Picking device

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of material sorting equipment, in particular to a sorting device. Comprising a carrying tool, the carrying tool is provided with a tip end, and the tip end is driven by a sorting mechanism to penetrate into the lower surface of tobacco leaves; the carrying tool can run on the sorting mechanism along a sorting track, the sorting track is provided with a feeding section and a stripping section which correspond to the feeding mechanism and the discharging mechanism respectively, and the tobacco leaves are connected with and separated from the carrying tool on the feeding section and the stripping section respectively; and a rotary path is formed on the stripping section. Tobacco leaves are pierced through the sharp end arranged on the carrying device, so that the carrying device obtains a supporting point on the rugged surfaces of the tobacco leaves, and stable connection and traction of the tobacco leaves are achieved. By means of the carrying mode, the problem that tobacco leaves are difficult to sort through a traditional clamping jaw or a suction cup is avoided, and sorting efficiency and accuracy are greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of material picking, and in particular to a picking device. Background Art

[0002] Since there are many types of tobacco, tobacco is also divided into grades, and the classification of tobacco grades depends on tobacco leaves. In the process of tobacco production, tobacco leaves need to be classified according to grades. Tobacco leaves are mostly bundled. Before grading each leaf, they need to be disassembled and picked into pieces and transported to the grading equipment. It is also necessary to ensure that there is no overlap between each leaf, so that the grading equipment can grade them through image technology.

[0003] However, most existing tobacco leaf picking relies on manual labor, with few automated equipment and low efficiency. The reasons for this phenomenon are as follows: First, tobacco leaves vary greatly in size and have uneven surfaces, so picking equipment that uses grippers cannot accurately identify the boundaries of individual tobacco leaves. In addition, the softness of tobacco leaves varies significantly with humidity and maturity, so it is difficult for traditional grippers to dynamically adjust the clamping force, which can easily cause breakage or clamping failure. Picking equipment that uses suction cups is prone to air leakage and failure due to the uneven surface of the tobacco leaves.

[0004] Second, the bundled tobacco leaves tend to stick together after being unpacked. The existing equipment has low picking efficiency and is prone to multiple pieces sticking together during transportation. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a picking device to solve the problem of low efficiency of the automated equipment for picking tobacco leaves in the prior art.

[0006] The technical solution of the present invention is: the picking device comprises a carrier, the carrier having a pointed end and piercing into the lower surface of the material under the drive of the picking mechanism; The carrier can run on a picking mechanism along a picking track, and the picking track has a loading section corresponding to the loading mechanism, and the material is connected to the carrier at the loading section.

[0007] Preferably, the picking track has a stripping section arranged corresponding to the unloading mechanism, the material is separated from the carrier in the stripping section, and the stripping section forms a rotating path.

[0008] Preferably, the carrier includes a carrier base, on which a carrier with a pointed end is fixed; a material shifting piece is provided to cooperate with the carrier; When the carrier runs in the loading section and the unloading section respectively, the distances between the material-prying piece and the tip of the carrier are D1 and D2 respectively, and D2 is less than D1.

[0009] Preferably, the material-shifting piece and the carrying base are separately arranged, and there is a fixed angle between the plane where the material-shifting piece is located and its own running direction.

[0010] Preferably, the material-pickup sheet is hinged to the carrying base, and the side away from the hinged end is configured as a material-pickup end, and the material-pickup end swings around the hinged end toward the tip of the carrier under the action of gravity in the material-stripping section.

[0011] Preferably, the loading section is inclined so that the material entering the unloading section has a component velocity in the horizontal direction, and there is a moment when the material has a velocity vector parallel to the length direction of the carrier; the inclination angle of the loading end is set to any value between 70°-90°.

[0012] Preferably, the picking mechanism comprises an inclined picking frame, on which a picking drive device is provided, and the carrier is fixed to the picking drive device and runs on the loading mechanism and the unloading mechanism under the drive of the picking drive device.

[0013] Preferably, the picking drive device includes a carrier drive synchronous belt, which is arranged as an annular structure mounted on the picking frame and connected to a synchronous belt driving wheel to drive its circulation operation, and the two ends of the carrier drive synchronous belt respectively correspond to a loading mechanism and a unloading mechanism, the loading section is constructed as a straight edge of the carrier drive synchronous belt, and the unloading section is constructed as an arc edge connecting the carrier drive synchronous belt and the synchronous belt driving wheel; the carrier is fixed on the carrier drive synchronous belt.

