Multi-area independent temperature control vibrating conveyor system and method for conveying tobacco shreds after SIROX

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of cigarette cut tobacco making processes and equipment, and provides a multi-area independent temperature control vibrating conveyor system for conveying cut tobacco after SIROX. According to the system, a multi-area temperature control system is integrated on a vibration conveyor body aiming at the problems of adhesion and hardening caused by condensation in the tobacco shred conveying process. The temperature control system comprises multi-zone heating units which are arranged on the bottom of the tank body, the side plates, the fixed cover plate and the feeding cover in a partitioned manner; the temperature sensors are correspondingly arranged in the partitions; a controller; and a plurality of solid state relays. The components are connected to form a plurality of independent closed-loop control loops, and the wall surface temperature of each subarea can be independently and accurately controlled, so that the wall surface temperature is maintained above a set value, and condensate water is prevented from being generated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the technical field of cigarette manufacturing process and equipment, specifically relating to a multi-zone independent temperature-controlled vibrating conveyor system and method for conveying tobacco shreds after SIROX. Background Technology

[0002] In cigarette manufacturing lines, vibrating conveyors are core equipment responsible for material transfer between processes, and their stable operation directly affects production continuity and process consistency. In recent years, quality improvement technologies, such as SIROX (a process that uses high-temperature, high-humidity steam to instantly treat tobacco shreds to achieve online expansion), have been widely adopted. This process can instantly raise the temperature of tobacco shreds to over 70°C, significantly increasing the moisture content, aiming to significantly improve the filling capacity and sensory quality of the tobacco. In a typical cigarette manufacturing line layout, the high-temperature, high-humidity tobacco shreds treated by SIROX immediately fall into the adjacent vibrating conveyor downstream, and are then smoothly transported to the subsequent drying machine for drying and shaping.

[0003] However, because the metal trough of the vibrating conveyor (including the bottom, side plates, top cover, and inlet / outlet hoods) is at a much lower temperature than the hot and humid tobacco under normal conditions, the huge temperature difference causes the water vapor released by the tobacco to condense rapidly upon contact with the low-temperature metal surface when it enters the conveyor. This condensate drastically alters the physical state of the tobacco: firstly, the condensate wets the tobacco, causing it to stick together and clump, accumulating at the bottom of the trough and corners to form stubborn blockages. In severe cases, manual cleaning is required every tens of minutes, directly disrupting continuous production and significantly reducing the equipment's effective operating rate. Secondly, and more critically, after the tobacco sticks together due to the condensate, the combined effect of the continuous conveying of the vibrating conveyor and the material's own accumulation causes them to be squeezed and clump together, forming dense clumps. This macroscopic compression and densification process directly and irreversibly damages the microscopic physical structure of the tobacco, causing the collapse or crushing of the loose, porous, and expanded structure carefully constructed by the SIROX process, resulting in a significant decrease in the tobacco's filling value. Simultaneously, changes in the microstructure may also cause unexpected changes in the adsorption state and migration rate of the chemical components within the tobacco. This not only severely negates the core value of the preceding processes in improving tobacco quality through expansion, but also ultimately seriously impairs the smoking quality and batch-to-batch quality stability of the finished cigarettes.

[0004] To address the issues of condensation and material adhesion caused by temperature differences on vibrating conveyors, existing technologies typically employ heating elements (such as steam coils) at the bottom of the conveying trough to alleviate these problems. However, practical experience shows that the overall effectiveness of such solutions is limited and unstable. Materials still exhibit varying degrees of agglomeration and adhesion during conveying, and their physical structure and state after conveying deviate from the process expectations, making it difficult to reliably meet the continuous quality requirements of subsequent processes.

