Sorting device

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of material picking equipment, and particularly to a picking device. It includes a carrier with a tip, and the tip penetrates the lower surface of the tobacco leaf under the drive of a picking mechanism; the carrier can run on the picking mechanism along a picking track, and the picking track has a loading section and an unloading section corresponding to a feeding mechanism and a discharging mechanism respectively, and the tobacco leaves are connected to and separated from the carrier at the loading section and the unloading section respectively; and a rotating path is formed in the unloading section. By using the tip provided on the carrier to penetrate the tobacco leaf, the present invention enables the carrier to obtain a support point on the rugged surface of the tobacco leaf, thereby realizing stable connection and traction of the tobacco leaf. This loading method avoids the difficulties of traditional grippers or suction cups in picking tobacco leaves, and greatly improves the picking efficiency and accuracy.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Since there are many types of tobacco and tobacco is also graded, and the grading of tobacco depends on the tobacco leaves. During the production process of tobacco, it is necessary to classify the tobacco leaves according to grades so as to classify the tobacco according to grades. Most of the tobacco leaves come in bundles. Before grading each tobacco leaf, it is necessary to disassemble it and pick it into individual pieces and convey them to the grading equipment, and it is necessary to ensure that there is no overlap between each tobacco leaf, so as to facilitate the grading equipment to grade through image technology.

[0003] However, most of the existing tobacco leaf picking relies on manual labor, with few automated devices and low efficiency. The reasons for this phenomenon are as follows:

[0004] First, the outer dimensions of tobacco leaves vary greatly and the surfaces are uneven. It is difficult for picking equipment with clamping jaws to accurately identify the boundaries of single tobacco leaves; moreover, the softness of tobacco leaves changes significantly with humidity and maturity, and traditional clamping jaws are difficult to dynamically adjust the clamping force, which is likely to cause damage or failure to pick up; while picking equipment with suction cups is likely to leak air and fail due to the uneven surface of tobacco leaves.

[0005] Second, after the bundled tobacco leaves are untied, they are prone to stacking and adhesion. The existing equipment has low picking efficiency and is prone to multi-piece adhesion during conveying. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a picking device to solve the problem of low efficiency of automated equipment for picking tobacco leaves in the prior art.

[0007] The technical solution of the present invention is: a picking device, including a carrier, the carrier having a tip and being driven by a picking mechanism to pierce into the lower surface of the material;

[0008] The carrier can run on a picking track of a picking mechanism, the picking track having a loading section corresponding to a loading mechanism, and the material is connected to the carrier at the loading section.

[0009] Preferably, the picking track has a discharging section corresponding to a discharging mechanism, the material is separated from the carrier at the discharging section, and the discharging section forms a rotating path.

[0010] Preferably, the carrier includes a carrier base, a carrier with a tip is fixed on the carrier base; a material pushing piece is movably arranged in cooperation with the carrier;

[0011] When the carrier runs on the loading section and the discharging section respectively, the distances between the material pushing piece and the tip of the carrier are D1 and D2 respectively, and D2 < D1.

[0012] Preferably, the material pushing piece is detachably arranged from the carrying base, and there is a fixed angle between the plane where the material pushing piece is located and its running direction.

[0013] Preferably, the material pushing piece is hinged to the carrying base, and the side far from the hinge end is configured as a material pushing end, and the material pushing end swings around the hinge end towards the tip of the carrier under the action of gravity in the material discharging section.

[0014] Preferably, the feeding section is inclined, so that the material entering the material discharging section has a horizontal component velocity, 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 feeding end is set to any value between 70° and 90°.

[0015] Preferably, the picking mechanism includes a picking rack arranged obliquely, a picking driving device is arranged on the picking rack, the carrier is fixed to the picking driving device, and runs between the feeding mechanism and the discharging mechanism under the drive of the picking driving device.