[0014] The picking device comprises a carrier capable of carrying materials, the carrier comprising a carrier base fixed to the picking mechanism, a carrier with a pointed end fixed on the carrier base; and a material picking piece is provided to cooperate with the carrier to move. The carrier is driven by the picking mechanism to penetrate the lower surface of the material; The material-shifting piece and the carrying base are separately arranged, and a fixed angle exists between the plane where the material-shifting piece is located and its own running direction.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are: (1) The present invention uses the tip of the carrier to penetrate the tobacco leaves, so that the carrier obtains a support point on the rugged surface of the tobacco leaves, thereby achieving stable connection and traction of the tobacco leaves. This carrying method avoids the difficulties of traditional clamps or suction cups in picking tobacco leaves, greatly improving the picking efficiency and accuracy.

[0016] (2) The design of the stripper enables it to effectively strip the tobacco leaves from the tip of the carrier when the carrier enters the stripping section. Whether it is a fixed stripper formed by bending or an articulated stripper that flips under the action of gravity, it can push the tobacco leaves away from the carrier by moving close to the tip of the carrier, thereby ensuring that the tobacco leaves fall off smoothly.

[0017] (3) By tilting the picking rack, the tobacco leaves can obtain a component speed in the horizontal direction in the stripping section, and then there is a moment when the speed direction of the tobacco leaves is parallel to the length direction of the carrier. The stripping efficiency is further improved in combination with the stripping sheet. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments: Figure 1 is a structural diagram of the picking device of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the feeding mechanism of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the picking mechanism of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the mounting device of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the carrier described in some implementation methods of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of the carrier in a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the action of the material-shifting piece in a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the action of the material-shifting piece in some embodiments of the present invention; Fig. 9 A side view of the picking device of the present invention; Wherein: 1. base, 2. loading mechanism, 21. loading plate, 211. feeding end, 212. picking end, 213. avoidance groove, 22. suspension device, 23. vibration table, 3. picking mechanism, 31. picking frame, 32. picking drive device, 321. carrier drive synchronous belt, 322. synchronous belt drive wheel, 33. hinge device, 4. unloading mechanism, 5. carrier, 51. carrying base, 52. carrier, 521, stopper, 53. material picking piece, 531. fixed end, 532. material picking end. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments: This embodiment provides a picking device for picking bundled tobacco leaves after unbundling them and outputting them one by one. However, based on the same concept as the present application, the present application can also be used for picking other materials other than tobacco leaves, such as other plant leaves, cloth, etc., which are soft and easy to be punctured. In the embodiment provided in the present application, tobacco leaves are taken as an example.

[0020] like Figure 1 As shown, it includes a base 1, on which a loading mechanism 2, a picking mechanism 3 and a unloading mechanism 4 are sequentially arranged along a horizontal direction. Figure 2 As shown, the feeding mechanism 2 includes a feeding plate 21, and one end of the feeding plate 21 away from the picking mechanism 3 is used as a feeding end 211 and is raised so that tobacco leaves put into the feeding end 211 can slide toward the picking end 212 in the direction of the picking mechanism 3. Figure 3 As shown, the picking mechanism 3 includes a picking frame 31, on which a carrier 5 for carrying a single tobacco leaf is arranged. Driven by the picking drive device 32, the carrier 5 runs along the picking tracks corresponding to the loading mechanism 2 and the unloading mechanism 4 at both ends, and in this process, the tobacco leaves on the loading plate 21 are loaded in the loading section of the picking track, and separated from the tobacco leaves in the unloading section so that the tobacco leaves fall into the unloading mechanism 4. In order to avoid the movement of the carrier 5 and take into account the support of the tobacco leaves, an avoidance groove 213 for the carrier 5 to pass through is opened at the picking end 212 of the loading plate 21.

[0021] In the application scenario of the present application, the objects to be picked are tobacco leaves. As an agricultural product, tobacco leaves do not have standardized shapes and sizes like mass-produced industrial products. As a result, the clamps used in the execution end of the commonly used picking equipment cannot effectively identify individual tobacco leaves. At the same time, due to the different softness of each tobacco leaf, it is impossible to adjust the appropriate clamping force and thus cannot be effectively clamped. Other execution ends such as suction cups will also be unable to adsorb due to the uneven surface of the tobacco leaves.

[0022] Therefore, the present application adopts a material carrying method different from that in the prior art, namely, by setting one or more pointed tips in the carrier 5, and using the pointed tips to penetrate the tobacco leaves, so that the part of the tobacco leaves penetrated by the pointed tips obtains a support point on the rugged surface of the tobacco leaves, thereby achieving connection with the tobacco leaves and traction thereof.

