Electronic cigarette automated charge and discharge testing device and method

Abstract

This application relates to the field of electronic cigarette production and testing technology, and provides an automated charging and discharging testing device and method for electronic cigarettes. The method involves controlling a robot to pick up electronic cigarette products to be charged from a designated area and placing them in the corresponding workstations of a charging and discharging carrier according to a preset sequence; monitoring the charging process of the electronic cigarettes in the gold plate charger; during the charging process, vibration sensors detect the vibration function of the electronic cigarettes on the carrier to determine whether the electronic cigarettes vibrate according to preset requirements, and if no vibration is detected, it is marked as abnormal; when the electronic cigarettes are detected to be fully charged, the robot is controlled to remove the fully charged electronic cigarettes from the gold plate charger and automatically insert dummy cartridges to trigger the discharge heating function of the electronic cigarettes; the vibration sensor detects whether the electronic cigarettes start motor vibration; and the image acquisition device detects whether the electronic cigarettes exhibit a preset heating display state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of electronic cigarette production and testing technology, and in particular to an automated charging and discharging testing device and method for electronic cigarettes. Background Technology

[0002] In the e-cigarette manufacturing process, charge / discharge testing and functional testing are crucial steps to ensure product quality. Current technologies primarily rely on manual operation, which has significant drawbacks:

[0003] 1. Low production capacity: Traditional charge and discharge testing involves manually processing e-cigarettes in single batches using chargers, which cannot achieve batch testing. Furthermore, the charging process requires manual waiting for the e-cigarettes to fully charge, which can take up to several hours and severely impacts production efficiency.

[0004] 2. Insufficient detection accuracy: The LED screen display status during charging (such as charging, fully charged), vibration function and display status during discharge heating all rely on the tester's visual observation or tactile judgment, which is greatly affected by subjective factors, making it easy to miss or misjudge, resulting in defective products entering the market.

[0005] 3. High labor costs: The entire process, from charging, status monitoring, discharge testing to functional determination, requires the participation of multiple people, resulting in a large amount of repetitive labor, which does not conform to the trend of automated production.

[0006] Therefore, a method is urgently needed to solve at least one of the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This application provides an automated charging and discharging testing device and method for electronic cigarettes, aiming to address the technological gap in existing technologies where, although some electronic device testing devices exist, there remains a lack of dedicated automated testing solutions for electronic cigarettes. For example, a systematic solution combining robotic handling, charging and discharging carrier design, vibration sensors, and image recognition technology is not disclosed. In particular, an integrated control method for dynamically monitoring the LED status during electronic cigarette charging, automatically detecting vibration functions, and conducting multi-round cyclic testing is lacking. Therefore, how to solve the inefficiency and error problems of manual testing through automation, and achieve full-process automation of electronic cigarette charging, discharging, and functional testing, has become a pressing technical challenge in this field.

[0008] In a first aspect, this application provides an automated charging and discharging test method for electronic cigarettes, including:

[0009] The robot is controlled to pick up e-cigarettes to be charged from a designated area and place them in the corresponding positions of the charging and discharging carrier in a preset order, so that the e-cigarettes on the carrier are accurately connected to the charging interface of the gold plate charger, and the LED lights on the e-cigarettes on the carrier are displayed in the same direction.

[0010] The charging process of the e-cigarette in the gold plate charger is monitored. The LED display status of the e-cigarette during charging is acquired in real time through image acquisition equipment. According to the preset charging status judgment rules, the e-cigarette is automatically identified as being in the charging state or fully charged.

[0011] During the e-cigarette charging process, vibration sensors detect the vibration of the e-cigarette on the carrier to determine if it vibrates according to preset requirements. If no vibration is detected, it is marked as abnormal. When the e-cigarette is detected to be fully charged, the robot removes the fully charged e-cigarette from the gold plate charger and automatically inserts a dummy cartridge, triggering the e-cigarette's discharge and heating function. Vibration sensors detect whether the e-cigarette's motor vibrates, and image acquisition equipment detects whether the e-cigarette displays the preset heating status. If both vibration and heating status requirements are not met simultaneously, it is judged as a defective product and isolated. By acquiring images of a designated area in real time, the e-cigarette is quickly located and the ROI area is output for calculating the current orientation angle. The charging and discharging carrier station is designed with an elastic floating interface, combined with the robot's end effector force control feedback, and the charging contacts are automatically aligned through elastic contact pieces to accommodate the shape differences of different e-cigarette models.

[0012] In some embodiments, after determining that the product is defective and is isolated if the vibration and heating display status requirements are not simultaneously met, and recording the defective product information into the system, the method further includes: after completing the discharge heating start-up detection, performing a first heating process on the electronic cigarette; after heating is completed, controlling a mechanical device to shake the electronic cigarette, and using an image acquisition device to detect whether a preset display graphic appears on the display screen, and determining whether the display graphic is normal; after the first heating detection is completed, controlling the electronic cigarette to enter a cooling state and timing it; when the cooling time reaches a preset duration, inserting a fake cartridge again for a second heating; after heating is completed, using an image acquisition device to detect whether the LED display screen displays a preset related graphic; after the second heating detection is completed, controlling a mechanical device to shake the electronic cigarette again, and using an image acquisition device to detect whether a preset display graphic appears on the display screen, and determining whether the display graphic is normal; repeating the above process of inserting a fake cartridge for heating, cooling, and shaking detection to complete a preset multi-round automatic start-up heating and display detection cycle, completing the automated testing of the electronic cigarette's charging and discharging and multiple functions.

[0013] In some embodiments, the step of detecting whether a preset display graphic appears on the display screen and determining whether the display graphic is normal by means of an image acquisition device includes: controlling the image acquisition device to acquire an image of the display screen within a preset time after the electronic cigarette is shaken by the mechanical device; comparing the acquired image with a pre-stored standard display graphic for features; the feature comparison includes at least the position coordinates, outline, color distribution, and pixel brightness value of the display graphic; when the deviation values ​​of each feature of the acquired image from the corresponding feature of the standard display graphic are all within a preset allowable range, the display graphic is determined to be normal; otherwise, it is determined to be abnormal.

[0014] In some embodiments, after heating is completed, detecting whether the LED display screen displays a preset related graphic by an image acquisition device includes: after the heating process is completed, controlling the image acquisition device to scan the LED display screen in real time at a preset frame rate, identifying whether a preset charging completion status graphic or a discharge stage feature graphic appears on the display screen. The preset related graphic includes, but is not limited to, a specific arrangement of indicator light combinations, characters or symbols. When the duration of the preset graphic continuously displayed on the display screen reaches a preset detection time threshold, it is determined that the display is normal; otherwise, it is determined to be abnormal.

[0015] In some embodiments, the controlled robot picks up the e-cigarette product to be charged from a designated area and places the e-cigarette in the corresponding station of the charging and discharging carrier according to a preset sequence, so that the e-cigarette on the carrier is accurately connected to the charging interface of the gold plate charger. This includes: obtaining the real-time position coordinates and attitude information of the e-cigarette through a vision positioning system set on the robot's end effector; combining the coordinate mapping table of the charging and discharging carrier station; controlling the robot to adjust the position and angle of the end effector; mechanically aligning the charging contacts of the e-cigarette with the gold plate charger interface on the carrier; achieving electrical connection through the elastic contact structure on the carrier; and detecting whether the contact pressure is within a preset range through a pressure sensor to confirm successful connection.

[0016] In some embodiments, ensuring that the LED lights of the electronic cigarettes on the carrier display a uniform orientation includes: setting an orientation positioning groove at each station of the charging and discharging carrier; the inner wall of the positioning groove is provided with a guide structure that matches the shape of the electronic cigarette; when the robot places the electronic cigarette, it identifies the initial orientation of the electronic cigarette's LED lights through a vision system; if the detected orientation is inconsistent with the preset direction of the positioning groove, it controls the end effector to rotate the electronic cigarette to a specified angle so that the display surface of the LED lights faces the uniform detection direction of the carrier, so that the image acquisition device can perform subsequent status monitoring.

[0017] In some embodiments, the step of acquiring the LED display status of the electronic cigarette during charging in real time through an image acquisition device, and automatically identifying whether the electronic cigarette is in a charging state or fully charged according to a preset charging state determination rule, includes: during the charging process, the image acquisition device acquires images of the electronic cigarette's LED light at a preset frequency, extracts the on / off state, flashing frequency, and color information of the LED light through an image recognition algorithm, and determines the charging state when the lower LED light is continuously lit and the upper LED light flashes at a preset frequency; and determines the fully charged state when both the upper and lower LED lights are continuously lit and simultaneously turn off after a first preset duration. The charging state determination rule is stored in the database of the system control module and is configurable.