[0016] Preferably, the picking driving device includes a carrier driving synchronous belt, the carrier driving synchronous belt is arranged as an annular structure sleeved on the picking rack and is connected with a synchronous belt driving wheel to drive its circular operation, and the two ends of the carrier driving synchronous belt respectively correspond to the feeding mechanism and the discharging mechanism, the feeding section is configured as a straight edge of the carrier driving synchronous belt, and the material discharging section is configured as an arc edge where the carrier driving synchronous belt is connected with the synchronous belt driving wheel; the carrier is fixed on the carrier driving synchronous belt.

[0017] A picking device, including a carrier capable of carrying materials, the carrier includes a carrying base fixed to the picking mechanism, and a carrier with a tip is fixed on the carrying base; a material pushing piece is movably arranged in cooperation with the carrier;

[0018] The carrier pierces into the lower surface of the material under the drive of the picking mechanism;

[0019] The material pushing piece is detachably arranged from the carrying base, and there is a fixed angle between the plane where the material pushing piece is located and its running direction.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are:

[0021] (1) In the present invention, the tip provided on the carrier pierces into the tobacco leaves, so that a support point is obtained on the rugged surface of the tobacco leaves by the carrier, and then the stable connection and traction of the tobacco leaves are realized. This carrying method avoids the difficulties of traditional clamping jaws or suction cups when picking tobacco leaves, and greatly improves the picking efficiency and accuracy.

[0022] (2)The design of the pusher piece 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 pusher piece formed by bending or a hinged pusher piece that flips under the action of gravity, by approaching the tip of the carrier, the tobacco leaves can be pushed away from the carrier, thus ensuring the smooth shedding of the tobacco leaves.

[0023] (3)By setting the picking rack obliquely, the tobacco leaves obtain a horizontal component velocity in the stripping section, and there is a moment when the velocity direction of the tobacco leaves is parallel to the length direction of the carrier. Cooperating with the pusher piece further improves the stripping efficiency. Description of the Drawings

[0024] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments:

[0025] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of the picking device described in the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 It is a structural diagram of the feeding mechanism described in the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 It is a structural diagram of the picking mechanism described in the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 It is a structural diagram of the installation of the carrier described in the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 It is a structural diagram of the carrier in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 It is a structural diagram of the carrier in the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the movement of the pusher piece in the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the movement of the pusher piece in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 9 It is a side view of the picking device described in the present invention;

[0034] Wherein: 1. Base, 2. Feeding mechanism, 21. Feeding plate, 211. Feeding end, 212. Picking end, 213. Avoidance groove, 22. Suspension device, 23. Vibration table, 3. Picking mechanism, 31. Picking rack, 32. Picking driving device, 321. Carrier driving synchronous belt, 322. Synchronous belt driving wheel, 33. Hinge device, 4. Discharging mechanism, 5. Carrier, 51. Carrier base, 52. Carrier, 521. Stopping part, 53. Pusher piece, 531. Fixed end, 532. Pushing end. Detailed implementation manners

[0035] The following further elaborates on the content of the present invention in combination with specific embodiments:

[0036] This embodiment provides a picking device for outputting tobacco leaves one by one after the bundled tobacco leaves are untied and picked. However, under the same concept as this application, this application can also be used for picking operations of other materials that are soft and easily punctured, such as other plant leaves and fabrics, in addition to tobacco leaves. In the embodiments provided in this application, tobacco leaves are taken as an example.

[0037] As Figure 1 shown, it includes a base 1, and a feeding mechanism 2, a picking mechanism 3, and a discharging mechanism 4 are sequentially arranged on the base 1 along a horizontal direction. As Figure 2 shown, the feeding mechanism 2 includes a feeding plate 21. One end of the feeding plate 21 far from the picking mechanism 3 is used as a feeding end 211 and is set at a raised position, so that the tobacco leaves placed at the feeding end 211 can slide towards the picking end 212 of the picking mechanism 3. As Figure 3 shown, the picking mechanism 3 includes a picking frame 31. A carrier 5 for carrying a single tobacco leaf is arranged on the picking frame 31. The carrier 5 runs along a picking track with its two ends corresponding to the feeding mechanism 2 and the discharging mechanism 4 respectively under the drive of a picking driving device 32, and during this process, the tobacco leaves on the feeding plate 21 are carried on the feeding section of the picking track, and are separated from the tobacco leaves at the material discharging section so that the tobacco leaves fall into the discharging mechanism 4. To avoid the movement of the carrier 5 and take into account the support for the tobacco leaves, an avoidance groove 213 for the carrier 5 to pass through is opened at the picking end 212 of the feeding plate 21.

