Feeding device and feeding method

Abstract

The invention discloses a feeding device and a feeding method. The feeding device comprises a rack, and a feeding unit, a suction cup unit and a picking unit are sequentially arranged on the rack in the material conveying direction; the feeding unit comprises a plurality of material taking assemblies arranged side by side, and the material taking assemblies are used for obtaining materials and transferring the materials. The suction cup unit comprises a fourth driving unit and a plurality of rotating discs, the multiple rotating discs correspond to the multiple material taking assemblies in a one-to-one mode, and when the material taking assemblies transfer the materials and approach the material taking position, the material taking position can obtain the materials and transfer the materials; and the picking unit comprises a picking driving assembly and a picking nozzle, the picking nozzle can slide up and down, left and right or front and back under the action of the picking driving assembly, and the outer end face, facing the rotary disc, of the picking nozzle is in a step shape so as to pick materials on the rotary disc. The feeding device is adopted in the feeding method. The material picking device is reasonable in structure, materials can be conveniently picked at set positions on the materials, and directional material conveying is facilitated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of equipment technology for producing sheathed materials, specifically to a feeding device and feeding method. Background Technology

[0002] In the medical and health field, sheath-like products made of flexible materials such as latex and polyurethane, with one end open and the other closed, such as condoms and finger cots, are widely used. Condoms, also known as birth control condoms, are a common contraceptive tool and can also help reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Correct and consistent use of condoms can effectively prevent unintended pregnancy and serves as a barrier against HIV and other STIs. Finger cots are worn on individual fingers for treating minor wounds, preventing cross-infection, etc. In production practice, damage inspection is usually required before production and packaging to ensure safety. Specifically, condoms need to be stretched open and placed on an electric inspection rod for damage inspection. As shown in patent application number 202410758701.5, entitled "Fully Automatic Condom Electric Inspection Equipment", condoms often need to be oriented and conveyed before damage detection, such as conveying them backward with the opening end facing upward or downward. In this way, the material needs to be picked up near the opening or sealing end of the material in the front-end picking process, avoiding picking up the material in the middle.

[0003] In existing technologies, while front-end material-grabbing devices can grasp materials within a designated area, their complex structure and high manufacturing costs, coupled with the randomness of the grasping process (e.g., only recognizing materials grasped at the open or sealed end), result in a low effective material grasping rate per unit time, hindering production efficiency. Furthermore, even if existing technologies can grasp materials near the open or sealed end, how to directionally deliver the condoms remains a pressing technical problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention discloses a feeding device and method, which solves the technical problems of how to pick up materials at a set position on the material and how to directionally transport materials in the prior art. It has the advantages of reasonable structure, convenient material picking at a set position on the material, and favorable directional material transport. The technical solution adopted is as follows: A feeding device includes a frame, on which the following are arranged sequentially along the material conveying direction: The feeding unit includes multiple material handling components arranged in parallel, which are used to acquire and transfer materials. The suction cup unit includes a fourth drive unit and multiple turntables. The multiple turntables are rotatably mounted on the frame and can rotate synchronously under the action of the fourth drive unit. The outer edge of the turntable includes multiple circumferentially arranged material grabbing positions. The multiple turntables are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the positions of multiple material grabbing components. When the material grabbing component moves the material and approaches the material grabbing position, the material grabbing position can pick up the material and transfer the material. The pickup unit includes a pickup drive assembly and a pickup nozzle. The pickup nozzle can slide up and down, left and right, or back and forth under the action of the pickup drive assembly. The outer end face of the pickup nozzle facing the turntable is stepped. The inner end of the pickup nozzle is connected to the pickup pipe. A negative pressure can be formed in the pickup pipe to guide the material to fall into the pickup nozzle and then enter the pickup pipe under the action of pressure difference.

[0005] Based on the above technical solution, a roller is also provided below the pickup nozzle. The outer side of the roller surface extends beyond the outer end face of the pickup nozzle to position the material to be dropped onto the adjacent component, thereby guiding the material to drop into the pickup nozzle.