[0018] In some embodiments, the control robot removes a fully charged e-cigarette from the gold plate charger and automatically inserts a dummy cartridge, triggering the e-cigarette's discharge heating function. A vibration sensor detects whether the e-cigarette's motor vibration has started. This includes: the robot's end effector carrying the dummy cartridge approaches the e-cigarette's cartridge interface; a servo motor controls the insertion depth to a preset position to trigger the heating start mechanism; simultaneously, the vibration sensor collects vibration signals from the e-cigarette casing in real time; time-frequency analysis is performed on the collected signals; when the frequency, amplitude, and duration of the detected vibration signal all conform to preset motor vibration characteristic parameters, the vibration function is determined to be normal; if no vibration signal conforming to the characteristics is detected within a preset detection time, the vibration function is determined to be abnormal.

[0019] In some embodiments, detecting whether the electronic cigarette exhibits a preset heating display state via an image acquisition device includes: after triggering the discharge heating function, controlling the image acquisition device to focus on the LED display area of ​​the electronic cigarette, and monitoring in real time whether a preset heating indicator light combination appears. The preset heating display state includes, but is not limited to, two white LEDs flashing alternately at a preset frequency. When the duration of the indicator light combination reaches a second preset duration and there is no abnormal flashing interruption, the heating display state is determined to be normal; otherwise, it is determined to be abnormal.

[0020] Secondly, this application also provides an automated charging and discharging test device for electronic cigarettes, used to implement the steps of the automated charging and discharging test method for electronic cigarettes as described in the first aspect above.

[0021] This application achieves batch docking with gold plate chargers by controlling a robot to grab e-cigarettes in a preset order and accurately place them on the charging and discharging carrier, thus solving the problem of low efficiency in single-batch testing. By integrating vibration sensors to detect vibration in real time and combining them with image acquisition equipment to automatically identify the LED display status, it replaces manual subjective judgment and improves detection accuracy. Through the fully automated control of the entire process from monitoring charging status and determining full charge to triggering discharge heating and isolating abnormal products, a closed-loop detection system is formed. Existing technologies do not involve such multi-stage collaborative automated control logic.

[0022] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and do not limit this application. Attached Figure Description

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating the steps of an automated charging and discharging test method for electronic cigarettes provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a first-view structural schematic diagram of an automated charging and discharging test device for electronic cigarettes provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a second-view structural schematic diagram of an automated charging and discharging test device for electronic cigarettes provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the workflow of an automated charging and discharging test device for electronic cigarettes provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of an automated charging and discharging testing device for electronic cigarettes provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 6 This is a schematic block diagram of the structure of an automated charging and discharging test device for electronic cigarettes provided in one embodiment of this application.

[0030] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and do not limit this application. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0032] The flowchart shown in the attached diagram is for illustrative purposes only and does not necessarily include all content and operations / steps, nor does it necessarily have to be performed in the order described. For example, some operations / steps can be broken down, combined, or partially merged, so the actual execution order may change depending on the actual situation.

[0033] It should be understood that, in order to clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of the present invention to distinguish identical or similar items with essentially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the terms "first" and "second" are not necessarily different.

[0034] It should be understood that the terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the application. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0035] It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used in this application specification and the appended claims means any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, and includes such combinations.

[0036] The following detailed description of some embodiments of this application is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0037] In the e-cigarette manufacturing process, charge / discharge testing and functional testing are crucial steps to ensure product quality. Current technologies primarily rely on manual operation, which has significant drawbacks:

[0038] 1. Low production capacity: Traditional charge and discharge testing involves manually processing e-cigarettes in single batches using chargers, which cannot achieve batch testing. Furthermore, the charging process requires manual waiting for the e-cigarettes to fully charge, which can take up to several hours and severely impacts production efficiency.

[0039] 2. Insufficient detection accuracy: The LED screen display status during charging (such as charging, fully charged), vibration function and display status during discharge heating all rely on the tester's visual observation or tactile judgment, which is greatly affected by subjective factors, making it easy to miss or misjudge, resulting in defective products entering the market.

[0040] 3. High labor costs: The entire process, from charging, status monitoring, discharge testing to functional determination, requires the participation of multiple people, resulting in a large amount of repetitive labor, which does not conform to the trend of automated production.

[0041] While some electronic device testing devices exist in the current technology, there is still a technological gap in dedicated automated testing solutions for e-cigarettes. For example, there is no publicly available systematic solution combining robotic handling, charging / discharging vehicle design, vibration sensors, and image recognition technology. In particular, there is a lack of integrated control methods for dynamic monitoring of LED status during e-cigarette charging, automated vibration function detection, and multi-round cyclic testing. Therefore, how to solve the inefficiency and error problems of manual testing through automation, and achieve full automation of the e-cigarette charging, discharging, and functional testing process, has become a pressing technical challenge in this field.

[0042] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a fully automated assembly method suitable for irregular parts to solve the problems of low efficiency, poor precision, and insufficient intelligence in existing technologies.

[0043] To resolve the above issues, please refer to [link / reference]. Figures 1-5 This application provides an embodiment of an automated charge-discharge testing method for electronic cigarettes. This automated charge-discharge testing method for electronic cigarettes can be performed by, for example... Figure 2-5 The illustrated automated charging and discharging test equipment for electronic cigarettes may include a controller, such as a controller deployed on a single server or server cluster. The controller may also be deployed on a handheld terminal, laptop, wearable device, or robot, etc.

[0044] Specifically, such as Figure 1 As shown, the provided automated charging and discharging test method for electronic cigarettes includes steps S101 to S103, which are detailed below:

[0045] Step S101. Control the robot to pick up the e-cigarette product to be charged from the designated area, and place the e-cigarette in the corresponding work position of the charging and discharging carrier in a preset order, so that the e-cigarette on the carrier is accurately connected to the charging interface of the gold plate charger, and ensure that the LED lights of the e-cigarette on the carrier are in the same direction.

[0046] Specifically, the robot automatically grasps, positions, and places the e-cigarette, achieving precise docking with the charging and discharging vehicle and unifying the LED display direction, laying the foundation for subsequent automated testing.

[0047] Robot grasping and positioning utilizes a vacuum suction or gripper device configured on the end effector of a robot (such as the collaborative robot Cobot). A vision positioning system (such as an industrial camera) mounted on top of the device acquires the position coordinates and attitude information of the e-cigarette within a designated area (including the direction of the charging contacts and the orientation of the LED lights).

[0048] Based on a preset coordinate mapping table, the robot controls the end effector to adjust to the position for grabbing the electronic cigarette, and uses a force control sensor to ensure that the grabbing force is appropriate to avoid damaging the product.

[0049] The charging and discharging carrier is designed with more than 24 independent workstations, and each workstation integrates a gold plate charger interface at the bottom. The interface position is precisely matched with the electronic cigarette charging contacts.

[0050] The robot places the e-cigarettes in the carrier station according to a preset sequence (such as matrix arrangement or assembly line sequence). The mechanical positioning structure on the carrier (such as guide groove and limit block) realizes the mechanical alignment of the charging contacts with the gold plate interface. At the same time, the elastic contact piece or spring pin realizes the electrical connection to ensure the conductivity stability.

[0051] The LED display orientation is uniformly controlled by a directional positioning slot at each station of the carrier. The inner wall of the slot is designed with a guide structure (such as an arc-shaped groove or an angle limiting block) that matches the shape of the e-cigarette, forcing the LED display surface of the e-cigarette to face the carrier's uniform detection direction (such as directly in front). If the robot vision system detects that the initial orientation of the e-cigarette is inconsistent with the preset direction (error exceeding 5°), the rotation mechanism built into the end effector adjusts the e-cigarette angle to the specified direction (such as the 0° reference direction), ensuring that subsequent image acquisition equipment (such as a CCD) can capture the LED status from a uniform perspective.

[0052] Step S102. Monitor the charging process of the electronic cigarette in the gold plate charger. The LED display status of the electronic cigarette during charging is acquired in real time through the image acquisition device. According to the preset charging status judgment rules, the electronic cigarette is automatically identified as being in the charging state or fully charged.

[0053] Specifically, the LED display status is monitored in real time during the charging process through image acquisition equipment, and the charging and fully charged status is automatically identified based on preset rules, replacing manual visual judgment.

[0054] Image acquisition and status parameter setting: An industrial-grade CCD camera is fixed in front of or to the side of the vehicle. The lens field of view covers the LED display area of ​​all workstations. The camera resolution is no less than 10 million pixels and the frame rate is no less than 30fps to ensure dynamic capture of LED flickering details.