[0023] Specifically, Figure 4 As shown, the carrier 5 includes a carrier base 51, on which a carrier 52 is fixed. In this embodiment, the carrier 52 is set as a needle-shaped structure, and its end away from the carrier base 51 is set as a tip. There is a certain inclination angle between the carrier 52 and the carrier base 51, so that the tip of the carrier 52 faces upward when located in the loading section. In this embodiment, the inclination angle is 35°.

[0024] When the carrier 52 moves from bottom to top in the loading section driven by the picking drive device 32 , when the carrier 52 passes through the avoidance groove 213 on the loading plate 21 , its upwardly directed tip can penetrate into the lower surface of the tobacco leaves, thereby achieving the connection between the tobacco leaves and the carrier 52 .

[0025] In actual application, the tip of the carrier 52 is too sharp, which may easily penetrate a tobacco leaf when it pierces the leaf. There is a possibility that the tip of the carrier 52 will continue to penetrate other tobacco leaves, causing the carrier 52 to carry multiple tobacco leaves at a time, which will have a certain impact on the picking effect. The following method is used to solve this problem: 1. According to the toughness, humidity and weight of the current batch of tobacco leaves, the taper of the tip of the carrier 52 is specifically designed. According to the results of multiple tests, the taper of the tip of the carrier 52 is controlled between 14° and 26°, preferably 20°, which can pierce the tobacco leaves without being too sharp to cause penetration, and the effect is better.

[0026] Second, or Figure 5 As shown, a stopper 521 is provided at a position of the carrier 52 near the tip, and the stopper 521 enables the carrier 52 to form an inverted sword-shaped structure, and the stopper 521 serves as a hand guard. After the tip penetrates the tobacco leaf to a certain depth, the stopper 521 stops the tobacco leaf to prevent the tip from continuing to penetrate.

[0027] In addition, in a preferred embodiment of the present application, Figure 2 As shown, the bottom end of the loading plate 21 is connected to the base 1 through a suspension device 22, and is equipped with a vibration table 23. This arrangement can reduce the slope of the loading plate 21, so that the piles of tobacco leaves fall into the picking end 212 of the loading plate 21 in smaller groups under the action of the vibration table 23, thereby further reducing the probability of the carrier 5 carrying multiple tobacco leaves in sequence.

[0028] The carrier 52 is driven by the picking drive device 32 to carry the tobacco leaves along the picking frame 31 for lifting until it enters the stripping section. There is a rotation in the stripping section, which turns the tip originally set upward in the feeding section downward after entering the stripping section, so that the tobacco leaves can be separated from the carrier 52.

[0029] There are many ways to form the loading section and unloading section of the picking track, taking the one used in this application as an example. Figure 3As shown, the picking drive device 32 includes a carrier drive synchronous belt 321, which is set as a ring structure sleeved on the picking frame 31, and a plurality of carriers 5 are set, and a plurality of carriers 5 are fixed on the carrier drive synchronous belt 321 at uniform intervals. Two sets of synchronous belt drive wheels 322 are arranged on both sides of the picking frame 31 along the horizontal axis, and both ends of the carrier drive synchronous belt 321 are sleeved on the synchronous belt drive wheels 322 and driven to run, thereby driving a plurality of carriers 5 to circulate along a ring path. As shown in the figure, a straight side of the carrier drive synchronous belt 321 located between a pair of synchronous belt drive wheels 322 and close to the feeding mechanism 2 is constructed as a feeding section. The carrier drive synchronous belt 321 forms an arc-shaped rotation at the position of the synchronous belt drive wheel 322 corresponding to the top, and the rotation is used as a stripping section and connects to the top of the feeding section. When the carrier 52 runs to the stripping section, the tip on it will gradually face downward along the arc-shaped rotation path, so that the tobacco leaves can fall off.

[0030] In other embodiments of the present application, the picking drive device 32 can be composed as follows: including a carrier drive platform, and the carrier 5 is arranged on the carrier drive platform. The picking track is constructed as a solid and fixed on the picking frame 31, and also has a feeding section with a linear structure and a stripping section with an arc rotation at the top. The carrier drive platform slides with the picking track and reciprocates along the picking track under the drive of a driving device. The driving device can adopt a reciprocating cylinder or a piston mechanism composed of a connecting rod and an eccentric wheel. In this configuration, because the carrier 52 is tilted upward in the feeding section, the carrier 52 can pass through the avoidance groove 213 from top to bottom, and the carrier 52 tilted upward can push away the tobacco leaves accumulated at the picking end 212 of the feeding plate 21, so as to prevent the tobacco leaves from affecting the movement of the carrier drive platform, and after the carrier 52 is lowered below the feeding plate 21, the tobacco leaves will be re-deposited on the avoidance groove 213 due to gravity, so that the carrier 52 can penetrate the tobacco leaves when it rises. The subsequent actions and the method of loading tobacco leaves are similar to the implementation method of using a carrier to drive the synchronous belt 321, and will not be elaborated here.

