Automatic caching and stacking device and method for unqualified cigarette cartons and cigarette carton packaging production line

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic caching and stacking device for unqualified cigarette cartons and a working method of the automatic caching and stacking device, and belongs to the technical field of cigarette packaging. The device comprises a carton cigarette guide slide way, a carton cigarette shifting mechanism and a carton cigarette temporary storage unit. Unqualified cigarette cartons are removed from the main conveying channel through the removing mechanism and then slide into the guiding slide way, and the slide way enables the cigarette cartons to stably enter the shifting mechanism through the guiding and limiting component. And the shifting mechanism comprises a cigarette shifting drum wheel arranged below the supporting bottom plate, symmetrical shifting arms are arranged on the drum wheel, and the shifting arms penetrate through the avoiding grooves of the supporting bottom plate and are driven by a servo to shift the cigarette cartons to the caching unit one by one. The temporary storage unit comprises a liftable bearing platform, a double-lead-screw synchronous belt driving mechanism, a guide plate and a limiting frame, and multi-layer transverse stacking and automatic temporary storage of cigarette cartons are achieved. The device can be integrated with a cigarette packaging production line, automatic identification, shifting and orderly caching of unqualified cigarettes are achieved, and the production efficiency and the quality control capacity are improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of tobacco production packaging equipment, in particular to an automatic storage and stacking device for unqualified cigarettes, a working method of the device, and a cigarette packaging production line. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the automatic process of cigarette production and packaging, in order to ensure product quality and smooth operation of subsequent processes, an online quality detection system is usually set at the back end of the cigarette packaging process to identify and determine the appearance integrity, packaging tightness, and barcode information of each cigarette in real time. When the detection system identifies unqualified cigarettes, it needs to separate them from the main conveying channel in time through a matching rejection device and introduce them into a special unqualified product processing channel to avoid flowing into the normal packaging process.

[0003] In early or partial production lines, unqualified cigarettes rejected by the rejection device are mainly collected and temporarily stored by manual operation. The specific method includes: the operator manually takes the unqualified cigarettes from the rejection area and places them in a specially designed box, turnover cabinet, or storage tray one by one. This method is simple in structure and low in cost, but it is labor-intensive, cannot continuously and stably cope with high-speed production, and cannot form a standardized record and traceable storage management mechanism.

[0004] To alleviate the labor load, some technical solutions begin to introduce semi-automatic collection structures, such as a receiving box with a buffer sponge under the rejection channel, a buffer groove with a limiting structure, or an inclined slide rail guide structure. These structures improve the convenience and receiving capacity of cigarette recovery to some extent, but the falling posture of the cigarettes is uncontrollable, and the operator needs to replace or clean the full storage in time, and the posture of the cigarettes is inconsistent, affecting the efficiency of subsequent sorting, recycling, or reuse.

[0005] In more advanced designs, some equipment also attempts to use a low-speed conveyor belt or a slowly moving buffer turntable as a transition platform to make the rejected cigarettes move at a certain speed to the manual collection area or the buffer mechanism. This method can theoretically alleviate the accumulation problem caused by the intensive rejection in a short time, but due to structural limitations, the buffer space is limited, and the conveyor belt, turntable, and other structures still lack effective stacking and positioning control. However, the cigarettes are prone to jumping, slipping, or colliding during the conveying process, the cigarettes are stacked disorderly, occupy a large space, cannot effectively coordinate with the main line rhythm, and are difficult to form a flexible linkage mechanism.

[0006] Therefore, it is evident that current methods for collecting and buffering substandard cigarette cartons in cigarette packaging production lines, ranging from manual operation to semi-automatic structures and then to basic dynamic conveying platforms, while improving operational efficiency and buffering capacity to some extent, still generally suffer from core problems such as low automation levels, poor utilization of buffer space, low stacking efficiency, and poor system linkage. These issues make it difficult to meet the demands of modern cigarette packaging production, which requires high-speed operation, high stability, and high intelligence. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop an automatic collection and stacking device with a compact structure, orderly feeding, neat stacking, and flexible buffering to better improve the automation and intelligence level of the substandard cigarette carton processing process. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the aforementioned deficiencies or defects in the existing technology, the present invention provides an automatic buffering and stacking device for defective cigarette packs, comprising: The cigarette pack guide slide is used to guide the unqualified cigarette packs after rejection. It has guide components and limiting components to guide the cigarette packs into the cigarette pack delivery mechanism along a preset path. The cigarette feeding mechanism includes a cigarette feeding drum wheel and a servo drive unit mounted on a support base plate; the end of the cigarette feeding guide slide is aligned with one side of the support base plate, and a limiting mechanism and a photoelectric detector are set on the other side of the support base plate; two sets of feeding arms are symmetrically arranged on the cigarette feeding drum wheel, and the drum wheel feeds a cigarette to the downstream buffer unit every 180 degrees under the drive of the servo motor. The cigarette pack buffer unit includes a support platform, a lifting mechanism, a guide plate, and a limiting frame. The support platform is used to receive cigarette packs delivered by the feeding mechanism and arrange them in sequence for stacking. The lifting mechanism is a double screw synchronous belt drive structure, which can drive the support platform to descend layer by layer until it is full.

