Knife, fork and spoon raw material sorting device

Abstract

The invention discloses a knife, fork and spoon raw material sorting device which is provided with a primary sorting system, a fine sorting system and a counting and bundling system, and the problems that traditional manual sorting is low in efficiency and poor in precision, and automatic sorting cannot be achieved are solved. The primary selection system achieves automatic conveying and single-branch separation of wool through a climbing belt, a material filtering belt and a sorting brush, and a visual sensor and a suction cup accurately transfer the wool to a conveying chain. The fine selection system recognizes qualification and placement directions of knives, forks and spoons by using a visual sensor II and an AI image processor, and rejects unqualified products and sorts and conveys the knives, forks and spoons in A / B directions are realized through a rejecting assembly and a direction adjusting assembly; the counting and bundling system completes quantitative stacking through a counter and a stacking chain, and material recycling and centralized treatment are achieved through a material returning unit and a waste recycling unit. The device is high in sorting efficiency and suitable for an automatic assembly line of knife, fork and spoon type tool manufacturing enterprises, and efficient sorting and standardized packaging of knife, fork and spoon raw materials are achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of cutlery, fork and spoon production equipment, and in particular to a cutlery, fork and spoon raw material sorting device. Background Art

[0002] With the booming catering industry, demand for tableware such as cutlery continues to rise. Cutlery production typically involves multiple steps, with raw material sorting being a crucial step in ensuring product quality and production efficiency. In traditional cutlery production, raw material sorting plays a crucial role in the entire process, with its effectiveness and efficiency directly impacting subsequent processing, packaging, and other steps.

[0003] Currently, some cutlery manufacturers still rely on manual sorting of raw cutlery. Manual sorting is not only labor-intensive but also extremely inefficient. A skilled worker might only be able to sort a limited number of cutlery pieces per day, far from meeting the demands of large-scale production. For example, a medium-sized tableware manufacturer processes thousands of cutlery pieces daily. Manual sorting is difficult to complete within the required timeframe, resulting in extended production cycles and increased costs.

[0004] Manual sorting is limited by subjective judgment and visual fatigue, making it difficult to guarantee accurate sorting. Over long periods of time, workers are prone to omissions or errors, leading to substandard products being mixed in with qualified ones, impacting overall product quality. For example, it's difficult for humans to accurately identify and sort knives, forks, and spoons with minor flaws or misplaced orientation.

[0005] During the accumulation of raw materials, cutlery, forks, and spoons tend to overlap. Existing sorting equipment and methods are limited in their ability to handle overlapping materials, making it difficult to effectively separate these materials into individual pieces for subsequent processing. This can prevent the partially overlapping materials from being accurately sorted, reducing sorting accuracy and efficiency.

[0006] During the sorting process, it's necessary to distinguish the orientation of cutlery (e.g., A or B) and sort them by type. However, most existing sorting technologies are unable to achieve this automated sorting and conveying function, often requiring additional manual work, increasing labor costs and the potential for error.

[0007] In recent years, while some companies have attempted to use automated equipment to sort raw cutlery, forks, and spoons, these devices often suffer from complex structures, high costs, and poor adaptability. Some equipment can only sort cutlery of specific specifications or shapes, failing to adapt to diverse product demands. Furthermore, these devices still lack sorting accuracy, handling of overlapping raw materials, and automated sorting and conveying, failing to fundamentally address the challenges of existing sorting technologies.

[0008] In summary, the existing cutlery, fork and spoon raw material sorting technology can no longer meet the needs of modern tableware manufacturers for efficient, accurate and low-cost production. There is an urgent need for a new type of cutlery, fork and spoon raw material sorting device to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the shortcomings of the prior art and propose a cutlery, fork and spoon raw material sorting device, comprising a frame, the frame is arranged in a T shape as a whole, and is provided with a primary selection system, a fine selection system and a counting and stacking system; the cutlery, fork and spoon raw materials are sorted by the primary selection system and the fine selection system, and then counted and stacked.