[0031] In order to further improve the stripping efficiency, the problem that some tobacco leaves are too tightly fitted with the tip of the carrier 52, resulting in the inability to effectively separate the tobacco leaves, is eliminated. Figure 6As shown, the carrier 5 also includes a material-pickup piece 53 movably arranged relative to the carrier 52. When the carrier 5 is located in the loading section, the distance between the material-pickup piece 53 and the tip of the carrier 52 is D1; ​​when the carrier 5 is located in the unloading section, the distance between the material-pickup piece 53 and the tip of the carrier 52 is D2 which is smaller than D1. That is, when the carrier 5 is located in the unloading section, the material-pickup piece 53 will approach the tip of the carrier 52, thereby pushing the tobacco leaves a certain distance in the direction away from the carrier 52. In addition, the tip is a conical structure, so a slight push can eliminate the problem that the tobacco leaves and the tip of the carrier 52 are too tight and cannot be separated.

[0032] Specifically, the function of the material shifting piece 53 can be realized by relying on the following multiple structural composition modes: In a preferred embodiment of the present application, Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the material-pickup sheet 53 is separately arranged from the carrier base 51, and is independently fixed to the carrier drive synchronous belt 321 (or the carrier drive platform) along the tangential direction. The middle part of the material-pickup sheet 53 has a bend, and the two sides of the bend line respectively form a fixed end 531 fixed to the carrier drive synchronous belt 321 and a raised material-pickup end 532. The material-pickup end 532 extends toward the carrier 52, and the extension length is determined according to the actual use requirements. However, when the extension length exceeds the carrier 52, a long groove needs to be opened corresponding to the carrier 52, so that the carrier 52 can pass through the long groove and avoid interference when the material-pickup sheet 53 and the carrier 52 move relative to each other.

[0033] like Figure 7 As shown, when the carrier 5 is in the loading section, the distance D1 between the material-diverting piece 53 and the tip of the carrier 52 is set as the initial distance. When the carrier 5 is in the arc-shaped material-diverting section, the fixed fixed end 531 and the carrier base 51 are tangentially fixed at two different points on the arc-shaped carrier drive synchronous belt 321, so that the cross structure formed by the material-diverting end 532 and the carrier 52 is unfolded outward, and the material-diverting end 532 is close to the tip of the carrier 52 (at this time, the distance is D2). If the tip of the carrier 52 is loaded with tobacco leaves, the material-diverting end 532 can peel the tobacco leaves away from the carrier 52.

[0034] In this configuration of the material-pickup sheet 53, there is a fixed installation angle between the plane where the material-pickup end 532 is located and the carrier drive synchronous belt 321. The advantage of this design is that the material-pickup end 532 is formed by bending, which is easy to manufacture, and the material-pickup sheet 53 and the carrier drive synchronous belt 321 are fixedly connected by common fasteners such as bolts and rivets, which is easy to install and not easy to damage. However, based on the same concept, the present application also provides another implementation of the material-pickup sheet 53.

[0035] In other embodiments of the present application, Figure 8As shown, the material-shifting piece 53 is hinged on the carrying base 51 , and the portion of the material-shifting piece 53 away from the hinged end is similar to that described above, and is also constructed to extend toward the carrier 52 and have a long groove or other design.

[0036] Under this configuration, the material-pickup piece 53 located in the loading section droops naturally and will not interfere with the tip of the carrier 52. When the carrier 5 enters the arc-shaped material-removing section, there is a moment when the center of gravity of the material-pickup piece 53 is located on the side of the hinged end between it and the carrying base 51 away from the carrier drive synchronous belt 321, so that the material-pickup piece 53 flips around the hinged end under the action of its own gravity, and through the flipping movement, it approaches the tip of the carrier 52 to peel off the tobacco leaves it carries.

[0037] In addition, in both embodiments, the material-prying piece 53 located in the feeding section also serves as a stopper 521, which effectively limits the length of the carrier 52 penetrating into the tobacco leaves, thereby avoiding the problem of the carrier 52 penetrating the tobacco leaves.

