Plastic preform conveying device and conveying method matched with heating furnace

Abstract

The application discloses a plastic preform conveying device matched with a heating furnace and a conveying method. An inlet preform manipulator is arranged at an inlet preform station of the heating furnace. An upper preform station is arranged on one side of the inlet preform manipulator. A flexible conveying unit is arranged at the upper preform station. During operation, the plastic preform located at an output area of the flexible conveying unit and the clamping jaw head of the inlet preform manipulator are kept at a synchronous running speed, so that the plastic preform is conveyed in a following mode. The inlet preform manipulator can take out the plastic preform in an inverted posture with a bottle opening downwards sent by the flexible conveying unit, and transport the plastic preform in the inverted posture and insert the plastic preform into the preform inserting head at the inlet preform station of the heating furnace. The application has the advantages of stable and reliable high-efficiency conveying of the plastic preform and improvement of the yield of the plastic preform during the conveying process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of blow molding plastic preforms into plastic containers, and specifically relates to a plastic preform conveying device and a conveying method matched with a heating furnace for heating plastic preforms. Background Art

[0002] The common production method for plastic containers (such as bottles) is to send the plastic preform to a heating furnace for heating, then send the heated plastic preform to a blow molding device, and obtain the plastic container after blow molding by the blow molding device. At present, for the conveyance of traditional plastic preforms with a support ring at the bottle mouth, the support ring of the plastic preform is hung on the preform arranging slideway to convey towards the heating furnace, and then the preform is sent to the preform feeding station of the heating furnace. A furnace inner conveying mechanism is arranged in the heating furnace, which is used for receiving the plastic preform sent to the preform feeding station and driving the plastic preform to move along the heating channel in the furnace to the preform discharging station of the heating furnace. However, for special preforms such as gallon bucket preforms with a wall thickness greater than 10mm, since this type of preform has no support ring at the bottle mouth, the traditional hanging preform conveying method cannot be adopted. Therefore, there is an urgent need to design a plastic preform conveying apparatus and method that can be applied to stably, reliably and efficiently convey special plastic preforms without a support ring at the bottle mouth. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The first object of the present invention is to provide a plastic preform conveying device matched with a heating furnace, which can stably, reliably and efficiently convey plastic preforms and is beneficial to improving the yield of plastic preforms during the conveying process.

[0004] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a plastic preform conveying device capable of being matched with a heating furnace, a preform feeding manipulator is arranged at the preform feeding station of the heating furnace, one side of the preform feeding manipulator is a preform loading station, and a flexible conveying unit for conveying plastic preforms to the preform feeding manipulator is arranged at the preform loading station. The area on the flexible conveying unit where the plastic preform is output to the preform feeding manipulator is an output area. When the preform feeding manipulator grabs the plastic preform located in the output area on the flexible conveying unit, the running speed of the plastic preform located in the output area is kept synchronized with the running speed of the gripper head of the preform feeding manipulator that grabs the plastic preform, so as to realize the follow-up type conveying of the plastic preform therebetween; the preform feeding manipulator can take out the plastic preform in an inverted posture with the bottle mouth facing downward from the output area on the flexible conveying unit, and transfer the plastic preform in the inverted posture to be inserted and buckled on the preform inserting head at the preform feeding station of the heating furnace.

[0005] Furthermore, the aforementioned plastic preform conveying device that can be used with a heating furnace includes: a flexible conveying unit structure comprising: a closed-loop intelligent conveying track controlled by a control unit; several transfer trolleys moving along the intelligent conveying track are provided on the intelligent conveying track; each transfer trolley is independently controlled by the control unit; and each transfer trolley is equipped with a blank insert head for securing the inverted plastic preform.

[0006] Furthermore, the aforementioned plastic preform conveying device compatible with the heating furnace includes: a preform feeding robot structure comprising: a cam fixedly mounted on a support, and a turntable positioned above the cam; an inner ring steering track groove and an outer ring telescopic track groove on the cam; and a robot mounted on the turntable. The robot includes: a mounting part hinged to the edge of the turntable via a vertical shaft; a steering part extending outward from one side of the mounting part; a steering roller rolled and embedded in the inner ring steering track groove at the bottom of the steering part; a sliding groove radially penetrating the mounting part; a telescopic part slidably connected in the sliding groove and moving freely along the sliding groove; a telescopic roller rolled and embedded in the outer ring telescopic track groove at the bottom of the telescopic part; a lifting cylinder fixed at the outer end of the telescopic part; a first parallel gripper mounted on the piston rod of the lifting cylinder facing downward; and a first plastic preform clamping part for cooperating in clamping the plastic preform on the two gripper heads of the first parallel gripper.

[0007] Furthermore, the aforementioned plastic preform conveying device that can be matched with the heating furnace includes: a preform ejection robot at the preform ejection station of the heating furnace, and a flipping mechanism on one side of the preform ejection robot. The preform ejection robot is used to remove the plastic preform from the heating furnace at the preform ejection station and transport the plastic preform to the flipping mechanism. The flipping mechanism is used to receive the plastic preform transported by the preform ejection robot and flip the plastic preform into an upright position with the bottle mouth facing upwards before transporting it to the subsequent blow molding device.

[0008] Furthermore, in the aforementioned plastic preform conveying device that can be used with a heating furnace, the structure of the preform ejection manipulator is the same as that of the preform infeeding manipulator. The structure of the flipping mechanism includes: a rotating disk mounted on the base and capable of rotating around its own axis; a plurality of plastic preform clamping and flipping units are installed circumferentially on the rotating disk; each plastic preform clamping and flipping unit includes: a swing cylinder and a second parallel gripper; the cylinder body of the swing cylinder is connected and fixed to the rotating disk; the cylinder body of the second parallel gripper is mounted on the rotating rod shaft of the swing cylinder; and a second plastic preform clamping part is respectively installed on the two claws of the second parallel gripper to cooperate in clamping the plastic preform.

[0009] Furthermore, in the aforementioned plastic preform conveying device that can be used with a heating furnace, one side of the flexible conveying unit is a preform feeding station, a preform feeding device is provided at the preform feeding station, and a plastic preform transfer robot is provided between the preform feeding device and the flexible conveying unit. The preform feeding device conveys the plastic preform to the preform feeding area on the preform feeding device, and the plastic preform transfer robot transfers the plastic preform from the preform feeding area on the preform feeding device to the flexible conveying unit.

[0010] Furthermore, the aforementioned plastic preform conveying device compatible with the heating furnace includes: a preform feeding device structure comprising: a plastic preform carrier, an upper conveyor belt, and a lower conveyor belt; the plastic preform carrier has a plurality of placement portions for placing plastic preforms evenly distributed at intervals; the lower conveyor belt is located below the upper conveyor belt, and a movable pallet located in the preform feeding area is provided on the output end side of the upper conveyor belt. The movable pallet is mounted on a support, defining the end of the movable pallet closer to the output end of the upper conveyor belt as the front end and the end of the movable pallet farther from the output end of the upper conveyor belt as the rear end. The rear end of the movable pallet is hinged to the support via a pivot. A flipping drive mechanism is provided between the front end of the movable pallet and the support, which can push the movable pallet to flip up and down around the pivot. Under the drive of the flipping drive mechanism, the movable pallet can flip upward to align with the output end of the upper conveyor belt or flip downward to align with the input end of the lower conveyor belt.

[0011] Furthermore, in the aforementioned plastic preform conveying device that can be used with a heating furnace, the structure of the flipping drive mechanism includes: a flipping cylinder, the cylinder body of which is hinged to the support, and the piston rod of which is hinged to the bottom of the front end of the movable pallet.