[0006] Based on the above technical solution, the shaft of the roller is connected below the pickup nozzle, and the roller surface of the roller is rotatably connected to the shaft; both ends of the shaft of the roller are connected below the pickup nozzle through elastic elements to flexibly position the material.

[0007] Based on the above technical solution, the material handling assembly includes a suction rod, a push rod, a suction drive, and a push drive. The suction drive and the push drive are mounted on the frame. The suction rod can move up and down and back and forth under the action of the suction drive to pick up materials from the hopper and transfer them to the turntable. The push drive can drive the push rod to move closer to or away from the turntable. The push rod is designed such that when the suction rod picks up materials and approaches the material handling position on the turntable, the push rod can push the materials toward the material handling position on the turntable to facilitate the material handling position to grab the materials.

[0008] Based on the above technical solution, the material handling assembly also includes a guide sleeve fixed on the frame. The guide sleeve is fitted outside the suction rod and forms a U-shaped channel with the opening facing the turntable. The lower part of the guide sleeve is flared, with the upper part being smaller than the lower part. A push through hole for the push rod to pass through is formed on the back plate of the guide sleeve.

[0009] Based on the above technical solution, each of the material picking positions includes a group of multiple material picking holes. The multiple material picking holes are arranged obliquely along the width direction of the outer edge of the turntable. The material picking holes are connected to the second air pump through the second air passage pipe to adsorb and pick up materials under the action of pressure difference.

[0010] Based on the above technical solution, the turntable is square, and there are four material picking positions arranged near the four corners of the turntable. The outer edge of the turntable between two adjacent material picking positions is a plane.

[0011] Based on the above technical solution, an identification unit is also included. The identification unit uses image recognition technology to identify the gripping position of the material picking position on the material and sends a signal to an external controller.

[0012] A feeding method, employing the feeding device described above, includes the following steps: S1. Under the action of the suction drive, the suction rod moves up and down and back and forth to pick up materials from the hopper and transfer the materials to the suction cup unit; under the action of the push drive, the materials are pushed to the material picking position on the turntable. S2. The turntable rotates under the action of the fourth drive unit, causing the material picking position to approach and pick up the material at the first work station; S3. The turntable continues to rotate under the action of the fourth drive unit, carrying the material to the second station to facilitate the identification of the gripping position of the material pick-up point on the material. S4. When the material is detected to be picked up at a set position on the material, the turntable continues to rotate under the action of the fourth drive unit, carrying the material to the third station; when the material is detected to be picked up at a position other than the set position on the material, the material is released at the second station. S5. The picking unit picks up the material at the third station.

[0013] Based on the above technical solution, when the material picking position picks up the material near the sealed end or the open end of the material, the turntable continues to rotate under the action of the fourth drive unit, carrying the material to the third station; and the picking unit is designed so that when picking up the material, the material enters the picking pipe with the sealed end in front and the open end behind.

[0014] Beneficial effects

[0015] This invention is rationally designed and can complete the process of absorbing materials from the hopper and conveying them in a directional manner. The feeding unit includes a suction rod that can move up and down and back and forth under the action of suction drive to absorb materials from the hopper and transfer them to the turntable. Meanwhile, a push rod continues to move, pushing the materials towards the material-grabbing position on the turntable for easy material grabbing. This facilitates precise operation and accurately pushes the materials to the suction cup unit.

[0016] In this invention, the suction cup unit has multiple turntables that can rotate synchronously under the action of the first driving unit. This allows for the grabbing of multiple materials per rotation, even with the randomness of material grabbing, significantly increasing the number of materials grabbed at the open or sealed ends. This aligns with the faster production pace of downstream processes, thereby improving production efficiency. Correspondingly, the feeding unit has multiple material-grabbing components, each corresponding to a turntable position, enabling efficient material transfer to each turntable. Furthermore, the fact that multiple turntables can rotate under the action of the first driving unit simplifies the driving structure and helps reduce production costs. The turntable includes multiple circumferentially arranged picking positions, facilitating continuous transfer and improving material grabbing efficiency. During turntable rotation, the material at the picking positions moves accordingly, allowing the material to remain at multiple positions. This facilitates the identification unit's recognition of the material grabbing status, retaining material grabbed at the open or sealed ends while discarding material grabbed in the middle. This allows for the screening of material sucked up at the open or sealed ends during transfer.

