Automatic color sorting equipment for plastic particles

Abstract

The invention discloses automatic color sorting equipment for plastic particles, and relates to a plastic particle sorting technology. Comprising a conveying belt, a pretreatment box, a cleaning box and a color sorting execution box, the pretreatment box, the cleaning box and the color sorting execution box are sequentially arranged in the conveying direction, and a friction disc and a screen which are driven by an electric telescopic rod to rotate in a reciprocating mode are arranged in the pretreatment box and used for beating caked plastic particles. A cleaning cone with a blowing interlayer and a roller brush matched with the cleaning cone are arranged in the cleaning box, particles can be brushed and dried, and impurities are adsorbed and removed through a negative pressure strip. The processed particles fall onto the conveying belt through the material guide plate, are arranged into a single-layer single-row queue by the adjustable limiting arrangement mechanism, and then enter the color sorting execution box body to be sorted. The system integrates the functions of caking crushing, surface cleaning, drying and accurate queue shaping, effectively solves the influence of raw material caking, surface smudginess and uneven arrangement on the color sorting precision, and realizes efficient and accurate automatic color sorting.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of plastic particle sorting technology, specifically to an automatic color sorting device for plastic particles. Background Technology

[0002] In the production of plastic products, it is often necessary to classify plastic granules of different colors to ensure the purity of the final product's color. Color sorters, as automated equipment that sorts based on color differences, are widely used in the sorting of plastic granules. Existing plastic granule color sorting equipment typically includes a vibrating feeder, a conveyor belt, an optical inspection system, and an air-jet sorting system. Its working principle is to form a single-layer, single-column queue of plastic granules on the conveyor belt. As they pass through the inspection area, a high-speed camera captures images and performs color recognition, controlling the spray valves to blow out granules of different colors, thus achieving sorting. However, in practical applications, plastic granules often clump together due to static electricity or moisture. If these clumps enter the color sorting area directly, they can clog the feeding device or cause misjudgments or missed selections during inspection due to their irregular shape and mixed colors, severely affecting sorting accuracy. Furthermore, the granules may have dust, oil, or other impurities adhering to their surface, or they may contain moisture. These impurities can contaminate the lens and conveyor belt surface of the optical inspection system, reducing image quality. Therefore, we provide an automatic color sorting device for plastic granules. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic color sorting device for plastic granules to solve the problems mentioned in the background art; it integrates multiple functional modules such as dispersing, cleaning, drying, arranging, and color sorting into one unit, forming a complete automated processing line. From raw materials to precise sorting, the plastic granules require no manual intervention throughout the entire process, achieving a high degree of automation, high production efficiency, and a compact overall structure with strong practicality.

[0004] The present invention can be achieved by the following technical solution: an automatic color sorting device for plastic granules, including a conveyor belt and a color sorting execution box at the end of the conveyor belt, a height-adjustable pretreatment box is provided above the feed end of the conveyor belt, a dispersing mechanism for breaking up agglomerated plastic granules is provided in the pretreatment box, a cleaning box is fixed at the bottom of the pretreatment box, and a cleaning mechanism for surface drying and cleaning of plastic granules is provided in the cleaning box. The discharge port of the cleaning box is equipped with a guide plate to guide the processed plastic particles to the surface of the conveyor belt. A limiting arrangement mechanism is provided above the conveyor belt to arrange the plastic particles into a single-layer single-column queue. The plastic particles forming the queue are transported into the color sorting execution box for color recognition and sorting.

[0005] A further technical improvement of the present invention is that: the disintegration structure includes a friction disc that rotates horizontally inside the pretreatment box, a screen fixed to the side wall of the pretreatment box is provided below the friction disc, and electric telescopic rods are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the friction disc. The two ends of the electric telescopic rods are rotatably connected to the pretreatment box and the friction disc, respectively. The movable end of the electric telescopic rod extends and retracts to drive the friction disc to reciprocate and rotate around its center.

[0006] A further technical improvement of the present invention is that the pores of the screen allow individual plastic particles to pass through.