[0005] This application is submitted to address the aforementioned issues. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, the present invention aims to provide a multi-zone independent temperature-controlled vibrating conveyor system and method for conveying tobacco shreds after SIROX, in order to systematically solve the complex problems caused by the condensation of hot and humid tobacco shreds at multiple low-temperature metal interfaces due to complex heat and mass transfer during the conveying process, which leads to tobacco shred adhesion, caking, equipment blockage, damage to its expansion structure, reduction of filling value, and impact on product quality.

[0007] The innovation of this invention lies in proposing a temperature control strategy that covers all contact surfaces of the conveyor and provides independent closed-loop control for each region. By dividing the key contact surfaces such as the conveyor trough bottom, side plates, cover plates, and feed hood into zones, and independently setting temperature targets, monitoring, and controlling each zone, precise management of the wall temperature is achieved. This system can stably maintain the wall temperature of each zone at the set target value (usually higher than the critical temperature for water vapor condensation in the humid air of tobacco), thereby systematically preventing the generation of condensate.

[0008] This method not only helps ensure the continuity and stability of material transportation, but also effectively prevents the damage to the physical structure of tobacco caused by local condensation and material adhesion and compression by establishing and maintaining a uniform and controllable thermal boundary environment. This allows the loose, porous, and expanded structure of tobacco and its sensory quality imparted by the SIROX process to be maintained, ensuring that the quality improvement effect of the previous process can be effectively transferred to the subsequent process.

[0009] The technical solution adopted in this invention is as follows:

[0010] The first aspect of this invention provides a multi-zone independent temperature-controlled vibrating conveyor system for post-SIROX tobacco conveying, comprising a vibrating conveyor body 1, which has a trough 10 formed by a horizontal base plate 11 and side plates 12 vertically disposed on both sides of the base plate 11, and a fixed cover plate 13 supported by the side plates 12 and covering the trough 10; the body 1 further includes a feed hood 14 connected to the feed end of the trough 10, the outlet end of the feed hood 14 abutting the feed end of the fixed cover plate 13, its cross-section being an inverted trapezoid covering the feed section of the trough 10, and together with the fixed cover plate 13 forming a continuous top covering structure; the top or side wall of the feed hood 14 is provided with a feed inlet 141 for connecting to upstream equipment, and the system further includes:

[0011] The multi-zone heating unit is arranged in sections on multiple different surfaces of the vibrating conveyor body 1 that come into contact with the tobacco.

[0012] Multiple temperature sensors 3 are configured corresponding to each zone of the multi-zone heating unit;

[0013] The controller has multiple signal input terminals and multiple pulse width modulation signal output terminals;

[0014] Multiple solid-state relays;

[0015] The signal output terminals of each temperature sensor 3 are electrically connected to the corresponding signal input terminals of the controller; the control terminals of each solid-state relay are electrically connected to the corresponding pulse width modulation signal output terminals of the controller; the output terminals of each solid-state relay are electrically connected to the heating units of the corresponding zones; and the heating units, solid-state relays, and controller are connected to a power supply.

[0016] Preferably, the multi-zone heating unit 2 specifically includes:

[0017] At least three bottom heating zones 21 are arranged at the bottom of the vibrating conveyor trough 10 along the material conveying direction;

[0018] At least one side heating zone 22 is provided on the side plate 12 of the vibrating conveyor trough 10;

[0019] At least one cover plate heating zone 23, a fixed cover plate 13 arranged in the vibrating conveyor trough 10;

[0020] At least one feed hood heating zone 24 is provided on the feed hood 14 of the vibrating conveyor 1.

[0021] Preferably, there are three bottom heating zones 21 and three cover plate heating zones 23; the side heating zones 22 are composed of heating units 2 respectively disposed on the two side plates 12 and are uniformly controlled by a temperature control circuit; and there is one feed hood heating zone 24.

[0022] Preferably, each heating zone includes one or more plate-shaped or tubular electric heating elements 25, which are arranged to cover or correspond to the heating area of ​​the zone; the electric heating elements 25 are attached to or embedded on the outer surface of the base plate 11, the outer side surface of the side plate 12, the outer surface of the fixed cover plate 13, and the outer wall surface of the feed hood 14 where the corresponding zone is located, and do not protrude from the inner surface of the corresponding base plate 11, side plate 12, fixed cover plate 13, or feed hood 14.

