Automatic arrangement device and method for empty tray set

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic arrangement device and method for empty tray sets, and relates to the technical field of tobacco processing.The automatic arrangement device comprises a conveying mechanism, a clamping mechanism and a rotating mechanism, and the rotating mechanism is arranged at the end, away from the conveying mechanism, of the clamping mechanism, is in transmission connection with the clamping mechanism and is used for driving the clamping mechanism to rotate around a rotating axis; therefore, the first working position and the second working position are switched. The conveying mechanism stably conveys the to-be-sorted empty tray set to the preset sorting station, the clamping mechanism initially located at the first working position firstly clamps the two sides of the empty tray set through opposite movement of the clamping plates, preliminary sorting is conducted on the empty tray set, then the rotating mechanism drives the clamping mechanism to rotate to the second working position, and the empty tray set is sorted. The clamping mechanism clamps the other two sides of the empty tray set again through the opposite movement of the clamping plates, clamping arrangement of the empty tray set in the two directions is achieved, and therefore the situation that due to the fact that the empty tray set is irregular, a stacking machine ultra-wide alarm is triggered is avoided, and smooth execution of storing and taking operation of the stacking machine is guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of tobacco processing technology, specifically to an automatic sorting device and method for empty pallet groups. Background Technology

[0002] In the tobacco industry's raw material formulation warehouse, pallets are the dedicated transport carriers for cigarette packs. The core of the entire pallet-to-cigarette-pack coordination process is a closed-loop cycle of pallet binding, pallet recycling, pallet assembly for later use, and stacker crane access. This achieves standardization and automation of cigarette pack warehousing, warehousing, and AGV handling. The specific process is as follows:

[0003] Before being stored in the raw material formulation warehouse, tobacco packages required for tobacco production must be assembled with pallets. After assembly, AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) carts can precisely pick up the pallets carrying the tobacco packages, completing pre-positioning operations such as warehouse connection and in-warehouse transfer, ultimately delivering the tobacco package-pallet assembly to the stacker crane's workstation. The stacker crane, as the core storage and retrieval equipment of the automated warehouse, will deliver the tobacco package-pallet assembly to the designated location on the high-level rack for shelving, or it can retrieve the assembly from the rack according to outbound instructions and hand it over to the AGV cart for transfer to the production line. Once the tobacco packages are removed from the raw material formulation warehouse and put into use on the production line, the pallets that originally carried the tobacco packages become empty pallets. At this time, a dedicated clamping machine will pick up the empty pallets scattered at the end of the production line one by one and assemble them in a pallet-on-pallet manner; according to the common standards in the tobacco industry, every six empty pallets stacked together constitute an empty pallet group. After the empty pallet sets are transported back to the stacker crane's storage port in the raw material formula warehouse via the conveyor line, the stacker crane will perform size detection and precise storage and retrieval, and send the qualified empty pallet sets to a special area of ​​the automated racking system for storage, making them a spare carrier for use.

[0004] However, pallets are prone to horizontal displacement or tilting during stacking, resulting in irregular empty pallet groups after stacking. This triggers the stacker crane's overwidth alarm, preventing the stacker crane from performing storage and retrieval operations. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main objective of this application is to provide an automatic empty pallet group sorting device and method, which aims to solve the technical problem that pallets are prone to horizontal displacement or tilting during the stacking process, resulting in irregular empty pallet groups after stacking, which triggers the stacker crane's overwidth alarm and prevents the stacker crane from performing storage and retrieval operations.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solution:

[0007] An automatic empty pallet group sorting device includes:

[0008] Conveying mechanism;

[0009] A clamping mechanism with clamping plates is located at one end of the conveying mechanism in the height direction, and is used to drive the two clamping plates to move synchronously in opposite directions through telescopic action;

[0010] A rotating mechanism is located at the end of the clamping mechanism away from the conveying mechanism and is connected to the clamping mechanism in a transmission manner. It is used to drive the clamping mechanism to rotate around a rotation axis so that it switches between a first working position and a second working position.

[0011] When the clamping mechanism is in the first working position, the direction of movement of the clamping plate is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism; when the clamping mechanism is in the second working position, the direction of movement of the clamping plate is parallel to the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism.

[0012] Optionally, the clamping mechanism includes: a rotating frame that is driven to the output end of the rotating mechanism, and two mounting brackets facing each other on the end face of the rotating frame away from the rotating mechanism. Each mounting bracket is equipped with a cylinder, and the output end of the cylinder is connected to a clamping plate, wherein the output direction of the cylinder is consistent with the thickness direction of the clamping plate.

[0013] Optionally, the conveying mechanism includes: a roller frame on which a plurality of conveying rollers are mounted, and the plurality of conveying rollers are arranged at equal intervals along the length direction of the roller frame, so that the conveying direction of the conveying rollers is consistent with the length direction of the roller frame.

[0014] Optionally, the length of the clamping plate extends to one end to the end face of the rotating frame away from the rotating mechanism and slides in contact with it, and the length of the clamping plate extends to the other end to the bearing surface formed by a plurality of conveying rollers and has a distance between it and the bearing surface.

[0015] Optionally, two first limit baffles are provided opposite each other on the end face of the rotating frame away from the rotating mechanism. The two first limit baffles are parallel to and spaced apart from the two mounting frames and are located on the outer side of the mounting frames facing away from each other. A guide rail is connected to the side of the first limit baffle away from the mounting frame. The guide rail is slidably connected to the end of the clamping plate near the rotating frame. Second limit baffles are provided at both ends along the length of the rotating frame.