[0012] Furthermore, the aforementioned plastic preform conveying device that can be used with a heating furnace includes the following: the structure of the plastic preform transfer robot includes: a mounting frame, in which a horizontal moving module is provided, a translational support is installed on the translational motion block of the horizontal moving module, a lifting support is provided on the translational support, the lifting support is installed on the translational support through a lifting drive mechanism, the lifting drive mechanism can drive the lifting support to rise or fall, and a number of first grippers for clamping the plastic preform are installed on the lifting support.

[0013] Furthermore, in the aforementioned plastic preform conveying device that can be used with a heating furnace, the lifting drive mechanism includes a lifting cylinder, the cylinder body of which is connected to a translation bracket, and the piston rod of which is connected downward to the lifting bracket.

[0014] The second objective of this invention is to provide a plastic preform conveying method that is compatible with a heating furnace and can stably, reliably, and efficiently convey plastic preforms, thereby improving the yield of plastic preforms during the conveying process.

[0015] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a method for conveying plastic preforms in conjunction with a heating furnace, comprising the following steps: S1: The flexible conveying unit transports the plastic preform to the output area of ​​the flexible conveying unit. The feeding robot located at the feeding station of the heating furnace grabs and takes out the plastic preform in an inverted position with the bottle mouth facing down in the output area of ​​the flexible conveying unit. During this process, the running speed of the plastic preform in the output area is kept synchronized with the running speed of the gripper head of the feeding robot grabbing the plastic preform. That is, the plastic preform is conveyed in a follow-up manner between the flexible conveying unit and the feeding robot. S2: Then the billet feeding robot continues to transfer the plastic billet in an inverted position and insert it into the billet feeding head of the heating furnace.

[0016] Furthermore, in the aforementioned method for conveying plastic preforms in conjunction with a heating furnace, the flexible conveying unit can buffer a certain number of plastic preforms during operation.

[0017] Furthermore, the aforementioned method for conveying plastic preforms in conjunction with a heating furnace further includes: S3: The unloading robot located at the unloading station of the heating furnace grabs and removes the plastic blank in an inverted position that has been heated in the heating furnace and sent to the unloading station of the heating furnace; S4: Then, the inverted plastic preform taken out of the heating furnace is flipped over so that the plastic preform is upright with the bottle mouth facing up, and then the upright plastic preform is conveyed to the subsequent blow molding device.

[0018] Furthermore, in the aforementioned method for conveying plastic preforms in conjunction with a heating furnace, the structure of the flexible conveying unit includes: an intelligent conveying track controlled by a control unit, several transfer trolleys moving along the intelligent conveying track, each transfer trolley being independently controlled by the control unit, and a blank insert head for securing plastic preforms in an inverted position being installed on each transfer trolley.

[0019] Furthermore, in the aforementioned method for conveying plastic preforms in conjunction with a heating furnace, the structure of the feeding robot includes: a cam fixedly mounted on a support, and a turntable positioned above the cam. An inner ring steering track groove and an outer ring telescopic track groove are provided on the cam. A robot is mounted on the turntable, comprising: a mounting part hinged to the edge of the turntable via a vertical shaft; a steering part extending outward from one side of the mounting part; a steering roller rolled and embedded in the inner ring steering track groove at the bottom of the steering part; a radially penetrating groove in the mounting part; a telescopic part slidably connected in the groove and moving freely along the groove; a telescopic roller rolled and embedded in the outer ring telescopic track groove at the bottom of the telescopic part; a lifting cylinder fixed at the outer end of the telescopic part; a first parallel gripper mounted on the piston rod of the lifting cylinder facing downwards; and a first plastic preform clamping part for cooperating in clamping the plastic preform on each of the two gripper heads of the first parallel gripper.

[0020] Furthermore, in the aforementioned method for conveying a plastic preform in conjunction with a heating furnace, in step S4, a flipping mechanism is used to receive the plastic preform conveyed by the preform ejection robot, and the plastic preform is flipped into an upright position with the bottle mouth facing upwards before being conveyed to the subsequent blow molding device.

[0021] Furthermore, in the aforementioned method for conveying plastic preforms in conjunction with a heating furnace, the structure of the preform ejector is the same as that of the preform feeder; the structure of the flipping mechanism includes: a rotating disk mounted on a frame and capable of rotating around its own axis; a plurality of plastic preform clamping and flipping units are installed circumferentially on the rotating disk; each plastic preform clamping and flipping unit includes: a swing cylinder and a second parallel gripper; the cylinder body of the swing cylinder is connected and fixed to the rotating disk; the cylinder body of the second parallel gripper is mounted on the rotating shaft of the swing cylinder; and a second plastic preform clamping part for cooperating to clamp the plastic preform is installed on each of the two gripper heads of the second parallel gripper.

[0022] Furthermore, in the aforementioned method for conveying plastic preforms in conjunction with a heating furnace, in step S1, a plastic preform with its bottle mouth facing downwards and in an inverted position is conveyed by a preform feeding device to a preform feeding area on the preform feeding device. A plastic preform transfer robot then transfers the plastic preform in the preform feeding area of ​​the preform feeding device, still in an inverted position with its bottle mouth facing downwards, to a flexible conveying unit.

[0023] Furthermore, in the aforementioned method for conveying plastic preforms in conjunction with a heating furnace, the structure of the preform feeding device includes: a plastic preform carrier, an upper conveyor belt, and a lower conveyor belt; the plastic preform carrier has a plurality of placement portions for placing plastic preforms evenly distributed at intervals; the lower conveyor belt is located below the upper conveyor belt, and a movable pallet located in the preform feeding area is provided on the output end side of the upper conveyor belt. The movable pallet is mounted on a support, and the end of the movable pallet closer to the output end of the upper conveyor belt is defined as the front end, and the end of the movable pallet farther from the output end of the upper conveyor belt is defined as the rear end. The rear end of the movable pallet is hinged to the support via a pivot. A flipping drive mechanism is provided between the front end of the movable pallet and the support, which can push the movable pallet to flip up and down around the pivot. Under the drive of the flipping drive mechanism, the movable pallet can flip upward to connect with the output end of the upper conveyor belt, or it can flip downward to connect with the input end of the lower conveyor belt.

[0024] Furthermore, in the aforementioned method for conveying plastic preforms in conjunction with a heating furnace, the structure of the plastic preform transfer robot includes: a mounting frame, in which a horizontal moving module is provided, a translational support is installed on the translational motion block of the horizontal moving module, a lifting support is provided on the translational support, the lifting support is installed on the translational support through a lifting drive mechanism, the lifting drive mechanism can drive the lifting support to rise or fall, and a plurality of first grippers for clamping the plastic preform are installed on the lifting support.