[0055] The preset charging status determination rules are stored in the system control module, including: Charging status: the lower LED is constantly lit (brightness value ≥ 200 grayscale value), and the upper LED flashes at a frequency of 0.5Hz~2Hz (on and off cycle 1~2 seconds); Fully charged status: both upper and lower LEDs are constantly lit for more than 5 seconds, and then turn off at the same time (brightness value ≤ 50 grayscale value).

[0056] The automated state recognition process acquires LED images at 100ms intervals using a camera, and extracts the on / off state, color (e.g., red / white), and flicker frequency of the LED area using image recognition algorithms (such as threshold segmentation and edge detection).

[0057] The system compares the collected data with preset rules in real time: if the lower LED is constantly lit and the upper LED is flashing, it is determined to be "charging"; if both the upper and lower LEDs are constantly lit for more than 5 seconds and then turn off, a "fully charged" signal is triggered, notifying the robot to perform the subsequent material picking action.

[0058] Abnormal states (such as LEDs not lighting up or abnormal flashing) are marked in real time, and early warning information is generated and the time of the abnormality is recorded.

[0059] Step S103. During the charging process of the e-cigarette, the vibration sensor detects the vibration function of the e-cigarette on the carrier to determine whether the e-cigarette vibrates according to the preset requirements. If no vibration is detected, it is marked as abnormal. When the e-cigarette is detected to be fully charged, the robot is controlled to take the fully charged e-cigarette out of the gold plate charger and automatically insert a fake e-cigarette cartridge to trigger the discharge heating function of the e-cigarette. The vibration sensor detects whether the e-cigarette starts the motor vibration, and the image acquisition device detects whether the e-cigarette has the preset heating display state. If the vibration and heating display state requirements are not met at the same time, it is judged as a defective product and isolated. By acquiring images of a specified area in real time, the e-cigarette is quickly located and the ROI area is output for calculating the current orientation angle. The charging and discharging carrier station is designed with an elastic floating interface. Combined with the force control feedback of the robot end, the charging contacts are automatically aligned through elastic contact pieces to accommodate the shape differences of different e-cigarette models.

[0060] Specifically, by detecting vibration during the charging and discharging stages and combining this with image recognition to verify the heating display status, the system achieves automated judgment of vibration and display functions and isolation of defective products.

[0061] Vibration sensor deployment and signal acquisition: Miniature vibration sensors (such as accelerometers) are installed under or on the side of each station of the vehicle. The sensor probes are close to the electronic cigarette shell to collect vibration signals in real time (frequency range 20Hz~200Hz).

[0062] The sensor collects vibration data at a sampling rate of 10kHz and outputs an acceleration time-domain signal. The vibration trigger conditions during the charging process are preset (such as the self-test vibration required by the e-cigarette in the initial stage of charging or in a specific stage).

[0063] The vibration function determination logic performs time-frequency analysis (such as fast Fourier transform) on the acquired signals through the system to extract vibration frequency, amplitude and duration parameters.

[0064] If the vibration signal frequency is detected in the range of 20Hz~50Hz, the amplitude is ≥0.5g and the duration is ≥1 second, the vibration function is considered normal; if no signal matching the characteristics is detected within the preset detection time (e.g., within 3 seconds after charging starts), the electronic cigarette is marked as "abnormal vibration" and the workstation number is recorded.

[0065] The automatic insertion and heating triggering of the fake e-cigarette cartridges is achieved through a robot end effector carrying standardized fake cartridges (simulating the mechanical triggering structure of real cartridges). A servo motor controls the insertion depth to a preset position (e.g., insertion stroke 10mm ± 0.5mm), triggering the heating start switch inside the e-cigarette. The fake cartridge has a built-in pressure sensor; when it detects a contact pressure of 5N~10N with the e-cigarette interface, it confirms proper insertion and triggers the heating circuit.

[0066] The joint vibration and display status detection includes: Vibration detection: After heating starts, the vibration sensor collects signals again, and the judgment logic is the same as in the charging stage, focusing on whether the motor vibrates synchronously at the start of heating (e.g., continuous vibration for 2 seconds). Display status detection: The CCD camera synchronously focuses on the LED area of ​​the electronic cigarette to detect whether the preset heating display status (e.g., "two white lights flashing") appears, with a flashing frequency of 1Hz and a duration of ≥2 seconds. If both the vibration signal and the display status meet the preset requirements, the discharge function is judged to be normal; if either condition is not met (e.g., only vibration without display, only display without vibration), it is immediately judged as a defective product, the robot moves it to an isolation tray, and the defective product type (e.g., "vibration failure" or "display abnormality") is recorded through the MES system.

[0067] The defective product isolation mechanism divides the area into independent zones using isolation trays, with each zone corresponding to a different type of defective product, facilitating subsequent manual review or scrapping.

[0068] The system generates real-time detection reports, recording the detection data, anomaly type, and occurrence time for each e-cigarette, supporting production traceability and quality analysis.

[0069] By employing a target detection and attitude estimation neural network, precise positioning and attitude adjustment of irregularly shaped e-cigarettes are achieved, replacing the rigid positioning of traditional fixed guide slots and adapting to mixed-model production lines. The target detection and attitude estimation neural network includes a target detection module and an attitude estimation module.

[0070] The target detection module uses the YOLOv8n lightweight model. The training dataset contains multiple e-cigarette images from different angles and under different lighting conditions, and labels the charging contact locations, LED light areas, and outlines. The detection accuracy is mAP@0.5≥95%.

[0071] The pose estimation module is based on the Posenet architecture. It takes an RGB image of an e-cigarette as input and outputs 6D pose parameters (3D coordinates + Euler angles). The prediction error is ≤2° (angle) and ±0.5mm (position).

[0072] The intelligent grasping strategy uses a robot vision system to acquire images of a designated area in real time. YOLOv8n quickly locates the e-cigarette and outputs the ROI (Region of Interest). The pose estimation model calculates the current orientation angle θ (the angle between the LED display surface and the reference direction). If θ > 10°, the optimal rotation trajectory is generated through reinforcement learning (PPO algorithm): the end effector is equipped with a six-axis force-controlled robotic arm, which dynamically adjusts the rotation speed according to θ (e.g., 15° / s rotational angular velocity when θ = 30°) to ensure that the orientation error of the LED display surface is ≤ 5° when placed.

[0073] Flexible positioning compensation uses an elastic floating interface (X / Y axis ±1mm displacement compensation) designed for the charging and discharging carrier station. Combined with the force control feedback of the robot end effector, even if there is a slight deviation in posture (≤5°), the charging contacts can be automatically aligned through the elastic contact piece, which is compatible with the shape differences of different models of electronic cigarettes.

[0074] In some embodiments, after determining that the product is defective and is isolated if the vibration and heating display status requirements are not simultaneously met, and recording the defective product information into the system, the method further includes: after completing the discharge heating start-up detection, performing a first heating process on the electronic cigarette; after heating is completed, controlling a mechanical device to shake the electronic cigarette, and using an image acquisition device to detect whether a preset display graphic appears on the display screen, and determining whether the display graphic is normal; after the first heating detection is completed, controlling the electronic cigarette to enter a cooling state and timing it; when the cooling time reaches a preset duration, inserting a fake cartridge again for a second heating; after heating is completed, using an image acquisition device to detect whether the LED display screen displays a preset related graphic; after the second heating detection is completed, controlling a mechanical device to shake the electronic cigarette again, and using an image acquisition device to detect whether a preset display graphic appears on the display screen, and determining whether the display graphic is normal; repeating the above process of inserting a fake cartridge for heating, cooling, and shaking detection to complete a preset multi-round automatic start-up heating and display detection cycle, completing the automated testing of the electronic cigarette's charging and discharging and multiple functions.

[0075] After the discharge heating start-up test, multiple rounds of heating-cooling-shaking cycle tests are added. The electronic cigarette is shaken by a mechanical device and the displayed graphic is detected to verify the heating function and display stability, thus realizing multi-round automated testing.

[0076] The multi-round cyclic testing process includes: First heating test: After the discharge heating start test (vibration + display status) passes, the control mechanical device (such as an electric vibration table or robotic arm gripper) shakes the electronic cigarette at a preset frequency (such as 2Hz) and amplitude (such as ±30°) for 5 seconds. Within 0.5 seconds after the shaking ends, the image acquisition device (such as an industrial camera) acquires the image on the display screen to detect whether the preset display graphic (such as brand logo or specific symbol) appears.

[0077] After the heating process is completed, the electronic cigarette enters the cooling station (equipped with a cooling fan, the temperature is controlled at 25±2℃). The system timers the cooling time (such as preset 10 minutes) to ensure that the internal components are cooled to room temperature.

[0078] The second and subsequent tests include: after the cooling time reaches the standard, the robot inserts the fake cigarette cartridge again to trigger heating, and after repeated heating, the preset graphic on the LED display screen (such as a combination of charging completion symbol or discharge stage indicator light) is detected. After heating is completed, the robot is shaken again to detect the displayed graphic.