[0038] In the application scenario of this application, the object to be picked is tobacco leaves. As an agricultural product, tobacco leaves do not have a standardized shape and size like mass-produced industrial products, resulting in the jaws used at the execution end of common picking equipment being unable to effectively identify individual tobacco leaves. At the same time, due to the different softness of each tobacco leaf, it is impossible to adjust an appropriate clamping force and thus impossible to effectively pick up. Other execution ends such as suction cups will also be unable to adsorb due to the uneven surface of the tobacco leaves.

[0039] Therefore, this application adopts a different way of carrying materials from the prior art, that is, by providing one or more tips in the carrier 5 and using these tips to pierce the tobacco leaves. The part of the tip piercing into the tobacco leaves obtains a support point on the rugged surface of the tobacco leaves, thereby realizing the connection with the tobacco leaves and the traction of the tobacco leaves.

[0040] Specifically, as Figure 4As shown in the figure, the carrier 5 includes a carrier base 51, and a carrier 52 is fixed on the carrier base 51. In this embodiment, the carrier 52 is set as a needle-like structure, and the end far 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 in the loading section. In this embodiment, the inclination angle is 35°.

[0041] During the upward movement of the carrier 52 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, the tip facing upward can pierce into the lower surface of the tobacco leaf, realizing the connection between the tobacco leaf and the carrier 52.

[0042] In practical applications, the tip of the overly sharp carrier 52 may cause the tobacco leaf to be penetrated when piercing a single tobacco leaf, and there is a possibility that the penetrated tip continues to pierce into other tobacco leaves, resulting in the carrier 52 carrying multiple tobacco leaves at one time, which has a certain impact on the picking effect. The following methods are adopted to solve this problem:

[0043] First, according to the toughness, humidity and weight of the tobacco leaves in the current batch, the taper of the tip of the carrier 52 is designed specifically. According to the results of multiple tests, the taper of the tip of the carrier 52 is controlled between 14° - 26°, preferably 20°, which can not only pierce the tobacco leaf but also not be too sharp to cause penetration, and the effect is better.

[0044] Second, or as Figure 5 shown in the figure, a stop portion 521 is provided at a position of the carrier 52 close to the tip. The stop portion 521 makes the carrier 52 form an inverted sword-shaped structure, and the stop portion 521 functions as a guard. After the tip pierces into the tobacco leaf to a certain depth, the stop portion 521 stops the tobacco leaf to prevent the tip from continuing to penetrate.

[0045] In addition, in the preferred embodiment of the present application, as Figure 2 shown in the figure, the bottom end of the loading plate 21 is connected to the base 1 through a suspension device 22, and a vibrating table 23 is installed. Such a setting can reduce the slope of the loading plate 21, so that the piled-up tobacco leaves fall into the picking end 212 of the loading plate 21 in smaller groups under the action of the vibrating table 23, thereby further reducing the probability of the carrier 5 carrying multiple tobacco leaves in sequence.

[0046] The carrier 52 is driven by the picking drive device 32 to carry the tobacco leaf along the picking rack 31 for lifting until it enters the unloading section. There is a turning in the unloading section, so that the tip that was originally facing upward in the loading section faces downward after entering the unloading section, so that the tobacco leaf can be detached from the carrier 52.