[0016] Optionally, the rotating mechanism includes: a support frame on which a servo motor is mounted, a drive pulley is fitted at the output end of the servo motor, a driven pulley is connected to the drive pulley via a synchronous belt drive, a rotating shaft is mounted along the axial direction of the driven pulley, and the rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the support frame via a bearing, with the end of the rotating shaft away from the driven pulley extending to and fixed to the end face of the rotating frame away from the conveyor roller.

[0017] Optionally, proximity switches are provided below the conveying roller and on the end face of the rotating frame away from the conveying roller, and a sensing plate is provided at the end of the bearing near the rotating frame.

[0018] Optionally, limit switches are provided on the inner sides of the two clamping plates facing each other, and the limit switches are located at the end of the clamping plates near the conveying roller; magnetic switches are provided on both the first limit baffle and the second limit baffle.

[0019] An automatic empty pallet group sorting method, applied to the automatic empty pallet group sorting device described above, the method comprising:

[0020] S1, when an empty pallet group is detected to have arrived at a preset sorting station, the clamping plates of the clamping mechanism are controlled to move from the second limit position to the first limit position to perform a clamping operation in the first direction on the empty pallet group.

[0021] S2, when the clamping plate is detected to have moved to the first limit position, the clamping plate is controlled to move from the first limit position to the second limit position to release the empty tray assembly;

[0022] S3, when the clamping plate is detected to have moved to the second limit position, the rotating mechanism is controlled to drive the clamping mechanism to rotate from the first working position to the second working position;

[0023] S4, when the clamping mechanism is detected to rotate to the second working position, the clamping plate is controlled to perform the opposite movement again to perform a clamping operation on the empty pallet group in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Then, the clamping plate is controlled to perform the disengagement movement to the second limit position to release the empty pallet group.

[0024] S5, when it is detected that the clamping plate moves to the second limit position again, the rotating mechanism is controlled to drive the clamping mechanism to rotate from the second working position back to the first working position.

[0025] Optionally, before starting step S1, the clamping mechanism is in a first working position and the clamping plate is in a first extreme position.

[0026] The technical solution provided in this application can include the following beneficial effects: In this application, the conveying mechanism stably conveys the empty pallet group to be sorted to the preset sorting station. The clamping mechanism, initially in the first working position, first clamps the two sides of the empty pallet group through the opposite movement of the clamping plates to perform preliminary sorting. Then, the rotating mechanism drives the clamping mechanism to rotate to the second working position. The clamping mechanism clamps the other two sides of the empty pallet group again through the opposite movement of the clamping plates, thereby achieving clamping and sorting of the empty pallet group in two directions, thus achieving overall sorting of the empty pallet group. This avoids the stacker crane's overwidth alarm being triggered due to the irregularity of the empty pallet group, thereby ensuring the smooth execution of the stacker crane's storage and retrieval operations. Attached Figure Description

[0027] 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 only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the automatic empty pallet sorting device.

[0029] Figure 2 This is a front view of the clamping mechanism (excluding the support frame);

[0030] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the clamping mechanism (excluding the support frame);

[0031] Figure 4 This is the electrical control schematic diagram of the automatic empty pallet sorting device;

[0032] Figure 5 This is the control flowchart for the automatic mode of the empty pallet group automatic sorting device;

[0033] Figure 6 This is the control flowchart for the manual mode of the automatic empty pallet sorting device;

[0034] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of the automatic sorting method for empty pallet groups.

[0035] Reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Conveying mechanism; 2. Clamping plate; 3. Clamping mechanism; 4. Rotating mechanism; 5. Rotating frame; 6. Mounting frame; 7. Cylinder; 8. Roller frame; 9. Conveying roller; 10. First limit stop; 11. Guide rail; 12. Second limit stop; 13. Support frame; 14. Servo motor; 15. Driving pulley; 16. Synchronous belt; 17. Driven pulley; 18. Rotating shaft; 19. Bearing; 20. Proximity switch; 21. Sensing plate; 22. Limit switch. Detailed Implementation

[0036] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the described embodiments are merely some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. Unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0037] Example 1:

[0038] See Figure 1An automatic empty pallet group sorting device includes:

[0039] Conveying mechanism 1;

[0040] A clamping mechanism 3 with clamping plates 2 is located at one end of the conveying mechanism 1 in the height direction, and is used to drive the two clamping plates 2 to move synchronously in opposite directions through telescopic action;

[0041] The rotating mechanism 4 is located at the end of the clamping mechanism 3 away from the conveying mechanism 1 and is connected to the clamping mechanism 3 in a transmission manner. It is used to drive the clamping mechanism 3 to rotate around a rotation axis so that it can switch between a first working position and a second working position.

[0042] When the clamping mechanism 3 is in the first working position, the direction of movement of the clamping plate 2 is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 1; when the clamping mechanism 3 is in the second working position, the direction of movement of the clamping plate 2 is parallel to the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 1.