[0079] The cyclic control system presets the number of detection cycles (e.g., 3 cycles). The detection parameters for each cycle (heating temperature, shaking frequency, cooling time) can be configured through the system interface. After all cycles are completed, a comprehensive detection report is output.

[0080] The mechanical device and the detection system work together by integrating a high-precision servo motor, with a shaking angle error of ≤±1°, ensuring consistent shaking amplitude each time; the image acquisition device and the mechanical device are linked by synchronous trigger signals (such as GPIO signals) to ensure accurate image capture after shaking.

[0081] In some embodiments, the step of detecting whether a preset display graphic appears on the display screen and determining whether the display graphic is normal by means of an image acquisition device includes: controlling the image acquisition device to acquire an image of the display screen within a preset time after the electronic cigarette is shaken by the mechanical device; comparing the acquired image with a pre-stored standard display graphic for features; the feature comparison includes at least the position coordinates, outline, color distribution, and pixel brightness value of the display graphic; when the deviation values ​​of each feature of the acquired image from the corresponding feature of the standard display graphic are all within a preset allowable range, the display graphic is determined to be normal; otherwise, it is determined to be abnormal.

[0082] By using image feature comparison methods, the preset graphics on the display screen are accurately detected after shaking, and the display is judged to be normal from four dimensions: position, outline, color, and brightness.

[0083] Image acquisition and feature extraction are performed by stopping the mechanical shaking device. The image acquisition device completes image acquisition within 100ms, with a resolution ≥1920×1080 and supports RGB color space. Preprocessing: Noise is removed by Gaussian filtering, and the graphic contour is extracted using an edge detection algorithm (such as the Canny operator) to obtain the contour coordinate point set.

[0084] Feature comparison and judgment include: Position coordinates: Calculate the centroid coordinates of the acquired image and compare them with the centroid coordinates of the standard image. The allowable deviation is ≤5 pixels (corresponding to an actual size ≤0.5mm). Image contour: Calculate the contour similarity using Hu moments or shape context descriptors. A similarity of ≥95% is considered a contour match. Color distribution: Extract the RGB mean of the image area. The color difference ΔE between the image area and the corresponding area of ​​the standard image is ≤3 (CIE 1976 standard).

[0085] Pixel brightness value: Measure the average brightness of the image area, with a deviation from the standard value ≤10% (e.g., standard brightness 200 cd / m²). 2 Allowed 180-220 cd / m 2 If all four features meet the preset range, the display is considered normal; if any feature exceeds the tolerance, it is marked as abnormal, and the deviation parameter is recorded.

[0086] In some embodiments, after heating is completed, detecting whether the LED display screen displays a preset related graphic by an image acquisition device includes: after the heating process is completed, controlling the image acquisition device to scan the LED display screen in real time at a preset frame rate, identifying whether a preset charging completion status graphic or a discharge stage feature graphic appears on the display screen. The preset related graphic includes, but is not limited to, a specific arrangement of indicator light combinations, characters or symbols. When the duration of the preset graphic continuously displayed on the display screen reaches a preset detection time threshold, it is determined that the display is normal; otherwise, it is determined to be abnormal.

[0087] After heating is complete, the LED display screen is scanned in real time to detect the continuous display of the preset graphic, ensuring the stability of the display function during the heating stage.

[0088] Real-time scanning and graphic recognition scan the LED display screen at a frame rate of 20fps using an image acquisition device. Template matching algorithms (such as normalized cross-correlation) are used to identify preset graphics (e.g., a green battery symbol for "fully charged" and a red flame symbol for "discharging"). The preset graphic library is stored in the system database and includes the graphic's RGB template, size ratio (e.g., aspect ratio 1:1.5), and arrangement rules (e.g., three lights lighting up sequentially from left to right).

[0089] The continuous display logic determines that the display is normal if a preset graphic is continuously displayed for ≥2 seconds (preset detection time threshold) without any flickering interruptions (e.g., off time > 0.5 seconds). If the graphic display duration is insufficient or abnormal flickering occurs (e.g., sudden color change, some lights not lighting up), an abnormality is determined, triggering an audible and visual alarm and recording the abnormal frame image.

[0090] In some embodiments, the controlled robot picks up the e-cigarette product to be charged from a designated area and places the e-cigarette in the corresponding station of the charging and discharging carrier according to a preset sequence, so that the e-cigarette on the carrier is accurately connected to the charging interface of the gold plate charger. This includes: obtaining the real-time position coordinates and attitude information of the e-cigarette through a vision positioning system set on the robot's end effector; combining the coordinate mapping table of the charging and discharging carrier station; controlling the robot to adjust the position and angle of the end effector; mechanically aligning the charging contacts of the e-cigarette with the gold plate charger interface on the carrier; achieving electrical connection through the elastic contact structure on the carrier; and detecting whether the contact pressure is within a preset range through a pressure sensor to confirm successful connection.

[0091] By using a robot end-effector vision positioning system and pressure sensors, precise docking between the e-cigarette and the charging / discharging device is achieved, ensuring reliable electrical connection of the charging contacts.

[0092] Visual positioning and coordinate mapping are achieved by integrating a binocular vision camera into the end effector to obtain the three-dimensional coordinates (X,Y,Z) and attitude angles (yaw, pitch, roll) of the electronic cigarette charging contacts, with a positioning accuracy of ±0.2mm.

[0093] The charging and discharging vehicle station coordinate pre-entry system establishes a mapping relationship between the "robot base coordinate system and the vehicle station coordinate system" and plans the motion trajectory through inverse kinematics algorithm.

[0094] The docking and pressure detection process involves the robot adjusting its end effector above the workstation and lowering it vertically at a speed of 0.5 mm / s. When the charging contact makes contact with the gold plate charger interface, a pressure sensor (range 0-50N, accuracy ±0.1N) provides real-time feedback on the contact pressure. The preset pressure range is 5N-15N. If the pressure is <5N, it is considered poor contact (possibly due to tilting); if it is >15N, it is considered overpressure (possibly due to misalignment). The system controls the robot to readjust the angle and retry, with a maximum of 3 retries. If it still fails, the workstation is marked as abnormal.

[0095] In some embodiments, ensuring that the LED lights of the electronic cigarettes on the carrier display a uniform orientation includes: setting an orientation positioning groove at each station of the charging and discharging carrier; the inner wall of the positioning groove is provided with a guide structure that matches the shape of the electronic cigarette; when the robot places the electronic cigarette, it identifies the initial orientation of the electronic cigarette's LED lights through a vision system; if the detected orientation is inconsistent with the preset direction of the positioning groove, it controls the end effector to rotate the electronic cigarette to a specified angle so that the display surface of the LED lights faces the uniform detection direction of the carrier, so that the image acquisition device can perform subsequent status monitoring.

[0096] By using the carrier's orientation and positioning slots and the robot's vision alignment, it is ensured that all electronic cigarette LED display surfaces face the same direction, facilitating batch monitoring by image acquisition equipment.

[0097] The carrier structure is designed with L-shaped grooves for each station, with a 45° guide slope on the inner wall. When the electronic cigarette is inserted, the slope automatically corrects its posture, ensuring that the LED display face faces directly forward of the carrier (defined as the 0° direction). The dimensions of the positioning groove match the shape of the electronic cigarette with a tolerance of ±0.3mm, ensuring that the angle between the normal of the LED display face and the camera's optical axis is ≤10° after insertion.

[0098] After the robot picks up the e-cigarette, the vision system identifies the position of the LED light (e.g., by locating the LED bead area through edge detection) and calculates the current orientation angle (the deviation from the 0° reference).

[0099] If the deviation is greater than 5°, the rotary joint of the end effector (accuracy ±0.1°) drives the electronic cigarette to rotate to the target angle. The angle calibration is confirmed by the encoder feedback before it is placed in the carrier station.

[0100] In some embodiments, the step of acquiring the LED display status of the electronic cigarette during charging in real time through an image acquisition device, and automatically identifying whether the electronic cigarette is in a charging state or fully charged according to a preset charging state determination rule, includes: during the charging process, the image acquisition device acquires images of the electronic cigarette's LED light at a preset frequency, extracts the on / off state, flashing frequency, and color information of the LED light through an image recognition algorithm, and determines the charging state when the lower LED light is continuously lit and the upper LED light flashes at a preset frequency; and determines the fully charged state when both the upper and lower LED lights are continuously lit and simultaneously turn off after a first preset duration. The charging state determination rule is stored in the database of the system control module and is configurable.

[0101] The system analyzes the LED light status in real time using an image recognition algorithm, and determines whether it is charging or fully charged based on multiple parameters such as on / off status, frequency, and color. The rules are configurable.