[0025] Through the implementation of the above technical solutions, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: (1) the flexible conveying unit and the blanking manipulator can realize the follow-up conveying of plastic blanks between the two. In addition, the flexible conveying unit can also buffer the plastic blanks, so as to realize the continuous, stable and efficient orderly conveying of plastic blanks into the heating furnace, thereby improving the conveying efficiency of plastic blanks; (2) by utilizing the cooperation of the blank feeding device, the plastic blank transfer manipulator, the flexible conveying unit, the blanking manipulator, the blanking manipulator and the flipping mechanism, it is ensured that the plastic blanks do not come into contact or collide with each other throughout the entire process of the plastic blanks being sent into the heating furnace and the blow molding device. This not only enables the orderly, stable and safe flow and conveying of plastic blanks, improving the flow and conveying efficiency of plastic blanks, but also effectively prevents the plastic blanks from being damaged by collision during the conveying process, improving the efficiency of plastic blanks. (3) It can send the plastic preform into the heating furnace in an inverted position with the bottle mouth facing down. When the plastic preform is heated in the heating furnace, the bottle mouth of the plastic preform will always face down, while the hot air flow in the furnace will always flow upward. This can prevent the bottle mouth from being overheated and deformed by the upward hot air flow in the heating furnace, thus better protecting the bottle mouth of the plastic preform and ensuring the quality of the plastic preform after heating. (4) It can smoothly take out the plastic preform in an inverted position in the heating furnace and flip the plastic preform into an upright position with the bottle mouth facing up before sending it to the subsequent blow molding device. This ensures smooth production, further ensuring the high quality and efficiency of plastic preform transmission, and providing the upright position of the plastic preform for the subsequent blow molding process, ensuring the smooth progress of the blow molding process. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the plastic preform conveying device that can be used with a heating furnace according to the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the working state of the movable pallet in the billet feeding device when it is connected to the upper conveyor belt.

[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the working state of the movable pallet in the billet feeding device when it is connected to the lower conveyor belt.

[0029] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the plastic preform carrier.

[0030] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the working state of a plastic preform transfer robot when it grabs a plastic preform that has been transferred to the preform feeding station by the preform feeding device.

[0031] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working state of a plastic preform transfer robot as it transfers the plastic preform from the preform supply station to the flexible conveying unit.

[0032] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing the relative positions of the billet feeding device, the plastic billet transfer robot, and the flexible conveying unit in a top-down view.

[0033] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working state of a billet-feeding robot gripping a plastic billet that has been conveyed by a flexible conveyor unit.

[0034] Figure 9 This diagram illustrates the working state of a robotic arm that grips and lifts a plastic preform that has been conveyed by a flexible conveyor unit.

[0035] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram showing the working state of the billet feeding robot when it transfers the plastic billet to the top of the billet insertion head of the heating furnace.

[0036] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working state of the billet feeding robot as it transfers the plastic billet and places it onto the billet insertion head of the heating furnace.

[0037] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure when the billet feeding robot is hidden from view and only one robot is visible.

[0038] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram showing the working state when the billet-out robot and the flipping mechanism hand over the plastic billet.

[0039] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the working state when the flipping mechanism picks up the plastic blank, which is placed in an inverted position, and the robotic arm that handles it.

[0040] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the working state when the flipping mechanism flips the inverted plastic preform it has grasped into an upright position with the bottle opening facing upwards.

[0041] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the flipping mechanism viewed from above. Detailed Implementation

[0042] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0043] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Figure 9 , Figure 10 , Figure 11 , Figure 12, Figure 13 , Figure 14 , Figure 15 , Figure 16 As shown, a plastic preform conveying device that can be used with a heating furnace includes: a preform feeding robot 2 installed at the preform feeding station of the heating furnace 1; a preform loading station on one side of the preform feeding robot 2; a flexible conveying unit 3 installed at the preform loading station to transport plastic preforms 100 for the preform feeding robot 2; an output area on the flexible conveying unit 3 that outputs plastic preforms 100 to the preform feeding robot 2; when the preform feeding robot 2 grabs the plastic preforms 100 located in the output area of ​​the flexible conveying unit 3, the running speed of the plastic preforms 100 located in the output area is synchronized with the running speed of the preform feeding robot gripper head that grabs the plastic preforms 100, thereby realizing the follow-up conveying of the plastic preforms between the two; the preform feeding robot 2 can take out the plastic preforms 100 in the output area of ​​the flexible conveying unit 3 in an inverted position with the bottle mouth facing down, and transfer the plastic preforms 100 in an inverted position and insert them into the insert head 111 at the preform feeding station of the heating furnace 1.

[0044] In this embodiment, the flexible conveying unit 3 includes a closed-loop intelligent conveying track 311 controlled by a control unit. Several transfer trolleys 312 are mounted on the intelligent conveying track 311, moving along it. The running speed of each transfer trolley 312 is independently controlled by the control unit. An insert head 313 for securing an inverted plastic preform 100 is mounted on the top of each transfer trolley 312. The intelligent conveying track and transfer trolleys in the flexible conveying unit 2 of this invention utilize a magnetically driven flexible conveying system manufactured by Beckhoff Corporation, and therefore will not be described in detail here. Each transfer trolley 312 is equipped with an insert head 313. In this embodiment, see Figure 8 , Figure 9 , Figure 10 , Figure 11 , Figure 12As shown, the structure of the feeding robot 2 includes: a cam 212 fixedly mounted on a support, and a turntable 213 disposed above the cam 212. The turntable 213 is driven to rotate by a turntable drive mechanism. The turntable drive mechanism can be configured by mounting a driven sprocket on the central shaft of the turntable 213, mounting a motor on the support, mounting a drive sprocket on the output shaft of the motor, and winding a chain between the drive sprocket and the driven sprocket. The motor drives the turntable 213 to rotate through the cooperation of the drive sprocket, the driven sprocket, and the chain. The cam 212 is provided with an inner ring steering track groove 214 and an outer ring telescopic track groove 215, and the turntable 213 is provided with... A robotic arm 216 is provided, comprising: a mounting part 217, which is hinged to the edge of a turntable 213 via a vertical shaft 218; the mounting part 217 extends outward from its lower side to form a steering part 219; a steering roller 220 is provided at the bottom of the steering part 219 and is rolled and embedded in an inner ring steering track groove 214; a sliding groove is provided in the mounting part 217 and is radially penetrating the mounting part 217; a telescopic part 221 is slidably connected in the sliding groove and moves freely along the sliding groove; a telescopic roller 222 is provided at the bottom of the telescopic part 221 and is rolled and embedded in an outer ring telescopic track groove 215; and a [missing information - likely a component or element] is fixed at the outer end of the telescopic part 221. A lifting cylinder 223 has a piston rod pointing downwards and is equipped with a first parallel gripper 224. A first plastic preform gripping part 225 is installed on each of the two gripper heads of the first parallel gripper 224 to cooperate in gripping the plastic preform 100. The aforementioned feeding robot has a simple structure, is easy and stable to operate, and cooperates with the flexible conveying unit 3 during operation. This ensures that the running speed of the plastic preform 100 in the output area of ​​the flexible conveying unit 3 is synchronized with the running speed of the gripper heads of the feeding robot 2, thereby achieving a follow-up transfer of the plastic preform 100 between the flexible conveying unit 3 and the feeding robot 2. The loading robot can smoothly and orderly grasp the plastic preforms 100 conveyed by the flexible conveying unit, thereby realizing the continuous, stable, efficient and orderly conveying of the plastic preforms into the heating furnace. This not only improves the conveying efficiency of the plastic preforms, but also prevents them from colliding and being damaged during the conveying process, thus improving the yield of plastic preforms during the transmission process. In addition, since the running speed of each transfer trolley 312 in the flexible conveying unit 3 can be independently controlled, a number of plastic preforms 100 can be buffered in the flexible conveying unit 3, thereby further improving the conveying efficiency of the entire plastic preform conveying device and expanding its application scenarios.