[0007] A further technical improvement of the present invention is that: the cleaning mechanism includes a cleaning cone fixed to the inner cavity of the cleaning box, the inner wall of the cleaning cone is provided with an air blowing jacket, and multiple roller brushes are rotatably installed on the inner side wall of the cleaning box. Each roller brush is provided with a negative pressure strip on the side facing away from the cleaning cone, and the side wall of the negative pressure strip is provided with a negative pressure hole and connected to the air passage of the side wall of the cleaning box.

[0008] A further technical improvement of the present invention is that: a crossbar is provided on the side of the negative pressure strip near the roller brush, and the crossbar penetrates into the range of motion of the brush bristles on the roller brush; a number of brush gap cleaning strips are fixed on the side of the negative pressure strip near the cleaning cone, and one end of the brush gap cleaning strip passes through the crossbar and extends into the interior of the brush bristles.

[0009] A further technical improvement of the present invention is that: the outer wall of the cleaning cone is provided with cleaning protrusions, and an air outlet is provided between adjacent cleaning protrusions to communicate with the air blowing layer, and the brush bristles of the roller brush form a gap smaller than the particle size of the plastic particles between them and the outer wall of the cleaning cone.

[0010] A further technical improvement of the present invention is that the limiting arrangement mechanism includes a lifting plate that can be lifted and installed above the conveyor belt. The bottom of the lifting plate is rotatably installed with a limiting strip via a torsion spring. The gap between the bottom of the limiting strip and the surface of the conveyor belt allows only a single layer of plastic particles to pass through.

[0011] A further technical improvement of the present invention is that: an adjustment box is fixed to the back side of the lifting plate, and a width adjustment component is provided inside the adjustment box. The width adjustment component includes an adjustment shaft that is horizontally rotatable and a plurality of fixed rods that are horizontally slidable. The adjustment shaft is provided with threaded sections with opposite directions of rotation and is threadedly connected to the two outermost fixed rods. A diamond-shaped connector is hinged between each pair of adjacent fixed rods, and a guide material distribution surface is fixed to the bottom of each fixed rod facing the limiting strip.

[0012] A further technical improvement of the present invention is that: the guide plate is provided with multiple feeding grooves, and the lower end has a buffer structure.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: This invention utilizes a friction disc driven by an electric telescopic rod and a screen below it, installed within the pretreatment chamber, to knead and compress agglomerated plastic granules, gently and effectively breaking them down into individual particles. The redundant design of the screen prevents clogging, ensuring continuous and stable operation of the pretreatment process, eliminating interference from agglomerates in subsequent color sorting processes, and significantly improving sorting accuracy.

[0014] This invention utilizes a cleaning cone, roller brush, and negative pressure strip within the cleaning chamber to create a highly efficient cleaning unit. The roller brush, in conjunction with the cleaning protrusions, actively removes adhering substances from the particle surface. The hot airflow from the air-blowing jacket not only dries and dehumidifies the particles but also raises the dust brushed off. The negative pressure strip promptly removes dust-laden moisture. This ensures that the plastic particles entering the color sorting stage are clean and dry, greatly reducing contamination of the optical lens and conveyor belt, guaranteeing image quality, and preventing particle adhesion.

[0015] This invention achieves self-cleaning of the roller brush through the crossbar and brush gap cleaning strip set on the negative pressure strip. The crossbar vibrates when the brush bristles rotate, causing impurities adhering to the bristles to fall off. The brush gap cleaning strip can penetrate deep into the bristles to push out any plastic particles that may be stuck, effectively preventing the roller brush from failing due to dirt accumulation or material jamming, and ensuring the durability and stability of the cleaning effect.

[0016] This invention limits the height using a lifting plate and a limiting strip, and then precisely controls the spacing between the guide and material distribution surfaces by adjusting the width adjustment component inside the box. This allows the plastic particles to be accurately divided into single-row queues that meet the requirements. This active arrangement mechanism is more stable and controllable than passive vibration feeding, providing excellent conditions for high-speed camera recognition, effectively reducing the false spray rate and missed selection rate, and improving the overall sorting efficiency of the machine. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art, the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure and connection of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the friction disk drive structure of the present invention; Figure 3 For the present invention Figure 1 A magnified view of a section at point A in the middle; Figure 4 For the present invention Figure 3 A magnified view of a section at point B in the middle; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the limiting arrangement mechanism of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the internal connection of the adjustment box of the present invention.