[0010] Preferably, the primary selection system includes: The silo is used to collect the raw materials of cutlery, forks and spoons; A material pouring chute, wherein a climbing belt is provided between the material pouring chute and the material bin, and the cutlery, fork and spoon raw materials are transported to the material pouring chute via the climbing belt; The guide groove is used to receive the cutlery, fork and spoon wool poured out from the pouring trough; a filter belt is slidably arranged inside the guide groove, and a retaining wall is provided on the filter belt for receiving the cutlery, fork and spoon wool; The sorting brush is used to sort the overlapping cutlery, fork and spoon hairs, and the remaining hairs are attached to the filter belt in single pieces; Visual sensor 1 is used to monitor the cutlery and fork on the filter belt. When it detects that the cutlery is attached to a certain filter belt, it controls the corresponding filter belt motor to stop working and wait for the suction cup to absorb it. The suction cup is used to absorb the cutlery and fork materials on the filter belt and transport them to the transport chain.

[0011] Preferably, the climbing belt extends obliquely upward from the bottom of the silo to the upper part of the pouring chute, and the climbing belt is driven by a driving motor.

[0012] Preferably, the sorting brush is located above the filter material belt, and the sorting brush is driven by a brush driving motor arranged on one side of the frame so as to rotate continuously.

[0013] Preferably, the visual sensor is fixed to the frame via a bracket and arranged above the filter belt.

[0014] Preferably, the transport chain is mounted on a frame and driven by a transport chain drive motor; the transport chain is provided with an inverted triangular open cutlery, fork and spoon placement slot.

[0015] Preferably, the beneficiation system comprises: Visual sensor 2 is used to capture images of the cutlery and spoon on the transport chain, convert the corresponding image signals into electrical signals, and transmit them to the AI ​​image processor via a data transmission line; The AI ​​image processor is used to process the image of the cutlery and fork raw materials and control the operation of the rejection component and the direction adjustment component. The image processing includes checking whether the cutlery is qualified and whether it is placed in the A direction or the B direction. A rejection component is used to reject unqualified cutlery, forks and spoons. The rejection component uses high-pressure airflow or other methods to remove unqualified cutlery, forks and spoons to the outside of the transport chain; The direction adjustment component is used to absorb and move the cutlery placed in the B direction to the auxiliary conveyor belt; so that the cutlery placed in the A direction is on the main conveyor belt, and the cutlery placed in the B direction is on the auxiliary conveyor belt.

[0016] Preferably, the counting stacking system includes a counter, which is fixedly mounted at the end of the main conveyor belt and the auxiliary conveyor belt, respectively, for counting the number of knives, forks and spoons; It also includes a stacking chain, which is provided with corresponding stacking boundary teeth. When a preset number of cutlery, forks and spoons enter the corresponding stacking chain, the driving motor of the stacking chain is started, thereby driving the stacking chain to move, thereby completing the stacking of the corresponding number of cutlery, forks and spoons.

[0017] Preferably, the primary selection system further comprises a material return unit, which comprises a material return motor 1, a material return belt 1, a rotating hopper, a material return motor 2, and a material return belt 2; The return belt 1 is located below the lowest end of the filter belt, the highest end of the rotary hopper is located below the highest end of the return belt, the highest end of the return belt 2 is located below the lowest end of the rotary hopper, and the lowest end of the return belt 2 is above the silo.

[0018] Preferably, the primary screening system further comprises a waste recovery unit, which comprises a waste recovery hopper, and the waste recovery hopper is located at the lower part of the highest end of the filter belt and is used to receive the waste after primary screening by the visual sensor.

[0019] Compared with the existing technology, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: 1. The silo and the climbing belt work together: The silo can effectively collect the cutlery, fork, and spoon materials together, preventing them from being scattered and facilitating subsequent processing. The climbing belt extends upward from the bottom of the silo to the top of the discharge chute. Driven by a drive motor, it can automatically transport the materials from the silo to the discharge chute, achieving continuous transportation of the materials, saving time and energy for manual handling, and greatly improving the efficiency of the materials entering the primary selection process.