[0023] Preferably, on the plates of the base plate 11 and the fixed cover plate 13, a heat insulation structure 142 that completely penetrates the thickness direction of the plate is formed at the boundary of adjacent heating zones; the heat insulation structure 142 includes a heat insulation substrate 143 embedded in the plate body, and an isolation portion 144 extending from the substrate toward the outer surface for isolating the heating elements of adjacent zones, and the portion of the heat insulation substrate 143 extending toward the inner surface of the plate body is flush with the inner surface of the plate body.

[0024] Preferably, the detection ends of the plurality of temperature sensors 3 are in direct physical contact with the corresponding outer surfaces of the base plate 11, the side plates 12, the fixed cover plate 13, and the feed hood 14 where the heating zone is located.

[0025] Preferably, the system further includes a heat insulation structure 145, which is composed of multiple independent heat insulation units 146; each heat insulation unit 146 is attached to the outer surface of the wall panel where the corresponding heating zone is located, and covers the electric heating element 25 of that zone.

[0026] Preferably, a metal protective shell 147 is also provided on the outside of the heat preservation unit 146.

[0027] A second aspect of the present invention provides a multi-zone independent temperature control method for a system as described in the first aspect, comprising the following steps:

[0028] S1. Set independent temperature target values ​​for the bottom heating zone 21, side heating zone 22, cover plate heating zone 23 and feed hood heating zone 24 respectively;

[0029] S2. The temperature detection value of the corresponding wall panel is obtained in real time through the temperature sensor 3 of each zone;

[0030] S3. For each zone, the controller compares its temperature detection value with the corresponding temperature target value and generates a corresponding pulse width modulation control signal based on the deviation.

[0031] S4. Each pulse width modulation control signal drives the solid-state relay of the corresponding zone to independently adjust the working power of the heating unit 2 of each zone, so that the temperature of the wall panel of each zone is stabilized at its respective temperature target value, thereby preventing the tobacco from condensing due to the low wall temperature during the conveying process.

[0032] The advantages of this invention over the prior art are as follows:

[0033] 1. This invention, through in-depth research into the conveying process of SIROX tobacco, reveals that traditional solutions suffer from cognitive limitations and practical bottlenecks. Their approach of heating the bottom of the conveying trough to maintain the apparent temperature of the tobacco and prevent cooling and clumping does not address the underlying physical nature of the problem. This invention discloses that the fundamental physical mechanism leading to the deterioration of tobacco quality is not simply tobacco cooling, but rather the widespread condensation of high-temperature, high-humidity steam released by the tobacco at all low-temperature metal interfaces within the conveying channel (including the trough bottom, side plates, cover plates, and the inner wall of the feed hood).

[0034] Specifically, the tobacco output from SIROX equipment carries a large amount of hot, moist steam. This steam rapidly diffuses throughout the conveyor channel and comes into contact with all metal surfaces below their dew point. Upon contact, the steam condenses into liquid water at these broad solid interfaces. It is this condensate, generated and accumulated in situ at these interfaces, that wets and binds the tobacco, becoming the direct physical cause of subsequent material adhesion, caking, and even the destruction of its microscopic expansion structure due to compression during vibrating conveying. Traditional single-stage bottom heating solutions clearly cannot prevent steam condensation in other critical areas such as side plates and covers, and therefore cannot fundamentally solve the problem.