[0008] In some embodiments, the cigarette guide chute has a U-shaped structure, with a guide strip at the inlet end and limiting plates on both sides to guide the cigarettes smoothly into the chute.

[0009] In some embodiments, the cigarette-dispensing drum is disposed below the support base plate, the support base plate is provided with a clearance groove, and the dispensing arm of the cigarette-dispensing drum passes through the clearance groove and extends above the support base plate for dispensing the cigarettes located on the support base plate. The cigarette-dispensing drum is driven to rotate by a servo motor mounted on the mounting base via a transmission structure, which includes a drive wheel, a driven wheel, and a synchronous belt. The photoelectric detector is used to detect the cigarette pack's arrival signal and trigger the dispensing action. The limiting mechanism is set on the support base plate to limit the position of the cigarette pack during the dispensing process.

[0010] In some embodiments, the cigarette-dispensing drum is equipped with two dispensing arms, which dispense one pack of cigarettes every 180 degrees of rotation, ensuring the continuity of the rhythm.

[0011] In some embodiments, in the cigarette buffer unit, the lifting mechanism comprises a first screw assembly and a second screw assembly symmetrically arranged on both sides of the bearing platform, a driving servo motor and a synchronous belt transmission structure for transmitting power, the servo motor is fixedly arranged on the bottom structure of the buffer device, and the two screw assemblies are synchronously rotated by the synchronous belt to drive the bearing platform to lift; the guide plate and the limiting frame are arranged on the top of the machine body, are used for guiding the cigarette to fall into the bearing platform and realizing position limiting, and make the cigarettes arrange on the platform in sequence, each layer forms a preset number of arrangements, after a layer is full, the bearing platform is lowered by a cigarette height to stack the next layer.

[0012] In some embodiments, the synchronous belt transmission structure comprises a driving wheel, a driven wheel, a plurality of tensioning wheels and a synchronous belt, the servo motor is installed on the support bottom plate, the synchronous belt is driven to move by the driving wheel, and the synchronous belt is connected with the transmission shafts of the first screw assembly and the second screw assembly respectively, so as to realize the synchronous rotation of the two screws.

[0013] In some embodiments, the guide plate is arranged on both sides above the bearing platform and is distributed in a V shape, is used for horizontally positioning the falling cigarette and preventing the cigarette from sliding; the limiting frame is arranged outside the guide plate, is used for overall restraining the boundary of the cigarette arrangement area, and ensures that the cigarettes are neatly stacked; The bearing platform is provided with a plurality of horizontal positioning ribs or anti-skid strips, which are used for preventing the cigarette from slipping or deviating during stacking, so as to ensure that each layer of cigarette is stably stacked.

[0014] In some embodiments, the device further comprises an alarm unit for monitoring the buffer capacity, when the bearing platform is lowered to a preset lowest position, the alarm device is triggered to send a signal to prompt that the buffer is full, after the cigarette is manually taken out, the bearing platform returns to the initial position through the reset button.

[0015] The application also provides an automatic collection and buffer method of unqualified cigarettes. The method is applied to the automatic collection and buffer device of unqualified cigarettes described above, and comprises the following steps: 1) when the online detection system determines that the cigarette is unqualified, the rejection mechanism is triggered to act to push the cigarette out of the main conveying path and make the cigarette slide into the unqualified cigarette guide chute; 2) the unqualified cigarette slides onto the support bottom plate of the poking mechanism along the guide chute and stops at a preset limiting position; 3) after the photoelectric detector detects the cigarette in-place signal, the cigarette poking drum in the poking mechanism is rotated by 180 degrees under the servo driving, the poking arm passes through the position-avoiding groove of the support bottom plate to poke the cigarette to the bearing platform of the downstream buffer unit; 4) the cigarettes are arranged on the bearing platform in sequence, when a layer is full, the bearing platform is lowered by a cigarette height under the control of the lifting mechanism. 5) Repeat steps 3) to 4) until the carrying platform reaches the cache limit height and stops working and triggers a prompt, the operator removes the cached cigarette, and controls the carrying platform to reset to the initial position.

[0016] The application also provides a cigarette packaging production line, comprising a cigarette supply device, an online quality detection device, a rejection mechanism, a main conveying channel, and an automatic collection and caching device for unqualified cigarettes installed on one side of the main conveying channel. The online quality detection device is used to detect the appearance, packaging integrity or identification information of the cigarettes in real time and send a rejection signal after identifying unqualified cigarettes. The rejection mechanism pushes the unqualified cigarettes out of the main conveying channel according to the rejection signal, and completes the transfer and orderly caching of the cigarettes through the automatic collection and caching device for unqualified cigarettes.

[0017] The automatic collection and caching device for unqualified cigarettes provided by the application overcomes the problems of low efficiency, high damage, serious space waste, and rough control logic in the existing art, and has the following technical advantages: The whole process of cigarette rejection and caching is automated. The device can realize full-process automatic control from rejection, unqualified product conveying, directional transfer to orderly caching without changing the structure of the existing packaging production line, avoiding the uncontrollability of manual operation, and greatly improving the system automation level and operation stability.