[0043] Specifically, the conveying mechanism 1 is a roller conveyor fixed to the ground. As the carrier and transfer platform for empty pallet groups, the conveying mechanism 1 stably transports the empty pallet groups to the preset sorting station, providing a positional reference for clamping and sorting. After the empty pallet groups are sorted, they are smoothly transferred to the downstream process, ensuring the continuity of automated conveying of the empty pallet groups before and after the sorting process. The clamping mechanism 3 is located above the conveying mechanism 1 and has two opposing clamping plates 2. Through the telescopic movement of the clamping mechanism 3, the two clamping plates 2 can be driven to move synchronously in opposite directions, so that the two clamping plates 2 move closer or further apart. The clamping force generated by this movement clamps and straightens the empty pallet groups at the alignment station, thereby eliminating horizontal displacement and skewing of the empty pallet groups in the direction of movement of the clamping plates 2. The rotating mechanism 4 is connected to the clamping mechanism 3 at the end away from the conveying mechanism 1, which drives the clamping mechanism 3 to rotate around a rotation axis, thereby switching the clamping mechanism 3 between the first working position and the second working position. When the clamping mechanism 3 is in the first working position, the direction of movement of the clamping plate 2 is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 1. At this time, the clamping mechanism 3 can tidy up one side of the empty pallet group. When the clamping mechanism 3 is in the second working position, the direction of movement of the clamping plate 2 is parallel to the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 1. At this time, the clamping mechanism 3 can tidy up the other two sides of the empty pallet group. By switching between the two working positions, the clamping and tidying of the four sides of the empty pallet group can be achieved.

[0044] The working process of this application is as follows: Initially, the clamping mechanism 3 is located in the first working position, and the movement direction of the clamping plate 2 is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 1; the conveying mechanism 1 is started to stably convey the empty pallet group to be sorted to the preset sorting station, that is, directly below the clamping mechanism 3; the clamping mechanism 3 is started, and it drives the two clamping plates 2 to move synchronously towards each other through a contraction action, so that the two plates move closer to each other to clamp one side of the empty pallet group; then the clamping mechanism 3 drives the two clamping plates 2 to move synchronously away from each other through an extension action, so that the two plates move further apart to release the empty pallet group; the rotating mechanism 4 is started to drive the clamping mechanism 3 to rotate in the positive direction around a rotation axis, so that it moves from the first working position... The position is rotated 90° to the second working position, at which point the movement direction of clamping plate 2 is parallel to the conveying direction of conveying mechanism 1. Clamping mechanism 3 is activated again, which, through a contraction action, drives the two clamping plates 2 to move synchronously towards each other, bringing them closer together to clamp the other two sides of the empty pallet group. Then, clamping mechanism 3, through an extension action, drives the two clamping plates 2 to move synchronously away from each other, releasing the empty pallet group. Rotation mechanism 4 is activated again, driving clamping mechanism 3 to rotate in the opposite direction around a rotation axis, rotating it 90° from the second working position back to the first working position. Simultaneously, the sorted empty pallet group is conveyed to the next process or designated area via conveying mechanism 1. The above steps are repeated until all empty pallet groups are sorted. These steps can be executed automatically or manually.

[0045] In traditional technology, pallets are prone to horizontal displacement or tilting during stacking, resulting in irregular empty pallet groups after stacking. This triggers the stacker crane's over-width alarm, preventing the stacker crane from performing storage and retrieval operations. In this application, the conveying mechanism 1 stably conveys the empty pallet groups to be sorted to a preset sorting station. The clamping mechanism 3, initially in the first working position, clamps both sides of the empty pallet group through the opposing movement of the clamping plates 2, performing preliminary sorting. Then, the rotating mechanism 4 drives the clamping mechanism 3 to rotate to the second working position, where the clamping mechanism 3 again clamps the other two sides of the empty pallet group through the opposing movement of the clamping plates 2, achieving clamping and sorting of the empty pallet group in two directions. This achieves overall sorting of the empty pallet group, thereby avoiding the stacker crane's over-width alarm triggering due to irregular empty pallet groups, and ensuring the smooth execution of the stacker crane's storage and retrieval operations.

[0046] Example 2:

[0047] See Figures 1 to 3 Based on Embodiment 1, optionally, the clamping mechanism 3 includes: a rotating frame 5 that is connected to the output end of the rotating mechanism 4, and two mounting frames 6 facing each other on the end face of the rotating frame 5 away from the rotating mechanism 4. Each mounting frame 6 is provided with a cylinder 7, and the output end of the cylinder 7 is connected to the clamping plate 2, wherein the output direction of the cylinder 7 is consistent with the thickness direction of the clamping plate 2.

[0048] Specifically, the output end of the rotating mechanism 4 is connected to the middle of the rotating frame 5 via a transmission connection to drive the rotating frame 5 to rotate. Two mounting brackets 6 are fixedly connected to the end face of the rotating frame 5 away from the rotating mechanism 4. The two mounting brackets 6 are arranged in parallel with a gap, thus providing space for the installation of the two cylinders 7. Furthermore, the opposing arrangement ensures that the subsequent clamping plates 2 form an opposing clamping structure. Each mounting bracket 6 is equipped with a cylinder 7, and the output end of the cylinder 7 is connected to the clamping plate 2. The cylinder 7 can output a linear driving force to drive the clamping plate 2 to perform reciprocating linear motion, providing power for the clamping and releasing actions of the clamping plate 2. The output direction of the cylinder 7 is consistent with the thickness direction of the clamping plate 2, ensuring that the driving force of the cylinder 7 is accurately transmitted along the clamping direction of the clamping plate 2, avoiding uneven force distribution or skewness on the clamping plate 2 due to deviation in the driving force direction, thereby improving the clamping and straightening effect of the clamping plate 2 on the empty pallet assembly. It should be noted that the cylinder 7 is connected to an air source via a pipeline, and a solenoid valve is connected in series on the pipeline, thereby achieving automatic control of the extension and retraction of the cylinder 7 through the solenoid valve.

[0049] Optionally, the conveying mechanism 1 includes: a roller frame 8, on which a plurality of conveying rollers 9 are mounted, and the plurality of conveying rollers 9 are arranged at equal intervals along the length direction of the roller frame 8, so that the conveying direction of the conveying rollers 9 is consistent with the length direction of the roller frame 8.