[0047] There are various ways to form the feeding section and the discharging section of the picking track. Taking the one adopted in this application as an example. As Figure 3 shown, the picking driving device 32 includes a carrier driving synchronous belt 321. The carrier driving synchronous belt 321 is arranged as an annular structure sleeved on the picking rack 31, and a plurality of carriers 5 are arranged. The plurality of carriers 5 are fixed on the carrier driving synchronous belt 321 at uniform intervals. Two groups of synchronous belt driving wheels 322 are arranged along the horizontal axis on both sides of the picking rack 31. The two ends of the carrier driving synchronous belt 321 are sleeved on the synchronous belt driving wheels 322 and driven by them to run, thereby driving the plurality of carriers 5 to run in a circular path. As shown in the figure, the carrier driving synchronous belt 321 is located between a pair of synchronous belt driving wheels 322 and a straight edge close to the feeding mechanism 2 is configured as the feeding section. The carrier driving synchronous belt 321 forms an arc-shaped rotation at the position of the synchronous belt driving wheel 322 at the corresponding top end. This rotation is used as the discharging section and connects to the top end of the feeding section. When the carrier 52 runs to the discharging section, the tip on it will gradually face downwards along the arc-shaped rotation path, so that the tobacco leaves can fall off.

[0048] In other embodiments of this application, the picking driving device 32 can be composed of the following: including a carrier driving table, and the carrier 5 is arranged on the carrier driving table. The picking track is constructed as a solid and fixed on the picking rack 31, and also has a straight feeding section and a discharging section with an arc-shaped rotation at the top end. The carrier driving table is slidably matched with the picking track and reciprocates along the picking track under the drive of a driving device. This driving device can adopt a reciprocating cylinder or a piston mechanism composed of a connecting rod and an eccentric wheel. In this configuration, since the carrier 52 is inclined upwards in the feeding section, the carrier 52 can pass through the avoidance groove 213 from top to bottom, and the inclined upwards carrier 52 can push aside the tobacco leaves piled up at the picking end 212 of the feeding plate 21, so as not to let the tobacco leaves affect the movement of the carrier driving table. After the carrier 52 descends below the feeding plate 21, the tobacco leaves will re-pile on the avoidance groove 213 due to gravity, so that the carrier 52 can pierce into the tobacco leaves when it rises. The subsequent actions and the way of carrying the tobacco leaves are similar to the embodiment using the carrier driving synchronous belt 321, and will not be elaborated here.

[0049] In order to further improve the discharging efficiency and eliminate the problem that some tobacco leaves are too tightly matched with the tip of the carrier 52 resulting in ineffective separation of the tobacco leaves. In the preferred embodiment of this application, as 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.

[0050] Specifically, the function of the material shifting piece 53 can be realized by relying on the following multiple structural composition modes:

[0051] 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.

[0052] 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.

[0053] 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.

[0054] In other embodiments of the present application,Figure 8 As shown, the material pushing piece 53 is hinged to the carrying base 51, and the part of the material pushing piece 53 away from the hinged end is similar to that described above, and is also configured to extend towards the carrier 52 and has designs such as long slots.

[0055] In this configuration, the material pushing piece 53 in the loading section naturally droops and does not interfere with the tip of the carrier 52. When the carrier 5 enters the arc-shaped unloading section, there is a moment when the center of gravity of the material pushing piece 53 is located on the side of the hinged end with it away from the carrier drive synchronous belt 321, so that the material pushing piece 53 flips around the hinged end under its own gravity and approaches the tip of the carrier 52 through the flipping motion to strip the tobacco leaves carried by it.

[0056] In addition, in both embodiments, the material pushing piece 53 in the loading section also functions as the stop portion 521 at the same time, which effectively limits the length of the carrier 52 piercing into the tobacco leaves and avoids the problem of the carrier 52 piercing through the tobacco leaves.