[0018] The transfer mechanism design improves the feeding accuracy and continuity. The rotating cigarette transfer drum structure is used instead of the common cylinder push rod method, effectively avoiding the problems of jamming and collision caused by the indefinite spacing of unqualified cigarettes and the untimely reset of the push rod, ensuring the rhythm and continuity of the cigarette transfer process, and improving the feeding accuracy and response efficiency.

[0019] The caching device has dynamic layering and stacking capability. The carrying platform combines with the double-screw synchronous lifting structure, so that the cigarettes can be orderly stacked in a single-layer full-load and automatic descent logic during the caching process, realizing efficient arrangement of the cigarettes in the spatial direction, significantly improving the space utilization rate of the caching device, and avoiding the volume waste caused by chaotic posture.

[0020] It has strong adaptability and versatility, compact structure, reasonable layout, and is easy to install at the rejection port of various packaging machines, suitable for different types and capacities of cigarette packaging production lines. Through the interface signal, it can be linked with the existing quality detection system and rejection mechanism, and has good system integration capability.

[0021] The appearance of the cigarette is more protected, and the unqualified cigarette is in a controlled sliding or directional guiding state in the whole process of conveying, dialing and buffering, so that the adverse conditions such as falling, collision or rebound are effectively avoided, the secondary damage caused by the buffering process is significantly reduced, and the integrity and reusable value of the recovered cigarette are improved.

[0022] The operation is visual and convenient for maintenance, the buffering box body is provided with a visual protection door and a full material prompting function, so that the operator can clean the material in time as needed, the whole machine is assembled by standardized components, maintenance and replacement are convenient, and the operation and maintenance cost of the whole machine is reduced.

[0023] Other features and advantages of the present application will be described in detail in the subsequent specific embodiment part. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 is the overall structure schematic diagram of the automatic buffering and stacking device of the present application; Figure 2 is the perspective view of the cigarette guiding slide; Figure 3 is the perspective view of the cigarette dialing mechanism; Figure 4 is the perspective view of the cigarette dialing drum; Figure 5 is the overall appearance schematic diagram of the cigarette buffering unit; Figure 6 is Figure 5 the internal structure schematic diagram; Figure 7 is the perspective view of the lifting mechanism part.

[0025] MARKING OF THE DRAWINGS 1-cigarette guiding slide, 1a-guiding strip, 1b-limiting plate; 2-cigarette dialing mechanism, 2a-supporting bottom plate, 2a1-avoiding groove, 2b-dialing drum, 2b1-dialing arm, 2c-servo driving unit, 2d-limiting mechanism, 2e-photoelectric detector; 3-cigarette buffering unit, 3a-carrying platform, 3b-lifting mechanism, 3b1-first lead screw assembly, 3b2-second lead screw assembly, 3b3-driving servo motor, 3b4-synchronous belt transmission structure, 3c-guiding plate, 3d-limiting frame; 4-cigarette. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The specific embodiments of the present application are described in detail below. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to illustrate and explain the present application, and are not used to limit the present application.

[0027] In the present application, the orientation words such as "upper, lower" used without the opposite description generally refer to the orientation in the assembled and used state. "Inner, outer" refers to the inner and outer relative to the outline of each component itself.

[0028] The present application provides an automatic storage and stacking device for unqualified cigarettes 4, which is suitable for automatic rejection and centralized collection and processing of unqualified products in a cigarette packaging production line, mainly including: a cigarette guide chute 1, a cigarette pushing mechanism 2, and a cigarette storage unit 3.

[0029] During use, when the online detection system identifies a certain cigarette 4 as unqualified product, the rejection mechanism pushes the cigarette 4 out of the main conveying path and into the cigarette guide chute 1. The cigarette guide chute 1 is a U-shaped channel with guide members and limiting members, which can make the rejected cigarette 4 slide smoothly and stably into the pushing mechanism area. The outlet of the chute is butt jointed with one side of the support bottom plate 2a of the pushing mechanism, which ensures the natural transition of the cigarette 4 and its positioning at the waiting position.

[0030] The cigarette pushing mechanism 2 uses a cigarette pushing drum 2b structure to realize directional intermittent feeding. The drum is arranged below the support bottom plate 2a, and two groups of pushing arms 2b1 are symmetrically arranged on the drum, which can push the cigarette 4 to be pushed into the downstream storage unit through the position-avoiding groove 2a1 provided on the bottom plate. The drum is driven by a servo motor, which drives it to rotate at a set pace through a transmission structure. Each rotation of 180 degrees pushes one cigarette 4, thereby ensuring that the cigarette 4 enters the storage module in a continuous and stable rhythm. The support bottom plate 2a is provided with a limiting mechanism 2d and a photoelectric detector 2e, which are used to assist in realizing the in-place detection of the cigarette 4 and the control of the pushing rhythm.

