of ​​the conveyor line 130.

[0071] Visual recognition can be used. For example, the camera 176 can be configured to monitor objects entering a predetermined area of ​​the conveyor line 130 and generate object grabbing information. The object grabbing information is sent from the camera 176 to the robot 160, which is supported by the support frame 178. The robot 160 can determine whether the object can be grabbed based on the object grabbing information. Therefore, the robot 160 can operate more efficiently. The robot 160 picks up the object and puts it into the unit. Only one object is placed in each unit. The object posture is horizontal. There are eight units in a row. Every time the unit conveyor line 180 moves forward, eight objects fall at the same time. The eight objects enter the conveying device 248 (e.g., a long pipe), pass through the drop device 200 vertically, and fall into the filling device 300 below. After the noodle cup or bowl is transported in place by the cup or bowl conveyor line 150, the filling device 300 opens the opening to allow the fork to fall into the cup or bowl. The cup or bowl conveyor line 150 moves forward and waits for the next filling. It should be understood that the number of cells is merely illustrative and it may be another number than eight.

[0072] As can be seen, three robots 160 are shown. It should be understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited in this regard. Other configurations are also possible.

[0073] The unit conveyor line 180 is configured to convey the object to the drop device 200. The drop device 200 is configured to drop the object to the filling device 300 via the conveyor 248. Finally, the object is filled into the container 324 below the filling device 300. The drop device 200 and the filling device 300 are not in Figure 1 and will be described in detail below.

[0074] like Figure 1 As shown, the fork has gone through the whole process of feeding, sorting, picking, dropping and filling. The outstanding advantage of the present invention is the automatic processing flow of the robot arm, the drop mechanism (which can be located at the second layer), and the filling mechanism (which can be located at the first layer).

[0075] The conventional fork feeding method is to use a vibrating bowl for sorting and feeding, wherein the fork head faces upward and its tail faces downward to fall directly into the pipe, without the dropping device 200 described in the present invention. The vibrating bowl causes the fork to fall from the pipe to the filling outlet below, which is a horizontal object filling mode. From a practical point of view, it is not suitable for the mixed incoming object method described in the present invention, which is prone to cause blockage, inaccurate delivery, etc. Mixed incoming objects mean that the fork head may face forward or backward.

[0076] Reference now Figure 2 , the upper end of the blanking device 200 is coupled to the unit conveying line 180 to receive the objects dropped from the conveying line 180. The lower end of the blanking device 200 is coupled to the conveying device 248. The conveying device 248 is further coupled to the filling device 300. The conveying device 248 is, for example, a pipe extending vertically from the lower end of the blanking device 200 to the upper end of the filling device 300. The conveying device 248 can be fixed to, for example, a bracket by a fixing block 344.

[0077] The filling device 300 is fixed by a fixed frame 320. For example, a cup or bowl conveyor line is set below the filling device. The bowl can be conveyed on the cup or bowl conveyor line and pass under the filling device. When the bowl is conveyed to the bottom of the filling device, the filling device 300 fills the object (such as a fork) into the bowl where the instant noodles are placed through the opening of the filling device 300.

[0078] Figure 3 Shown is a unit conveyor line 180 and a drop-feeding device 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As can be seen, the unit conveyor line 180 includes a plurality of units arranged in rows and columns. In certain embodiments, there are eight units in each row. The unit is attached to a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt has a closed loop structure and moves clockwise when viewed from the left side in this figure. Each unit will be placed with an object (such as a fork or a knife). When the unit reaches the position where the conveyor belt changes from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction, the fork falls and enters the drop-feeding device 200.

[0079] The blocking plate 256 is disposed before the entrance 204 of the material chute 202. When the unit conveyor line 180 moves forward, the fork bypasses the arc surface and falls into the material chute 202 through the gap between the arc surface and the blocking plate 256 to prevent the fork from falling out of the entrance 204 or two forks from falling into the material chute 202 at the same time.