[0050] Specifically, the roller frame 8 provides a stable mounting support structure for several conveyor rollers 9, ensuring that the conveyor rollers 9 can be erected in an orderly manner according to the preset layout. The conveyor rollers 9 are rotatably mounted on the roller frame 8, and the several conveyor rollers 9 are arranged at equal intervals along the length of the roller frame 8, which can ensure that the empty pallet group to be sorted is evenly supported during the conveying process. This effectively avoids additional horizontal displacement or tilting caused by uneven distribution of the conveyor rollers 9, resulting in force imbalance of the empty pallet group. At the same time, it ensures the smoothness of the empty pallet group's conveying process and reduces the risk of jamming. The conveying direction of the conveyor rollers 9 is consistent with the length direction of the roller frame 8, which can ensure that the empty pallet group is stably conveyed along the preset straight path along the length direction of the roller frame 8 and accurately reaches the preset sorting station directly below the clamping mechanism 3. By reversing the conveyor rollers 9, the sorted empty pallet group can be conveyed from the preset sorting station to the next process or a designated area. The conveyor rollers 9 are driven by a motor (not shown in the figure).

[0051] Optionally, the clamping plate 2 extends to one end to the end face of the rotating frame 5 away from the rotating mechanism 4 and slides in contact with it, and the clamping plate 2 extends to the other end to the bearing surface formed by a plurality of conveying rollers 9 and has a distance between it and the bearing surface.

[0052] Specifically, the clamping plate 2 extends to one end of the rotating frame 5 away from the rotating mechanism 4 and slides in contact with it, thus avoiding interference between the clamping plate 2 and the rotating frame 5. Through the sliding contact, the clamping plate 2 can slide freely on the end face of the rotating frame 5 along its own direction of movement, without affecting its synchronous reverse linear extension and retraction under the drive of the cylinder 7, and without hindering the rotation of the rotating frame 5. At the same time, when the rotating frame 5 rotates, the clamping plate 2 can be synchronously switched in position through the mounting bracket 6 and the cylinder 7, ensuring that the extension and retraction of the clamping plate 2 and the rotation of the rotating frame 5 can be completed independently and smoothly.

[0053] The clamping plate 2 extends to the bearing surface formed by several conveying rollers 9 at one end and is spaced apart from it. On the one hand, this allows the working end of the clamping plate 2 to extend to the bearing area of ​​the empty pallet group, ensuring that the clamping plate 2 can accurately act on both sides of the empty pallet group to be sorted, and effectively clamp and straighten the empty pallet group. On the other hand, the design of maintaining a distance from the bearing surface of the conveying rollers 9 can effectively avoid mechanical collision or motion interference between the clamping plate 2 and the conveying rollers 9 during the telescopic movement or rotation with the rotating frame 5, and prevent component wear and movement jamming.

[0054] Optionally, two first limit baffles 10 are provided opposite each other on the end face of the rotating frame 5 away from the rotating mechanism 4. The two first limit baffles 10 are parallel to and spaced apart from the two mounting frames 6, and are located on the outer side of the mounting frames 6 facing away from each other. A guide rail 11 is connected to the side of the first limit baffle 10 away from the mounting frame 6. The guide rail 11 is slidably connected to the end of the clamping plate 2 near the rotating frame 5. Second limit baffles 12 are provided at both ends along the length of the rotating frame 5.

[0055] Specifically, the upper ends of the first limit baffle 10 and the second limit baffle 12 are both fixed to the rotating frame 5 for support. One end of the guide rail 11 is fixed to the side of the first limit baffle 10, and the other end is slidably connected to the clamping plate 2. The axial direction of the guide rail 11 is parallel to the extension and retraction direction of the cylinder 7. This design can, on the one hand, strictly limit the movement trajectory of the clamping plate 2, so that the clamping plate 2 can only make reciprocating linear movements along the extension direction of the guide rail 11, effectively preventing the clamping plate 2 from deviating or tilting under the drive of the cylinder 7, ensuring that the two clamping plates 2 achieve precise synchronous reverse movement, and ensuring reliable clamping of the empty pallet group; on the other hand, the sliding connection between the guide rail 11 and the clamping plate 2 eliminates the mechanical interference between the extension and retraction movement of the clamping plate 2 and the guide rail 11. At the same time, when the rotating mechanism 4 drives the rotating frame 5 to rotate the clamping mechanism 3 as a whole, the guide rail 11 can rotate synchronously with the rotating frame 5 and the first limit baffle 10, ensuring that the clamping mechanism 3 can smoothly switch between the first and second working positions.

[0056] Initially, clamping plate 2 is in contact with the first limit baffle 10, at which point clamping plate 2 is in its clamping limit position and is also in a resting state. When the sorting operation starts, cylinder 7 extends, driving clamping plate 2 to move along the guide rail 11 axially towards the second limit baffle 12, until clamping plate 2 contacts the second limit baffle 12, creating the maximum gap between the two clamping plates 2, reserving sufficient space for the empty pallet group to be sorted, facilitating the smooth movement of the empty pallet group to the preset sorting position directly below the clamping mechanism 3. After the empty pallet group reaches the preset sorting position, cylinder 7 retracts, driving clamping plate 2 along the guide rail 11 axially. The clamping plate 2 moves towards the first limit baffle 10 until it contacts the first limit baffle 10. This contact state serves as the basis for determining the clamping limit position, indicating that the clamping plate 2 has reached the clamping limit and the empty pallet group is clamped. Then, the cylinder 7 extends again to drive the clamping plate 2 to move along the guide rail 11 axially towards the second limit baffle 12 until the clamping plate 2 contacts the second limit baffle 12. This contact state serves as the basis for determining the release limit position, indicating that the clamping plate 2 has reached the release limit and the empty pallet group is released. At this time, the rotating mechanism 4 can drive the clamping mechanism 3 to rotate.