[0019] In the diagram: 1. Conveyor belt; 2. Pre-treatment box; 3. Cleaning box; 4. Guide plate; 5. Color sorting execution box; 6. Cleaning cone; 7. Air blowing jacket; 8. Roller brush; 9. Negative pressure strip; 10. Friction disc; 11. Electric telescopic rod; 12. Screen; 13. Lifting plate; 14. Limiting strip; 15. Adjusting box; 16. Fixing rod; 17. Guide material distribution facade; 18. Adjusting shaft; 19. Guide shaft; 20. Diamond-shaped connector; 21. Adjusting knob; 601. Cleaning protrusion; 602. Air outlet; 701. Material leakage hole; 801. Brush bristles; 901. Negative pressure hole; 902. Brush gap cleaning strip; 903. Crossbar. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To further illustrate the technical means and effects of the present invention in achieving its intended purpose, the following detailed description of the specific implementation methods, structures, features, and effects of the present invention, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments, is provided.

[0021] Please see Figure 1-6 As shown, an automatic color sorting device for plastic granules includes a conveyor belt 1 for conveying plastic granules. A liftable pre-treatment box 2 is provided above one side of the conveyor belt 1. A cleaning box 3 is fixedly installed at the bottom of the pre-treatment box 2. A guide plate 4 is provided at the discharge port of the cleaning box 3 to guide the processed plastic granules onto the surface of the conveyor belt 1. Specifically, the pretreatment box 2 is suspended on a liftable platform by symmetrical booms, so that during operation, there is a small gap between the bottom of the guide plate 4 and the conveyor belt 1 but they do not contact each other; A friction disc 10 is horizontally rotatably mounted inside the pretreatment box 2, and an electric telescopic rod 11 is centrally symmetrically positioned on the outer side of the friction disc 10. The movable end of the electric telescopic rod 11 is rotatably connected to the outer wall of the friction disc 10, and the fixed end of the electric telescopic rod 11 is rotatably connected to the side wall of the pretreatment box 2. A screen 12 is mounted directly below the friction disc 10. The screen 12 is fixed to the inner side wall of the pretreatment box 2, and the size of the screen 12's pores is larger than the size of the plastic particles and is designed with redundancy to avoid screen clogging. After the plastic granule raw material enters the pretreatment box 2, the movable ends of the two electric telescopic rods 11 are extended or retracted at the same time, thereby driving the friction disc 10 to rotate back and forth around its rotation center. When the clumped plastic granules enter between the friction disc 10 and the screen 12, the clumped plastic granules are broken into individual plastic granules by the kneading and squeezing of the friction disc 10, so that they can pass through the screen 12 and enter the cleaning box 3 below.

[0022] A cleaning cone 6 is fixedly installed in the inner cavity of the cleaning box 3. An air blowing jacket 7 is provided on the inner side wall of the cleaning cone 6. The air blowing jacket 7 is connected to a hot air flow. Cleaning protrusions 601 are evenly provided on the outer wall of the cleaning cone 6. An air outlet 602 is provided in the gap between adjacent cleaning protrusions 601. A material leakage hole 701 is provided in the circumferential direction at the bottom of the air blowing jacket 7 for material discharge. A roller brush 8 is evenly installed on the circumferential side wall of the inner cavity of the cleaning box 3. The bristles of the roller brush 8 near the cleaning cone 6 form a gap with the outer side wall of the cleaning cone 6 that is smaller than the particle size of the plastic particles. A negative pressure strip 9 is fixedly installed on the side of each roller brush 8 away from the cleaning cone 6. One side of the negative pressure strip 9 is connected to the air passage opened on the side wall of the cleaning box 3. Negative pressure holes 901 are evenly provided on the side wall of the negative pressure strip 9. A crossbar 903 is provided on the side of the negative pressure strip 901 near the bristles 801. The crossbar 903 penetrates into the range of motion of the bristles 801 and thus forms contact with them. Several brush gap cleaning strips 902 that are perpendicular to the rotation axis of the roller brush 8 are fixed on the side of the negative pressure strip 9 near the cleaning cone 6. One end of the brush gap cleaning strip 902 passes through the crossbar 903 and extends into the interior of the bristles 801. The bottom of the inner cavity of the cleaning box 3 is rotatably mounted with a toothed disc driven by a motor. The toothed disc meshes with a gear fixed coaxially to the end of the roller brush 8.