[0035] Based on this core discovery, the innovation of this invention lies in its radical transformation of the solution: upgrading the traditional approach of heating materials to prevent cooling to a systematic strategy of actively controlling the temperature of all contact surfaces to eliminate interfacial condensation. To this end, this invention creatively constructs a multi-zone independent closed-loop temperature control system on all metal surfaces that the tobacco may come into contact with. This system scientifically partitions areas based on their actual heat load and condensation risk differences (e.g., feeding section, conveying section, sidewalls), and equips each zone with an independent temperature sensor (sensing), controller (calculation), and electric heating element (execution), thus forming multiple independent closed-loop control loops. This enables the system to precisely and dynamically regulate the temperature of each wall surface in real time, ensuring it remains stable above the set target value of the steam condensation point.

[0036] This invention systematically and accurately eliminates the physical conditions that cause condensation at the contact interface, solving the persistent problems of tobacco sticking, caking, and equipment blockage, ensuring continuous and efficient production. More importantly, by eradicating condensation, the initial medium that causes damage to the physical structure of tobacco, it effectively protects the precious loose and porous microstructure imparted to tobacco by the SIROX process, thereby ensuring the stability of the final product's filler value and sensory quality. This ensures that the superior quality of tobacco (high filler value, loose structure) enhanced by the SIROX process is fully maintained in subsequent processes.

[0037] 2. The multi-zone independent closed-loop control system adopted in this invention comprises a complete sensing-decision-execution feedback loop in each zone. Temperature sensors collect wall temperature data in real time. The controller compares the detected values ​​with independently set target values ​​and dynamically calculates control commands based on control algorithms (such as PID). Solid-state relays, according to these commands, control the actual energizing time of the electric heating elements using high-frequency pulse width modulation, thereby controlling the heat output of the heating unit. When any zone experiences a heat load disturbance due to changes in external conditions, this closed-loop architecture can immediately sense the temperature deviation and automatically adjust the heat output to compensate, thus achieving rapid and stable temperature control for each independent zone. This overcomes the technical defects of traditional single-heating methods, such as coarse adjustment, lag response, and uneven temperature distribution.

[0038] 3. This invention, based on a zoned independent control strategy, achieves on-demand heating, effectively avoiding overall system overheating and energy waste caused by catering to localized high-temperature demands. Simultaneously, the accompanying insulation structure effectively blocks unfavorable heat conduction between adjacent hot zones, while the insulation layer and metal protective shell significantly reduce heat loss to the environment, jointly improving the system's thermal efficiency and energy-saving effect. Furthermore, the core of the control system (including the controller and solid-state relays) employs fully electronic devices and circuits without mechanical contacts, eliminating movement wear, resulting in extremely fast electrical response and a long service life. Combined with the overall protective design, this ensures the entire system can operate stably and reliably for a long time in the harsh industrial environment of a cigarette factory, characterized by high temperature, high humidity, and continuous vibration, reducing maintenance requirements and total life-cycle costs.

[0039] 4. This invention systematically solves a long-standing process bottleneck that has constrained production by eliminating condensation at its physical source, thus generating significant practical value in multiple technical dimensions. Firstly, regarding production continuity, it completely eliminates unplanned downtime and manual intervention caused by material caking and blockage, allowing equipment to operate continuously and stably under the set process rhythm, significantly improving the overall operating efficiency and reliability of the production system. Secondly, regarding material utilization, by preventing condensate seepage, it effectively avoids process waste caused by tobacco caking and loss of effective components due to microstructural collapse, thereby improving the process conversion rate of raw materials and the yield of finished products. Most importantly, regarding quality assurance, by protecting the expanded structure of tobacco formed by the SIROX process, it provides downstream processes with qualified raw materials in a consistent physical state, directly contributing to the stability and improvement of key quality indicators such as the final product's filler value and sensory quality, enhancing the stability and reliability of the process route. These simultaneous technical effects in production efficiency, material utilization, and product quality control demonstrate that this invention provides a comprehensive technical solution to systemic process problems, possessing outstanding practicality and technical superiority. Attached Figure Description

[0040] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0041] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall system structure of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the outer surface structure of the base plate;