[0057] Example 3:

[0058] See Figures 1 to 3 Based on the above embodiments, optionally, the rotating mechanism 4 includes: a support frame 13 on which a servo motor 14 is mounted, a drive pulley 15 is fitted at the output end of the servo motor 14, the drive pulley 15 is connected to a driven pulley 17 via a synchronous belt 16, a rotating shaft 18 is mounted along the axial direction of the driven pulley 17, and the rotating shaft 18 is rotatably connected to the support frame 13 via a bearing 19, with one end of the rotating shaft 18 away from the driven pulley 17 extending to and fixed to the end face of the rotating frame 5 away from the conveying roller 9.

[0059] Specifically, the support frame 13 serves as the overall mounting carrier for the rotating mechanism 4, providing a stable mounting reference for components such as the servo motor 14 and bearing 19. The pre-designed layout ensures the relative positions of each transmission component are fixed, guaranteeing smooth power transmission. The servo motor 14, as the power source of the rotating mechanism 4, outputs controllable rotational power, providing power support for the position switching of the clamping mechanism 3 and meeting the switching requirements between the first and second working positions. The drive pulley 15 is mounted on the output end of the servo motor 14 and connected to the driven pulley 17 via the synchronous belt 16. Utilizing the smooth operation of the synchronous belt 16, the rotational power of the servo motor 14 is precisely transmitted to the driven pulley 17. The rotating shaft 18, mounted axially along the driven pulley 17, receives the rotational power transmitted by the driven pulley 17 at one end and extends to and is fixed to the end face of the rotating frame 5 away from the conveying roller 9 at the other end, thus realizing the final transmission of rotational power to the clamping mechanism 3, driving the rotating frame 5 and its components such as the mounting frame 6, cylinder 7, and clamping plate 2 to rotate as a whole. The rotating shaft 18 is rotatably connected to the support frame 13 through the bearing 19, which effectively reduces the frictional resistance during the rotation of the rotating shaft 18, ensuring the smoothness of the rotation of the rotating shaft 18. On the other hand, it provides radial positioning and support for the rotating shaft 18, maintaining the stability of the rotation axis of the rotating shaft 18, ensuring that the clamping mechanism 3 can strictly rotate around the preset rotation axis, and avoiding eccentric swaying or axis deviation during rotation. In Embodiment 1, the rotating mechanism 4 drives the clamping mechanism 3 to rotate around a rotation axis, wherein the carrier of the rotation axis is the rotating shaft 18.

[0060] Optionally, proximity switches 20 are provided below the conveying roller 9 and on the end face of the rotating frame 5 away from the conveying roller 9, and a sensing plate 21 is provided at the end of the bearing 19 near the rotating frame 5.

[0061] See Figures 4 to 6 Specifically, the proximity switch 20 located below the conveyor roller 9 is used to detect whether the empty pallet group to be sorted has reached the preset sorting station directly below the clamping mechanism 3. When the empty pallet group moves to the station, the proximity switch 20 can be triggered and output a positioning signal, which serves as the trigger condition for the controller to start the action of the clamping mechanism 3. This ensures that the clamping mechanism 3 performs the clamping action after the empty pallet group is in place, avoiding invalid clamping action or device failure due to the empty pallet group not being in place. This provides signal support for the automated action connection between the conveyor mechanism 1 and the clamping mechanism 3.

[0062] A proximity switch 20 is provided on the end face of the rotating frame 5 away from the conveying roller 9. This proximity switch works in conjunction with a sensing plate 21 provided on the bearing 19 near the end of the rotating frame 5 to detect whether the rotational position of the clamping mechanism 3 has reached the first or second working position. In this embodiment, two sensing plates 21 are provided, fixed at a 90° angle along the circumference of the rotating shaft 18, remaining stationary. The proximity switch 20 rotates synchronously around the axis of the rotating shaft 18 along with the rotating frame 5 and the rotating shaft 18. When the rotating mechanism 4 drives the clamping mechanism 3 to rotate forward from the first working position, the proximity switch 20 rotates accordingly. The rotating frame 5 rotates synchronously until it aligns with one of the sensing plates 21 and triggers. At this time, the clamping mechanism 3 rotates exactly 90° to reach the second working position. This trigger signal serves as the basis for the controller to stop the rotating mechanism 4, ensuring that the clamping mechanism 3 accurately stops at the target working position. When the clamping mechanism 3 needs to be reset from the second working position, the proximity switch 20 continues to rotate with the rotating frame 5 until it aligns with another sensing plate 21 and triggers. At this time, the clamping mechanism 3 rotates exactly 90° in the opposite direction to return to the first working position. This trigger signal serves as the basis for the controller to stop the rotating mechanism 4.

[0063] Optionally, limit switches 22 are provided on the inner sides of the two clamping plates 2 facing each other, and the limit switches 22 are located at the end of the clamping plate 2 near the conveying roller 9; magnetic switches are provided on the first limit baffle 10 and the second limit baffle 12.