[0057] In order to further improve the separation effect of the tobacco leaves and the carrier 52 in the unloading section, in the preferred embodiment of the present application, the sorting frame 31 is hinged to the base 1 through a hinge device 33, so that the sorting frame 31 is inclined. In this configuration, when the tobacco leaves enter the unloading section, they will have a horizontal component velocity. Coupled with the fact that the carrier 52 and the carrying base 51 are not vertically connected, this component velocity results in a moment when the tobacco leaves have a velocity vector parallel to the length direction of the carrier 52, making it easier for the tobacco leaves to separate from the carrier 52. That is, through the inclined setting of the loading section, the tobacco leaves are thrown out in the unloading section rather than falling off only by gravity. Specifically, as Figure 9 shown, according to experiments, when the inclination angle of the sorting frame 31 is between 70° and 90°, a better separation effect is achieved. This configuration can also be combined with the material pushing piece 53 described above to further improve the separation effect of the tobacco leaves and the carrier 52.

[0058] During operation:

[0059] The operator unties the bundled tobacco leaves and places them at the feeding end of the loading plate. The vibrating table shakes the piled-up tobacco leaves loose and evenly slides them towards the sorting end. The sorting mechanism drives the carrier to run upward from bottom to top along the sorting track in the loading section, so that the tip of the carrier pierces and carries the tobacco leaves from the lower surface of the tobacco leaves.

[0060] When the carrier runs to the unloading section, under the combined action of the horizontal component velocity given by the inclined sorting frame and the material pushing piece, the tobacco leaves separate from the carrier and fall into the unloading mechanism.

[0061] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical concept and features of the present invention. The purpose is to enable those who are familiar with this technology to understand the content of the present invention and implement it accordingly, and it should not be used to limit the protection scope 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 without departing from the spirit or basic features of the present invention, the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms. Therefore, from any point of view, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-limiting. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the above description. Therefore, it is intended to embrace all changes that fall within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims within the present invention.

Claims

1. Sorting device, characterized in that, It includes a carrier (5) which has a tip and is driven by a picking mechanism (3) to pierce into the lower surface of the material. The carrier (5) can run along a picking track on the picking mechanism (3). The picking track has a loading section corresponding to a loading mechanism (2), and the material is connected to the carrier (5) at the loading section. The picking track has a discharging section corresponding to a discharging mechanism (4). The material is separated from the carrier (5) at the discharging section, and a rotating path is formed in the discharging section. The carrier (5) includes a carrier base (51), and a carrier (52) with a tip is fixed on the carrier base (51). A material deflecting piece (53) is arranged in cooperation with the carrier (52). When the carrier (5) runs on the loading section and the discharging section respectively, the distances between the material deflecting piece (53) and the tip of the carrier (52) are D1 and D2 respectively, and D2 < D1. The material deflecting piece (53) is separately arranged from the carrier base (51), and a fixed angle exists between the plane where the material deflecting piece (53) is located and its running direction. The picking mechanism (3) includes a picking driving device (32), and the picking driving device (32) includes a carrier driving synchronous belt (321). The material deflecting piece (53) includes a fixed end (531) formed by bending and a material deflecting end (532). The fixed end (531) and the carrier base (51) are respectively fixed on two different points of the carrier driving synchronous belt (321) along the tangential direction.

2. The picking device according to claim 1, wherein, The loading section is inclined so that the material entering the discharging section has a horizontal component velocity, 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 section is set to any value between 70° and 90°.

3. The picking device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The picking mechanism (3) includes a picking frame (31) arranged obliquely, and the carrier driving synchronous belt (321) is sleeved on the picking frame (31).

4. The picking device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The carrier driving synchronous belt (321) is connected with a synchronous belt driving wheel (322) to drive its circular operation. The two ends of the carrier driving synchronous belt (321) respectively correspond to the loading mechanism (2) and the discharging mechanism (4). The loading section is configured as a straight edge of the carrier driving synchronous belt (321), and the discharging section is configured as an arc edge where the carrier driving synchronous belt (321) is connected with the synchronous belt driving wheel (322). The carrier (5) is fixed on the carrier driving synchronous belt (321).

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