[0023] After the plastic granules are broken up, they enter the cleaning box 3 and roll down the outer wall of the cleaning cone 6. During this process, the motor drives the roller brush 8 to rotate, thereby cleaning the dust or impurities adhering to the plastic granules with the cooperation of the bristles 801 and the cleaning protrusions 601. During the cleaning process, hot air is blown out through the air jacket 7 and the air outlet 602 to dry and dehumidify the plastic granules. The airflow carries away the moisture and the brushed-off dust and is discharged from the negative pressure hole 901. When the bristles 801 come into contact with the plastic granules, they may pick up dust or impurities or plastic granules may be stuck in the bristles 801. When the crossbar 903 comes into contact with the bristles 801, it will create vibration at the end of the bristles 801, thereby causing the dirt to fall off and be discharged with the airflow. The presence of the brush gap cleaning strip 902 makes the plastic granules stuck in the bristles 801 come out.

[0024] After cleaning, the plastic granules fall through the discharge hole 701 onto the guide plate 4. The top of the guide plate 4 has multiple parallel discharge grooves along the longitudinal direction. The lower end of the guide plate 4 has a smaller inclination angle to form a buffer and prevent the plastic granules from directly hitting the conveyor belt 1 and causing violent bouncing, which would make the stopping position uncontrollable. After the plastic granules reach the conveyor belt 1, the height restriction and longitudinal arrangement make the plastic granules arranged in a single-particle queue. A lifting plate 13 is installed above the conveyor belt 1. A limit strip 14 is installed at the bottom of the lifting plate 13 by means of a torsion spring. A gap is provided between the bottom of the limit strip 14 and the conveyor belt 1, allowing only a single particle to pass through the limit strip 14. An adjusting box 15 is fixedly installed on the back side of the lifting plate 13. Two guide shafts 19 are fixedly installed vertically and horizontally inside the adjusting box 15. A fixing rod 16 is fixedly installed in the middle of the guide shaft 19. Fixing rods 16 that slide relative to the guide shaft 19 are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the fixing rod 16. An adjusting shaft 18 that rotates relative to the adjusting box 15 is provided between the two guide shafts 19. The adjusting shaft 18 is symmetrically provided with transmission threads with opposite directions of rotation. The adjusting shaft 18 is threadedly connected to the two outermost fixing rods 16. A diamond-shaped connector 20 is connected between every two adjacent fixing rods 16, and all four sides of the diamond-shaped connector 20 are hinged. A guide distribution surface 17 is fixedly installed on the side of the bottom of each fixing rod 16 facing the limiting strip 14. One end of the adjusting rod 18 passes through the adjusting box 15 and an adjusting knob 21 is fixed to the end. A set thread is screwed onto the adjusting box 15 to restrict the degree of freedom of the adjusting rod 18.

[0025] After queuing in the limit queue, the plastic particles on conveyor belt 1 are transported to color sorting execution box 5. A high-speed camera acquires visual images for color recognition and drives the high-speed spray valve installed inside to spray air onto the plastic particles, thereby achieving color sorting of the plastic particles.

[0026] In use, the plastic granules enter the pretreatment box 2 to break up any clumps, and then enter the cleaning box 3 for drying and dirt removal. The dust and dirt removed are carried away by the airflow, thus preventing subsequent surface dirt and dust from contaminating the conveyor belt 1, and also preventing damp plastic granules from adhering to the conveyor belt 1 and affecting color sorting. When the processed plastic granules reach the surface of the conveyor belt 1, the height of the lifting plate 13 is controlled to limit the height of the plastic granules by the limiting bar 14, and the distance between multiple fixed rods 16 is controlled by rotating the adjusting shaft 18, so that the plastic granules are arranged in a queue, which facilitates rapid identification and color sorting in the subsequent process.