[0102] Real-time LED image acquisition is performed using a near-infrared enhanced camera (adaptable to different ambient light) at a frequency of 10Hz to ensure the capture of flicker signals above 0.5Hz. Image preprocessing: The upper and lower LED areas are segmented and located using ROI (Region of Interest), and the brightness value (0-255 grayscale value) and color channels (R / G / B components) of each LED are extracted.

[0103] The status determination rules include: Charging: The grayscale value of the lower LED is >200 (constantly lit), and the grayscale value of the upper LED changes periodically between 0-255, with a flashing period of 0.5-2 seconds (i.e., frequency 0.5-2Hz) and a duration of ≥10 seconds without interruption. Fully charged: The grayscale values ​​of both the upper and lower LEDs are >200 for more than 5 seconds, and then simultaneously drop below 50 (turned off), indicating that the device is fully charged and triggering the robot to pick up the material. The flashing frequency range, brightness threshold, and duration can be adjusted through the human-machine interface, supporting the switching of detection parameters for different models of electronic cigarettes.

[0104] In some embodiments, the control robot removes a fully charged e-cigarette from the gold plate charger and automatically inserts a dummy cartridge, triggering the e-cigarette's discharge heating function. A vibration sensor detects whether the e-cigarette's motor vibration has started. This includes: the robot's end effector carrying the dummy cartridge approaches the e-cigarette's cartridge interface; a servo motor controls the insertion depth to a preset position to trigger the heating start mechanism; simultaneously, the vibration sensor collects vibration signals from the e-cigarette casing in real time; time-frequency analysis is performed on the collected signals; when the frequency, amplitude, and duration of the detected vibration signal all conform to preset motor vibration characteristic parameters, the vibration function is determined to be normal; if no vibration signal conforming to the characteristics is detected within a preset detection time, the vibration function is determined to be abnormal.

[0105] The robot automatically inserts a fake cigarette cartridge to trigger heating, and combined with time-frequency analysis of vibration sensors, it quantitatively determines whether the motor vibration function is normal.

[0106] Fake cartridge insertion control: The end of the fake cartridge has a mechanical trigger protrusion that matches the microswitch of the e-cigarette cartridge interface. A servo motor controls the insertion stroke (e.g., 12mm ± 0.2mm) at a speed of 2mm / s. After reaching the desired position, it holds for 1 second to trigger the heating circuit. The end effector integrates a force sensor, which automatically stops the insertion if the pressure exceeds 20N to prevent damage to the interface.

[0107] Vibration signal analysis is performed using a vibration sensor (triaxial accelerometer, range ±10g, resolution 0.001g) attached to the center of the electronic cigarette casing, with a sampling frequency of 1kHz and a continuous sampling time of 3 seconds. Signal processing: The spectrum is calculated using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), and the dominant frequency component is extracted. If the dominant frequency is within the range of 20-50Hz, and the time-domain signal amplitude is ≥0.5g and the duration is ≥1 second, the vibration is considered normal; otherwise, it is marked as abnormal, and the vibration waveform can be exported for manual review.

[0108] In some embodiments, detecting whether the electronic cigarette exhibits a preset heating display state via an image acquisition device includes: after triggering the discharge heating function, controlling the image acquisition device to focus on the LED display area of ​​the electronic cigarette, and monitoring in real time whether a preset heating indicator light combination appears. The preset heating display state includes, but is not limited to, two white LEDs flashing alternately at a preset frequency. When the duration of the indicator light combination reaches a second preset duration and there is no abnormal flashing interruption, the heating display state is determined to be normal; otherwise, it is determined to be abnormal.

[0109] After triggering discharge heating, the LED display area is focused to monitor a specific combination of indicator lights in real time, and the heating display status is determined by the flashing frequency and duration.

[0110] Area focusing and dynamic monitoring utilize an image acquisition device equipped with a variable-focus lens. Upon heating triggering, the lens automatically focuses on the LED display area (5mm×5mm field of view), increasing the resolution to 200dpi and ensuring that each LED has ≥10×10 pixels. Frame difference method is used to detect changes in LED status and to mark the position of flashing LEDs in real time (e.g., left LED, right LED).

[0111] The heating display status is determined by the preset heating display as "two white lights on the left and right flashing alternately at a frequency of 1Hz", that is, the left light is on for 0.5 seconds and then off for 0.5 seconds, while the right light is off for 0.5 seconds and then on for 0.5 seconds, and the cycle continues for ≥2 seconds.

[0112] The system detects the color of the LEDs (white RGB values ​​R≥200, G≥200, B≥200) and their on / off status frame by frame, calculates the flicker period error to be ≤±0.1 seconds. If the duration meets the standard and there is no interruption (e.g., both LEDs are on for more than 0.3 seconds at the same time), the display is considered normal; otherwise, it is abnormal.

[0113] In some embodiments, the limitations of traditional rule matching are overcome by using time-series image sequences to model LED state change patterns, automatically identifying abnormal flickering (such as intermittent extinguishing or frequency drift), and solving the problem of display rule differences among multiple product models.

[0114] The image acquisition device continuously captures LED video during the charging process at a rate of 20fps, with each 5 frames forming a time window (time span of 250ms), and extracts the grayscale value sequence and flicker cycle sequence of the LED area in each frame.

[0115] The TCN model training includes: Input layer: a grayscale matrix within a time window (10×10 pixels × 5 frames); Convolutional layer: using causal convolution + dilated convolution to capture flicker cycle dependencies up to 2 seconds; Output layer: three-class classification (charging / fully charged / abnormal), with the loss function using focal loss to handle imbalanced data (abnormal states account for approximately 5%). Training data: collecting normal / abnormal charging videos of 20 e-cigarette models, with abnormal samples including abnormal LED brightness (<150 grayscale values), abnormal flicker frequency (>3Hz or <0.3Hz), etc., totaling over 50,000 time window samples.

[0116] Real-time detection and dynamic adaptation are achieved during the initial testing of a new e-cigarette model. The Few-Shot Learning module updates the model parameters with only five normal charging cycles, automatically adapting to its unique flickering rules (e.g., some models' LEDs flash rapidly three times before remaining constantly lit when fully charged). When an abnormal state is detected, the model outputs the specific abnormality type (e.g., "low-frequency flickering" or "sudden drop in brightness") to guide production line maintenance.

[0117] In some embodiments, by utilizing GANs to learn the characteristic distribution of normal vibration signals and by generating samples for adversarial training against real signals, unsupervised detection of unknown types of vibration anomalies (such as early failure of motor gear wear) can be achieved.

[0118] Vibration signal preprocessing involves acquiring triaxial acceleration signals (1kHz sampling rate) using a vibration sensor, converting each 2-second signal segment into a Mel-Spectrogram, which is then used as model input (size 256×256×3).

[0119] The GAN model architecture includes: a generator (G): taking a random noise vector as input, generating a Mel spectrogram simulating normal vibration; and a discriminator (D): distinguishing between the real and generated spectrograms, and outputting anomaly scores (0-1, ≥0.7 indicates anomaly). Training strategy: WGAN-GP optimization is used to avoid mode collapse and ensure that the generated samples cover more than 95% of normal vibration modes (e.g., vibration frequency distribution under different power levels).

[0120] The online detection process involves real-time acquisition of vibration signals during the discharge phase, conversion into a spectrum, and inputting it into a trained discriminator D. If the abnormal score output by D is ≥0.7, a secondary detection is triggered: the kurtosis of the signal is calculated using a short-time Fourier transform (STFT). If the kurtosis is >3.5 (normal range 1.5-2.5), impact vibration is confirmed (e.g., motor shaft misalignment), and the vibration function is deemed abnormal. This approach can detect latent faults that traditional rules cannot cover (e.g., normal vibration amplitude but abnormal frequency components), significantly reducing the false negative rate.

[0121] In some embodiments, reinforcement learning is used to dynamically optimize the robot's handling path and detection sequence for parallel detection scenarios of multiple workstations (e.g., 24 workstations) of charging and discharging vehicles, thereby solving the problem of uneven workstation load caused by traditional fixed-sequence scheduling.

[0122] The state space definition includes: Observation: the status of each workstation (idle / charging / fully charged / faulty), the robot's current position, and the queue of e-cigarettes to be processed; Action: selecting the next workstation number for handling, and the gripping / placement speed level (3 adjustable levels); Reward function: +10 points for completing a valid handling, -5 points for waiting at the workstation for more than 30 seconds, and +1 point for collision risk (calculated in real time by the end force sensor).

[0123] The policy network training adopts the PPO algorithm. The simulation environment simulates a dynamic load scenario with 24 workstations. The robot's maximum handling speed is 1.5m / s. Path planning takes obstacle avoidance into account (such as avoiding the area of ​​the image acquisition device being detected).

