Tobacco shred width online sampling detection device and detection method

Abstract

The invention discloses a tobacco shred width online sampling detection device and a detection method, and aims to solve the problems of low detection efficiency, insufficient real-time performance, high tobacco shred clustering lap joint rate, transparent pressing plate pollution and the like in the prior art. According to the technical scheme, the tobacco shred width online sampling detection device is arranged on a tobacco shred conveying line, the core of the tobacco shred width online sampling detection device comprises a material receiving and conveying mechanism, a material scattering device of a vibration scattering device, a tobacco shred flattening and conveying mechanism and a visual detection mechanism; the vibration shaking device is used for loosening and raking the clustered and lapped tobacco shreds, so that the lapping rate and the agglomeration rate are reduced, full preparation is made for flattening the tobacco shreds, and the single tobacco shred rate is increased. According to the detection method, detection is completed through differential conveying and primary spreading, four-layer progressive vibration material scattering, conveying, clamping and flattening and visual acquisition of high-flattening-rate tobacco shred images. According to the scheme, the uniformity of tobacco shred bulk materials is greatly improved, the clustering lap joint rate is reduced, pressing plate pollution is avoided, real-time online detection is achieved, the detection efficiency and continuity are improved, the detection efficiency is improved, and guarantee is provided for stable cigarette quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of tobacco width detection technology, specifically to an online sampling detection device and method for tobacco width. Background Technology

[0002] In cigarette production, the tobacco preparation process is one of the key factors determining the quality of cigarette products. Tobacco width, as a core technical parameter in this process, directly affects the cigarette's combustion performance, smoking experience, filling capacity, and appearance. An appropriate tobacco width ensures uniform combustion, reduces flameout, and maintains a balanced proportion of chemical components in the smoke, enhancing the consumer's smoking experience. Conversely, excessively large or small tobacco widths can lead to inadequate or overly dense filling, affecting combustion stability and potentially causing abnormal smoke volume and increased impurities. Therefore, precise control of tobacco width is of significant practical importance in the tobacco preparation process, and online detection of tobacco width is essential to ensuring the stability of tobacco preparation quality and meeting the demands of continuous industrial production.

[0003] Currently, tobacco width detection mainly employs a single-batch quantitative testing method using width detection equipment after sampling. However, this method has several inherent drawbacks, making it difficult to meet the requirements of modern cigarette production for testing efficiency and real-time performance. On the one hand, single-batch quantitative testing requires multiple steps, including sampling, transportation, testing, and data feedback, resulting in a long testing cycle, low efficiency, and an inability to promptly reflect width fluctuations during tobacco preparation. On the other hand, since the testing is not conducted online in real time, by the time the test results indicate that the tobacco width exceeds the acceptable range, a large amount of substandard tobacco has already been produced, leading to raw material waste and increased production costs. Furthermore, it cannot achieve real-time adjustment of tobacco preparation process parameters, hindering precise control of the production process and making it difficult to achieve the goal of continuous automated testing.

[0004] Furthermore, existing tobacco width detection technologies have significant shortcomings in the image acquisition stage. Current technologies largely rely on transparent pressure plates to flatten the tobacco (e.g., CN219624695U, CN103292713B, CN120188912A) to facilitate image acquisition and subsequent width detection. However, tobacco itself contains oily components and other additives. During multiple sampling and testing processes, these components adhere to the surface of the transparent pressure plate, causing contamination. As the contamination intensifies, it severely affects the clarity and accuracy of image acquisition, thus interfering with subsequent image recognition and width measurement results. To ensure detection accuracy, the transparent pressure plate needs to be replaced and cleaned regularly. This not only increases equipment maintenance costs and manual workload but also leads to interruptions in the detection process, further reducing detection efficiency.

[0005] Meanwhile, the sampling process in existing detection technologies relies on robotic arms, which often results in high clumping rates and overlapping of multiple tobacco strands. This leads to a very limited number of individually identifiable tobacco strands during image acquisition and detection, resulting in a severe shortage of effective image data for accurate width measurement. This lack of effective image data causes significant deviations in tobacco width measurements, failing to accurately reflect the actual width of the tobacco strands and severely impacting detection accuracy. Consequently, it hinders the provision of reliable data to optimize and adjust the tobacco preparation process, thus restricting the improvement of cigarette product quality stability.