[0017] In this invention, the pickup unit is rationally designed. The outer end face of the pickup nozzle is stepped, and the pickup pipe connected to the pickup nozzle is under negative pressure. The pickup nozzle can slide up and down, left and right, or back and forth under the action of the drive component. Thus, when the sleeve-shaped material is arranged with the sealed end on top and the open end on the bottom, the outer end face of the pickup nozzle abuts against the middle section of the sleeve-shaped material under the action of the drive component. After the sealed end of the sleeve-shaped material is released, it falls into the head of the stepped pickup nozzle and then enters the suction channel under negative pressure. In this way, the material is conveyed forward by the pickup channel with the sealed end in front and the open end behind. When the sleeve-shaped material is arranged with the open end on top and the sealed end on the bottom, the pickup nozzle can move upward to approach the sealed end of the sleeve-shaped material. Under the action of pressure difference, the sealed end of the sleeve-shaped material enters the pickup channel first and is conveyed forward in the same way, with the sealed end in front and the open end behind. In this way, the material can be conveyed forward in a directional manner.

[0018] In this invention, the suction nozzle is cylindrical, with its outer end face and inner wall surface smoothly transitioning to avoid scratching the material. Furthermore, a roller is provided below the suction nozzle, which can replace the outer end face of the nozzle in contact with the material, preventing material damage. The roller surface is also rotatable, providing good flexibility in use.

[0019] In this invention, the suction nozzle can also move left and right under the action of the drive component, so that material picking operations can be performed at multiple work points in the previous work station, which is convenient for matching the production rhythm of the preceding and following processes and helps to simplify the material picking equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only one embodiment of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other embodiments can be derived from the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention Figure 1 ; Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention Figure 2 ; Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the feeding unit Figure 1 ; Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the feeding unit Figure 2 ; Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the suction cup unit's three-dimensional structure Figure 1 ; Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the main view of the suction cup unit Figure 2 ; Figure 7 : A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the pickup unit; Figure 8 : A schematic diagram of the assembled pickup nozzle and pickup tube; Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the feeding unit grabbing materials and transferring them to a material handling position on the turntable; Figure 10 : A schematic diagram of the structure where a material grabbing position on the turntable grabs material at the first station; Figure 11 A schematic diagram of the structure where a material is carried from one pick-up position on a turntable to the second work station and the identification unit identifies the material; Figure 12 Schematic diagram of the structure where a material is carried from one pick-up position on the turntable to the third workstation, and the picking unit picks up the material. Figure 1 ; Figure 13 Schematic diagram of the structure where a material is carried from one pick-up position on the turntable to the third workstation, and the picking unit picks up the material. Figure 2 . Detailed Implementation

[0022] The following description and accompanying drawings fully illustrate specific embodiments described herein to enable those skilled in the art to practice them. Some embodiments may include or substitute parts and features of other embodiments. The scope of the embodiments herein encompasses the entire scope of the claims and all available equivalents thereof. Throughout this document, the terms “first,” “second,” etc., are used only to distinguish one element from another without requiring or implying any actual relationship or order between the elements. Indeed, a first element can also be referred to as a second element, and vice versa. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,” or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a structure, apparatus, or device that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a structure, apparatus, or device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase “comprising one…” does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the structure, apparatus, or device that includes said element. The various embodiments described herein are presented in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on its differences from other embodiments; similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably.

[0023] The terms "longitudinal," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer" used in this document to indicate orientations or positional relationships are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used solely for the convenience of describing the document and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the invention. In the description herein, unless otherwise specified and limited, the terms "installed," "connected," and "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to mechanical or electrical connections, or internal connections between two elements; they can be direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms according to the specific circumstances.

[0024] In this document, unless otherwise stated, the term "multiple" means two or more.

[0025] In this article, the character " / " indicates that the objects before and after it are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B means: A or B.

[0026] In this article, the term "and / or" describes an association between objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B means: A or B, or A and B.

[0027] like Figures 1-8The feeding device shown includes a frame 1, on which a feeding unit 2, a suction cup unit 3 and a picking unit 4 are arranged sequentially along the material conveying direction.