[0031] The cigarette storage unit 3 is used for orderly stacking and storing the pushed cigarettes 4. Its core is composed of a lifting carrying platform 3a provided in the box, which is lowered by a double-screw synchronous belt driving mechanism. When a layer of cigarettes 4 is full on the platform, the control system drives the platform to descend by one cigarette 4 height to make space for the next layer of stacking. During the platform descending process, the arrangement direction and boundary constraint of the cigarettes 4 are controlled by the guide plate 3c and the limiting frame 3d provided at the top, which ensures that the cigarettes 4 are arranged horizontally and neatly, without slipping or toppling.

[0032] The device can also be configured with an alarm and reset unit, which is used to remind the worker to take out when the storage capacity reaches the preset limit, and to realize the automatic reset of the carrying platform 3a after being emptied, entering a new round of storage process.

[0033] Overall, the application realizes the whole process automation of unqualified cigarettes 4 from rejection, guidance, and sending to orderly stacking through modular structural design and collaborative motion control logic, has high control precision, work rhythm, and space utilization efficiency, and is suitable for unqualified product management in a high-speed cigarette packaging production line.

[0034] The cigarette guiding slide 1 (refer to the attached Figure 1 , the attached Figure 2 ), the cigarette guiding slide 1 is arranged below the unqualified cigarette 4 rejection port of the cigarette packaging production line, the inlet thereof is connected with the push-out channel of the rejection mechanism, and the unqualified cigarette 4 is received and guided to the downstream sending area. The rejection mechanism is usually a group of push rods or swing arm structures, and after receiving the unqualified signal from the online detection system, the corresponding cigarette 4 is pushed out of the main conveying channel and slides into the guiding slide.

[0035] To ensure the stability of the entering posture of the cigarette 4 and the smoothness of the sliding process, the guiding slide adopts a U-shaped channel structure, the inner bottom surface of which is smooth and has a certain downward angle, so that the cigarette 4 can slide by gravity. The guiding strip 1a is arranged at the inlet section of the slide, which is used to preliminarily guide the position of the received cigarette 4, so as to avoid the deflection or overturning of the cigarette 4 due to the fast rejection speed. The limiting plates 1b are arranged on both sides of the slide, which are used to control the lateral spacing of the cigarette 4, so as to prevent the cigarette 4 from being skewed or jammed during the sliding process.

[0036] The end of the guiding slide is accurately connected with one side of the supporting bottom plate 2a of the downstream cigarette sending mechanism 2, and the outlet of the slide slightly extends above the supporting bottom plate 2a, so that the cigarette 4 can naturally slide to the sending position. A transition groove or a buffer slope section can also be arranged here, which is used to control the sliding speed of the cigarette 4 and avoid the impact on the sending mechanism parts.

[0037] Although the guiding slide is relatively simple in structure, it plays a key role in the whole machine operation: on the one hand, it realizes the physical connection between rejection and sending, and constitutes the intermediate buffer section of the unqualified cigarette 4 processing chain; on the other hand, the guiding and limiting design can effectively ensure that the posture of the cigarette 4 entering the sending mechanism is consistent and the spacing is appropriate, which lays a foundation for subsequent stable sending and helps to improve the reliability and rhythm efficiency of the whole system.

[0038] The cigarette sending mechanism 2 (refer to the attached Figure 1 and the attached Figure 3 , 4 ), the cigarette sending mechanism 2 is arranged at the end of the cigarette guiding slide 1, and is used to send the unqualified cigarette 4 sliding onto the supporting bottom plate 2a to the downstream buffer unit. The structure includes: a machine body, a supporting bottom plate 2a, a cigarette sending drum 2b, a servo driving unit 2c, a limiting mechanism 2d, a photoelectric detector 2e, and a transmission structure and other components.

[0039] The support base plate 2a of the cigarette pushing mechanism 2 is horizontally arranged to receive the cigarette 4 from the slide and serve as a temporary positioning platform before pushing. The side close to the slide is the entrance side for the cigarette 4, and the other side is the output side, which is aligned with the entrance of the buffer unit. The surface of the base plate is highly precise to ensure the stable stay of the cigarette 4.

[0040] The cigarette pushing drum 2b is arranged at the center below the support base plate 2a, and two groups of pushing arms 2b1 are symmetrically arranged on the outer circumference of the drum, i.e. one group of pushing arms 2b1 is arranged every 180 degrees, so as to realize the function of pushing one cigarette 4 every 180 degrees of rotation. The length and angle of the pushing arm 2b1 are optimized to ensure that it can accurately contact the tail of the cigarette 4 after passing through the avoiding slot 2a1 and stably push it into the buffer unit. The drum is integrally machined from metal to ensure the movement strength and service life.

[0041] The middle part of the support base plate 2a is provided with an avoiding slot 2a1, which is a long strip-shaped hollow structure, and its shape and arrangement position correspond to the pushing arm 2b1 on the lower cigarette pushing drum 2b. The function of the avoiding slot 2a1 is to allow the pushing arm 2b1 of the cigarette pushing drum 2b to extend through the base plate to the upper side when the drum rotates, so as to contact the cigarette 4 and perform the pushing action. The opening precision of the avoiding slot 2a1 has a direct impact on the stability of the pushing action.