[0006] In summary, existing tobacco width detection technologies suffer from numerous problems, including low detection efficiency, insufficient real-time performance, inconvenience for continuous automated detection, easy contamination of transparent pressing plates, high clumping and overlap rates of sampled tobacco, and poor detection accuracy. These issues fail to meet the demands of tobacco preparation processes for accurate, efficient, and real-time detection of tobacco width. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop an online tobacco width detection technology that can solve these problems, thereby filling the gap in existing technologies and improving the quality control level of tobacco preparation processes. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention provides an online sampling and detection device and method for tobacco shred width. Through a multi-stage collaborative material conveying-spreading-shaking-flattening-detection integrated structure, the tobacco shreds sampled on the conveying line are gradually processed into a "loose, flat, and non-overlapping" state. This solves the problems of tobacco shred clumping, overlap, and detection lag in existing technologies, achieving improved detection efficiency and continuous detection of tobacco shred width. It provides clear and effective images for visual inspection while avoiding the contamination problems of traditional transparent pressure plates, achieving long-lasting and durable continuous online tobacco shred width detection.

[0008] Specifically, the present invention is implemented as follows: an online sampling and detection device for tobacco shred width, arranged on a tobacco shred conveying line, used in conjunction with a tobacco shred sampling gripper, a visual inspection mechanism, and a power transmission mechanism, comprising: a first receiving conveyor belt, disposed on one side of the tobacco shred conveying line, with its conveying start end located within the stroke range of the tobacco shred sampling gripper, for receiving the sampled tobacco shreds released by the tobacco shred sampling gripper and conveying them to a dispersing and vibrating material feeding mechanism; and a dispersing and vibrating material feeding mechanism, comprising a falling channel and a vibrating and shaking device placed within or below the falling channel, the vibrating and shaking device generating continuous transverse or longitudinal reciprocating vibration, which can shake and disperse the tobacco shreds in contact with it under the vibration action, from... The sampled tobacco shreds discharged from the falling channel are spread thin and loose, and then fed into the tobacco shred flattening conveyor mechanism. The tobacco shred flattening conveyor mechanism includes a horizontally arranged bottom conveyor belt and an upper conveyor belt, which rotate in opposite directions and their opposing surfaces contact each other to form a pressing conveyor surface. Both ends of the bottom conveyor belt are longer than the upper conveyor belt. The starting end is used to receive the spread thin and loose sampled tobacco shreds. The feeding end of the pressing conveyor surface is wound with the sampled tobacco shreds in contact with it. The sampled tobacco shreds are clamped between the contact surfaces of the bottom conveyor belt and the upper conveyor belt and are conveyed, and then discharged from the end of the pressing conveyor surface. The visual inspection mechanism is set above the end of the bottom conveyor belt to acquire images of the flattened tobacco shreds and perform width detection.

[0009] Furthermore, a second receiving conveyor belt is provided below the end of the first receiving conveyor belt. The rotation speed of the second receiving conveyor belt is greater than that of the first receiving conveyor belt, and the end of the second receiving conveyor belt is connected to the smoke dispersing vibration unloading mechanism.

[0010] Furthermore, it also includes a tobacco thinning and feeding mechanism, which is located at the end of the tobacco dispersing and vibrating feeding mechanism and connected to it. The tobacco thinning and feeding mechanism is a belt conveyor or a vibrating feeder, and its end outlet is connected to the feed end of the tobacco flattening and conveying mechanism.

[0011] Furthermore, the bottom conveyor belt and the upper conveyor belt have the same conveying speed, and both are equipped with a conveyor belt tensioning mechanism.

[0012] Furthermore, the vibration and shaking device is an arc-shaped dome structure with a raised top surface. The top center of the arc-shaped dome structure is located directly below the falling channel. By installing or connecting vibration components, the arc-shaped dome structure can continuously vibrate in the horizontal, vertical or vertical directions. The arc-shaped dome structure shakes and disperses the thinned sampled tobacco shreds, which then slide off from all sides to form a thin layer of sparsely dispersed sampled tobacco shreds.

[0013] Furthermore, the vibration and scattering device is a set of horizontally swinging material swaying rods, which includes a drive motor that drives a crank transmission mechanism to rotate. The crank is hinged to a first movable rack arranged laterally. The first movable rack can move laterally back and forth with the crank in a first transverse groove. A parallel second transverse groove is arranged above or below the first transverse groove. The second movable rack can move laterally back and forth with the crank in the second transverse groove. The teeth of the first and second movable racks are opposite to each other and are connected to each other by a gear that can rotate at a fixed point. Each of the first and second movable racks is equipped with several horizontally extending material swaying rods arranged side by side to form a first material swaying rod and a second material swaying rod. The two are parallel to each other and have an interlaced transverse motion adaptation structure with opposite directions of travel.