[0043] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the heat insulation structure of the heating zone and the installation structure of the electric heating element of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the thermal insulation structure and electric heating element of the present invention on the wall panel;

[0045] Reference numerals: 1. Vibrating conveyor body; 10. Tank; 11. Bottom plate; 12. Side plate; 13. Fixed cover plate; 14. Feed hood; 141. Feed inlet; 21. Bottom heating zone; 22. Side heating zone; 23. Cover plate heating zone; 24. Feed hood heating zone; 25. Electric heating element; 3. Temperature sensor; 142. Thermal insulation structure; 143. Thermal insulation substrate; 144. Isolation section; 145. Thermal insulation structure; 146. Thermal insulation unit; 147. Metal protective shell Detailed Implementation

[0046] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0047] Example 1

[0048] This embodiment provides a specific implementation of a multi-zone independent temperature-controlled vibratory conveyor system for SIROX rear tobacco conveying.

[0049] like Figure 1 As shown, the system includes a vibrating conveyor body 1. This body 1 has a U-shaped trough 10 formed by a horizontal base plate 11 and side plates 12 vertically fixed to both sides of the base plate 11. A fixed cover plate 13 covering the entire trough 10 is supported and fixed to the top of each side plate 12. At the feed end of the trough 10, a feed hood 14 is fixedly connected. The outlet end of the feed hood 14 connects to the feed end of the fixed cover plate 13. The feed hood 14 has an inverted trapezoidal cross-section and covers the feed section of the trough 10, forming a continuous top-sealed structure together with the fixed cover plate 13. A feed inlet 141 is provided at the top of the feed hood 14 for connecting to the discharge port of the upstream SIROX equipment.

[0050] The system described in this embodiment specifically includes a heating unit, a sensing unit, a control unit, and an execution unit, as detailed below:

[0051] The multi-zone heating unit is physically divided into multiple independently controlled heating zones, covering all metal surfaces that may come into contact with tobacco or humid steam.

[0052] Bottom heating area 21, such as Figure 2 As shown, along the material conveying direction, three independent bottom heating zones are attached to the outer surface of the base plate 11, namely the feeding section heating zone, the middle section heating zone, and the discharging section heating zone. Each heating zone consists of a rectangular silicone heating plate.

[0053] It should be noted that the aforementioned silicone rubber heating plate is a mature industrial standard electric heating device. It is typically composed of a silicone rubber insulating layer, glass fiber reinforced cloth, and a built-in nickel-chromium alloy resistance wire (or etched foil circuit), and features flexibility, ultra-thinness (standard thickness approximately 1.5mm), bendability, and uniform heating. Its operating temperature range (-60℃ to 250℃) and power load fully meet the temperature control requirements of this invention to prevent condensation. In this embodiment, rectangular specifications with appropriate dimensions and rated power are selected according to the area of ​​each zone and the target power, and are tightly attached to the outer surface of the corresponding wall panels (bottom plate 11, side plate 12, fixed cover plate 13, and feed hood 14) using high-temperature resistant pressure-sensitive adhesive or bonding agent.

[0054] The side heating zone 22 consists of a long strip of silicone heating plate attached to the outer surface of each of the two side plates 12. In this embodiment, the heating plates on both sides are powered and controlled by a single temperature control loop, and are considered as one side heating zone 22. This is because the condensate in the side plate area mainly flows downwards along the wall, rather than accumulating directly on the surface or dripping onto the material. This characteristic makes the precise control requirements for the temperature gradient along the conveying direction significantly lower than those for the bottom plate, which may accumulate water, and the cover plate, which may drip. Correspondingly, the thermal environment of the two side plates is basically symmetrical, and the heat load (mainly from contact with humid and hot air) along the length direction is also relatively uniform. Therefore, using a unified temperature setting and control loop is sufficient to achieve the process goal of preventing condensation on the side plate surface. From an engineering practice perspective, this design effectively reduces the number of independent temperature control loops while ensuring the core anti-condensation effect, thereby simplifying the system structure, reducing costs, and improving the overall control reliability.