[0020] 2. Filter Belt and Bumper Design: The filter belt within the guide trough is equipped with bumpers to effectively block cutlery, forks, and spoons, ensuring orderly movement of the material on the filter belt, providing a good foundation for subsequent sorting and adsorption operations. Furthermore, the sliding design of the filter belt can be adjusted according to actual needs, increasing the flexibility of the primary separation system.

[0021] 3. Function of the sorting brush: The sorting brush is located above the filter belt and is driven by the brush drive motor to rotate continuously. It can effectively sort the overlapping cutlery, fork and spoon materials, so that the remaining materials are attached to the filter belt in single pieces, avoiding the confusion and errors that may be caused by the simultaneous delivery of multiple materials, and improving the accuracy of subsequent processing.

[0022] 4. Visual Sensor 1 and Suction Cup Collaboration: Visual Sensor 1, positioned above the filter belt, monitors the presence of cutlery, forks, and spoons on the belt in real time. When it detects a piece of material clinging to a particular strip of filter belt, the corresponding filter belt motor stops, allowing the suction cup to absorb it. The suction cup accurately captures individual pieces of material from the belt and transports them to the conveyor chain, ensuring precise transfer and orderly transport of individual pieces along the conveyor chain.

[0023] 5. Vision Sensor 2 combined with an AI image processor: Vision Sensor 2 captures images of cutlery on the conveyor chain and transmits the image signal to the AI ​​image processor. The AI ​​image processor processes the images of the cutlery, fork, and spoon, checking their conformity and orientation (A or B). This provides accurate information for subsequent rejection and orientation adjustment, effectively improving product quality.

[0024] 6. Functions of the Rejection and Direction Adjustment Components: The rejection component removes unqualified cutlery and spoons from the conveyor chain using high-pressure airflow and other methods, preventing them from entering subsequent processes and ensuring the final product's pass rate. The direction adjustment component attracts and moves cutlery placed in the B-direction onto the secondary conveyor, enabling the classified conveyance of cutlery in the A-direction on the main conveyor and cutlery in the B-direction on the secondary conveyor. This facilitates subsequent counting and bundling of cutlery in the same direction.

[0025] 7. Counter statistical function: The counters are fixedly installed at the end of the main conveyor belt and the auxiliary conveyor belt, which can accurately count the number of knives, forks and spoons, providing accurate data support for subsequent stacking and bundling.

[0026] 8. Stacking operation of stacking chain: The stacking chain is provided with corresponding stacking boundary teeth. When a preset number of cutlery, forks and spoons enter the corresponding stacking chain, the driving motor of the stacking chain is started, driving the stacking chain to move, thereby completing the stacking of the corresponding number of cutlery, forks and spoons, realizing standardized packaging of cutlery, forks and spoons, and improving production efficiency and product standardization.

[0027] 9. Function of the return material unit: The return material unit includes a return material motor 1, a return material belt 1, a rotating hopper, a return material motor 2, and a return material belt 2. It can transport the raw materials that have not been effectively processed below the lowest end of the filter belt back to the silo, realizing the recycling of the raw materials and reducing production costs.

[0028] 10. Function of waste recovery unit: The waste recovery hopper of the waste recovery unit is located below the highest end of the filter belt. It can receive the waste after the initial screening by the visual sensor, which is convenient for centralized treatment of waste, reduces the impact of waste on the production environment, and is also conducive to the rational use of resources.

[0029] In summary, the cutlery, fork and spoon raw material sorting device improves the sorting efficiency and quality of cutlery, fork and spoon raw materials through the coordinated work of various systems and components, reduces production costs, realizes the automation and standardization of the cutlery, fork and spoon production process, and has significant economic and social benefits. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall process of a cutlery, fork and spoon raw material sorting device proposed by the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic flow chart of the primary selection system of a cutlery, fork and spoon raw material sorting device proposed by the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the process flow of a selection system of a cutlery, fork and spoon raw material sorting device proposed by the present invention; Figure 4 The present invention provides a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a cutlery, fork and spoon raw material sorting device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments.