[0014] Furthermore, the vibration and scattering device consists of two sets of horizontally swinging material shovels placed one above the other in sequence, forming a four-layered, staggered, reciprocating, multi-layered reciprocating feeding shovel combination frame structure.

[0015] Another aspect of the present invention provides an online sampling and detection method for tobacco shred width, comprising the following steps:

[0016] Step S1: Receive the sampled tobacco material and transport and drop it onto the differential conveyor mechanism;

[0017] Step S2: The material is received by a high-speed conveyor belt, which can quickly spread the clump of tobacco material into a thinner sheet for the first time by means of the speed difference;

[0018] Step S3: Loosen the tobacco sample that has been thinned for the first time, so that the tobacco sample falls vertically and lands on the continuously vibrating shaking and scattering device, where it quickly slides and disperses in all directions under the vibration of the shaking and scattering device.

[0019] Step S4: The loosened tobacco sample is horizontally conveyed and squeezed by the bottom conveyor belt and the top conveyor belt during the conveying process. The bottom conveyor belt and the top conveyor belt form a tightly attached and opposite rotating structure, which can clamp the tobacco sample on the bottom conveyor belt into the contact surface for conveying. The clamping and conveying process lasts for at least 5-10 seconds, so that the tobacco is clamped into a flattened state and conveyed on the bottom conveyor belt.

[0020] Step S5: The vision inspection mechanism located above the bottom conveyor belt acquires images of the tobacco sample that has just left the clamping state, and obtains images of the tobacco sample with a high flattening ratio.

[0021] Furthermore, step S3 also includes vibrating and feeding the tobacco sample after it has been shaken by the vibration and shaking device in the shaking trough. The shaking in the shaking trough further disperses and separates the tobacco shreds, and the width of the tobacco sample is adapted to the width of the bottom conveyor belt and the upper conveyor belt. The loose tobacco shreds falling from the shaking trough come into contact with the bottom conveyor belt and are further thinned and widened, so that they enter the clamping and conveying step in the form of scattered tobacco sample.

[0022] Furthermore, in step S3, the vibration and dispersion involves causing the tobacco sample to fall vertically onto the raised arc-shaped dome structure. The arc-shaped dome structure continuously vibrates longitudinally or laterally, or shakes vertically, causing the tobacco sample on the top surface to quickly disperse and slide off from all sides. The tobacco sample then spreads outward from the top, forming a loose state and spreading outward in the width direction. Alternatively, the tobacco sample can be caused to fall vertically and pass through several layers of horizontally and vertically swinging distribution racks in sequence. The horizontal and vertical oscillations create a high-frequency dispersion, causing the tobacco sample to quickly disperse.

[0023] The working principle of this invention: The core innovation of this invention lies in the deep synergy between the device structure and the detection method, constructing an integrated solution for progressive material spreading and online precision detection without pressure plates. It innovatively sets up dual differential speed receiving conveyor belts, utilizing the speed difference between the second and first receiving conveyor belts to quickly widen the gap in the tobacco sample, completing the initial thinning. Subsequently, the sample is vertically dropped onto a vibrating and shaking structure for shaking. Combined with the falling channel, this forms a material spreading mechanism of vertical falling and high-frequency vibration. Through continuous horizontal, longitudinal, or vertical vibration, the tobacco is evenly spread in all directions, achieving deep shaking and completely solving the problems of traditional robotic arm sampling. The problem of overlapping tobacco shreds is addressed; subsequently, the tobacco shreds enter the horizontal conveyor layer, where a double-layered, opposing conveyor belt is used to clamp and flatten them instead of the traditional transparent pressure plate. Through the close contact and opposing rotation of the bottom and upper conveyor belts, the tobacco shreds are continuously clamped and flattened for 5-10 seconds. This process and equipment ensure that the tobacco shreds are flattened for a period of time while in a loose and dispersed state, and that unobstructed visual image acquisition and detection are performed immediately after flattening. The continuous clamping and flattening ensures the stability of the flattened tobacco shreds, avoiding the contamination problem caused by the adhesion of oily components from the tobacco shreds to the transparent pressure plate. At the same time, it eliminates the need for frequent cleaning and maintenance, as well as the need for multiple batches of single-feeding inspections, achieving continuous inspection.

[0024] Beneficial effects and significance compared to existing technologies:

[0025] 1. Solves the problem of "batch-by-batch and discontinuous testing", enabling real-time testing to adapt to continuous production and improving testing efficiency.