[0055] The cover heating area 23 has three independent rectangular silicone heating plates attached along the length of the outer surface of the fixed cover 13, and their partition positions roughly correspond to the bottom heating area 21.

[0056] The feed hood 14 has a polyhedral structure, and the heating zone 24 is formed by the feed hood itself. In this embodiment, to ensure comprehensive heating of all its main inner surfaces, custom-shaped flexible silicone rubber heating plates are preferably attached to the inner walls of its top and side surfaces. These heating plates are electrically connected in parallel and controlled by a single temperature control loop, collectively forming an independent feed hood heating zone 24. It is understood that, depending on actual needs, a single, integrally molded heating plate covering multiple surfaces can also be used. This design aims to provide comprehensive and uniform heating to the area with the highest risk of condensation.

[0057] All silicone heating plates (i.e., electric heating elements 25) are tightly attached to the outer surface of the corresponding wall panel with high-temperature adhesive, and do not protrude from the inner surface of the wall panel, so as not to affect material flow and cleaning.

[0058] To achieve independent and precise temperature control for each zone and prevent thermal interference between adjacent heating zones, this invention incorporates a specialized heat insulation structure. For example... Figure 3 As shown, taking the base plate 11 as an example, a heat insulation groove that completely penetrates the thickness of the base plate is machined on the plate at the boundary between two adjacent bottom heating zones 21. This heat insulation structure 142 consists of a ceramic fiber heat insulation matrix 143 filled in the groove and a mica insulating portion 144 extending outwards. The inner surface of the heat insulation matrix 143 is polished flush with the inner surface of the base plate 11 to ensure a smooth interior of the groove. The same heat insulation structure is used on the cover plate 13. Furthermore, as... Figure 4 As shown, each heating plate is wrapped with an independent insulation unit 146 made of ceramic fiber felt, and all insulation units 146 together form an insulation structure 145. The outermost layer is then fitted with an aluminum metal protective shell 147, which serves to protect the heating plates and further reduce heat loss.

[0059] Temperature sensor 3 uses a type K armored thermocouple. One thermocouple is installed for each independent heating zone (3 bottom zones + 1 side zone + 3 cover zone + 1 feed hood zone = 8 zones). Its sensing end is tightly fixed to the center of the outer surface of the wall panel where the corresponding heating zone is located with thermally conductive adhesive, and maintains good thermal contact with the heating plate.

[0060] Controller 4 uses a multi-functional PID temperature controller (such as the Shimaden SR series from Japan) with 8 thermocouple inputs and 8 PWM signal outputs.

[0061] Solid-state relay 5: Eight single-phase AC solid-state relays are selected, and their output current capacity is slightly greater than the maximum operating current of the corresponding heating plate.

[0062] The signal lines of the eight temperature sensors 3 are connected to the eight analog input terminals of the controller 4. The eight PWM output terminals of the controller 4 are connected to the control terminals of the eight solid-state relays 5. The output terminal of each solid-state relay 5 is connected in series to the power supply circuit of the corresponding zone heating element 25. The controller, solid-state relays, and all heating elements are connected to the workshop's 220V AC power supply.

[0063] With the above settings, the system establishes eight completely independent, closed-loop temperature measurement-control calculation-power output control loops for eight different physical regions.

[0064] Example 2

[0065] This embodiment provides a temperature control method for using the multi-zone independent temperature-controlled vibrating conveyor system as described in Embodiment 1. The core of this method is to abandon the traditional approach of maintaining the tobacco temperature through heating, and instead adopt a direct strategy of actively controlling the temperature of all contact surfaces to prevent interface condensation. Through a set of zone-specific independent closed-loop control logic, it systematically prevents the generation of condensate in the high-temperature and high-humidity tobacco after SIROX during the conveying process.