[0032] Referring to the figure, this embodiment provides a cutlery, fork and spoon raw material sorting device, including a frame, the frame is arranged in a T shape as a whole, and the frame is provided with a primary selection system 1, a fine selection system 2 and a counting code stacking system 3; the cutlery, fork and spoon raw materials are sorted by the primary selection system and the fine selection system 2, and then counted and stacked 3.

[0033] Furthermore, the primary selection system 1 includes: The silo 11 is used to collect the raw materials of cutlery, fork and spoon; A material pouring chute 12, wherein a climbing belt 13 is provided between the material pouring chute 12 and the silo 11, and the cutlery, fork and spoon raw materials are transported to the material pouring chute 12 via the climbing belt 13; The guide groove is used to receive the cutlery, fork and spoon wool poured out from the pouring trough 12; a filter belt 15 is slidably arranged inside the guide groove, and a retaining wall is provided on the filter belt 15 for receiving the cutlery, fork and spoon wool; A sorting brush 17 is used to sort the overlapping cutlery, fork and spoon hairs, and the remaining hairs are attached to the filter belt 15 in single pieces; The visual sensor 18 is used to monitor the cutlery and fork on the filter belt 15. When it is detected that the cutlery is attached to a certain filter belt 15, the corresponding filter belt motor is controlled to stop working and wait for the suction cup 19 to absorb. The suction cup 19 is used to absorb the cutlery, fork and spoon wool on the filter material belt 15 and transport the cutlery, fork and spoon wool to the transport chain 110 by absorption.

[0034] Furthermore, the climbing belt 13 extends obliquely upward from the bottom of the silo to the upper part of the discharge chute 12, and the climbing belt is driven by a drive motor. Furthermore, the climbing belt is provided with a plurality of material transport protrusions 111 for facilitating material hanging.

[0035] Furthermore, the sorting brush 17 is located above the filter material belt 15, and the sorting brush is driven by a brush driving motor 112 provided on one side of the frame so as to rotate continuously.

[0036] Furthermore, the visual sensor 18 is fixed to the frame through a bracket and arranged above the filter belt 15.

[0037] Furthermore, the transport chain 110 is mounted on the frame and driven by a transport chain drive motor; an inverted triangular open cutlery and spoon placement slot is provided on the transport chain 110. The inverted triangular open cutlery and spoon placement slot can further facilitate the placement of cutlery and spoon into the slot and arrange them neatly.

[0038] Furthermore, the selection system 2 includes: The second visual sensor 21 is used to capture the image of the knife, fork and spoon on the transport chain 110, and convert the corresponding image signal into an electrical signal and transmit it to the AI ​​image processor 22 via the data transmission line; The AI ​​image processor 22 is used to process the image of the cutlery and fork and spoon raw materials and control the operation of the rejection component 23 and the direction adjustment component 24; the image processing includes checking whether the cutlery and fork are qualified and whether the cutlery and fork are placed in the A direction or the B direction; The rejection component 23 is used to reject unqualified cutlery, forks and spoons. The rejection component uses high-pressure airflow or other means to reject unqualified cutlery, forks and spoons to the outside of the transport chain; the example in the figure of this application uses a central processor to control the opening of the high-pressure air pump, and then controls the air pump to spray high-pressure airflow, blowing unqualified cutlery, forks and spoons into the material guide channel, thereby realizing the rejection function.

[0039] The direction adjustment assembly 24 is used to attract and move the cutlery placed in the B-direction direction onto the secondary conveyor 25, placing the cutlery placed in the A-direction direction on the primary conveyor and the cutlery placed in the B-direction direction on the secondary conveyor. The direction adjustment assembly 24 illustrated in the present application includes a suction cup mounting bracket 241 and a sliding frame 242. The suction cup is fixedly mounted on the suction cup mounting bracket. When the cutlery placed in the B-direction direction moves into the direction adjustment area, the central processing unit controls the drive motor to drive the suction cup mounting bracket 241 onto the sliding frame 242, and through a series of operations, the cutlery placed in the B-direction direction is moved onto the secondary conveyor 25.