[0080] The dropping device 200 is configured to adjust the posture of the object dropped into the dropping chute 202. The object will drop from the dropping chute 202 to the funnel 224 below the dropping chute 202 in a substantially vertical posture. Figure 3 8 blanking devices 200 are shown in FIG. 1 , but it should be understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited in this respect. The blanking devices 200 may also be other numbers. The blanking devices 200 will be referred to in FIG. Figures 4 to 6 Describe in detail.

[0081] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a drop chute 202 for dropping an object into a container 324 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 5 Yes Figure 4 A schematic left side view of the blanking chute 202 is shown; and Figure 6 Yes Figure 4 A schematic front view of the blanking chute 202 is shown.

[0082] In some embodiments, Figure 4 As shown, the material dropping device 200 may include a material dropping chute 202. The material dropping chute 202 is fixed to the unit conveyor line 180 through a fixing plate 218. The material dropping chute 202 includes a feed port 204, a first side wall 208, a second side wall 210, and a discharge port 206. The feed port 204 is disposed on the upper side of the material dropping chute 202 and is configured to receive an object to be dropped. The first side wall 208 extends from the edge of the feed port 204 in a direction deviating from the vertical direction by a first angle A1, as shown in FIG. Figure 6 The angle A1 may be in the range of 5° to 20°. This angle makes it difficult for the first side wall 208 to hook an object (such as a fork), thereby ensuring that the fork will not get stuck in the blanking chute 202.

[0083] The second side wall 210 is disposed opposite to the first side wall 208 and extends from the edge of the feed port 204 in a direction deviating from the vertical direction by a second angle A2 so as to adjust the posture of the object dropped into the drop chute 202, wherein the second angle A2 is greater than the first angle A1. The discharge port 206 is disposed on the lower side of the drop chute 202 and is configured to cause the object to drop, and at least some postures of the object are adjusted.

[0084] In some embodiments, the material drop chute 202 further includes a third side wall 212, which is coupled to the first side wall 208 and the second side wall 210 and extends in the vertical direction. The upper end of the third side wall 212 is provided with a bent portion 216 for receiving an object. Through this arrangement, the bent portion 216 can ensure that the object is received and falls into the material drop chute 202.

[0085] In some embodiments, the material chute 202 further includes: a fourth side wall 214 opposite to the third side wall, and the height of the fourth side wall 214 is greater than the height of the third side wall. With this arrangement, since the height of the fourth side wall 214 is greater than the height of the third side wall, an object entering the material chute 202 along the bent portion 216 will be prevented from passing over the fourth side wall 214 and falling out of the material chute 202.

[0086] In some embodiments, the blanking device 200 may further include a movable plate mechanism 220. The movable plate mechanism 220 is mounted on the blanking chute 202. This will refer to Figures 7 to 14 Further description.

[0087] First reference Figure 7 and Figure 8 , Figure 7 is a schematic rear view showing a unit conveying line 180 and a blanking device 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and Figure 8 According to the embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 7 An enlarged view of the component indicated by reference numeral A is shown.

[0088] like Figure 7 As shown, eight blanking devices 200 are shown, each equipped with a movable plate mechanism 220. Figure 8 As clearly shown in FIG. 1 , the movable plate mechanism 220 is coupled to an outer wall, such as a second side wall, of the material dropping chute 202. The detailed configuration of the movable plate mechanism 220 will be referred to in detail. Figures 10 to 14 Give a description.

[0089] Fig. 9 is a schematic left side view of the unit conveying line 180 and the blanking device 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and Fig.10 Yes Fig. 9 The enlarged view of the part indicated by the reference numeral B is shown. Fig. 9 and Fig.10 As shown, the movable plate mechanism 220 includes a movable plate 222 and a first drive assembly 230. The movable plate 222 forms a portion of the second side wall 210 of the blanking chute 202 close to the discharge port 206.

[0090] The first driving assembly 230 is disposed at one side of the blanking chute 202, and drives the movable plate 222 to reciprocate a predetermined distance along the extension direction of the second side wall 210 at a predetermined frequency. For example, when the unit conveying line 180 moves forward one step, the movable plate moves 2 to 3 times to prevent objects from being stuck in the blanking chute 202 and automatically remove the stuck objects. With this arrangement, in the event that an object is hooked by the second side wall 210 and thus an object jam occurs, the movable plate mechanism 220 will eliminate the object jam.