[0028] like Figure 3 and 4 The feeding unit 2 shown includes two material handling components arranged in parallel. The material handling components are used to pick up and transfer materials. Specifically, the two material-picking components are positioned one-to-one with the two rotating disks 33 in the suction cup unit 3. The two material-picking components have the same structure, both including a suction rod 21, a suction drive, a push rod, and a push rod drive. In this embodiment, the suction rod 21 is a hollow structure and is vertically arranged. The lower end of the suction rod 21 forms a suction nozzle 211, which is made of rubber to avoid abrading the material. The upper end of the suction rod 21 is connected to a first air pump through a first air passage pipe so that the material is adsorbed and picked up by the suction nozzle 211 under the action of pressure difference. In this embodiment, a first filter is provided on the first air passage pipe to clean and filter the air.

[0029] The suction drive includes a fourth slider 22, a first suction drive unit 23, and a second suction drive unit 24. The fourth slider 22 is slidably connected to the frame 1 and can slide up and down under the action of the first suction drive unit 23. The second suction drive unit 24 is fixed on the fourth slider 22. The suction rod 21 is fixed on the piston rod of the second suction drive unit 24 and can move back and forth under the action of the second suction drive unit 24 to get closer to or away from the turntable 33, so as to avoid the turntable 33. like Figure 3 and 4 As shown, the material picking assembly also includes a guide sleeve 26 fixed on the frame 1. The guide sleeve 26 is sleeved on the outside of the suction rod 21. The guide sleeve 26 forms a U-shaped channel with an opening facing the turntable 33. The lower part of the guide sleeve 26 is flared, which is smaller at the top and larger at the bottom. This can straighten the material after picking it up, such as scraping off the material that has not been picked up, and prevent the material from stacking, folding or sticking together.

[0030] like Figure 4 As shown, a push-through hole 261 is formed on the back plate of the guide sleeve 26. The push rod drive 25 is fixed to the frame 1, and the push rod is fixed to the end of the piston rod of the push rod drive 25, allowing it to move back and forth under the action of the push rod drive 25. The push rod can pass through the push-through hole 261 and extend into the guide sleeve 26. The axis of the push rod intersects perpendicularly with the axis of the suction rod 21. When the piston rod of the push rod drive 25 moves forward, it can push the material closer to the picking position 34 on the turntable 33, such as... Figure 9 As shown. In this embodiment, the first suction drive unit 23, the second suction drive unit 24, and the push rod drive 25 are any one of a cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, an electric cylinder, or a linear motor.

[0031] like Figure 3 and4 As shown, the material handling assembly also includes a detection switch 27 and a through-beam photoelectric grating 28. The detection switch 27 and the through-beam photoelectric grating 28 are existing technologies, and those skilled in the art can select them according to their needs. In other embodiments of the present invention, the detection switch 27 and the through-beam photoelectric grating 28 can also be replaced by other sensing units.

[0032] The detection switch 27 is designed so that when the suction nozzle 211 of the suction rod 21 moves to the lower limit of its stroke (i.e., the suction nozzle 211 moves downward to the lower limit of its stroke to pick up material in the hopper), the detection switch 27 detects whether the suction nozzle 211 has picked up material and sends a signal to the external controller. The through-beam photoelectric grating 28 includes a transmitting end and a receiving end respectively disposed on both sides of the guide sleeve 26, used to detect the presence or absence of material and to send a signal to the external controller. The material has a different shape than the suction rod 21, allowing for clear identification of the material.

[0033] like Figure 5 and 6 The suction cup unit 3 shown includes a fourth drive unit 32 and two turntables 33; the two turntables 33 are symmetrically arranged on the frame 1, a main shaft 39 passes through the two turntables 33 and is fixedly connected to the turntables 33, and the two ends of the main shaft 39 are rotatably connected to the frame 1, and bearings are sleeved at the rotatable connection.