[0124] The trained strategy can prioritize workstations that are fully charged in advance (based on a charging completion time prediction model with a prediction error of ≤20 seconds); and dynamically adjust the handling sequence to reduce the average waiting time of each workstation by 40%.

[0125] Hardware collaborative control is achieved through real-time communication between the robot controller and the carrier PLC via the OPC UA protocol, updating the workstation status every 50ms. When a workstation is detected to have three consecutive poor charging contacts (pressure sensor data in Example 4), the reinforcement learning strategy automatically skips the workstation and marks it as a fault, notifying maintenance personnel.

[0126] In some embodiments, a transfer learning framework is built by rapidly iterating on e-cigarette models (adding 2-3 new models per week) and using historical model data to quickly adapt the detection parameters of new models, thus solving the inefficiency problem of traditional solutions that require manual reconfiguration of rules.

[0127] Metadata feature extraction is achieved by establishing e-cigarette detection feature metadata, such as charging contact location coordinates, LED light layout (1 / 2 / 3 lights), vibration motor type (linear motor / eccentric wheel motor), etc., forming a model feature vector (20 dimensions).

[0128] The transfer learning process includes: Pre-training phase: Training a general detection model using data from multiple historical models (including the positioning model for S101, the LED recognition model for S102, and the vibration model for S103), extracting shared feature layers. Fine-tuning phase: When importing a new model, only 50 sample data points are needed. The end-level classifier is fine-tuned based on the shared feature layers, completing the adaptive adaptation of detection parameters within 20 minutes (traditional manual configuration takes 2 hours). Example: When the LED layout of a new model changes from 2 LEDs to 3 LEDs, the transfer learning model automatically updates the ROI region division rules of S102 by detecting the position coordinates of the newly added LEDs (based on YOLOv8n detection results).

[0129] The intelligent configuration verification automatically generates a test parameter configuration file after fine-tuning the model. It performs three rounds of cyclic verification during the first test. If the consistency of the test results is ≥98%, the configuration is confirmed to be effective; otherwise, a manual review process is triggered to reduce the risk of introducing new models.

[0130] The automated charge-discharge testing system for electronic cigarettes provided in this application is used to execute the steps of the automated charge-discharge testing methods for electronic cigarettes shown in the above embodiments. This automated charge-discharge testing system can be a single server or a server cluster, or it can be a terminal, such as a handheld terminal, a laptop computer, a wearable device, or a robot.

[0131] The automated charging and discharging testing system for electronic cigarettes includes:

[0132] The grasping and placing unit is used to control the robot to grasp the e-cigarette products to be charged from the designated area and place the e-cigarettes in the corresponding work positions of the charging and discharging carrier in a preset order, so that the e-cigarettes on the carrier are accurately connected to the charging interface of the gold plate charger, and the LED lights on the e-cigarettes on the carrier are displayed in the same direction.

[0133] The charging monitoring unit is used to monitor the charging process of the e-cigarette in the gold plate charger. It acquires the LED display status of the e-cigarette in real time through the image acquisition device and automatically identifies whether the e-cigarette is charging or fully charged according to the preset charging status judgment rules.

[0134] The vibration detection unit is used to detect the vibration of the e-cigarette on the carrier during the charging process using vibration sensors. It determines whether the e-cigarette vibrates according to preset requirements. If no vibration is detected, it is marked as abnormal. When the e-cigarette is detected to be fully charged, the robot controls the robot to remove the fully charged e-cigarette from the gold plate charger and automatically insert a dummy cartridge to trigger the e-cigarette's discharge heating function. The vibration sensor detects whether the e-cigarette starts motor vibration, and the image acquisition device detects whether the e-cigarette exhibits the preset heating display state. If the vibration and heating display state requirements are not met simultaneously, it is judged as a defective product and isolated. By acquiring images of a specified area in real time, the e-cigarette can be quickly located and the ROI area can be output for calculating the current orientation angle. The charging and discharging carrier station is designed with an elastic floating interface. Combined with the robot's end force control feedback, the charging contacts are automatically aligned through elastic contact pieces to accommodate the shape differences of different e-cigarette models.

[0135] In some embodiments, after determining that the product is defective and is isolated if the vibration and heating display status requirements are not simultaneously met, and recording the defective product information into the system, the method further includes: after completing the discharge heating start-up detection, performing a first heating process on the electronic cigarette; after heating is completed, controlling a mechanical device to shake the electronic cigarette, and using an image acquisition device to detect whether a preset display graphic appears on the display screen, and determining whether the display graphic is normal; after the first heating detection is completed, controlling the electronic cigarette to enter a cooling state and timing it; when the cooling time reaches a preset duration, inserting a fake cartridge again for a second heating; after heating is completed, using an image acquisition device to detect whether the LED display screen displays a preset related graphic; after the second heating detection is completed, controlling a mechanical device to shake the electronic cigarette again, and using an image acquisition device to detect whether a preset display graphic appears on the display screen, and determining whether the display graphic is normal; repeating the above process of inserting a fake cartridge for heating, cooling, and shaking detection to complete a preset multi-round automatic start-up heating and display detection cycle, completing the automated testing of the electronic cigarette's charging and discharging and multiple functions.

[0136] In some embodiments, the step of detecting whether a preset display graphic appears on the display screen and determining whether the display graphic is normal by means of an image acquisition device includes: controlling the image acquisition device to acquire an image of the display screen within a preset time after the electronic cigarette is shaken by the mechanical device; comparing the acquired image with a pre-stored standard display graphic for features; the feature comparison includes at least the position coordinates, outline, color distribution, and pixel brightness value of the display graphic; when the deviation values ​​of each feature of the acquired image from the corresponding feature of the standard display graphic are all within a preset allowable range, the display graphic is determined to be normal; otherwise, it is determined to be abnormal.

[0137] In some embodiments, after heating is completed, detecting whether the LED display screen displays a preset related graphic by an image acquisition device includes: after the heating process is completed, controlling the image acquisition device to scan the LED display screen in real time at a preset frame rate, identifying whether a preset charging completion status graphic or a discharge stage feature graphic appears on the display screen. The preset related graphic includes, but is not limited to, a specific arrangement of indicator light combinations, characters or symbols. When the duration of the preset graphic continuously displayed on the display screen reaches a preset detection time threshold, it is determined that the display is normal; otherwise, it is determined to be abnormal.

[0138] In some embodiments, the controlled robot picks up the e-cigarette product to be charged from a designated area and places the e-cigarette in the corresponding station of the charging and discharging carrier according to a preset sequence, so that the e-cigarette on the carrier is accurately connected to the charging interface of the gold plate charger. This includes: obtaining the real-time position coordinates and attitude information of the e-cigarette through a vision positioning system set on the robot's end effector; combining the coordinate mapping table of the charging and discharging carrier station; controlling the robot to adjust the position and angle of the end effector; mechanically aligning the charging contacts of the e-cigarette with the gold plate charger interface on the carrier; achieving electrical connection through the elastic contact structure on the carrier; and detecting whether the contact pressure is within a preset range through a pressure sensor to confirm successful connection.

[0139] In some embodiments, ensuring that the LED lights of the electronic cigarettes on the carrier display a uniform orientation includes: setting an orientation positioning groove at each station of the charging and discharging carrier; the inner wall of the positioning groove is provided with a guide structure that matches the shape of the electronic cigarette; when the robot places the electronic cigarette, it identifies the initial orientation of the electronic cigarette's LED lights through a vision system; if the detected orientation is inconsistent with the preset direction of the positioning groove, it controls the end effector to rotate the electronic cigarette to a specified angle so that the display surface of the LED lights faces the uniform detection direction of the carrier, so that the image acquisition device can perform subsequent status monitoring.

[0140] In some embodiments, the step of acquiring the LED display status of the electronic cigarette during charging in real time through an image acquisition device, and automatically identifying whether the electronic cigarette is in a charging state or fully charged according to a preset charging state determination rule, includes: during the charging process, the image acquisition device acquires images of the electronic cigarette's LED light at a preset frequency, extracts the on / off state, flashing frequency, and color information of the LED light through an image recognition algorithm, and determines the charging state when the lower LED light is continuously lit and the upper LED light flashes at a preset frequency; and determines the fully charged state when both the upper and lower LED lights are continuously lit and simultaneously turn off after a first preset duration. The charging state determination rule is stored in the database of the system control module and is configurable.