[0091] In some embodiments, the movable plate 222 has an elongated shape and includes the same width as the second side wall 210, and the movable plate 222 overlaps the fixed portion 211 of the second side wall 210 by a predetermined length. With this arrangement, the movable plate 222 can move relative to the fixed portion 211 of the second side wall 210 without generating a gap therebetween from which an object can fall out of the drop chute 202.

[0092] In some embodiments, the dropping device 200 further includes: a funnel 224, which is arranged below the discharge port 206 and is configured to receive objects dropped from the discharge port 206, and the size and position of the funnel 224 are configured to prevent the objects from falling out of the funnel 224 when the movable plate 222 reciprocates. Through this arrangement, the size and position of the funnel 224 can ensure that the objects do not fall out of the funnel 224 when the movable plate 222 reciprocates.

[0093] In some embodiments, Fig.10 As shown, the first drive assembly 230 includes a cylinder, a piston rod 234, a guide rail 238 and a slider. The piston rod 234 is coupled to the cylinder 232 and is configured to move linearly under the action of the cylinder. The guide rail 238 is fixedly coupled to the outer wall of the blanking chute 202. The slider 236 (see Fig.12 ) is disposed on the guide rail 238 and coupled to one end of the piston rod 234. The slider is configured to move linearly along the guide rail 238 with the piston rod 234 to drive the movable plate 222 coupled to the slider 236. With this arrangement, the movable plate 222 can move under the action of the cylinder 232 to prevent jamming caused by an object being hooked by the second side wall 210.

[0094] The movable plate mechanism 220 will refer to Figures 11 to 14 Further description. Fig.11 is a schematic left side view showing a movable plate mechanism 220 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig.12 Yes Fig.11 A schematic rear view of the movable plate mechanism 220 is shown; Fig.13 Yes Fig.11 A schematic rear view of the movable plate mechanism 220 is shown, and Fig.14 Yes Fig.13 An enlarged view of the component indicated by reference numeral C is shown.

[0095] As described above, the movable plate mechanism 220 may include a movable plate 222 and a first drive assembly 230. The movable plate 222 forms a portion of the second side wall 210 of the material chute 202 near the discharge port 206. The cylinder 232 is fixed to the outer wall (e.g., the third side wall 212) of the material chute 202 by a mounting base 244. The throttle valve 242 is configured to adjust the pressure in the cylinder.

[0096] The piston rod 234 is coupled to the cylinder 232 and is configured to move linearly under the action of the cylinder 232. One end of the piston rod 234 is coupled to the floating joint 252, and the floating joint 252 is further coupled to the movable block 254, which is further coupled to the slider 236. The guide rail 238 is fixedly coupled to the outer wall of the blanking chute 202. The slider 236 is disposed on the guide rail 238 and coupled to one end of the piston rod 234. The slider 236 is configured to move linearly along the guide rail 238 with the piston rod 234 to drive the movable plate 222 coupled to the slider 236.

[0097] Figures 11 to 14 While a configuration of the movable plate mechanism 220 is shown, it should be understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited in this regard. Other configurations are also possible.

[0098] The filling device 300 will be referred to below. Figures 15 to 22 First refer to Figures 15 to 17 ,in, Fig.15 is a perspective view showing a filling device 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig.16 Yes Fig.15 A schematic rear view of the filling device 300 is shown; and Fig.17 Yes Fig.15 A schematic right side view of a filling device 300 is shown.

[0099] In some embodiments, Fig.15 As shown, the conveyor 248 is coupled to the filling device. The conveyor 248 can be a pipeline. The pipeline is configured to convey objects from the blanking device 200. The filling device 300 includes a filling slot 302. The filling slot 302 is configured to receive objects from the conveyor 248. The filling slot 302 includes two movable bottom plates, that is, a first bottom plate 326 and a second bottom plate 328, which extend downward at a predetermined tilt angle relative to the horizontal plane along the moving direction of the object. That is, the front end of the movable bottom plate is lower than the rear end of the movable bottom plate. Through this arrangement, the inclined bottom plate of the filling slot 302 can prevent the object from moving backward due to the rebound of the front plate 322. The reason is that because the bottom plate is inclined, the fork that falls on the bottom plate will not move a large distance even if it rebounds. The fork from the pipeline stops on the inclined bottom plate of the filling mechanism.