[0045] In this embodiment, a blanking robot 4 is provided at the blanking station of the heating furnace 1, and a flipping mechanism 5 is provided on one side of the blanking robot 4. The blanking robot 4 is used to take the plastic blank 100 on the blanking station of the heating furnace 1 out of the heating furnace 1 and transport the plastic blank 100 to the flipping mechanism 5. The structure of the blanking robot 4 is the same as that of the blanking robot 2. The flipping mechanism 5 is used to receive the plastic blank 100 transported by the blanking robot 4 and flip the plastic blank 100 into an upright position with the bottle mouth facing upwards before transporting it to the subsequent blow molding device 6. See Figure 13 , Figure 14 , Figure 15 , Figure 16 As shown, the structure of the flipping mechanism 5 includes: a rotating disk 512 mounted on the base and capable of rotating around its own axis; the rotating disk drive mechanism can be achieved by mounting a driven sprocket on the central shaft of the rotating disk 512, mounting a motor on the support, mounting a driving sprocket on the output shaft of the motor, and winding a chain between the driving sprocket and the driven sprocket; the motor drives the rotating disk to rotate through the cooperation of the driving sprocket, the driven sprocket, and the chain; several plastic preform clamping and flipping units are installed circumferentially on the rotating disk 512, and each plastic preform clamping and flipping unit includes: a swing cylinder 513 and a second parallel gripper 514; the cylinder body of the swing cylinder 513 is connected to the rotating disk 512. The cylinder of the second parallel gripper 514 is fixed and mounted on the rotating shaft of the swing cylinder 513. The two claws of the second parallel gripper 514 are respectively equipped with second plastic preform clamping parts 515 for cooperating to clamp the plastic preform 100. Through the structural design and action coordination of the preform ejection robot and the flipping mechanism, the plastic preform in the inverted position in the heating furnace can be smoothly taken out, and the plastic preform is flipped into the upright position with the bottle mouth facing up and then transferred to the subsequent blow molding device. This not only ensures the stable, reliable, high-quality and efficient transfer of the plastic preform during the heating process, but also provides the plastic preform 100 in the upright position for the subsequent blow molding, ensuring the smooth progress of the blow molding process.

[0046] In this embodiment, one side of the flexible conveying unit 3 is a blank feeding station, and a blank feeding device 7 is provided at the blank feeding station. A plastic blank transfer robot 8 is provided between the blank feeding device 7 and the flexible conveying unit 3. The blank feeding device 7 transports the plastic blank 100 to the blank feeding area on the blank feeding device 7, and the plastic blank transfer robot 8 transfers the plastic blank 100 in the blank feeding area on the blank feeding device 7 to the flexible conveying unit 3.

[0047] In this embodiment, see Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4As shown, the structure of the blank feeding device 7 includes: a plastic blank carrier 711, an upper conveyor belt 712, and a lower conveyor belt 713; the plastic blank carrier 711 has a plurality of placement portions 714 evenly distributed at intervals for placing plastic blanks 100; in practical applications, the placement portions 714 of the plastic blank carrier 711 can be slots that are recessed downwards into the upper surface of the plastic blank carrier or protrusions that are protruding upwards from the upper surface of the plastic blank carrier; in this embodiment, the placement portion 714 of the plastic blank carrier 711 is a protrusion that protrudes upwards from the upper surface of the plastic blank carrier, and the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion is a conical surface with a diameter that gradually increases from top to bottom, which facilitates the quick, accurate, and stable placement of the plastic blank in the placement portion, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0048] The lower conveyor belt 713 is located below the upper conveyor belt 712. A movable pallet 715 is provided on the output end side of the upper conveyor belt 712, located in the billet feeding area. The movable pallet 715 is mounted on a bracket 716. The end of the movable pallet closer to the output end of the upper conveyor belt is defined as the front end, and the end farther from the output end of the upper conveyor belt is defined as the rear end. The rear end of the movable pallet 715 is hinged to the bracket 716 via a pivot 717. A flipping drive mechanism is provided between the front end of the movable pallet 715 and the bracket 716, capable of pushing the movable pallet 715 to flip up and down around the pivot 717. Under the drive of the flipping drive mechanism, the movable pallet 715 can flip upwards to be flush with the upper conveyor belt 712. The output end of the upper conveyor belt 712 is connected to the upper conveyor belt 712, or it can be flipped downwards to connect with the input end of the lower conveyor belt 713. The structure of the flipping drive mechanism includes: a flipping cylinder 718, the cylinder body of the flipping cylinder 718 is hinged to the bracket 716, and the piston rod of the flipping cylinder 718 is hinged to the bottom front end of the movable pallet 715. When the piston rod of the flipping cylinder 718 extends outwards, it can drive the movable pallet 715 to flip upwards around the rotating shaft 717 to connect with the output end of the upper conveyor belt 712. When the piston rod of the flipping cylinder 718 retracts inwards, it can drive the movable pallet 715 to flip downwards around the rotating shaft 717 to connect with the input end of the lower conveyor belt 713.

[0049] In this embodiment, as Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7As shown, the structure of the plastic preform transfer robot 8 includes: a mounting frame 811, in which a horizontal moving module 812 is installed. The horizontal moving module 812 adopts a structure consisting of a motor, a lead screw, and a translation block. The horizontal moving module 812 can be directly purchased from the market. A translation bracket 813 is installed on the translation block of the horizontal moving module 812. A lifting bracket 814 is installed on the translation bracket 813. The lifting bracket 814 is installed on the translation bracket 813 through a lifting drive mechanism, which can drive... The lifting support 814 rises or falls, and a plurality of first grippers 815 for holding the plastic preform 100 are installed on the lifting support 814. In this embodiment, the structure of the lifting drive mechanism includes: a lifting cylinder 816, the cylinder body of the lifting cylinder 816 is connected to the translation support 813, and the piston rod of the lifting cylinder 816 is connected downward to the lifting support 814. Through the structural design of the preform feeding device and the plastic preform transfer robot, the plastic preform can be continuously and stably supplied to the flexible conveying unit, ensuring continuous and orderly production.

[0050] like Figure 1 As shown, a method for conveying plastic preforms in conjunction with a heating furnace, using the aforementioned plastic preform conveying device, specifically includes the following steps: S1: S1.1: The plastic preform, which is in an inverted position with the bottle mouth facing down, is continuously and orderly transported by the preform feeding device to the preform feeding area on the preform feeding device.

[0051] In this embodiment, as Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4As shown, the structure of the blank feeding device 7 includes: a plastic blank carrier 711, an upper conveyor belt 712, and a lower conveyor belt 713; the plastic blank carrier 7 has a plurality of placement portions 714 evenly distributed at intervals for placing plastic blanks 100; in practical applications, the placement portions 714 of the plastic blank carrier 711 can be slots recessed downwards into the upper surface of the plastic blank carrier or protrusions protruding upwards from the upper surface of the plastic blank carrier; in this embodiment, the placement portions 714 of the plastic blank carrier 711 are protruding upwards. The plastic preform carrier has a protruding part on its upper surface, and the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion is a conical surface with a diameter that gradually increases from top to bottom. This facilitates the quick, accurate, and stable placement of the plastic preform into the mounting part, improving work efficiency. The lower conveyor belt 713 is located below the upper conveyor belt 712. A movable pallet 715 located in the preform feeding area is provided on the output end side of the upper conveyor belt 712. The movable pallet 715 is mounted on the bracket 716. The end of the movable pallet closest to the output end of the upper conveyor belt is defined as the front end, and the end furthest from the output end of the upper conveyor belt is defined as the front end. The movable pallet at the output end of the upper conveyor belt is the rear end. The rear end of the movable pallet 715 is hinged to the bracket 716 via a pivot 717. A flipping drive mechanism is provided between the front end of the movable pallet 715 and the bracket 716, which can push the movable pallet 715 to flip up and down around the pivot 717. Under the drive of the flipping drive mechanism, the movable pallet 715 can flip upward to connect with the output end of the upper conveyor belt 712, or it can flip downward to connect with the input end of the lower conveyor belt 713. The structure of the flipping drive mechanism is as follows: The structure includes: a tilting cylinder 718, the cylinder body of which is hinged to the bracket 716, and the piston rod of which is hinged to the bottom front end of the movable pallet 715; when the piston rod of the tilting cylinder 718 extends outward, it can drive the movable pallet 715 to tilt upward around the rotating shaft 717 to be in contact with the output end of the upper conveyor belt 712; when the piston rod of the tilting cylinder 718 retracts inward, it can drive the movable pallet 715 to tilt downward around the rotating shaft 717 to be in contact with the input end of the lower conveyor belt 713.