[0042] The rotation of the drum is controlled by the servo driving unit 2c. The servo motor is installed on the fixed base of the support structure, and drives the rotation of the cigarette pushing drum 2b through the synchronous belt transmission structure 3b4. The transmission structure includes a driving wheel, a driven wheel and a synchronous belt, which has compact structure and high transmission efficiency. The servo system has precise angle control capability, so that the pushing rhythm is consistent with the whole line rejection action, effectively avoiding the phenomenon of mis-pushing and missing pushing.

[0043] Before the pushing action starts, the position of the cigarette 4 is detected by the photoelectric detector 2e arranged on the support base plate 2a. When the cigarette 4 enters and stays at the predetermined limiting position through the slide, the photoelectric detector 2e sends a signal that the cigarette 4 is in place, and the control system drives the cigarette pushing drum 2b to perform the pushing action, ensuring that the cigarette 4 is in place every time.

[0044] In order to prevent the cigarette 4 from sliding or deviating during the pushing process, a limiting mechanism 2d is also arranged on the support base plate 2a, which is usually a pair of parallel positioning bars or flexible limiting springs, used to limit the swing space of the cigarette 4 in the horizontal and vertical directions, so as to improve the pushing accuracy.

[0045] In summary, the cigarette pushing mechanism 2 realizes the intermittent quantitative pushing of the cigarettes 4 through the structure cooperation of the drum wheel pushing arm 2b1, the avoidance groove 2a1 and the servo control. Compared with the traditional pushing rod type cigarette pushing mode, the cigarette pushing mechanism 2 has the advantages of compact structure, stable pushing rhythm and less jamming, and is especially suitable for the working condition that the cigarettes 4 are densely arranged at the outlet of the slide, can avoid the interference and jamming caused by continuous pushing, and greatly improves the reliability and automation degree of the processing of unqualified cigarettes 4.

[0046] The cigarette buffer unit 3 (refer to the drawings Figure 1 and the drawings Figure 5 , 6 , 7), the cigarette buffer unit 3 is used for receiving the unqualified cigarettes 4 sent by the cigarette pushing mechanism 2, and sequentially and orderly arranging and layering and stacking the unqualified cigarettes 4, and prompting manual emptying treatment after reaching a preset capacity.

[0047] The cigarette buffer unit 3 mainly includes the following structures: a body structure, a bearing platform 3a, a lifting mechanism 3b, a guide plate 3c, a limiting frame 3d, and can be optionally provided with a buffer alarm unit and a reset control assembly.

[0048] The bearing platform 3a: The bearing platform 3a is arranged inside the box body of the buffer unit, which is a horizontally arranged planar structure, used for receiving each cigarette 4 sent by the pushing mechanism. The bearing platform 3a can move up and down with the dynamic change of the buffer height.

[0049] In order to prevent the cigarettes 4 from slipping or transversely tilting during stacking, a plurality of transverse positioning ribs or anti-skid strips are arranged on the bearing platform 3a, and the spacing is designed according to the width of the cigarettes 4. The spacing can provide stable arrangement guidance without affecting normal stacking, and ensure that each layer of cigarettes 4 is arranged in order and stacked stably.

[0050] The lifting mechanism 3b: The lifting mechanism 3b provides driving capability for the layering and downward movement of the bearing platform 3a, and the structure is a double-screw synchronous belt driving system, including a screw assembly, a driving servo motor 3b3 and a synchronous belt transmission structure 3b4.

[0051] The first screw assembly 3b1 and the second screw assembly 3b2: respectively arranged symmetrically on the left and right sides of the bearing platform 3a, each screw assembly is supported on the fixed frame through bearings to ensure stable lifting; The driving servo motor 3b3: installed at the bottom of the buffer unit, controlled by a precision positioning servo system, and realizes lifting action through transmission structure; The synchronous belt transmission structure 3b4: including a driving wheel, a driven wheel, a tensioning wheel and a synchronous belt, the motor drives the driving wheel to rotate, which drives the synchronous rotation of the two side screws, thereby driving the overall lifting of the bearing platform 3a. The synchronous transmission structure ensures that the lifting actions of the two screws are completely synchronized, preventing the platform from tilting.

[0052] In actual use, the system will determine when to lower the height of a cigarette 4 according to the arrangement of the cigarette 4, and then start the next arrangement action through the control system counting, thereby improving the space utilization and the stacking uniformity.

[0053] The guide plate 3c is arranged on both sides above the bearing platform 3a, and is in a V-shaped distribution as a whole, and is used for transversely guiding and positioning the cigarette 4 entering the buffer unit. The cigarette 4 naturally slides off through the guide plate 3c after the dialing is completed, and the inclination angle of the guide plate 3c can be adjusted according to the diameter and the gravity center distribution of the cigarette 4, so as to realize the automatic homing arrangement of the cigarette 4. The material of the guide plate 3c can be metal or engineering plastic, which has certain rigidity and at the same time avoids scratching the cigarette 4.