[0100] The second drive assembly 310 is configured to move the bottom plate in response to receiving a signal indicating that the container 324 has arrived under the filling slot 302, so that the object falls into the container 324 through the opening formed by the first bottom plate 326 and the second bottom plate 328 moving away from each other. Through this arrangement, the posture of the object falling into the drop chute 202 can be adjusted, and the object can be prevented from being blocked and blocked. In addition, the inclined bottom plate of the filling slot 302 can prevent the object from moving backward due to rebound, thereby ensuring that the object can be accurately positioned at the appropriate position of the bottom plate and fall out of the filling slot 302 from the opening, thereby achieving the desired effect.

[0101] In some embodiments, the filling device 300 further includes a sensor 318 located at the lower side of the filling tank 302 and configured to sense the falling of an object to generate a corresponding signal. The sensor 318 may be fixed to the filling tank 302 via a sensor bracket 319 .

[0102] With this arrangement, the object can be monitored in real time, and if an abnormal situation occurs, a corresponding signal, such as an alarm signal, can be generated.

[0103] In some embodiments, the second drive assembly 310 includes a gripper 311. The gripper 311 will refer to Fig.18 Give a description. Fig.18 31 is a perspective view of a gripper 311 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The gripper 311 includes a body defining a chamber, and a first piston 314 and a second piston 316 accommodated in the chamber. The first piston 314 and the second piston 316 are configured to move in response to pressure increase and decrease in the chamber, and a first bottom plate 326 in the bottom plate and a second bottom plate 328 in the bottom plate are connected to the first piston 314 and the second piston 316 via a connecting rod mechanism, respectively. With this arrangement, the first bottom plate 326 and the second bottom plate 328 can be driven quickly, whereby objects can be filled into the container 324 in an efficient manner.

[0104] In some embodiments, the blanking chute 202 further includes an insert plate. The insert plate 327 is adapted to be inserted into the cavity of the blanking chute 202 so as to block the object after the object enters the filling slot 302. With this arrangement, the volume of the cavity of the filling slot 302 can be adjusted to accommodate objects of different sizes, so that the center of the object entering the filling slot 302 remains in a position substantially aligned with the center of the opening of the container 324.

[0105] Filling slot 302 will refer to Figures 19 to 22 Further description. Fig.19 is a perspective view of a filling tank 302 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. 20 Yes Fig.19 A right side view of the filling tank 302 is shown; Fig.21 Yes Fig.19 A top view of the filled slot 302 is shown; and Fig. 22 Yes Fig.19 A front view of fill slot 302 is shown.

[0106] like Figures 19 to 21 As shown, the filling tank 302 includes an inlet 352 from which an object enters the filling tank 302. The mounting plate 346 is coupled to the filling tank 302. The second driving component 310 can be mounted on the mounting plate 346 via the threaded hole 354. The front plate 322 of the filling tank 302 is inclined at a predetermined angle so that when the filling tank 302 is fixed, the front plate 322 is substantially vertical relative to the horizontal plane.

[0107] like Fig. 20 As shown, the mounting plate 348 of the sensor 318 is disposed on one side of the filling tank 302. The sensor 318 can be mounted on the mounting plate 348 of the sensor 318 via the hole 356.

[0108] A cover plate 305 is disposed on top of the filling slot 302 and is configured to prevent the fork from falling out of the filling slot 302 .