[0034] The fourth drive unit 32 includes a motor, which is fixed on the frame 1 by a motor mount. The rotor end of the motor transmits the rotational motion to the two turntables 33 through a synchronous belt drive assembly. In this embodiment, the synchronous belt drive assembly is existing technology and includes a drive pulley, a driven pulley, and a belt sleeved on the drive pulley and the driven pulley. The rotor end of the motor is coaxially fixed to the drive pulley, and the driven pulley is sleeved on the main shaft 39 and coaxially fixed to the main shaft 39. In this way, the rotational motion can be transmitted to the two turntables 33, so that the two turntables 33 rotate synchronously.

[0035] like Figure 6 As shown, the synchronous belt drive assembly is equipped with a dust collection box 37, which is fixed on the frame 1 to prevent oil and other contaminants from spreading outward.

[0036] like Figures 5-6As shown, the two turntables 33 have the same structure. The outer edge of the turntable 33 includes four circumferentially arranged material-grabbing positions 34. In this embodiment, each material-grabbing position 34 includes a group of multiple material-grabbing holes 341. The multiple material-grabbing holes 341 are arranged obliquely along the width direction of the outer edge of the turntable 33. This not only avoids the situation where a single material-grabbing hole 341 becomes blocked and cannot grab material, but also allows the material between adjacent material-grabbing holes 341 to be flattened when picking up material. This avoids the situation where material is partially stuck in a single material-grabbing hole 341 due to the large suction force. This facilitates the separation of material from the turntable 33, avoids material wrinkling, and ensures smooth production. In this embodiment, the multiple material-grabbing holes 341 of the same material-grabbing position 34 are connected to a second air pump through a second air pipeline to adsorb and pick up material under the action of pressure difference. An air valve is provided on the second air pipeline. The four material feeding positions 34 are connected to the four second air passages, and each second air passage is equipped with a second filter 35 to filter clean air, prevent dust in the air from entering the air pump and damaging it, and help improve its service life.

[0037] like Figures 5-6 As shown, the turntable 33 is square, with four material pick-up positions 34 located at its four corners. The outer edge of the turntable 33 between adjacent pick-up positions 34 is flat. This allows the flat surface at the corresponding position to support and limit the material when it is being transferred outwards, facilitating material transfer and preventing material from being transferred to the next workstation in a completely suspended state without any support. This improves production stability and continuity, demonstrating a clever design. The two material pick-up components are positioned one-to-one with the two turntables 33, respectively transferring materials between the two turntables 33.

[0038] like Figure 11 As shown, it also includes an identification unit 10, which is located between the suction cup unit 3 and the picking unit 4. The identification unit 10 uses image recognition technology to identify the gripping position of the picking position 34 on the material and sends a signal to the external controller. Specifically, the identification unit 10 includes a camera and a background plate. When the picking position 34 grips the material and moves to a specific position, the camera captures the material and sends the image to the external controller. The external controller uses image recognition technology to determine the gripping position of the picking position 34 by analyzing the image. When it is identified that the picking position 34 is gripping the material at the open end or the sealed end of the material, the material continues to be transferred to the next station. When it is identified that the picking position 34 is gripping the material in the middle section of the material, the air pump at the corresponding position is turned off to release the material. The identification unit 10's identification of the gripping position of the picking position 34 on the material is existing technology, and those skilled in the art can choose according to their needs, which will not be described in detail here.

[0039] The background panel faces the camera and is fixed on the frame 1 to facilitate image recognition of the gripping position 34 on the material. In this embodiment, the background panel is made of a low-brightness color such as black, which has a large difference in brightness from the condom color, which helps to improve the accuracy of the recognition result. At the same time, it can also reduce the amount of ambient light entering the recognition unit's recognition area, which also helps to improve the accuracy of the recognition result.

[0040] like Figure 7 and 8 The picking unit 4 shown in the figure, when it detects that the picking position 34 is picking up the material at the open end or the sealed end of the material, continues to transfer the material to the next station for transfer. The picking unit 4 picks up the material at the next station. In this embodiment, the picking unit 4 includes a picking drive assembly and a picking nozzle 41. The picking drive assembly includes a first picking drive unit 441, a second picking drive unit 442, a third picking drive unit 443, a first slider 444, a second slider 445, and a third slider 446. The picking nozzle 41 is fixed on the third slider 446 by a connecting plate. The connecting plate is arranged vertically. The third slider 446 and the connecting plate are slidably disposed on the second slider 445. The third picking drive unit 443 is fixed on the second slider 445 and can drive the third slider 446 to slide left and right.