[0040] Furthermore, the counting and stacking system 3 includes a counter 31, which is fixedly mounted at the ends of the main conveyor belt and the auxiliary conveyor belt 25, respectively, for counting the number of cutlery and spoons; It also includes a stacking chain 32, which is provided with corresponding stacking boundary teeth 33. When a preset number of cutlery, forks and spoons enter the corresponding stacking chain, the driving motor of the stacking chain is started, thereby driving the stacking chain to move, thereby completing the stacking of the corresponding number of cutlery, forks and spoons.

[0041] Furthermore, the primary selection system further includes a return material unit, which includes a return material motor 1, a return material belt 113, a rotating hopper 114, a return material motor 2, and a return material belt 2 115; The return belt 1 is located below the lowest end of the filter belt, the highest end of the rotary hopper is located below the highest end of the return belt, the highest end of the return belt 2 is located below the lowest end of the rotary hopper, and the lowest end of the return belt 2 is above the silo.

[0042] Furthermore, the primary selection system also includes a waste recovery unit, which includes a waste recovery hopper. The waste recovery hopper is located at the lower part of the highest end of the filter belt and is used to receive waste after primary screening by the visual sensor.

[0043] The working principle process of the above embodiment is as follows: First, the cutlery, fork, and spoon raw materials are collected in the hopper and then transported upwards by a climbing belt to the discharge chute. The climbing belt is driven by a drive motor to achieve continuous feeding and avoid manual handling. After being discharged from the discharge chute, the wool enters the guide trough. The disordered wool is guided by the guide trough and falls on the filter belt in one direction. The barrier on the filter belt restricts the direction of wool movement. The sorting brush rotates at high speed to separate the overlapping wool into single pieces and attach them to the filter belt. The visual sensor monitors the filter belt in real time. When a single piece of wool is detected, the corresponding filter belt motor is stopped. The suction cup absorbs the wool and places it in the triangular open groove of the conveyor chain to ensure transportation stability.

[0044] The conveyor chain drives the wool material past Vision Sensor 2, which captures an image and transmits it to the AI ​​image processor. The processor identifies the wool material's conformity and placement direction (A or B).

[0045] After identification, unqualified materials are rejected and the rejection component blows unqualified raw materials away from the transport chain through high-pressure airflow.

[0046] After rejection, the direction is adjusted: the direction adjustment component absorbs the B-direction wool to the auxiliary conveyor belt, and the A-direction wool remains on the main conveyor belt to achieve classified transportation.

[0047] Counters at the ends of the main and auxiliary conveyor belts count the number of raw materials in real time. The stacking teeth of the stacking chain trigger the drive motor when the preset number (such as 20 pieces) is reached, pushing the raw materials to the designated location to complete standardized stacking.

[0048] In the above process, the device also sets up a return material and waste material recovery process: the wool material that is not adsorbed on the filter belt during the primary selection process falls into the return material belt 1, and is re-transported to the silo through the transfer hopper and the return material belt 2, reducing the waste of wool material.

[0049] Once the visual sensor detects unqualified wool, it will not stop or perform adsorption actions. The unqualified wool will continue to rotate with the filter belt until it reaches the highest point and fall into the waste recovery bucket (21) for centralized collection, so as to facilitate unified treatment.

[0050] The above specific embodiments further illustrate the objectives, technical solutions, and beneficial effects of the present invention. It should be understood that the above are merely specific embodiments of the present invention, and the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitution or modification made by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed herein using the technical solutions and inventive concepts of the present invention should be covered by the scope of protection of the present invention. For example, many drive structures mentioned in this application are not specifically illustrated because each transmission mechanism can be specifically configured based on existing technology and specific customer requirements.

[0051] In addition, in the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms indicating orientation or positional relationships are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0052] Furthermore, in the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, terms such as "mounted," "connected," "connect," and "fixed" should be understood broadly. For example, they may refer to fixed or detachable connections, or integration; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components or interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on specific circumstances.