[0109] In some embodiments, a filling method is provided. The method includes: receiving an object to be filled into a container; converting the falling posture of the object from a first posture to a second posture by using a drop device 200; moving the object converted into the second posture into a filling slot 302, wherein the bottom plate of the filling slot 302 is movable and extends downward at a predetermined inclination angle relative to the horizontal plane along the moving direction of the object; and in response to receiving a signal indicating that the container 324 has arrived below the filling slot 302, the bottom plates are moved away from each other to form an opening at the bottom side of the filling slot 302, so that the object falls into the container 324. In this way, the object can be accurately filled into the container 324, thereby obtaining the desired effect. In addition, the efficiency of object filling can be significantly improved.

[0110] In some embodiments, the drop chute 202 includes a movable plate that forms a portion of the second side wall 210 of the drop chute 202 near the discharge port 206, wherein converting the falling posture of the object from the first posture to the second posture by using the drop chute 202 includes moving the movable plate 222 at a frequency greater than the frequency of dropping the object. Through this arrangement, due to the frequent movement of the movable plate, object jamming in the drop chute 202 can be eliminated.

[0111] In some embodiments, the feeding mechanism of the present invention adopts a top-down tube mechanism in which the forks fall vertically and freely, which not only solves the above-mentioned problems, but also solves the problems of clogging and blocking of materials (also called objects, such as forks or knives) in traditional vibration mechanisms, and the problem that objects may pop out or cannot be completely thrown into the cup or bowl.

[0112] The fork feeding and filling mechanism designed by the present invention has unique advantages. Currently, there are no similar products on the market. As a new application field, the present invention completely solves the shortcomings of the traditional fork feeding process and has the following advantages:

[0113] Compared with manual operation, the combination of robot 160 and automatic feeding mechanism (such as blanking device 200 and filling device 300) has incomparable advantages in production efficiency, environmental health protection, safety protection, cost, feeding reliability, stability and success rate.

[0114] The automatic feeding mechanism has strong adaptability. For example, the forks of instant noodles are divided into straight forks and folding forks, with more than three specifications. The system disclosed in the present invention is fully adaptable to each specification. When changing the product specifications, no adjustment of the hardware is required, and the structure is compact, which makes it easy to operate when changing the production line. Therefore, the production efficiency, reliability and accuracy of feeding are greatly improved.

[0115] In contrast, traditional vibration mechanisms have relatively single adaptability to objects, resulting in high production and maintenance costs.

[0116] Although several inventive embodiments have been described and shown herein, a person of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and / or structures for performing the functions described herein and / or obtaining the results described herein and / or obtaining one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such changes and / or modifications will be considered to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, a person skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are intended to be exemplary, and that actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and / or configurations will depend on one or more specific applications for which the inventive teachings are used. A person skilled in the art will recognize or be able to determine many equivalents of the specific inventive embodiments described herein using no more than routine experimentation. Therefore, it should be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only, and within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents; the inventive embodiments may be practiced in a manner different from that specifically described and claimed. The inventive embodiments of the present disclosure relate to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and / or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits and / or methods is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits and / or methods are not inconsistent with each other.

Claims

1. A material dropping device (200), comprising: A feed port (204) disposed on an upper side of the drop device (200) and configured to receive an object; A first side wall (208) extending from an edge of the feed port (204) in a direction deviating from a vertical direction at a first angle; a second side wall (210) disposed opposite to the first side wall (208) and extending from an edge of the feed port (204) in a direction deviating from the vertical direction by a second angle, the second angle being greater than the first angle; as well as A discharge port (206) is provided at the lower side of the blanking device (200) and is configured to discharge the object from the blanking device (200).

2. The blanking device (200) according to claim 1, further comprising: A movable plate mechanism (220) coupled to the second side wall (210) and comprising: a movable plate (222) configured to form a portion of the second side wall (210) proximate to the discharge port (206); and A first driving assembly (230) is disposed on one side of the blanking device (200) and is configured to drive the movable plate (222) to reciprocate a predetermined distance in the extension direction of the second side wall (210) at a predetermined frequency.

3. The blanking device (200) according to claim 2, wherein: The movable plate (222) has a strip shape and includes the same width as the second side wall (210), and the movable plate (222) is configured to overlap a fixed portion of the second side wall (210) by a predetermined length.