[0052] The specific process by which the preform feeding device 7 transports the plastic preforms 100 in an inverted position with the bottle mouth facing down to the preform feeding area in a spaced-apart arrangement is as follows: First, the plastic preform 100 is placed in the placement part 714 of the plastic preform carrier 711 of the preform feeding device 7 with the bottle mouth facing down. Each placement part 714 is defined as a full bottle plastic preform carrier with one inverted plastic preform 100 placed in it. Each placement part 714 without a plastic preform 100 placed in it is defined as an empty bottle plastic preform carrier. In the initial state, the piston rod of the tilting cylinder 718 of the preform feeding device 7 is in the extended state. At this time, the movable pallet 715 is connected to the upper conveyor belt 712.

[0053] Then, the full-bottle plastic preform carrier 711 is placed on the upper conveyor belt 712, and the upper conveyor belt 712 moves the full-bottle plastic preform carrier 711 toward the preform supply area until the full-bottle plastic preform carrier is located on the movable pallet 715. At this time, the full-bottle plastic preform carrier 711 is located in the preform supply area, thereby realizing the plastic preforms being arranged at intervals and transported to the preform supply area in an inverted posture with the bottle mouth facing down.

[0054] As the plastic preforms 100 in the full-bottle plastic preform carrier 711 are continuously transferred and transported to the flexible conveying unit 3 by the plastic preform transfer robot 8, when all the plastic preforms 100 on the full-bottle plastic preform carrier 711 are removed and it becomes an empty-bottle plastic preform carrier, the piston rod of the tilting cylinder 718 retracts inward, causing the movable pallet 715 to rotate downward around the rotating shaft 717 to connect with the input end of the lower conveyor belt 713. At this time, the empty-bottle plastic preform carrier will slide down along the tilted movable pallet 715 into the lower conveyor belt 713 and be output by the lower conveyor belt 713.

[0055] Next, the piston rod of the tilting cylinder 718 is extended outward to reset, so that the movable pallet 715 continues to be connected with the upper conveyor belt 712 to receive the full bottle plastic preform carrier 711 output by the upper conveyor belt 712.

[0056] Because the plastic preforms are always arranged at intervals during the preform feeding process, that is, adjacent plastic preforms 100 do not contact each other, and the plastic preforms 100 are always transported in an inverted posture with the bottle mouth facing down, it can effectively prevent the plastic preforms 100 from being damaged by collision during the transportation process, thereby improving product quality.

[0057] S1.2: Using the plastic preform transfer robot 8 set between the preform feeding device 7 and the flexible conveying unit 3, the plastic preforms 100 located in the preform feeding area of ​​the preform feeding device 7 are transferred one by one or in groups to the flexible conveying unit 3 while still in an inverted position with the bottle mouth facing down.

[0058] In this embodiment, as Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7As shown, the structure of the plastic preform transfer robot 8 includes: a mounting frame 811, in which a horizontal moving module 812 is provided, the horizontal moving module 812 adopts a structure of motor, lead screw and translation block; a translation bracket 813 is installed on the translation block of the horizontal moving module 812, and a lifting bracket 814 is provided on the translation bracket 813. The lifting bracket 814 is installed on the translation bracket 813 through a lifting drive mechanism, which can drive the lifting bracket 814 to rise or fall. Several first grippers 815 for clamping the plastic preform 100 are installed on the lifting bracket 814. In this embodiment, the structure of the lifting drive mechanism includes: a lifting cylinder 816, the cylinder body of the lifting cylinder 816 is connected to the translation bracket 813, and the piston rod of the lifting cylinder 816 is connected downward to the lifting bracket 814.

[0059] The process by which the plastic preform transfer robot 8 transfers the plastic preforms 100 located in the preform feeding area of ​​the preform feeding device 7, still in an inverted position with the bottle mouth facing down, one by one or in groups, to the flexible conveying unit 3 is as follows: First, each first gripper 815 opens and aligns with the plastic preform 100 in the full-bottle plastic preform carrier 711 located in the preform supply area. Then, the horizontal moving module 812 drives the translation bracket 813 and each first gripper 815 to move toward the plastic preform 100 in the full-bottle plastic preform carrier 711 located in the preform supply area until each first gripper 815 grabs the plastic preform 100.

[0060] Then the lifting cylinder 816 is activated, which drives each of the first grippers 815 to lift, and simultaneously drives the plastic preform 100 held by the first grippers 815 to lift, so that the plastic preform 100 is released from the plastic preform carrier 711.

[0061] Then, the horizontal moving module 812 drives the translation bracket 813 and the first gripper 815 holding the plastic preform 100 to move towards the flexible conveying unit 3 until the plastic preform 100 held by the first gripper 815 is directly above the insertion head 313 of the transfer trolley 312 of the flexible conveying unit 3. Then, the lifting cylinder 816 is activated, driving the first gripper 815 to descend, and simultaneously driving the plastic preform 100 held by the first gripper 815 to descend, thereby inserting the plastic preform 100 into the corresponding transfer trolley 312. The blank insertion head 313 of the carriage 312 realizes the transfer of plastic blanks 100 in the blank supply area in an inverted posture to the flexible conveying unit 3 one by one or group by group; when the number of the first grippers 815 of the plastic blank transfer robot 8 is one, the plastic blanks 100 are transferred one by one; when the number of the first grippers 815 of the plastic blank transfer robot 8 is multiple, the plastic blanks 100 are transferred group by group; during the group transfer, each plastic blank is always kept in an inverted posture and adjacent plastic blanks do not contact each other.

[0062] S1.3: The flexible conveying unit 3 transports the plastic preform 100 to the output area of ​​the flexible conveying unit 3. The feeding robot 2 located at the feeding station of the heating furnace grabs and takes out the plastic preform 100 in an inverted position with the bottle mouth facing down in the output area of ​​the flexible conveying unit 3. During this process, the running speed of the plastic preform 100 in the output area of ​​the flexible conveying unit 3 is kept synchronized with the running speed of the gripper head of the feeding robot 2 that grabs the plastic preform 100. That is, the plastic preform is conveyed in a follow-up manner between the flexible conveying unit 3 and the feeding robot 2.

[0063] In this embodiment, the flexible conveying unit 3 includes a closed-loop intelligent conveying track 311 controlled by a control unit, and several transfer trolleys 312 moving along the intelligent conveying track 311. The running speed of each transfer trolley 312 is independently controlled by the control unit. A blank insertion head 313 for placing the plastic preform 100 is installed on the top of each transfer trolley 312. The intelligent conveying track and transfer trolleys in the flexible conveying unit 2 of this invention adopt the magnetic drive flexible conveying system manufactured by Beckhoff Corporation, so it will not be described in detail here. The present invention provides a blank insertion head 313 on the transfer trolley 312.