[0064] Specifically, two limit switches 22 (located on opposite inner sides of the two clamping plates 2 and near one end of the conveyor roller 9) are used to accurately determine the alignment status of the empty pallet group on the clamping side. When the cylinder 7 retracts and drives the clamping plate 2 to clamp the empty pallet group, if both limit switches 22 can contact and trigger the bottom pallet of the empty pallet group, it indicates that the empty pallet group on the clamping side (left or right or front and back) has been aligned. If the limit switch 22 on one side is not triggered, it indicates that the empty pallet group on that side is still skewed. This helps the controller to determine the clamping and straightening effect and ensure the sorting quality of the empty pallet group.

[0065] The four magnetic switches are divided into two groups to detect the extreme positions of the clamping plate 2: the two magnetic switches on the second limit baffle 12 detect whether the clamping plate 2 has moved to the release limit position. When the clamping plate 2 contacts the second limit baffle 12 and triggers the magnetic switch, it provides a signal that the clamping plate 2 has been fully released, which serves as the basis for the controller to stop the extension action of the cylinder 7; the two magnetic switches on the first limit baffle 10 detect whether the clamping plate 2 has moved to the clamping limit position. When the clamping plate 2 contacts the first limit baffle 10 and triggers the magnetic switch, it provides a signal that the clamping plate 2 has reached the clamping limit. After receiving the signal, the controller immediately controls the cylinder 7 to stop contracting.

[0066] Furthermore, combining embodiments two and three, the device has an automatic / manual control mode, which can be switched via a button. The manual mode control process is as follows: Figure 6 As shown, in manual mode, the clamping plate 2 is clamped (cylinder 7 retracts) / released (cylinder 7 relaxes) via buttons, and the clamping mechanism 3 rotates forward (servo motor 14 rotates forward) / reverse (servo motor 14 rotates in reverse). The release of clamping plate 2 is detected by a magnetic switch on the second limit baffle 12, the clamping of clamping plate 2 is detected by a limit switch 22 on clamping plate 2, and the clamping of clamping plate 2 to its limit is detected by a magnetic switch on the first limit baffle 10. When there is no empty tray assembly, clamping plate 2 retracts to the first limit baffle 10 and automatically stops. The automatic mode control flow is as follows: Figure 5 As shown, when the proximity switch 20 below the roller conveyor detects that the empty pallet group has arrived, the cylinder 7 retracts to clamp the clamping plate 2. The limit switch 22 is triggered and executes a one-second delay program. The system can determine that the clamping plate 2 has made stable contact with the pallet group and completed the initial clamping with a certain pre-tightening force. The one-second delay is to prevent the limit switch 22 from being triggered erroneously. Then, the clamping plate 2 retracts slightly to the first limit position (clamping limit). The magnetic switch on the first limit baffle 10 detects and provides feedback on whether the clamping has reached the limit, thereby eliminating the residual gap between the pallets and achieving precise dimensional alignment. After the empty pallet group is clamped, the left and right sides are aligned. After the clamping plate 2 is released, the servo motor 14 drives the clamping mechanism 3 to rotate 90° in the forward direction. Similarly, after the empty pallet group is clamped, the front and back sides are aligned. After the clamping mechanism 3 rotates 90° in the reverse direction to return to its original position, the roller conveyor starts, and the empty pallet group is transported to the next process. The controller in this application is a raw material formula library PLC (S7-1200); there are five buttons in total, namely: manual / automatic switch, clamping plate 2 clamping, clamping plate 2 loosening, clamping mechanism 3 forward rotation, and clamping mechanism 3 reverse rotation button.

[0067] Example 4:

[0068] See Figure 7 Based on the above embodiments, this application provides an automatic empty pallet group sorting method, applied to the automatic empty pallet group sorting device described above, the method comprising:

[0069] S1, when the empty pallet group is detected to have reached the preset sorting station, the clamping plate 2 of the clamping mechanism 3 is controlled to move from the second limit position to the first limit position to perform a clamping operation in the first direction on the empty pallet group.

[0070] S2, when it is detected that the clamping plate 2 has moved to the first limit position, control the clamping plate 2 to move from the first limit position to the second limit position to release the empty tray group;

[0071] S3, when the clamping plate 2 is detected to have moved to the second limit position, the rotating mechanism 4 is controlled to drive the clamping mechanism 3 to rotate from the first working position to the second working position;

[0072] S4, when it is detected that the clamping mechanism 3 rotates to the second working position, the clamping plate 2 is controlled to perform the opposite movement again to perform a clamping operation on the empty pallet group in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Then, the clamping plate 2 is controlled to perform the disengagement movement to the second limit position to release the empty pallet group.

[0073] S5, when it is detected that the clamping plate 2 moves to the second limit position again, the rotating mechanism 4 is controlled to drive the clamping mechanism 3 to rotate from the second working position back to the first working position.

[0074] Specifically, before step S1 is executed, the clamping plates 2 of the clamping mechanism 3 are always in the resting state at the first limit position. In order to form the maximum gap between the two clamping plates 2 and facilitate the smooth movement of the empty pallet group to the preset sorting station directly below the clamping mechanism 3, the clamping plates 2 need to move to the second limit position before the sorting operation begins, and then step S1 is executed. In step S1, when the proximity switch 20 below the roller conveyor detects that the empty pallet group has reached the preset sorting station, the controller (S7-1200PLC) outputs a control signal to drive the cylinder 7 to retract, causing the two clamping plates 2 to move towards each other from the second limit position. As the clamping plates 2 gradually approach and fit against the side of the empty pallet group, the limit switches 22 on the inner sides of the two clamping plates 2 simultaneously contact and trigger the bottom pallet of the empty pallet group. At this time, the feedback indicates that the empty pallet group is initially aligned in the first direction, and the clamping plates 2 and the pallet form a stable contact and have pre-tightening force; the limit switches 22... The limit switch 22 executes a one-second delay program. The one-second delay is to prevent the limit switch 22 from being accidentally triggered due to mechanical vibration or slight shaking of the empty pallet. Then, the clamping plate 2 continues to move slightly towards each other to the first limit position. This process eliminates residual gaps and achieves accurate dimensional positioning of the empty pallet group. When the clamping plate 2 reaches the first limit position, the magnetic switch on the first limit baffle 10 of the clamping mechanism 3 is triggered, indicating that the clamping plate 2 has reached its own clamping limit. The controller immediately stops the retraction action of the cylinder 7, and the neatening of the empty pallet group in the first direction is completed.