[0041] The second slider 445 is slidably mounted on the first slider 444. The second pickup drive unit 442 is fixed on the first slider 444 and can drive the second slider 445 to slide up and down. The first slider 444 is slidably connected to the frame 1. The first pickup drive unit 441 is fixed on the frame 1 and can drive the first slider 444 to slide back and forth. In this embodiment, the first pickup drive unit 441 and the second pickup drive unit 442 are linear motors, and the third pickup drive unit 443 is a cylinder. Specifically, the third slider 446 is fixed to the piston rod end of the first pickup drive unit 441. The linear motor in the second pickup drive unit 442 drives the second slider 445 to slide up and down through a chain drive assembly, and the linear motor in the first pickup drive unit 441 drives the first slider 444 to slide back and forth through a chain drive assembly. The chain drive assembly is prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0042] In other embodiments of the present invention, the first pickup drive unit 441, the second pickup drive unit 442, and the third pickup drive unit 443 may be selected from any one of a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, an electric cylinder, or a linear motor, which is prior art and will not be described in detail here. Thus, the pickup nozzle 41 can slide up and down, back and forth, or left and right under the action of the pickup drive assembly.

[0043] like Figure 8As shown, the inner end of the pickup nozzle 41 is connected to the pickup channel 42, and the end of the pickup channel 42 away from the pickup nozzle 41 can be connected to the fan. This creates a negative pressure in the pickup channel 42, allowing material to enter the pickup channel 42 through the pickup nozzle 41 under the action of pressure difference, and continue to be conveyed forward under the action of airflow. In this embodiment, the pickup channel 42 is a corrugated flexible hose for easy arrangement.

[0044] like Figure 7 and 8 As shown, the outer end face 411 of the pickup nozzle 41 is stepped to guide the material to fall into the pickup nozzle 41 from above and then enter the pickup pipe 42 under the action of pressure difference. The inner wall of the pickup nozzle 1 is cylindrical and smoothly transitions to the outer end face 411 of the pickup nozzle 41 to avoid scratching the material and improve the yield.

[0045] like Figure 7 and 8 As shown, a roller 43 is also provided below the pickup nozzle 41. Specifically, the shaft of the roller 43 is connected to the lower part of the pickup nozzle 41, and the roller surface 431 of the roller 43 is rotatably connected to the shaft. A bearing is sleeved at the rotatable connection. The outer side of the roller surface 431 of the roller 43 extends beyond the outer end face 411 of the pickup nozzle 41, and both ends of the shaft of the roller 43 are connected to the lower part of the pickup nozzle 41 by elastic elements, such as telescopic rods. An outer rod is sleeved on the inner rod of the telescopic rod, and the inner rod is connected to the outer rod by a spring to position the material to be dropped on the adjacent component, that is, to press the material but not to crush it, thereby guiding the material to fall into the suction nozzle.