[0064] After the transfer trolley 312 in the flexible conveying unit 3 receives the inverted plastic blank 100 output by the plastic blank transfer robot 8 through its blank insertion head 313, since the running speed of each transfer trolley 312 in the flexible conveying unit 3 can be independently controlled, a number of plastic blanks 100 can be buffered in the flexible conveying unit 3, thereby further improving the conveying efficiency of the entire plastic blank conveying device and expanding its application.

[0065] S2: Then the billet feeding robot 2 continues to transport the plastic billet in an inverted position and insert it into the billet feeding head 111 at the billet feeding station of the heating furnace 1.

[0066] In this embodiment, as Figure 8 , Figure 9 , Figure 10 , Figure 11 , Figure 12As shown, the structure of the feeding robot 2 includes: a cam 212 fixedly mounted on a support, and a turntable 213 disposed above the cam 212. The turntable 213 is driven to rotate by a turntable drive mechanism. The turntable drive mechanism can be configured by mounting a driven sprocket on the central shaft of the turntable 213, mounting a motor on the support, mounting a drive sprocket on the output shaft of the motor, and winding a chain between the drive sprocket and the driven sprocket. The motor drives the turntable 213 to rotate through the cooperation of the drive sprocket, the driven sprocket, and the chain. An inner ring steering track groove 214 and an outer ring telescopic track groove 215 are provided on the cam 212. A robot 216 is disposed on the turntable 213. The robot 216 includes: a mounting part 217, which is hinged to a vertical shaft 218. The turntable 213 extends outward from the lower side of the mounting part 217 to form a turning part 219. A turning roller 220 is provided at the bottom of the turning part 219 and is rolled and embedded in the inner ring turning track groove 214. A sliding groove is provided in the mounting part 217 and is radially penetrating the mounting part 217. A telescopic part 221 that moves freely along the sliding groove is slidably connected in the sliding groove. A telescopic roller 222 is provided at the bottom of the telescopic part 221 and is rolled and embedded in the outer ring telescopic track groove 215. A lifting cylinder 223 is fixed at the outer end of the telescopic part 221. The piston rod of the lifting cylinder 223 faces downward and is equipped with a first parallel air gripper 224. A first plastic blank clamping part 225 for cooperating to clamp the plastic blank 100 is respectively installed on the two gripper heads of the first parallel air gripper 224.

[0067] During operation, the robotic arm 216 rotates with the turntable 213. As the robotic arm 216 rotates with the turntable 213, it moves along the inner ring turning track groove 214 via the turning roller 220 of its turning part 219 to achieve turning, so that the robotic arm 216 can be at an angle that facilitates the handover of the plastic blank. At the same time, the robotic arm 216 extends and retracts via the telescopic roller 222 of its telescopic part 221 along the outer ring telescopic track groove 215, so that the robotic arm 216 can be at a position that facilitates the handover of the plastic blank 100.

[0068] The specific process of the feeding robot 2 taking out the plastic preform 100 from the output area of ​​the flexible conveying unit 3 and transferring the plastic preform 100 one by one in an inverted position to the insert head 111 of the feeding station of the heating furnace 1 is as follows: After the manipulator 216 in the blank feeding manipulator 2 rotates with the turntable 213 to the corresponding blank insertion head 313 in the output area of ​​the flexible conveying unit 3, the running speed of the blank insertion head 313 in the output area is synchronized with the running speed of the first parallel gripper 224 of the manipulator 216. The first parallel gripper 224 of the manipulator 216 controls its pair of first plastic blank clamping parts 225 to grab the plastic blank 100 that is now clamped on the corresponding blank insertion head 313. Then, the lifting cylinder 223 of the manipulator 216 drives the first parallel gripper 224 to move upward, and simultaneously drives the plastic blank 100 clamped by the first plastic blank clamping parts 225 to move upward until the plastic blank 100 is removed from the blank insertion head 313 of the corresponding transfer trolley 312 of the flexible conveying unit 3.

[0069] Then, the robotic arm 216 continues to rotate with the turntable 213 to directly above the furnace insert head 111 of the furnace 1 located at the blank feeding station. Then, the lifting cylinder 223 drives the first parallel gripper 224 to move down, and simultaneously drives the plastic blank 100 held by the first plastic blank clamping part 225 to move down until the plastic blank 100 is fitted onto the corresponding furnace insert head 111 of the furnace 1. Then, the first parallel gripper 224 controls the first plastic blank clamping part 225 to release the plastic blank 100, thereby realizing the removal of the plastic blank 100 from the flexible conveying unit 3 and the transfer of the plastic blank 100 one by one to the blank feeding station of the furnace 1 while maintaining an inverted posture.

[0070] The heating furnace 1 keeps the plastic preform 100 in an inverted position and transports it from the infeed station to the outfeed station along a circular conveying track. During this conveying process, the heating furnace 7 heats the inner wall of the plastic preform 100 from the inside and simultaneously heats the outer wall of the plastic preform 100 from the outside, thus completing the heating of the plastic preform 100.

[0071] S3: The unloading robot 4 located at the unloading station of the heating furnace grabs and removes the plastic preform 100 in an inverted position that has been heated in the heating furnace 1 and sent to the unloading station of the heating furnace. In this embodiment, the structure of the billet unloading robot 4 is the same as that of the billet feeding robot 2; as follows Figure 13 , Figure 14 , Figure 15 , Figure 16As shown, the structure of the flipping mechanism 5 includes: a rotating disk 512 mounted on the base and capable of rotating around its own axis; the rotating disk drive mechanism can be achieved by mounting a driven sprocket on the central shaft of the rotating disk 512, mounting a motor on the support, mounting a driving sprocket on the output shaft of the motor, and winding a chain between the driving sprocket and the driven sprocket; the motor drives the rotating disk to rotate through the cooperation of the driving sprocket, the driven sprocket, and the chain; a plurality of plastic preform clamping and flipping units are installed circumferentially on the rotating disk 512, and each plastic preform clamping and flipping unit includes: a swing cylinder 513 and a second parallel gripper 514; the cylinder body of the swing cylinder 513 is connected and fixed to the rotating disk 512; the cylinder body of the second parallel gripper 514 is mounted on the rotating rod shaft of the swing cylinder 513; and a second plastic preform clamping part 515 for cooperating in clamping the plastic preform 100 is installed on each of the two claws of the second parallel gripper 514.

[0072] The process by which the billet-unloading robot 4 removes the plastic billets 100 one by one from the billet-unloading station of the heating furnace 1 is as follows: After the robot arm 216 in the billet unloading robot arm 4 rotates to the billet unloading station with the turntable 213, the first parallel gripper 224 of the robot arm 216 will control its pair of first plastic billet clamping parts 225 to grab the plastic billet 100 that has been transported to the billet unloading station by the heating furnace 1. Then, the lifting cylinder 223 of the robot arm 216 drives the first parallel gripper 224 to move upward, and simultaneously drives the plastic billet 100 held by the first plastic billet clamping parts 225 to move upward until the plastic billet 100 is separated from the corresponding heating furnace insert head 111 of the heating furnace 1. Then, the robot arm 216 continues to rotate with the turntable 213, thereby taking the plastic billet 100 from the billet unloading station out of the heating furnace 1 and transporting the plastic billet 100 in an inverted posture to the flipping mechanism 5.