[0054] The limiting frame 3d is arranged outside the guide plate 3c, which surrounds a rectangular or approximately square area, and is used for limiting the boundary of the cigarette 4 arrangement area to prevent the cigarette 4 from sliding out laterally during the stacking process. The height of the limiting frame 3d is slightly higher than that of the single-layer cigarette 4, and the limiting frame 3d maintains a proper distance from the bearing platform 3a, so that the cigarette 4 can smoothly enter and form a flat stack. The limiting frame 3d can be an integrally formed structure, or can be connected by multiple segments for easy disassembly and maintenance.

[0055] Alarm unit and reset control: in order to improve the operation safety and the efficiency of manual intervention, the cigarette buffer unit 3 can further include a set of buffer capacity monitoring and alarm unit. When the bearing platform 3a is lowered to the preset lowest position, i.e. reaches the maximum buffer height, the limit switch or displacement sensor signal is triggered, and the control system sends an alarm prompt to inform the operator to take out the buffered cigarette 4 in time.

[0056] After the manual cigarette taking, the control program can be triggered by the external reset button to make the lifting mechanism 3b lift the bearing platform 3a to the initial position, and wait for the next batch of cigarette 4 to be buffered.

[0057] The embodiment provides a collection method suitable for the above-mentioned unqualified cigarette 4 automatic buffering and stacking device, which aims to realize the automatic receiving, dialing, buffering and prompting processing of the cigarette 4 judged as unqualified in the cigarette production line, and the whole process does not need manual intervention, and is suitable for being used with a high-speed online rejection system.

[0058] The method comprises the following steps: Step 1: Rejecting unqualified cigarettes 4, when the online detection system on the cigarette production line detects that a certain cigarette 4 has packaging defects, appearance abnormalities or incorrect identification information, it immediately triggers a signal output to the corresponding rejection execution mechanism. The rejection mechanism quickly pushes the unqualified cigarette 4 out of the normal conveying path of the main conveying channel and guides it to slide into the unqualified cigarette guide chute 1 located on one side of the production line. The chute has a certain inclination and limiting guide structure, which can ensure that the cigarette 4 slides into the subsequent transfer area stably and consistently.

[0059] Step 2: Cigarettes 4 slide into the transfer area and are positioned. The unqualified cigarettes 4 slide freely along the guide chute, with the end aligned with one side of the support bottom plate 2a of the transfer mechanism. Under the action of gravity, they enter the support surface and slide to the set limiting mechanism 2d. The limiting member (such as a positioning stop) ensures that the cigarette 4 is accurately positioned at the transfer position, avoiding position deviation that may interfere with subsequent transfer actions.

[0060] Step 3: Photoelectric detection triggers transfer. The photoelectric detector 2e set in the transfer area sends a "positioning confirmation" signal to the control system after detecting that the cigarette 4 enters the positioning area and completes the static state. After receiving the signal, the control system immediately controls the cigarette drum 2b to rotate 180 degrees under the drive of the servo motor. The transfer arm 2b1 on the cigarette drum 2b passes through the avoidance slot 2a1 set in the support bottom plate 2a from below, and during the rotation process, the cigarette 4 is transferred from the limiting area to the bearing platform 3a of the cigarette buffer unit 3. Each transfer action only completes the handling of one cigarette 4, realizing a single-piece transfer mode with controllable rhythm and accurate action.

[0061] Step 4: Cigarettes 4 are arranged on the buffer platform. The cigarettes 4 entering the buffer unit complete horizontal and neat arrangement under the joint action of the guide plate 3c and the limiting frame 3d. The guide plate 3c serves as a positioning and buffering function, and the limiting frame 3d limits the arrangement area of each layer of cigarettes 4. When the buffer control system determines that the current layer is full of the preset number (for example, N cigarettes 4) through counting or sensing feedback, it immediately controls the lifting mechanism 3b to act, causing the bearing platform 3a to descend by one cigarette 4 height, thus creating space for the next layer stacking process.

[0062] Step 5: Layer-by-layer stacking and buffer fullness prompt. The above transfer and stacking actions continue until the bearing platform 3a descends to its preset lowest position, i.e., reaches the upper limit of the cigarette 4 buffer capacity. At this time, the position sensor or limit switch set in the buffer device is triggered, and the control system immediately sends a visual / acoustic light alarm signal to prompt the operator to remove the buffered unqualified cigarettes 4. After manual removal, the operator can press the "reset" button, and the control system drives the lifting mechanism 3b to automatically reset the bearing platform 3a to the initial height, preparing for the next buffer cycle.

[0063] Technical effects: The automatic collection and caching method combines structured guiding sliding, position detection, dialing drive, layered caching, and alarm reset control, etc. to realize the highly automated process from rejection to caching of unqualified cigarettes.

[0064] The embodiment further provides a cigarette packaging production line adapted to the automatic collection and caching device of unqualified cigarettes. The production line realizes online identification, automatic rejection, accurate dialing, and orderly stacking and storage of unqualified cigarettes through the introduction of intelligent detection and automatic rejection and caching links, effectively improving the operation efficiency of the production line and the product quality management level.