[0141] In some embodiments, the control robot removes a fully charged e-cigarette from the gold plate charger and automatically inserts a dummy cartridge, triggering the e-cigarette's discharge heating function. A vibration sensor detects whether the e-cigarette's motor vibration has started. This includes: the robot's end effector carrying the dummy cartridge approaches the e-cigarette's cartridge interface; a servo motor controls the insertion depth to a preset position to trigger the heating start mechanism; simultaneously, the vibration sensor collects vibration signals from the e-cigarette casing in real time; time-frequency analysis is performed on the collected signals; when the frequency, amplitude, and duration of the detected vibration signal all conform to preset motor vibration characteristic parameters, the vibration function is determined to be normal; if no vibration signal conforming to the characteristics is detected within a preset detection time, the vibration function is determined to be abnormal.

[0142] In some embodiments, detecting whether the electronic cigarette exhibits a preset heating display state via an image acquisition device includes: after triggering the discharge heating function, controlling the image acquisition device to focus on the LED display area of ​​the electronic cigarette, and monitoring in real time whether a preset heating indicator light combination appears. The preset heating display state includes, but is not limited to, two white LEDs flashing alternately at a preset frequency. When the duration of the indicator light combination reaches a second preset duration and there is no abnormal flashing interruption, the heating display state is determined to be normal; otherwise, it is determined to be abnormal.

[0143] It should be noted that those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the electronic cigarette automated charging and discharging test system and its modules described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the embodiments of the electronic cigarette automated charging and discharging test method described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0144] Please see Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a schematic block diagram of the structure of an automated charging and discharging test device for electronic cigarettes provided in an embodiment of this application. The automated charging and discharging test device for electronic cigarettes includes a processor, a memory, and a network interface connected via a device bus. The memory may include a storage medium and internal memory.

[0145] The storage medium can store operating devices and computer programs. The computer program includes program instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform any automated charging and discharging test method for electronic cigarettes.

[0146] The processor provides computing and control capabilities to support the operation of the entire automated charging and discharging testing equipment for electronic cigarettes.

[0147] The internal memory provides an environment for the execution of computer programs in non-volatile storage media. When the computer program is executed by the processor, it enables the processor to perform any automated charging and discharging test method for electronic cigarettes.

[0148] This network interface is used for network communication, such as sending assigned tasks. Those skilled in the art will understand that... Figure 6 The structure shown is merely a block diagram of a portion of the structure related to the present application and does not constitute a limitation on the terminal to which the present application is applied. Specific automated charging and discharging testing equipment for electronic cigarettes may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0149] It should be understood that the processor can be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), but it can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. Among these, a general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0150] In one embodiment, the processor is configured to run a computer program stored in memory to perform the following steps:

[0151] The robot is controlled to pick up e-cigarettes to be charged from a designated area and place them in the corresponding positions of the charging and discharging carrier in a preset order, so that the e-cigarettes on the carrier are accurately connected to the charging interface of the gold plate charger, and the LED lights on the e-cigarettes on the carrier are displayed in the same direction.

[0152] The charging process of the e-cigarette in the gold plate charger is monitored. The LED display status of the e-cigarette during charging is acquired in real time through image acquisition equipment. According to the preset charging status judgment rules, the e-cigarette is automatically identified as being in the charging state or fully charged.

[0153] During the e-cigarette charging process, vibration sensors detect the vibration of the e-cigarette on the carrier to determine if it vibrates according to preset requirements. If no vibration is detected, it is marked as abnormal. When the e-cigarette is detected to be fully charged, the robot removes the fully charged e-cigarette from the gold plate charger and automatically inserts a dummy cartridge, triggering the e-cigarette's discharge and heating function. Vibration sensors detect whether the e-cigarette's motor vibrates, and image acquisition equipment detects whether the e-cigarette displays the preset heating status. If both vibration and heating status requirements are not met simultaneously, it is judged as a defective product and isolated. By acquiring images of a designated area in real time, the e-cigarette is quickly located and the ROI area is output for calculating the current orientation angle. The charging and discharging carrier station is designed with an elastic floating interface, combined with the robot's end effector force control feedback, and the charging contacts are automatically aligned through elastic contact pieces to accommodate the shape differences of different e-cigarette models.

[0154] In some embodiments, after determining that the product is defective and is isolated if the vibration and heating display status requirements are not simultaneously met, and recording the defective product information into the system, the method further includes: after completing the discharge heating start-up detection, performing a first heating process on the electronic cigarette; after heating is completed, controlling a mechanical device to shake the electronic cigarette, and using an image acquisition device to detect whether a preset display graphic appears on the display screen, and determining whether the display graphic is normal; after the first heating detection is completed, controlling the electronic cigarette to enter a cooling state and timing it; when the cooling time reaches a preset duration, inserting a fake cartridge again for a second heating; after heating is completed, using an image acquisition device to detect whether the LED display screen displays a preset related graphic; after the second heating detection is completed, controlling a mechanical device to shake the electronic cigarette again, and using an image acquisition device to detect whether a preset display graphic appears on the display screen, and determining whether the display graphic is normal; repeating the above process of inserting a fake cartridge for heating, cooling, and shaking detection to complete a preset multi-round automatic start-up heating and display detection cycle, completing the automated testing of the electronic cigarette's charging and discharging and multiple functions.

[0155] In some embodiments, the step of detecting whether a preset display graphic appears on the display screen and determining whether the display graphic is normal by means of an image acquisition device includes: controlling the image acquisition device to acquire an image of the display screen within a preset time after the electronic cigarette is shaken by the mechanical device; comparing the acquired image with a pre-stored standard display graphic for features; the feature comparison includes at least the position coordinates, outline, color distribution, and pixel brightness value of the display graphic; when the deviation values ​​of each feature of the acquired image from the corresponding feature of the standard display graphic are all within a preset allowable range, the display graphic is determined to be normal; otherwise, it is determined to be abnormal.

[0156] In some embodiments, after heating is completed, detecting whether the LED display screen displays a preset related graphic by an image acquisition device includes: after the heating process is completed, controlling the image acquisition device to scan the LED display screen in real time at a preset frame rate, identifying whether a preset charging completion status graphic or a discharge stage feature graphic appears on the display screen. The preset related graphic includes, but is not limited to, a specific arrangement of indicator light combinations, characters or symbols. When the duration of the preset graphic continuously displayed on the display screen reaches a preset detection time threshold, it is determined that the display is normal; otherwise, it is determined to be abnormal.

[0157] In some embodiments, the controlled robot picks up the e-cigarette product to be charged from a designated area and places the e-cigarette in the corresponding station of the charging and discharging carrier according to a preset sequence, so that the e-cigarette on the carrier is accurately connected to the charging interface of the gold plate charger. This includes: obtaining the real-time position coordinates and attitude information of the e-cigarette through a vision positioning system set on the robot's end effector; combining the coordinate mapping table of the charging and discharging carrier station; controlling the robot to adjust the position and angle of the end effector; mechanically aligning the charging contacts of the e-cigarette with the gold plate charger interface on the carrier; achieving electrical connection through the elastic contact structure on the carrier; and detecting whether the contact pressure is within a preset range through a pressure sensor to confirm successful connection.

[0158] In some embodiments, ensuring that the LED lights of the electronic cigarettes on the carrier display a uniform orientation includes: setting an orientation positioning groove at each station of the charging and discharging carrier; the inner wall of the positioning groove is provided with a guide structure that matches the shape of the electronic cigarette; when the robot places the electronic cigarette, it identifies the initial orientation of the electronic cigarette's LED lights through a vision system; if the detected orientation is inconsistent with the preset direction of the positioning groove, it controls the end effector to rotate the electronic cigarette to a specified angle so that the display surface of the LED lights faces the uniform detection direction of the carrier, so that the image acquisition device can perform subsequent status monitoring.

[0159] In some embodiments, the step of acquiring the LED display status of the electronic cigarette during charging in real time through an image acquisition device, and automatically identifying whether the electronic cigarette is in a charging state or fully charged according to a preset charging state determination rule, includes: during the charging process, the image acquisition device acquires images of the electronic cigarette's LED light at a preset frequency, extracts the on / off state, flashing frequency, and color information of the LED light through an image recognition algorithm, and determines the charging state when the lower LED light is continuously lit and the upper LED light flashes at a preset frequency; and determines the fully charged state when both the upper and lower LED lights are continuously lit and simultaneously turn off after a first preset duration. The charging state determination rule is stored in the database of the system control module and is configurable.

[0160] In some embodiments, the control robot removes a fully charged e-cigarette from the gold plate charger and automatically inserts a dummy cartridge, triggering the e-cigarette's discharge heating function. A vibration sensor detects whether the e-cigarette's motor vibration has started. This includes: the robot's end effector carrying the dummy cartridge approaches the e-cigarette's cartridge interface; a servo motor controls the insertion depth to a preset position to trigger the heating start mechanism; simultaneously, the vibration sensor collects vibration signals from the e-cigarette casing in real time; time-frequency analysis is performed on the collected signals; when the frequency, amplitude, and duration of the detected vibration signal all conform to preset motor vibration characteristic parameters, the vibration function is determined to be normal; if no vibration signal conforming to the characteristics is detected within a preset detection time, the vibration function is determined to be abnormal.