[0066] The method specifically includes the following steps:

[0067] S1. On the human-machine interface of the system controller 4, set independent temperature target values ​​(T1) for each of the eight independent heating zones. These target values ​​are not uniform but are differentiated based on the location, heat load, and condensation risk of each zone during the conveying process. The principle is to ensure that the wall temperature of each zone is consistently higher than the condensation point of the tobacco's wet steam. Specifically:

[0068] For the feed hood heating zone 24, which is subject to the direct impact of high-temperature and high-humidity materials and is at the highest risk, as well as the adjacent first bottom heating zone and cover plate heating zone, a relatively high target value is set, such as 80°C to 85°C.

[0069] For the bottom heating zone and cover plate heating zone in the middle section of the conveyor, as the temperature and humidity of the tobacco shreds decrease slightly during conveying, their target values ​​can be set to intermediate values, such as 75°C to 80°C.

[0070] For the side heating zone 22 and the heating zone at the discharge end, the heat load is relatively low, and the target value is set to a minimum value sufficient to prevent condensation, such as 70°C to 75°C.

[0071] All target values ​​must be determined and stored before the system is run, based on theoretical calculations and on-site debugging of the tobacco outlet temperature and humidity parameters of the upstream SIROX process.

[0072] S2. After the system starts, the temperature sensors 3 (K-type armored thermocouples) corresponding to each zone begin to work, continuously and in real time detecting the actual temperature (T2) of the outer surface of the metal wall to which they are attached, and transmitting the analog signal to the corresponding analog input channel of the controller 4. The controller 4 performs digital sampling and processing of the signal to obtain the real-time temperature detection value of each zone, completing the sensing process.

[0073] S3 and controller 4 each run eight independent PID control algorithm loops, corresponding to a heating zone. Each control loop performs the following closed-loop calculation to complete the decision-making process:

[0074] First, the real-time temperature detection value T2 of a certain zone obtained in step S2 is compared with the independent temperature target value T1 set for that zone in step S1 to obtain the real-time temperature deviation. .

[0075] The controller achieves closed-loop regulation through a built-in control algorithm, specifically a conventional PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) control algorithm. This algorithm dynamically calculates a control output quantity, Output, based on the magnitude, duration, and trend of the deviation, following the rules of proportional, integral, and derivative operations. This Output is a value between 0% and 100%, representing the control strength required to bring T2 back to and stabilize at T1.

[0076] The controller converts the Output value into a pulse width modulation signal with a corresponding duty cycle. For example, when Output = 60%, the controller generates a PWM square wave signal with a high level for 60% of the time within a fixed period.

[0077] S4. The solid-state relays 5 corresponding to each partition receive the PWM signal from the controller 4 and execute the execution phase:

[0078] When the PWM signal is high, the solid-state relay is turned on, and the electric heating element 25 of the circuit is energized and heated.

[0079] When the PWM signal is low, the solid-state relay is turned off, and heating stops.

[0080] By switching the heating element on and off at high frequency (e.g., with a period of 1-2 seconds), the average energizing time within one cycle can be adjusted, thereby achieving continuous regulation of the heat output of the heating element.