[0065] The cigarette packaging production line mainly includes a cigarette supply device, a main conveying channel, an online quality detection device, a rejection mechanism, and an automatic collection and caching device of unqualified cigarettes.

[0066] The cigarette supply device is located at the upstream of the whole production line and is used to stably feed the formed cigarettes into the main conveying channel at a set rhythm. The supply device is usually equipped with a conveying belt, a shaping mechanism, and a rhythm synchronization device to ensure consistent posture and stable rhythm of the cigarettes, providing good conditions for subsequent detection and rejection.

[0067] The main conveying channel is the core transmission path of the whole line. The cigarettes are fed into the channel by the supply device and then pass through each functional area in sequence. The main conveying channel cooperates with the servo drive system to realize uniform and stable operation, ensuring that the cigarettes can maintain accurate positioning and controllable action in the detection, rejection, and caching links.

[0068] The online quality detection device is arranged in the middle section of the main conveying channel and uses image recognition, laser scanning, barcode reading, and other technologies to quickly detect each passing cigarette. The device detects the appearance defects (such as packaging damage and skew), packaging integrity (such as loose sealing and missing packages), and identification (such as missing or incorrect barcode or label information) of the cigarettes. Once a cigarette that does not meet the set quality standards is detected, the detection system immediately outputs a rejection control signal to the downstream rejection mechanism.

[0069] The rejection mechanism is arranged downstream of the online detection device and usually uses a pneumatic push rod, swing arm, or sliding block mechanism to quickly push the unqualified cigarettes out of the main conveying channel after receiving the signal from the detection system, so that the cigarettes are separated from the normal conveying path and guided to slide into the "automatic collection and caching device of unqualified cigarettes" installed on one side of the main line. The rejection mechanism needs to be fast and accurate in response to ensure that only specified unqualified products are rejected without affecting the surrounding cigarettes.

[0070] Unqualified cigarette 4 automatic collection and caching device: the unqualified cigarette 4 automatic collection and caching device mentioned above. It is integrated into one side of the main conveying channel, used to receive the unqualified cigarette 4 pushed out by the rejection mechanism. The guide slide guides the cigarette 4 to slide stably; the dialing mechanism realizes single-branch accurate dialing through photoelectric triggering and servo control; the caching unit realizes multi-layer horizontal stacking, and automatically alarms when the capacity limit is reached.

[0071] Technical effects: by introducing the above structure in the cigarette packaging production line, the system effectively prevents unqualified products from mixing into the normal process, improves product consistency; reduces manual participation, improves automation level and labor efficiency; avoids transmission blockage, accumulation confusion or misoperation caused by unqualified cigarette accumulation.

[0072] The above describes the preferred embodiments of the present application, but the present application is not limited to the specific details in the above embodiments, and various simple modifications can be made to the technical solutions of the present application within the technical concept of the present application, and these simple modifications all belong to the protection scope of the present application.

[0073] In addition, it should be noted that each specific technical feature described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any appropriate manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present application will not further describe various possible combinations.

[0074] In addition, various different embodiments of the present application can also be combined in any manner, as long as it does not deviate from the idea of the present application, and it should be considered as disclosed by the present application.

Claims

1. An automatic buffering and stacking device for substandard cigarette packs, characterized in that, include: The cigarette guide slide (1) is used to guide the unqualified cigarette packs (4) after rejection to slide. It has a guide component and a limiting component to guide the cigarette packs (4) to enter the cigarette pack delivery mechanism (2) along a preset path. The cigarette feeding mechanism (2) includes a cigarette feeding drum (2b) and a servo drive unit (2c) mounted on a support base plate (2a); the end of the cigarette guide slide (1) is aligned with one side of the support base plate (2a), and a limiting mechanism (2d) and a photoelectric detector (2e) are provided on the other side of the support base plate (2a); two sets of paddle arms (2b1) are symmetrically arranged on the cigarette feeding drum (2b), and the cigarette feeding drum (2b) rotates under the drive of the servo drive unit (2c) and feeds the cigarettes (4) to the downstream cigarette buffer unit (3); The cigarette pack buffer unit (3) includes a support platform (3a), a lifting mechanism (3b), a guide plate (3c) and a limiting frame (3d). The support platform (3a) is used to receive the cigarette packs (4) sent by the delivery mechanism and arrange them in sequence. The lifting mechanism (3b) is a double screw synchronous belt drive structure, which can drive the support platform (3a) to descend in layers.

2. The automatic caching and stacking device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cigarette guide slide (1) has a U-shaped structure, with a guide strip (1a) at its entrance end and limiting plates (1b) on both sides to guide the cigarette (4) to enter smoothly.

3. The automatic caching and stacking device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cigarette-dispensing drum (2b) is located below the support base plate (2a), which has a clearance groove (2a1). The dispensing arm (2b1) of the cigarette-dispensing drum (2b) passes through the clearance groove (2a1) and extends above the support base plate (2a) to dispense the cigarettes (4) located on the support base plate (2a). The smoke-dispensing drum (2b) is driven to rotate by a servo motor mounted on the mounting base via a transmission structure, which includes a driving wheel, a driven wheel, and a synchronous belt. The photoelectric detector (2e) is used to detect the arrival signal of the cigarette pack (4) and trigger the delivery action. The limiting mechanism (2d) is set on the support base plate (2a) to limit the position of the cigarette pack (4) during the delivery process.