[0073] S4: Then the flipping mechanism 5 flips the plastic preform taken out of the heating furnace in an inverted position, so that the plastic preform is in an upright position with the bottle mouth facing up, and then the upright plastic preform is conveyed to the subsequent blow molding device 6. The process of the flipping mechanism 5 receiving the plastic preform 100 conveyed by the preform ejection robot 4, and flipping the inverted plastic preform 100 into an upright position with the bottle mouth facing upwards before conveying it to the blow molding device 6 is as follows: In the flipping mechanism 5, the second parallel pneumatic gripper 514 in the plastic blank clamping and flipping unit that transfers the plastic blank with the blanking robot 4 controls its pair of second plastic blank clamping parts 515 to clamp the plastic blank 100 transferred by the robot arm 216 of the blanking robot 4; then the robot arm 216 of the blanking robot 4 that transfers the plastic blank with the flipping mechanism 6 releases the transferred plastic blank 100.

[0074] Then, the plastic blank clamping and flipping unit in the flipping mechanism 5, which has completed the handover of the plastic blank with the blanking robot 4, continues to rotate with the rotating disk 512 through the flipping area. During the process of the plastic blank clamping and flipping unit passing through the flipping area, the swing cylinder 513 in the plastic blank clamping and flipping unit is activated, which drives the second parallel gripper 514 and the plastic blank 100 held by the second plastic blank clamping part 515 to rotate 180°, so that the plastic blank is flipped from the inverted posture to the upright posture with the bottle mouth facing up. After the plastic blank clamping and flipping unit flips the plastic blank to the upright posture, the plastic blank clamping and flipping unit continues to rotate with the rotating disk 512 toward the blow molding device 6, thereby conveying the upright plastic blank 100 to the blow molding device 6.

[0075] The advantages of this invention are: (1) The flexible conveying unit and the blanking manipulator can achieve the follow-up conveying of plastic blanks between the two. In addition, the flexible conveying unit can also buffer the plastic blanks, so as to realize the continuous, stable and efficient orderly conveying of plastic blanks into the heating furnace, thereby improving the conveying efficiency of plastic blanks; (2) By utilizing the cooperation of the blank feeding device, the plastic blank transfer manipulator, the flexible conveying unit, the blanking manipulator, the blanking manipulator and the flipping mechanism, it is ensured that the plastic blanks do not come into contact or collide with each other throughout the entire process of the plastic blanks being fed into the heating furnace and the blow molding device. This not only enables the orderly, stable and safe flow and conveying of plastic blanks, improving the flow and conveying efficiency of plastic blanks, but also effectively prevents the plastic blanks from being damaged by collision during the conveying process, improving the plastic blanks in the transmission process. The yield rate of the preform and the yield rate of the finished product after blow molding; (3) The plastic preform can be sent into the heating furnace in an inverted position with the bottle mouth facing down. When the plastic preform is heated in the heating furnace, the bottle mouth of the plastic preform will always face down, while the hot air flow in the furnace will always flow upward. This can prevent the bottle mouth from being overheated and deformed by the upward hot air flow in the heating furnace, and better protect the bottle mouth of the plastic preform, thereby ensuring the quality of the plastic preform after heating; (4) The plastic preform in an inverted position in the heating furnace can be taken out smoothly, and the plastic preform can be flipped into an upright position with the bottle mouth facing up and then transferred to the subsequent blow molding device. This ensures smooth production, further ensuring the high quality and efficiency of plastic preform transfer, and providing the upright position of the plastic preform for the subsequent blow molding, ensuring the smooth progress of the blow molding process.

[0076] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any other way. Any modifications or equivalent changes made based on the technical essence of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention.

Claims

1. A plastic preform conveying device compatible with a heating furnace, characterized in that: A billet feeding robot is installed at the billet feeding station of the heating furnace. One side of the billet feeding robot is a billet loading station. A flexible conveying unit is installed at the billet loading station to transport the plastic preforms for the billet feeding robot. The area on the flexible conveying unit that outputs the plastic preforms to the billet feeding robot is the output area. When the billet feeding robot grasps the plastic preform located in the output area of ​​the flexible conveying unit, the running speed of the plastic preform in the output area is synchronized with the running speed of the gripper head of the billet feeding robot, thereby achieving follow-up conveying of the plastic preform between the two. The billet feeding robot can remove the plastic preform in an inverted position (bottle mouth facing down) from the output area of ​​the flexible conveying unit, and transfer the plastic preform in an inverted position and insert it into the billet insertion head at the billet feeding station of the heating furnace. One side of the flexible conveying unit is a billet feeding station, where a billet feeding device is installed. A plastic billet transfer robot is installed between the billet feeding device and the flexible conveying unit. The billet feeding device transports the plastic billet to the billet feeding area on the billet feeding device, and the plastic billet transfer robot transfers the plastic billet from the billet feeding area on the billet feeding device to the flexible conveying unit. The billet feeding device includes: a plastic billet carrier, an upper conveyor belt, and a lower conveyor belt; the plastic billet carrier has several evenly spaced placement parts for placing plastic billets; the lower conveyor belt is located below the upper conveyor belt, and a movable pallet located in the billet feeding area is provided on the output end side of the upper conveyor belt. The movable pallet is mounted on a support, and the end of the movable pallet closer to the output end of the upper conveyor belt is defined as the front end, and the end of the movable pallet farther from the output end of the upper conveyor belt is defined as the rear end. The rear end of the movable pallet is hinged to the support through a rotating shaft. A flipping drive mechanism is provided between the front end of the movable pallet and the support, which can push the movable pallet to flip up and down around the rotating shaft. Under the drive of the flipping drive mechanism, the movable pallet can flip upward to connect with the output end of the upper conveyor belt, or it can flip downward to connect with the input end of the lower conveyor belt.

2. The plastic preform conveying device compatible with a heating furnace according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible conveying unit includes: a closed-loop intelligent conveying track controlled by a control unit; several transfer trolleys moving along the intelligent conveying track; each transfer trolley is independently controlled by the control unit; and each transfer trolley is equipped with a blank insert head for securing an inverted plastic blank.

3. The plastic preform conveying device compatible with a heating furnace according to claim 1, characterized in that: The structure of the blank feeding robot includes: a cam fixedly mounted on a support, and a turntable disposed above the cam. The cam is provided with an inner ring steering track groove and an outer ring telescopic track groove. The robot is disposed on the turntable. The robot includes: a mounting part, which is hinged to the edge of the turntable via a vertical shaft. One side of the mounting part extends outward to form a steering part. A steering roller is provided at the bottom of the steering part and is rolled and embedded in the inner ring steering track groove. A sliding groove is provided in the mounting part and is radially penetrating the mounting part. A telescopic part that moves freely along the sliding groove is slidably connected in the sliding groove. A telescopic roller is provided at the bottom of the telescopic part and is rolled and embedded in the outer ring telescopic track groove. A lifting cylinder is fixed at the outer end of the telescopic part. The piston rod of the lifting cylinder faces downward and is mounted with a first parallel gripper. A first plastic blank clamping part for cooperating to clamp the plastic blank is respectively mounted on the two gripper heads of the first parallel gripper.

4. The plastic preform conveying device compatible with a heating furnace according to claim 1, 2, or 3, characterized in that: A blanking robot is installed at the blanking station of the heating furnace, and a flipping mechanism is installed on one side of the blanking robot. The blanking robot is used to take the plastic blank from the heating furnace at the blanking station and transport the plastic blank to the flipping mechanism. The flipping mechanism is used to receive the plastic blank transported by the blanking robot and flip the plastic blank into an upright position with the bottle mouth facing upwards before transporting it to the subsequent blow molding device.