[0046] A feeding method, employing the feeding device described above, includes the following steps: S1. Under the action of the suction drive, the suction rod 21 moves up and down and back and forth to pick up material from the hopper and transfer the material to the turntable 33 unit, specifically: Under the action of the first suction drive unit 23, the suction nozzle 211 moves downward to the lower limit and extends into the hopper. At the same time, the first air pump works and the suction nozzle 211 randomly picks up one or more materials. Then, under the action of the first suction drive unit, the suction nozzle 211 moves upward. When it enters the guide sleeve 26, the material adhering to it is scraped off, and the folded material is unfolded due to the friction with the side wall of the guide sleeve 26. When the suction nozzle 211 moves upward to slightly higher than the push rod, it stops moving upward. Then, under the action of the second drive unit 24, the suction nozzle 211 carries the material closer to the turntable 33, such as... Figure 9 As shown; Under the action of the pusher, the material is pushed towards the material pick-up position on the turntable 33. Specifically, when the through-beam photoelectric grating 28 detects the material, it controls the pusher drive 25 to move, the pusher extends, and pushes the material adsorbed by the suction nozzle 211 to continue to approach the turntable 33. S2. When the detection switch 27 detects that the suction nozzle 211 has picked up material, the turntable 33 rotates under the fourth drive unit 32. For example... Figure 9 As shown, it includes four workstations surrounding the turntable 33, with the first, second, third, and fourth workstations arranged counterclockwise. like Figure 9 As shown, when the material pick-up position 34 on the turntable 33 rotates to the first working position, the second air pump that provides the air source for the material pick-up position 34 operates, creating a negative pressure inside the material pick-up hole 341. Under the action of the pressure difference, the material pick-up position 34 adsorbs and grabs the material at the first working position, such as... Figure 10 As shown; wherein, the material is adsorbed by three feeding holes 341, and the three feeding holes 341 are arranged at an angle along the width direction of the outer edge surface of the turntable 33, so that the material can be flattened when adsorbing the material and the material can be prevented from being partially stuck in the feeding holes 341. S3. The turntable 33 continues to rotate under the action of the fourth drive unit 32, carrying the material to the second working position, where the material is suspended in mid-air. Figure 11 As shown; S4. After the camera in the recognition unit 10 takes a picture of the material at the second workstation, it sends the image to the external controller. The external controller performs graphic recognition on the image. When it recognizes that the material picking position 34 is picking up the material in the middle of the material, the second air pump is turned off and the material is released. When the material grabbing position 34 detects that it is grabbing material at the material opening end or sealing end, the second air pump continues to operate, such as... Figure 12 As shown; Furthermore, when the material grabbing position 34 is detected to be grabbing material at the material opening end or sealing end, the turntable 33 continues to rotate under the action of the fourth drive unit 32, carrying the material to the third work station. S5. Picking unit 4 picks up materials at the third workstation. Specifically: When the identification unit 10 detects that the material picking position 34 on the turntable 33 is picking up material near the sealing end, that is, when the material is at the third station and arranged with the sealing end on top and the opening end on the bottom, such as Figure 13 As shown, the pickup nozzle 41 moves up and down, left and right, or back and forth under the action of the pickup drive assembly, so that the outer end face of the roller 43 contacts the middle section of the material but does not press it tightly to avoid damaging the material. Then, the material is released at the picking position 34, and the sealed end of the material falls into the head of the stepped suction nozzle 1. Figure 13 As shown, the material then enters the pickup channel 2 under negative pressure. At the same time, the pickup nozzle 41 moves up and down, left and right, and forward and backward under the action of the drive component to avoid the turntable 33. In this way, the material is conveyed forward by the pickup channel 2 with the sealed end in front and the open end behind. When the identification unit 10 detects that the material picking position 34 on the turntable 33 is picking up material near the opening end, that is, when the material is at the third station and arranged with the opening end on top and the sealing end on the bottom, such as Figure 12 As shown, the pickup nozzle 41 moves up and down, left and right, or back and forth under the action of the drive assembly, causing the pickup nozzle 41 to move upward and approach the sealing end of the sleeve-shaped material, such as... Figure 12 As shown, the material is then released at the material pick-up position 34. At the same time, under the action of pressure difference, the sealed end of the sleeve-shaped material first enters the pick-up channel 2, and the material is conveyed forward with the sealed end in front and the open end behind. S6. The material taking position 34 continues to rotate under the action of the fourth drive unit 32, and rotates from the fourth station to the first station; This cycle repeats itself.

[0047] The present invention has been described above by way of example, but the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. Any modifications or variations made based on the present invention shall fall within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention.