[0075] Among them, the preset sorting station refers to a fixed and dedicated area pre-defined on the roller conveyor during the conveying process of the empty pallet group. The preset sorting station allows the empty pallet group to stop at a fixed position during the conveying process, ensuring that the clamping plate of the clamping mechanism can accurately align with the sorting position of the empty pallet group, avoiding sorting failure due to pallet position deviation; the first direction refers to the position of the empty pallet group corresponding to the direction of the clamping plate 2 moving towards each other when the clamping mechanism 3 is in the first working position, specifically corresponding to the left and right sides of the empty pallet group, that is, the first direction is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 1.

[0076] In step S2, when the clamping plate 2 is detected to have moved to the first limit position, the controller outputs a signal to drive the cylinder 7 to extend, causing the two clamping plates 2 to move away from the first limit position (clamping limit position) until the clamping plates 2 move to the second limit position (releasing limit position). At this time, the magnetic switch on the second limit baffle 12 of the clamping mechanism 3 is triggered, and a signal is sent that the clamping plate 2 has been completely released. The controller then stops the cylinder 7 from moving.

[0077] In step S3, when the controller receives the magnetic switch signal that the clamping plate 2 has moved to the second limit position, it outputs a control signal to start the servo motor 14 of the rotating mechanism 4. The servo motor 14 drives the rotating shaft 18 to rotate through the cooperation of the driving pulley 15, the synchronous belt 16, and the driven pulley 17, thereby driving the clamping mechanism 3 to rotate 90° from the first working position to the second working position. When the clamping mechanism 3 rotates to the second working position, the proximity switch 20 on the clamping mechanism 3 is opposite to and triggered by the sensing plate 21 at the bearing 19, and the position is in place signal is fed back, and the controller stops the servo motor 14 from moving.

[0078] In step S4, after the controller receives the proximity switch 20 signal indicating that the clamping mechanism 3 has reached the second working position, it repeats the following actions: the drive cylinder 7 retracts, causing the two clamping plates 2 to move towards each other from the second limit position (releasing limit position) to the first limit position (clamping limit position). As the clamping plates 2 gradually approach and adhere to the side of the empty pallet group, the limit switches 22 on the inner sides of the two clamping plates 2 simultaneously contact and trigger the bottom pallet of the empty pallet group. At this time, it is indicated that the empty pallet group is initially aligned in the second direction, and the clamping plates 2 form a stable contact with the pallets and have pre-tightening force. The limit switches 22 execute a one-second delay program, and then the clamping plates 2 continue to move slightly towards each other to the first limit position. When the clamping plates 2 reach the first limit position, the magnetic switch on the first limit baffle 10 of the clamping mechanism 3 is triggered, indicating that the clamping plates 2 have reached their own clamping limit. The controller immediately stops the retraction action of the cylinder 7, and the alignment of the empty pallet group in the second direction is completed. Subsequently, the controller controls the clamping plates 2 to perform the separation movement to the second limit position to release the empty pallet group.

[0079] The second direction refers to the orientation of the empty pallet group corresponding to the direction of the opposite movement of the clamping plate 2 when the clamping mechanism 3 is in the second working position. Specifically, it corresponds to the front and rear sides of the empty pallet group, that is, the second direction is parallel to the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 1.

[0080] In step S5, when the controller receives the magnetic switch signal that the clamping plate 2 has moved to the second limit position again, it outputs a control signal to start the servo motor 14 to rotate in the opposite direction, driving the clamping mechanism 3 to rotate 90° in the opposite direction from the second working position until the proximity switch 20 on the clamping mechanism 3 is opposite to and triggered by another sensing plate 21, the clamping mechanism 3 returns to the first working position, the controller stops the servo motor 14 from moving, and completes one sorting process.

[0081] The second limit position refers to the loosening limit position of the clamping plate 2, which corresponds to the second limit baffle 12 in the device and is detected by the magnetic switch on the second limit baffle 12; the first limit position refers to the clamping limit position of the clamping plate 2, which corresponds to the first limit baffle 10 in the device and is detected by the magnetic switch on the first limit baffle 10; when the clamping mechanism 3 is in the first working position, the movement direction of the clamping plate 2 is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 1; when the clamping mechanism 3 is in the second working position, the movement direction of the clamping plate 2 is parallel to the conveying direction of the conveying mechanism 1.

[0082] Optionally, before starting step S1, the clamping mechanism 3 is in the first working position and the clamping plate 2 is in the first extreme position.

[0083] Specifically, the first working position is the preset initial orientation of the clamping mechanism 3. In this position, the arrangement direction of the two clamping plates 2 of the clamping mechanism 3 is exactly matched with the first direction (such as the left and right sides) that the empty pallet group needs to be sorted. This allows the clamping plates 2 to directly clamp the corresponding side of the empty pallet group when they move towards each other from the second limit position (releasing limit). The clamping plates 2 are preset to the first limit position (clamping limit). Setting this position as the standby initial position can serve as a fixed starting reference for the stroke control of the clamping plates 2, avoiding clamping stroke deviation caused by different initial starting points of the clamping plates 2, and ensuring the repeatability accuracy of the stroke of the clamping plates 2.