5. The plastic preform conveying device compatible with a heating furnace according to claim 4, characterized in that: The structure of the billet unloading robot is the same as that of the billet feeding robot. The structure of the flipping mechanism includes: a rotating disk mounted on the machine base and capable of rotating around its own axis; several plastic billet clamping and flipping units are installed circumferentially on the rotating disk; each plastic billet clamping and flipping unit includes: a swing cylinder and a second parallel gripper; the cylinder body of the swing cylinder is connected and fixed to the rotating disk; the cylinder body of the second parallel gripper is mounted on the rotating rod shaft of the swing cylinder; and a second plastic billet clamping part is installed on each of the two claws of the second parallel gripper to cooperate in clamping the plastic billet.

6. The plastic preform conveying device compatible with a heating furnace according to claim 1, characterized in that: The structure of the tilting drive mechanism includes: a tilting cylinder, the cylinder body of which is hinged to the bracket, and the piston rod of which is hinged to the bottom front end of the movable support plate.

7. The plastic preform conveying device compatible with a heating furnace according to claim 1 or 6, characterized in that: The structure of the plastic preform transfer robot includes: a mounting frame, a horizontal moving module in the mounting frame, a translation support mounted on the translation block of the horizontal moving module, a lifting support mounted on the translation support, the lifting support mounted on the translation support by a lifting drive mechanism, the lifting drive mechanism can drive the lifting support to rise or fall, and several first grippers for clamping the plastic preform are mounted on the lifting support.

8. The plastic preform conveying device compatible with a heating furnace according to claim 7, characterized in that: The lifting drive mechanism includes a lifting cylinder, the cylinder body of which is connected to the translation bracket, and the piston rod of which is connected downward to the lifting bracket.

9. A method for conveying plastic preforms in conjunction with a heating furnace, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: S1: The flexible conveying unit transports the plastic preform to the output area of ​​the flexible conveying unit. The feeding robot located at the feeding station of the heating furnace grabs and takes out the plastic preform in an inverted position with the bottle mouth facing down in the output area of ​​the flexible conveying unit. During this process, the running speed of the plastic preform in the output area is kept synchronized with the running speed of the gripper head of the feeding robot grabbing the plastic preform. That is, the plastic preform is conveyed in a follow-up manner between the flexible conveying unit and the feeding robot. S2: Then the billet feeding robot continues to transfer the plastic billet in an inverted position and insert it into the billet feeding head of the heating furnace; In step S1, the preform feeding device transports the plastic preform with the bottle mouth facing down and in an inverted position to the preform feeding area on the preform feeding device. The plastic preform in the preform feeding area on the preform feeding device is then transferred to the flexible conveying unit while still in an inverted position with the bottle mouth facing down using a plastic preform transfer robot. The billet feeding device includes: a plastic billet carrier, an upper conveyor belt, and a lower conveyor belt; the plastic billet carrier has several evenly spaced placement parts for placing plastic billets; the lower conveyor belt is located below the upper conveyor belt, and a movable pallet located in the billet feeding area is provided on the output end side of the upper conveyor belt. The movable pallet is mounted on a support, and the end of the movable pallet closer to the output end of the upper conveyor belt is defined as the front end, and the end of the movable pallet farther from the output end of the upper conveyor belt is defined as the rear end. The rear end of the movable pallet is hinged to the support through a rotating shaft. A flipping drive mechanism is provided between the front end of the movable pallet and the support, which can push the movable pallet to flip up and down around the rotating shaft. Under the drive of the flipping drive mechanism, the movable pallet can flip upward to connect with the output end of the upper conveyor belt, or it can flip downward to connect with the input end of the lower conveyor belt.

10. A method for conveying a plastic preform in conjunction with a heating furnace according to claim 9, characterized in that: The flexible conveying unit can buffer a certain number of plastic preforms during operation.

11. A method for conveying plastic preforms in conjunction with a heating furnace according to claim 9, characterized in that: Also includes: S3: The unloading robot located at the unloading station of the heating furnace grabs and removes the inverted plastic blank that has been heated in the heating furnace and sent to the unloading station of the heating furnace; S4: Then, the inverted plastic preform taken out of the heating furnace is flipped over so that the plastic preform is upright with the bottle mouth facing up, and then the upright plastic preform is conveyed to the subsequent blow molding device.

12. A method for conveying a plastic preform in conjunction with a heating furnace according to claim 9, 10, or 11, characterized in that: The flexible conveying unit includes: an intelligent conveying track controlled by a control unit, several transfer trolleys moving along the intelligent conveying track, each transfer trolley being independently controlled by the control unit, and a blank insert head for securing plastic blanks in an inverted position installed on each transfer trolley.

13. A method for conveying a plastic preform in conjunction with a heating furnace according to claim 9, 10, or 11, characterized in that: The structure of the blank feeding robot includes: a cam fixedly mounted on a support, and a turntable disposed above the cam. The cam is provided with an inner ring steering track groove and an outer ring telescopic track groove. The robot is disposed on the turntable. The robot includes: a mounting part, which is hinged to the edge of the turntable via a vertical shaft. One side of the mounting part extends outward to form a steering part. A steering roller is provided at the bottom of the steering part and is rolled and embedded in the inner ring steering track groove. A sliding groove is provided in the mounting part and is radially penetrating the mounting part. A telescopic part that moves freely along the sliding groove is slidably connected in the sliding groove. A telescopic roller is provided at the bottom of the telescopic part and is rolled and embedded in the outer ring telescopic track groove. A lifting cylinder is fixed at the outer end of the telescopic part. The piston rod of the lifting cylinder faces downward and is mounted with a first parallel gripper. A first plastic blank clamping part for cooperating to clamp the plastic blank is respectively mounted on the two claws of the first parallel gripper.

14. A method for conveying a plastic preform in conjunction with a heating furnace according to claim 9, 10, or 11, characterized in that: In step S4, the plastic preform conveyed by the preform robot is received by the flipping mechanism, and the plastic preform is flipped into an upright position with the bottle mouth facing upwards before being conveyed to the subsequent blow molding device.

15. A method for conveying a plastic preform in conjunction with a heating furnace according to claim 14, characterized in that: The structure of the billet unloading robot is the same as that of the billet feeding robot; the structure of the flipping mechanism includes: a rotating disk mounted on the frame and capable of rotating around its own axis, and several plastic billet clamping and flipping units are installed circumferentially on the rotating disk. The structure of each plastic billet clamping and flipping unit includes: a swing cylinder and a second parallel gripper. The cylinder body of the swing cylinder is connected and fixed to the rotating disk, and the cylinder body of the second parallel gripper is mounted on the rotating rod shaft of the swing cylinder. A second plastic billet clamping part for cooperating to clamp the plastic billet is installed on the two claws of the second parallel gripper.

16. A method for conveying a plastic preform in conjunction with a heating furnace according to claim 9, characterized in that: The structure of the plastic preform transfer robot includes: a mounting frame, a horizontal moving module in the mounting frame, a translation support mounted on the translation block of the horizontal moving module, a lifting support mounted on the translation support, the lifting support mounted on the translation support by a lifting drive mechanism, the lifting drive mechanism can drive the lifting support to rise or fall, and several first grippers for clamping the plastic preform are mounted on the lifting support.

Images