4. The automatic caching and stacking device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The cigarette-dispensing drum (2b) is equipped with two dispensing arms (2b1), which dispense one pack of cigarettes (4) every 180 degrees of rotation, ensuring the continuity of the rhythm.

5. The automatic caching and stacking device according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the cigarette pack buffer unit (3), the lifting mechanism (3b) includes a first lead screw assembly (3b1) and a second lead screw assembly (3b2) symmetrically arranged on both sides of the bearing platform (3a), a drive servo motor (3b3), and a synchronous belt drive structure (3b4) for transmitting power. The servo motor is fixedly installed on the bottom structure of the buffer device. The synchronous belt drive structure (3b4) drives the two lead screw assemblies to rotate synchronously to drive the bearing platform (3a) to lift. The guide plate (3c) and the limiting frame (3d) are set on the top of the machine body to guide the cigarette packs (4) to fall into the bearing platform (3a) and achieve position limiting, so that the cigarette packs (4) are arranged horizontally on the platform in sequence, forming a preset number of arrangements in each layer. After one layer is filled, the bearing platform (3a) drops by the height of one cigarette pack (4) to stack the next layer.

6. The automatic caching and stacking device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The synchronous belt drive structure (3b4) includes a driving pulley, a driven pulley, several tension pulleys and a synchronous belt. The servo motor is mounted on the support base plate (2a) and drives the synchronous belt to move through the driving pulley. The synchronous belt is connected to the drive shafts of the first lead screw assembly (3b1) and the second lead screw assembly (3b2) respectively to realize the synchronous rotation of the two lead screws.

7. The automatic caching and stacking device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The guide plate (3c) is set on both sides above the bearing platform (3a) in a V-shape, and is used to laterally position the falling cigarette packs (4) and prevent the cigarette packs (4) from slipping; the limiting frame (3d) is set on the outside of the guide plate (3c) and is used to constrain the boundary of the cigarette pack (4) arrangement area as a whole, so as to ensure that the cigarette packs (4) are neatly stacked. The carrying platform (3a) is provided with multiple transverse positioning ribs or anti-slip strips to prevent the cigarette bars (4) from slipping or tilting during the stacking process, so as to ensure that each layer of cigarette bars (4) is stacked stably.

8. The automatic caching and stacking device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The device also includes an alarm unit for monitoring the buffer capacity. When the carrying platform (3a) descends to the preset minimum position, the alarm device is triggered to send a signal indicating that the buffer is full. After the cigarette pack (4) is manually removed, the carrying platform (3a) is returned to the initial position by the reset button.

9. An automatic collection and buffering method for substandard cigarette packs, characterized in that, The method, applied to the automatic collection and buffering device for substandard cigarette packs (4) as described in claim 1, includes the following steps: 1) When the online detection system determines that the cigarette pack (4) is a defective product, it triggers the rejection mechanism to push the cigarette pack (4) out of the main conveying path and make it slide into the defective cigarette pack guide chute (1); 2) The unqualified cigarette pack (4) slides along the guide slide into the support base plate (2a) of the delivery mechanism and stops at the preset limit position; 3) After the photoelectric detector (2e) detects the signal that the cigarette (4) has arrived, it controls the cigarette drum (2b) in the feeding mechanism to rotate 180 degrees under the servo drive, so that the feeding arm (2b1) passes through the clearance groove (2a1) of the support base plate (2a) and feeds the cigarette (4) to the carrying platform (3a) of the downstream buffer unit. 4) The cigarette packs (4) are arranged horizontally in sequence on the support platform (3a). When one layer is full, the lifting mechanism (3b) is controlled to drive the support platform (3a) to descend by the height of one cigarette pack (4). 5) Repeat steps 3) to 4) until the carrying platform (3a) reaches the buffer limit height and stops working and triggers a prompt. The operator then removes the buffered cigarette pack (4) and controls the carrying platform (3a) to reset to the initial position.

10. A cigarette packaging production line, characterized in that, It includes a cigarette (4) feeding device, an online quality inspection device, a rejection mechanism, a main conveying channel, and an automatic collection and buffering device for unqualified cigarette (4) installed on one side of the main conveying channel, wherein the automatic collection and buffering device for unqualified cigarette (4) is the automatic collection and buffering device for unqualified cigarette (4) as described in any one of claims 1-8; The online quality inspection device is used to detect the appearance, packaging integrity or labeling information of the cigarette packs (4) in real time, and sends a rejection signal after identifying unqualified cigarette packs (4); The rejection mechanism pushes out the unqualified cigarette packs (4) from the main conveying channel according to the rejection signal, and completes the transfer and orderly buffering of the cigarette packs (4) through the unqualified cigarette packs (4) automatic collection and buffering device.

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