[0027] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make some modifications or alterations to the above-disclosed technical content to create equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A plastic particle automatic color sorting device, comprising a conveying belt (1) and a color sorting execution box (5) at the end thereof, characterized in that, The front treatment box (2) is arranged above the feeding end of the conveying belt (1), and a scattering mechanism for scattering the agglomerated plastic particles is arranged in the front treatment box (2); the bottom of the front treatment box (2) is fixed with a cleaning box (3), and a cleaning mechanism for drying and cleaning the surface of the plastic particles is arranged in the cleaning box (3). A guide plate (4) is arranged at the discharge port of the cleaning box (3) to guide the treated plastic particles to the surface of the conveying belt (1); a limiting arrangement mechanism is arranged above the conveying belt (1) to arrange the plastic particles into a single-layer single-column queue, and the plastic particles in the queue are conveyed into a color selection execution box (5) to be color-identified and sorted.

2. The automatic color sorting device for plastic particles according to claim 1, wherein The scattering structure comprises a friction disc (10) horizontally rotating in the front treatment box (2); a screen (12) is arranged below the friction disc (10) and fixed to the side wall of the front treatment box (2); two center-symmetrical electric telescopic rods (11) are arranged at the two sides of the friction disc (10); the two ends of the electric telescopic rods (11) are respectively connected with the front treatment box (2) and the friction disc (10); and the movable ends of the electric telescopic rods (11) drive the friction disc (10) to reciprocate around the center.

3. The automatic color sorting device for plastic particles according to claim 2, wherein The screen (12) allows the single plastic particles to pass through.

4. The automatic color sorting device for plastic particles according to claim 1, wherein The cleaning mechanism comprises a cleaning cone (6) fixed in the inner cavity of the cleaning box (3); the inner wall of the cleaning cone (6) is provided with a blowing interlayer (7); a plurality of roller brushes (8) are circumferentially rotatably arranged on the inner side wall of the cleaning box (3); each roller brush (8) is provided with a negative pressure strip (9) on the side away from the cleaning cone (6); the side wall of the negative pressure strip (9) is provided with a negative pressure hole (901) and connected with a communication air duct of the side wall of the cleaning box (3).

5. The automatic color sorting apparatus for plastic particles according to claim 4, wherein The side of the negative pressure strip (9) close to the roller brush (8) is provided with a cross rod (903) intruding into the activity range of the brush hair (801) of the roller brush (8); the side of the negative pressure strip (9) close to the cleaning cone (6) is fixed with a plurality of brush gap cleaning strips (902), one end of each of the brush gap cleaning strips (902) penetrates through the cross rod (903) and extends into the brush hair (801).

6. The automatic color sorting apparatus for plastic particles according to claim 4, wherein The outer side wall of the cleaning cone (6) is provided with cleaning protrusions (601), and the adjacent cleaning protrusions (601) are provided with air outlet holes (602) in communication with the blowing interlayer (7); the gap between the brush hair (801) of the roller brush (8) and the outer side wall of the cleaning cone (6) is smaller than the particle size of the plastic particles.

7. The automatic color sorting device for plastic particles according to claim 1, wherein The limiting arrangement mechanism comprises a lifting plate (13) liftable arranged above the conveying belt (1); the bottom of the lifting plate (13) is rotatably arranged with a limiting strip (14) through a torsion spring; and the gap between the bottom of the limiting strip (14) and the surface of the conveying belt (1) only allows single-layer plastic particles to pass through.

8. The automatic color sorting device for plastic particles according to claim 7, wherein The back side of the lifting plate (13) is fixed with an adjusting box (15), the adjusting box (15) is internally provided with a width adjusting assembly, the width adjusting assembly comprises a horizontally rotating arranged adjusting shaft (10) and a plurality of horizontally sliding arranged fixing rods (16), the adjusting shaft (18) is provided with thread sections with opposite rotation directions and is threadedly connected with the two fixing rods (16) located at the outermost sides, the diamond connecting pieces (20) are hinged between every two adjacent fixing rods (16), and the bottom of each fixing rod (16) is fixed with a guiding and distributing vertical surface (17) towards one side of the limiting strip (14).

9. The automatic color sorting device for plastic particles according to claim 1, wherein The material guiding plate (4) is provided with a plurality of discharging grooves, and the lower end has a decreasing inclination angle in a buffer structure.

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