Claims

1. A feeding device, characterized in that, Includes a frame (1), on which the following are arranged sequentially along the material conveying direction: The feeding unit (2) includes multiple material picking components arranged in parallel, which are used to pick up and transfer materials; The suction cup unit (3) includes a fourth drive unit (32) and multiple turntables (33). The multiple turntables (33) are rotatably mounted on the frame (1) and can rotate synchronously under the action of the fourth drive unit (32). The outer edge of the turntable (33) includes multiple material picking positions (34) arranged circumferentially for gripping materials. The multiple turntables (33) are set in a one-to-one correspondence with the positions of multiple material picking components. When the material picking component moves the material and approaches the material picking position (34), the material picking position (34) can pick up the material and transfer the material. The pickup unit (4) includes a pickup drive assembly and a pickup nozzle (41). The pickup nozzle (41) can slide up and down, left and right, or back and forth under the action of the pickup drive assembly. The outer end face of the pickup nozzle (41) facing the turntable (33) is stepped. The inner end of the pickup nozzle (41) is connected to the pickup pipe (42). A negative pressure can be formed in the pickup pipe (42) to guide the material to fall into the pickup nozzle (41) and then enter the pickup pipe (42) under the action of pressure difference.

2. The feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Below the pickup nozzle (41) is a roller (43), the outer side of the roller surface (431) of the roller (43) extends beyond the outer end face of the pickup nozzle (41) to position the material to be dropped on the adjacent component, thereby guiding the material to drop into the pickup nozzle (41).

3. The feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shaft of the roller (43) is connected below the pickup nozzle (41), and the roller surface (431) of the roller (43) is rotatably connected to the shaft; the two ends of the shaft of the roller (43) are connected below the pickup nozzle (41) through elastic elements to flexibly position the material.

4. The feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The material handling assembly includes a suction rod (21), a push rod, a suction drive, and a push drive. The suction drive and the push drive are mounted on the frame (1). The suction rod (21) can move up and down and back and forth under the action of the suction drive to pick up materials from the hopper and transfer materials to the turntable (33). The push drive can drive the push rod to approach or move away from the turntable (33). The push rod is designed such that when the suction rod (21) picks up materials and approaches the material handling position (34) on the turntable (33), the push rod can push the materials to the material handling position (34) on the turntable (33) to facilitate the material handling position (34) to grab the materials.

5. The feeding device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The material handling assembly also includes a guide sleeve (26) fixed on the frame (1). The guide sleeve (26) is sleeved on the suction rod (21) and forms a U-shaped channel with an opening facing the turntable (33). The lower part of the guide sleeve (26) is flared with a smaller upper part and a larger lower part. A push through hole (261) for the push rod to pass through is formed on the back plate of the guide sleeve (26).

6. The feeding device according to claim 5, characterized in that, Each of the material picking positions (34) includes a plurality of material picking holes (341). The plurality of material picking holes (341) are arranged at an inclination along the width direction of the outer edge of the turntable (33). The material picking holes (341) are connected to the second air pump through the second air passage pipe to adsorb and pick up materials under the action of pressure difference.

7. The feeding device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The turntable (33) is square, and there are four material picking positions (34) arranged near the four corners of the turntable (33). The outer edge of the turntable (33) between two adjacent material picking positions (34) is a plane.

8. The feeding device according to claim 7, characterized in that, It also includes an identification unit (10), which uses image recognition technology to identify the gripping position of the material picking position (34) on the material and sends a signal to an external controller.

9. A feeding method, employing the feeding device as described in any one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that, Including the following steps: S1. Under the action of the suction drive, the suction rod (21) moves up and down and back and forth to pick up materials from the hopper and transfer the materials to the suction cup unit (3); under the action of the push drive, the materials are pushed to the material picking position (34) on the turntable (33). S2. The turntable (33) rotates under the action of the fourth drive unit (32), causing the material picking position (34) to approach and pick up the material at the first work station; S3. The turntable (33) continues to rotate under the action of the fourth drive unit (32), carrying the material to the second station to facilitate the identification of the gripping position (34) on the material; S4. When the material is detected that the picking position (34) is picking up the material at the set position on the material, the turntable (33) continues to rotate under the action of the fourth drive unit (32) and carries the material to the third station; when the material is detected that the picking position (34) is not picking up the material at the set position on the material, the material is released at the second station. S5. The picking unit (4) picks up the material at the third work station.

10. The feeding method according to claim 9, characterized in that, When the material picking position (34) picks up the material near the sealed end or the open end of the material, the turntable (33) continues to rotate under the action of the fourth drive unit (32), carrying the material to the third station; and the picking unit (4) is designed so that when picking up the material, the material enters the picking pipe (42) with the sealed end in front and the open end behind.

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