[0084] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. An automatic empty pallet group sorting device, characterized in that, The utility model relates to a kind of automatic feeding mechanism, including: Conveying mechanism (1); Clamping mechanism (3) with clamping plate (2) is located at the height of conveying mechanism (1) to one end, to drive two clamping plate (2) synchronous reverse movement by telescopic action; Rotary mechanism (4) is located at the end of clamping mechanism (3) away from conveying mechanism (1) and is transmission connection with clamping mechanism (3), to drive clamping mechanism (3) rotates around a rotation axis, to make it switch between first working position and second working position; Wherein, when clamping mechanism (3) is located at first working position, the direction of motion of clamping plate (2) is perpendicular to the conveying direction of conveying mechanism (1);When clamping mechanism (3) is located at second working position, the direction of motion of clamping plate (2) is parallel to the conveying direction of conveying mechanism (1).

2. The empty tray group automatic collating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by The clamping mechanism (3) includes: the rotary frame (5) is transmission connection on the output end of rotary mechanism (4), the end face of rotary frame (5) away from rotary mechanism (4) is oppositely provided with two mounting frames (6), each mounting frame (6) is provided with pneumatic cylinder (7), and the output end of pneumatic cylinder (7) is connected with clamping plate (2), wherein, the output direction of pneumatic cylinder (7) is consistent with the thickness direction of clamping plate (2).

3. The empty tray group automatic collating apparatus according to claim 2, characterized by The conveying mechanism (1) includes: roller frame (8), a plurality of conveying rollers (9) are arranged on the roller frame (8), and the plurality of conveying rollers (9) are equidistantly arranged along the length direction of the roller frame (8), so that the conveying direction of the conveying rollers (9) is consistent with the length direction of the roller frame (8).

4. The empty tray group automatic collating apparatus according to claim 3, characterized by The clamping plate (2) extends to the end face of the rotary frame (5) away from the rotary mechanism (4) and is in sliding contact with the end face, and the other end of the clamping plate (2) extends to the bearing surface formed by the plurality of conveying rollers (9) and has a spacing with the bearing surface.

5. The empty tray group automatic collating apparatus according to claim 4, characterized by The end face of the rotary frame (5) away from the rotary mechanism (4) is oppositely provided with two first limit baffles (10), the two first limit baffles (10) are respectively parallel to and spaced apart from the two mounting frames (6), and are located on the opposite sides of the mounting frames (6); the side of the first limit baffle (10) away from the mounting frame (6) is connected with a guide rail (11), the guide rail (11) is in sliding connection with one end of the clamping plate (2) close to the rotary frame (5), and the rotary frame (5) is provided with a second limit baffle (12) at both ends.

6. The empty tray group automatic collating apparatus according to claim 3, characterized by The rotary mechanism (4) includes: a support frame (13) on which a servo motor (14) is mounted, the output end of the servo motor (14) is sleeved with a driving pulley (15), the driving pulley (15) is transmission connection with a driven pulley (17) through a synchronous belt (16), a rotating shaft (18) is installed along the axial direction of the driven pulley (17), and the rotating shaft (18) is rotationally connected with the support frame (13) through a bearing (19), and one end of the rotating shaft (18) away from the driven pulley (17) extends to the end face of the rotary frame (5) away from the conveying roller (9) and is fixed.

7. The empty tray group automatic collating apparatus according to claim 6, characterized by Proximity switches (20) are respectively arranged below the conveying roller (9) and on the end face of the rotary frame (5) away from the conveying roller (9), and an inductive sheet (21) is arranged on one end of the bearing (19) close to the rotary frame (5).

8. The empty tray group automatic collating apparatus according to claim 5, characterized by Two said relative inner side of the clamping plate (2) is equipped with limit switch (22), and the limit switch (22) is located in the clamping plate (2) near the conveying roller (9) one end; The first limit baffle (10) and the second limit baffle (12) are equipped with magnetic switch.

9. A method of automatically collating empty tray groups, characterized by, The method is applied to the empty tray group automatic arrangement device of any one of claims 1-8, and the method comprises: S1, when detecting that the empty tray group reaches the preset arrangement station, the clamping plate (2) of the clamping mechanism (3) is controlled to move from the second limit position to the first limit position, so as to perform the first direction clamping operation on the empty tray group; S2, when detecting that the clamping plate (2) moves to the first limit position, the clamping plate (2) is controlled to move from the first limit position to the second limit position, so as to release the empty tray group; S3, when detecting that the clamping plate (2) moves to the second limit position, the rotating mechanism (4) is controlled to drive the clamping mechanism (3) to rotate from the first working position to the second working position; S4, when detecting that the clamping mechanism (3) rotates to the second working position, the clamping plate (2) is controlled to perform the approaching movement again, so as to perform the second direction clamping operation perpendicular to the first direction on the empty tray group, and then the clamping plate (2) is controlled to perform the moving away movement to the second limit position, so as to release the empty tray group; S5, when detecting that the clamping plate (2) moves to the second limit position again, the rotating mechanism (4) is controlled to drive the clamping mechanism (3) to rotate from the second working position to the first working position.

10. The empty tray group automatic collating method according to claim 9, characterized by, Before starting to perform step S1, the clamping mechanism (3) is located in the first working position, and the clamping plate (2) is located in the first limit position.

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