[0038] In order to further improve the separation effect of the tobacco leaves and the carrier 52 in the stripping section, in a preferred embodiment of the present application, the picking frame 31 is hinged to the base 1 through an articulation device 33, so that the picking frame 31 is tilted. In this configuration, the tobacco leaves will have a component velocity in the horizontal direction when entering the stripping section. In addition, the carrier 52 and the carrying base 51 are not vertically connected. This component velocity makes it possible for the tobacco leaves to have a velocity vector parallel to the length direction of the carrier 52, making it easier for the tobacco leaves to detach from the carrier 52. That is, by tilting the loading section, the tobacco leaves are thrown out in the stripping section instead of falling off simply by gravity. Specifically, as Fig. 9 As shown, according to experiments, when the inclination angle of the picking frame 31 is between 70° and 90°, a better separation effect is achieved. This configuration can also be combined with the material-picking sheet 53 described above to further improve the separation effect of the tobacco leaves and the carrier 52.

[0039] When working: The operator unties the bundled tobacco leaves and places them on the feeding end of the loading plate. The vibrating table shakes the piled tobacco leaves apart and evenly slides them toward the picking end. The picking mechanism drives the carrier to run from bottom to top along the picking track in the loading section, so that the tip of the carrier pierces the tobacco leaves from the lower surface and loads them.

[0040] When the carrier moves to the unloading section, under the combined effect of the horizontal component speed given by the inclined picking rack and the material-pickup sheet, the tobacco leaves detach from the carrier and fall into the unloading mechanism.

[0041] The above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of the present invention, and their purpose is to enable people familiar with this technology to understand the content of the present invention and implement it accordingly, and they cannot be used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, it is obvious that the present invention is not limited to the details of the above exemplary embodiments, and the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or basic features of the present invention. Therefore, no matter from which point of view, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-restrictive. The scope of the present invention is limited by the attached claims rather than the above description, and it is intended to include all changes within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims in the present invention.

Claims

1. A picking device, characterized in that: It comprises a carrier (5), wherein the carrier (5) has a pointed end and is driven by the picking mechanism (3) to penetrate into the lower surface of the material; The carrier (5) is capable of running on a picking mechanism (3) along a picking track, wherein the picking track has a loading section corresponding to the loading mechanism (2), and the material is connected to the carrier (5) at the loading section.

2. The picking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The picking track has a stripping section arranged corresponding to the unloading mechanism (4), the material is separated from the carrier (5) in the stripping section, and the stripping section forms a rotating path.

3. The picking device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The carrier (5) comprises a carrier base (51), on which a carrier (52) having a pointed end is fixed; a material shifting piece (53) is movably arranged to cooperate with the carrier (52); When the carrier (5) is running in the loading section and the unloading section respectively, the distances between the tip of the material-pickling piece (53) and the carrier (52) are respectively D1 and D2, and D2 is less than D1.

4. The picking device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The material shifting piece (53) and the carrying base (51) are arranged separately, and there is a fixed angle between the plane where the material shifting piece (53) is located and its own running direction.

5. The picking device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The material-shifting piece (53) is hinged to the carrier base (51), and a side away from the hinged end is configured as a material-shifting end (532). The material-shifting end (532) swings around the hinged end toward the tip of the carrier (52) under the action of gravity in the material-shifting section.

6. The picking device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that: The loading section is tilted so that the material entering the unloading section has a component velocity in the horizontal direction, and there is a moment when the material has a velocity vector parallel to the length direction of the carrier (52); the inclination angle of the loading end is set to any value between 70° and 90°.

7. The picking device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The picking mechanism (3) comprises a tilted picking frame (31), a picking drive device (32) being arranged on the picking frame (31), the carrier (5) being fixed to the picking drive device (32) and being driven by the picking drive device (32) to run on the loading mechanism (2) and the unloading mechanism (4).

8. The picking device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The picking drive device (32) comprises a carrier drive synchronous belt (321), wherein the carrier drive synchronous belt (321) is arranged as an annular structure sleeved on the picking frame (31) and connected to a synchronous belt drive wheel (322) to drive it to circulate, and the two ends of the carrier drive synchronous belt (321) respectively correspond to a loading mechanism (2) and a unloading mechanism (4), the loading section is constructed as a straight edge of the carrier drive synchronous belt (321), and the unloading section is constructed as an arc edge connecting the carrier drive synchronous belt (321) and the synchronous belt drive wheel (322); the carrier (5) is fixed on the carrier drive synchronous belt (321).

9. A picking device, characterized in that: The device comprises a carrier (5) capable of carrying materials, the carrier (5) comprising a carrier base (51) fixed to a picking mechanism (3), a carrier (52) having a pointed end fixed to the carrier base (51); and a material-picking piece (53) movably arranged to cooperate with the carrier (52); The carrier (52) penetrates into the lower surface of the material under the drive of the picking mechanism (3); The material shifting piece (53) and the carrying base (51) are arranged separately, and there is a fixed angle between the plane where the material shifting piece (53) is located and its own running direction.

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