[0161] In some embodiments, detecting whether the electronic cigarette exhibits a preset heating display state via an image acquisition device includes: after triggering the discharge heating function, controlling the image acquisition device to focus on the LED display area of ​​the electronic cigarette, and monitoring in real time whether a preset heating indicator light combination appears. The preset heating display state includes, but is not limited to, two white LEDs flashing alternately at a preset frequency. When the duration of the indicator light combination reaches a second preset duration and there is no abnormal flashing interruption, the heating display state is determined to be normal; otherwise, it is determined to be abnormal.

[0162] The embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, the computer program including program instructions, and the processor executing the program instructions to implement the steps of the automated charging and discharging test method for electronic cigarettes provided in the above embodiments of this application.

[0163] The computer-readable storage medium can be an internal storage unit of the automated charging and discharging test equipment for electronic cigarettes described in the foregoing embodiments, such as the hard drive or memory of the automated charging and discharging test equipment for electronic cigarettes. The computer-readable storage medium can also be an external storage device of the automated charging and discharging test equipment for electronic cigarettes, such as a plug-in hard drive, Smart Media Card (SMC), Secure Digital (SD) card, or Flash Card equipped on the automated charging and discharging test equipment for electronic cigarettes.

[0164] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application, and these modifications or substitutions should all be covered within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An automated charging and discharging test method for electronic cigarettes, characterized in that, include: The robot is controlled to pick up e-cigarettes to be charged from a designated area and place them in the corresponding positions of the charging and discharging carrier in a preset order, so that the e-cigarettes on the carrier are accurately connected to the charging interface of the gold plate charger, and the LED lights on the e-cigarettes on the carrier are displayed in the same direction. The charging process of the e-cigarette in the gold plate charger is monitored. The LED display status of the e-cigarette during charging is acquired in real time through image acquisition equipment. According to the preset charging status judgment rules, the e-cigarette is automatically identified as being in the charging state or fully charged. During the charging process of the e-cigarette, a vibration sensor is used to detect the vibration function of the e-cigarette on the carrier to determine whether the e-cigarette vibrates according to the preset requirements. If no vibration is detected, it is marked as abnormal. Once the e-cigarette is detected to be fully charged, the robot will remove the fully charged e-cigarette from the gold plate charger and automatically insert a fake e-cigarette cartridge to trigger the discharge heating function of the e-cigarette. The vibration sensor will detect whether the e-cigarette starts the motor vibration, and the image acquisition device will detect whether the e-cigarette shows the preset heating display state. If the vibration and heating display state requirements are not met at the same time, it will be judged as a defective product and isolated. By acquiring images of a designated area in real time, the system can quickly locate the e-cigarette and output the ROI area for calculating the current orientation angle. Through the design of an elastic floating interface at the charging and discharging carrier station, combined with the force control feedback of the robot end effector, the charging contacts can be automatically aligned through elastic contact pieces to accommodate the shape differences of different e-cigarette models.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After determining that a product is defective and is isolated if both vibration and heating display requirements are not simultaneously met, and recording the defective product information into the system, the process further includes: After the discharge heating start-up test is completed, the electronic cigarette is heated for the first time. After the heating is completed, the mechanical device is controlled to shake the electronic cigarette, and the image acquisition device is used to detect whether the preset display pattern appears on the display screen to determine whether the display pattern is normal. After the first heating test is completed, the electronic cigarette is controlled to enter the cooling state and the timer is started. When the cooling time reaches the preset duration, the fake cigarette cartridge is inserted again for the second heating. After the heating is completed, the LED display screen is checked by the image acquisition device to see if the preset relevant graphics are displayed. After the second heating test is completed, the mechanical device is controlled to shake the electronic cigarette again, and the image acquisition device is used to check whether the preset display pattern appears on the display screen to determine whether the display pattern is normal. Repeat the above process of inserting fake cigarette cartridges for heating, cooling, and shaking detection to complete multiple preset automatic heating and display detection cycles, thus completing automated testing of the electronic cigarette's charging, discharging, and multiple functions.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of detecting whether a preset display graphic appears on the display screen using an image acquisition device and determining whether the display graphic is normal includes: The image acquisition device acquires the display screen image within a preset time after the electronic cigarette is shaken by the mechanical device. The acquired image is then compared with a pre-stored standard display graphic for feature comparison. The feature comparison includes at least the position coordinates, outline, color distribution, and pixel brightness value of the display graphic. When the deviation values ​​of each feature of the acquired image from the corresponding feature of the standard display graphic are all within the preset allowable range, the display graphic is determined to be normal; otherwise, it is determined to be abnormal.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, After heating is completed, the image acquisition device is used to detect whether the LED display screen shows a preset related graphic, including: After the heating process is completed, the image acquisition device is controlled to scan the LED display screen in real time at a preset frame rate to identify whether a preset charging completion status graphic or a discharge stage feature graphic appears on the display screen. The preset related graphics include, but are not limited to, a specific arrangement of indicator light combinations, characters or symbols. When the duration of the preset graphic continuously displayed on the display screen reaches a preset detection time threshold, it is determined that the display is normal; otherwise, it is determined to be abnormal.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controlled robot picks up e-cigarettes to be charged from a designated area and places them in the corresponding positions of the charging and discharging carrier according to a preset sequence, ensuring that the e-cigarettes on the carrier accurately connect to the charging interface of the gold plate charger, including: The real-time position coordinates and attitude information of the e-cigarette are obtained by a vision positioning system installed on the robot's end effector. Combined with the coordinate mapping table of the charging and discharging carrier station, the robot is controlled to adjust the position and angle of the end effector, mechanically aligning the charging contacts of the e-cigarette with the gold plate charger interface on the carrier. Electrical connection is achieved through the elastic contact structure on the carrier. The contact pressure is detected by a pressure sensor to confirm whether the contact pressure is within the preset range to confirm successful docking.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, Ensuring that the LED lights on the electronic cigarettes on the vehicle display a uniform direction includes: A directional positioning slot is set at each station of the charging and discharging vehicle. The inner wall of the positioning slot is provided with a guide structure that matches the shape of the e-cigarette. When the robot places the e-cigarette, it identifies the initial orientation of the e-cigarette LED light through the vision system. If the orientation is detected to be inconsistent with the preset direction of the positioning slot, the robot controls the end effector to rotate the e-cigarette to a specified angle so that the display surface of the LED light faces the unified detection direction of the vehicle, so that the image acquisition device can perform subsequent status monitoring.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process of acquiring the LED display status of the electronic cigarette during charging in real time through an image acquisition device, and automatically identifying whether the electronic cigarette is charging or fully charged according to a preset charging status determination rule, includes: During the charging process, the image acquisition device acquires images of the electronic cigarette LED light at a preset frequency, and extracts the on / off state, flashing frequency and color information of the LED light through the image recognition algorithm. When the lower LED light is detected to be constantly on and the upper LED light is flashing at a preset frequency, it is determined to be in the charging state. When it is detected that both the upper and lower LEDs are constantly lit and then turn off simultaneously after a first preset duration, it is determined that the battery is fully charged. The charging status determination rules are stored in the database of the system control module and can be configured.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control robot removes the fully charged e-cigarette from the gold plate charger and automatically inserts a dummy cartridge, triggering the e-cigarette's discharge heating function. A vibration sensor detects whether the e-cigarette's motor is vibrating, including: The robot's end effector carries a dummy cartridge and approaches the cartridge interface of the e-cigarette. The servo motor controls the insertion depth to a preset position to trigger the heating start mechanism. At the same time, the vibration sensor collects the vibration signal of the e-cigarette shell in real time. The collected signal is analyzed in time and frequency. When the frequency, amplitude and duration of the detected vibration signal all meet the preset motor vibration characteristic parameters, the vibration function is judged to be normal. If no vibration signal that meets the characteristics is detected within the preset detection time, the vibration function is judged to be abnormal.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of detecting whether the electronic cigarette exhibits a preset heating display state via an image acquisition device includes: After the discharge heating function is triggered, the control image acquisition device focuses on the LED display area of ​​the electronic cigarette and monitors in real time whether a preset heating indicator light combination appears. The preset heating display state includes, but is not limited to, two white LEDs flashing alternately at a preset frequency. When the duration of the indicator light combination reaches the second preset duration and there is no abnormal flashing interruption, the heating display state is determined to be normal; otherwise, it is determined to be abnormal.

10. An automated charging and discharging testing device for electronic cigarettes, characterized in that, The automated charging and discharging testing equipment for electronic cigarettes is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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