[0081] Of course, the above description is not intended to limit the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the examples given above. Any changes, alterations, additions or substitutions made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present invention should be protected by the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-zone independent temperature control vibrating conveyor system for SIROX post cut filler conveying, comprising a vibrating conveyor body (1) having a trough (10) formed by a horizontal bottom plate (11) and vertical side plates (12) arranged on both sides of the bottom plate (11), and a fixed cover plate (13) supported by the side plates (12) and covering the trough (10) from above; the body (1) further comprises a feed cover (14) connected to the feed end of the trough (10), the outlet end of the feed cover (14) is butted against the feed end of the fixed cover plate (13), the cross section of the feed cover (14) is an inverted trapezoid covering the feed section of the trough (10) from above, and the fixed cover plate (13) and the feed cover (14) together form a continuous top covering structure; the top or sidewall of the feed cover (14) is provided with a feed inlet (141) for connecting to an upstream device, characterized in that, The system also includes: The multi-zone heating unit is arranged in zones on multiple different surfaces of the vibrating conveyor body (1) that come into contact with the tobacco. Multiple temperature sensors (3) are configured corresponding to each zone of the multi-zone heating unit; The controller has multiple signal input terminals and multiple pulse width modulation signal output terminals; Multiple solid-state relays; The signal output terminal of each temperature sensor (3) is electrically connected to the corresponding signal input terminal of the controller; the control terminal of each solid-state relay is electrically connected to the corresponding pulse width modulation signal output terminal of the controller; the output terminal of each solid-state relay is electrically connected to the heating unit of the corresponding zone; the heating unit, solid-state relay and controller are connected to the power supply.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein, The multi-zone heating unit (2) specifically includes: At least three bottom heating zones (21) are arranged at the bottom of the vibrating conveyor trough (10) along the material conveying direction; At least one side heating zone (22) is provided on the side plate (12) of the vibrating conveyor trough (10); At least one cover plate heating zone (23) is provided on a fixed cover plate (13) in the vibrating conveyor trough (10); At least one feed hood heating zone (24) is provided on the feed hood (14) of the vibrating conveyor (1).

3. The system of claim 2, wherein, There are three bottom heating zones (21) and three cover heating zones (23); the side heating zone (22) is composed of heating units (2) respectively set on the two side plates (12) and is controlled by a temperature control loop; the feed hood heating zone (24) is one.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein, Each of the heating zones includes one or more plate-shaped or tubular electric heating elements (25) arranged to cover or correspond to the heating area of ​​the zone; the electric heating elements (25) are attached to or embedded on the outer surface of the base plate (11), the outer side of the side plate (12), the outer surface of the fixed cover plate (13), and the outer wall of the feed hood (14) of the corresponding zone, and do not protrude from the inner surface of the corresponding base plate (11), side plate (12), fixed cover plate (13), or feed hood (14).

5. The system of claim 4, wherein, On the plates of the base plate (11) and the fixed cover plate (13), a heat insulation structure (142) that runs through the thickness direction of the plate is formed at the boundary of the adjacent heating zones; the heat insulation structure (142) includes a heat insulation substrate (143) embedded in the plate and an isolation portion (144) extending from the substrate toward the outer surface for isolating the heating elements of the adjacent zones, and the portion of the heat insulation substrate (143) extending toward the inner surface of the plate is flush with the inner surface of the plate.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein, The detection ends of the multiple temperature sensors (3) are in direct physical contact with the corresponding components of the base plate (11), the side plate (12), the fixed cover plate (13), and the feed hood (14) where the heating zone is located.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein, The system is also provided with a heat preservation structure (145) which is composed of multiple independent heat preservation units (146); each heat preservation unit (146) is attached to the outer surface of the wall panel where the corresponding heating partition is located and covers the electric heating element (25) of the partition.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein, The outer side of the heat preservation unit (146) is also provided with a metal protective shell (147).

9. A method for multi-zone independent temperature control for a system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The method comprises the following steps: S1, setting independent temperature target values for the bottom heating zone (21), the side edge heating zone (22), the cover plate heating zone (23) and the feeding cover heating zone (24) respectively; S2, obtaining the temperature detection values of the corresponding wall panel in real time through the temperature sensor (3) of each partition; S3, for each partition, comparing the temperature detection value with the corresponding temperature target value by the controller, and generating the corresponding pulse width modulation control signal according to the deviation; S4, each pulse width modulation control signal drives the solid-state relay of the corresponding partition, independently adjusts the working power of each partition heating unit (2), and stabilizes the temperature of each partition wall panel at its respective temperature target value, thereby preventing the condensed water from being generated in the conveying process due to the too low wall surface temperature of the tobacco.

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