Claims

1. A cutlery, fork and spoon raw material sorting device, comprising a frame, the frame being arranged in a T-shape as a whole, characterized in that: The frame is provided with a primary selection system, a fine selection system and a counting and stacking system; the cutlery, fork and spoon raw materials are sorted by the primary selection system and the fine selection system and then counted and stacked.

2. A cutlery, fork and spoon wool sorting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The primary selection system includes: The silo is used to collect the raw materials of cutlery, forks and spoons; A material pouring chute, wherein a climbing belt is provided between the material pouring chute and the material bin, and the cutlery, fork and spoon raw materials are transported to the material pouring chute via the climbing belt; The guide groove is used to receive the cutlery, fork and spoon wool poured out from the pouring trough; a filter belt is slidably arranged inside the guide groove, and a retaining wall is provided on the filter belt for receiving the cutlery, fork and spoon wool; The sorting brush is used to sort the overlapping cutlery, fork and spoon hairs, and the remaining hairs are attached to the filter belt in single pieces; Visual sensor 1 is used to monitor the cutlery and fork on the filter belt. When it detects that the cutlery is attached to a certain filter belt, it controls the corresponding filter belt motor to stop working and wait for the suction cup to absorb it. The suction cup is used to absorb the cutlery and fork materials on the filter belt and transport them to the transport chain.

3. A cutlery, fork and spoon wool sorting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The climbing belt extends obliquely upward from the bottom of the silo to the upper part of the pouring chute, and the climbing belt is driven by a driving motor.

4. A cutlery, fork and spoon hair material sorting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sorting brush is located above the filter material belt, and the sorting brush is driven by a brush driving motor arranged on one side of the frame so as to rotate continuously.

5. The cutlery, fork and spoon wool sorting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The visual sensor 1 is fixed on the frame through a bracket and arranged above the filter material belt.

6. The transport chain is installed on the frame and driven by the transport chain drive motor; the transport chain is provided with an inverted triangular open knife, fork and spoon placement groove.

7. The cutlery, fork and spoon wool sorting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The selected system includes: Visual sensor 2 is used to capture images of the cutlery and spoon on the transport chain, convert the corresponding image signals into electrical signals, and transmit them to the AI ​​image processor via a data transmission line; The AI ​​image processor is used to process the image of the cutlery and fork raw materials and control the operation of the rejection component and the direction adjustment component. The image processing includes checking whether the cutlery is qualified and whether it is placed in the A direction or the B direction. A rejection component is used to reject unqualified cutlery, forks and spoons. The rejection component uses high-pressure airflow or other methods to remove unqualified cutlery, forks and spoons to the outside of the transport chain; The direction adjustment component is used to absorb and move the cutlery placed in the B direction to the auxiliary conveyor belt; so that the cutlery placed in the A direction is on the main conveyor belt, and the cutlery placed in the B direction is on the auxiliary conveyor belt.

8. The cutlery, fork and spoon wool sorting device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The counting and stacking system includes counters, which are fixedly installed at the ends of the main conveyor belt and the auxiliary conveyor belt respectively, and are used to count the number of knives, forks and spoons; It also includes a stacking chain, which is provided with corresponding stacking boundary teeth. When a preset number of cutlery, forks and spoons enter the corresponding stacking chain, the driving motor of the stacking chain is started, thereby driving the stacking chain to move, thereby completing the stacking of the corresponding number of cutlery, forks and spoons.

9. A cutlery, fork and spoon wool sorting device according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that: The primary selection system further includes a material return unit, which includes a material return motor 1, a material return belt 1, a rotating hopper, a material return motor 2, and a material return belt 2; The return belt 1 is located below the lowest end of the filter belt, the highest end of the rotary hopper is located below the highest end of the return belt, the highest end of the return belt 2 is located below the lowest end of the rotary hopper, and the lowest end of the return belt 2 is above the silo.

10. A cutlery, fork and spoon wool sorting device according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that: The primary screening system also includes a waste recovery unit, which includes a waste recovery hopper. The waste recovery hopper is located at the lower part of the highest end of the filter belt and is used to receive waste after primary screening by the visual sensor.

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