4. The blanking device (200) according to claim 3, further comprising: A funnel (224) is disposed below the discharge port (206) and is configured to receive objects discharged from the discharge port (206), the size and position of the funnel (224) being configured to prevent the objects from falling out of the funnel (224) when the movable plate (222) reciprocates.

5. The blanking device (200) according to claim 2, wherein: The first drive assembly (230) comprises: Cylinder (232); a piston rod (234) coupled to the cylinder (232) and configured to move linearly under the action of the cylinder (232); A guide rail (238) fixedly coupled to an outer wall of the blanking device (200); and A slider (236) is disposed on the guide rail (238) and coupled to one end of the piston rod (234), and the slider (236) is configured to move linearly along the guide rail (238) along with the piston rod (234) to drive the movable plate (222) coupled to the slider (236).

6. The blanking device (200) according to claim 1, further comprising: a third side wall (212) coupled to the first side wall (208) and the second side wall (210) and extending in the vertical direction; The upper end of the third side wall (212) is provided with a bending portion (216) for receiving the object.

7. The blanking device (200) according to claim 1, further comprising: A fourth side wall (214), the fourth side wall being opposite to the third side wall (212), and the height of the fourth side wall (214) being greater than the height of the third side wall (212).

8. A system comprising: The blanking device (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 7; as well as A conveying device (248) configured to convey objects from the dropping device (200); as well as A filling device (300) comprising: A filling trough (302) configured to receive an object from the conveyor (248), the filling trough (302) comprising two movable bottom plates (326, 328) extending downward at a predetermined inclination angle relative to a horizontal plane along a moving direction of the object; as well as A second drive assembly (310) is configured to move the movable base plate (326, 328) in response to receiving a signal indicating that the container (324) has arrived below the filling slot (302) so that the object falls into the container (324) through an opening formed by the base plates (326, 328) moving away from each other.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein: The filling tank (302) further comprises: An insert plate (327) is adapted to be inserted into the cavity of the filling tank (302) so as to block the object after the object enters the filling tank (302).

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein: The second drive assembly (310) comprises: A gripper (311) includes a body defining a chamber, and a first piston (314) and a second piston (316) accommodated in the chamber, the first piston (314) and the second piston (316) being configured to move in response to pressure increase and decrease in the chamber, and a first base plate (326) of the base plates (326, 328) and a second base plate (328) of the base plates (326, 328) being connected to the first piston (314) and the second piston (316) respectively via a connecting rod mechanism.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein: The filling device (300) further comprises: A sensor (318) is located at the lower side of the filling tank (302) and is configured to sense the falling of the object to generate a corresponding signal.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising: a conveyor line (130) configured to convey the object in a first direction; a camera (176) configured to monitor the object entering a predetermined area of ​​the conveyor line (130) and generate monitoring information; as well as a robot (160) configured to grasp the object from the conveyor line (130) based on the monitoring information and place the grasped object in each unit on the unit conveyor line (180); The unit conveying line (180) is configured to convey the object in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein: The robot (160) includes a main robot and an auxiliary robot, the auxiliary robot being configured to grasp an object missed by the main robot and place it in a cell on the cell conveying line (180).

14. A filling method, comprising: receiving an object to be filled into a container (324); converting the falling posture of the object from a first posture to a second posture by using a dropping device (200); Moving the object converted into the second posture into a filling tank (302), wherein a bottom plate of the filling tank (302) is movable and extends downward at a predetermined inclination angle relative to a horizontal plane along a moving direction of the object; as well as In response to receiving a signal indicating that the container (324) has arrived below the filling slot (302), the bottom plates (326, 328) are moved away from each other to form an opening in the bottom side of the filling slot (302) to allow the object to fall into the container (324).

15. The filling method according to claim 14, wherein: The material dropping device (200) comprises a movable plate (222), wherein the movable plate (222) constitutes a portion of a second side wall (210) of the material dropping device (200) close to a discharge port (206) of the material dropping device (200), wherein converting the falling posture of the object from the first posture to the second posture by using the material dropping device (200) comprises: The movable plate (222) is moved at a frequency greater than a frequency at which the object is dropped.

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