[0026] Traditional offline single-batch testing in existing technologies requires multiple steps, including sampling, transportation, testing, and feedback, resulting in long cycles, low efficiency, inability to reflect real-time fluctuations, and a high risk of producing a large number of substandard tobacco shreds. This invention, through online layout and continuous process design, places the testing device directly on the tobacco shred conveying line. Sampling, dispersing, and flattening can be completed automatically and continuously without interrupting production, eliminating the need for offline transportation. This significantly shortens the testing cycle, enables real-time capture of tobacco shred width fluctuations, not only meeting the adaptation requirements of industrial continuous production but also providing a time window for immediate adjustment of tobacco shred preparation process parameters.

[0027] 2. Solve the problem of "transparent pressure plates being easily contaminated", reduce maintenance costs, and ensure the continuity of testing.

[0028] In existing technologies, transparent pressure plates are easily contaminated by the oily components of tobacco and additives, requiring regular cleaning and replacement. This increases maintenance costs and labor, and also interrupts the testing process. This invention replaces the traditional transparent pressure plate with a clamping and flattening structure using a bottom and top conveyor belt. The tobacco is clamped between the two conveyor belts and continuously flattened during transport. After the flattening and transport section is completed, image acquisition and detection are immediately performed above the tobacco material. This eliminates the need for image acquisition through the transparent pressure plate, preventing contaminant adhesion at the source. Furthermore, the cleaning and maintenance of the conveyor belts are simpler, eliminating the need for frequent downtime for replacement. This reduces equipment maintenance costs and labor input, ensures the continuity of the testing process, and further improves overall testing efficiency.

[0029] 3. To address the issue of "clumps and overlaps of sampled tobacco affecting detection accuracy," improve the flattening rate of tobacco shreds, and ensure accurate detection.

[0030] In existing technologies, robotic sampling often results in clumps and overlapping of tobacco shreds, leading to insufficient identification of individual shreds, inadequate detection data, and poor accuracy. This invention precisely addresses this problem through a "progressive material distribution mechanism": First, the speed difference between the dual-speed conveyor belts initially thins the tobacco shreds, breaking up the initial clumping. Then, high-frequency vibration from a vibrating and shaking device, such as an arc-shaped dome, further disperses the tobacco shreds, causing them to spread outwards. Finally, after being thinned to the appropriate width by the feeding mechanism, the shreds are clamped and flattened by two conveyor belts for 5-10 seconds, ensuring they are "loose, non-overlapping, and fully flattened" for unobstructed or penetrating image acquisition and detection. This improvement allows the visual inspection mechanism to acquire more effective individual tobacco shred images, solving the pain point of insufficient effective data in traditional detection, significantly improving the accuracy and reliability of tobacco width measurement, and providing precise data support for process optimization and adjustment. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating a usage scenario for an online sampling and detection device for tobacco shred width.

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the tobacco sampling gripper grasping the tobacco sample in Example 1;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure between the conveyor belts in Example 1;

[0034] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the vibration shaking device in Example 1;

[0035] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural view of the vibration and shaking device in Example 1;

[0036] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the tobacco loosening process in Example 1;

[0037] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure in Example 1 where the tobacco shreds are flattened by the bottom conveyor belt and the top conveyor belt;

[0038] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the main structural components of the bulk material rod used in Example 3;

[0039] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure and transmission structure of the material handling rod used in Example 3;

[0040] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the material discharge hood in Example 3;

[0041] Figure 11 A perspective view of the structure of the preferred embodiment 3, showing the installation of the cross-shaped material distribution rods;

[0042] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the tobacco loosening process in Example 3;

[0043] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the process of visual recognition and detection after the tobacco shreds are flattened in Example 3;

[0044] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the structure and transmission structure of the double-layer material handling rod in Example 3;

[0045] Reference numerals: 1—Tobacco shred sampling gripper, 2—Visual inspection mechanism, 31—First receiving conveyor belt, 32—Second receiving conveyor belt, 4—Vibration and shaking device, 41—Arc-shaped dome structure, 42—Crank, 43—First movable rack, 44—First transverse chute, 45—Second transverse chute, 46—Second movable rack, 47—Gear, 48—Distribution rod, 51—Bottom conveyor belt, 52—Upper conveyor belt, 6—Tobacco shred spreading and feeding mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0046] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0047] Example 1

[0048] In this embodiment, the online sampling and detection device for tobacco shred width is arranged beside the tobacco shred conveyor line, and operates in conjunction with the tobacco shred sampling gripper 1, the visual inspection mechanism 2, and the power transmission mechanism. The power transmission mechanism provides power support for each conveying component and vibrating component of the device, ensuring precise and synchronized operation of each component. The specific transmission mechanism and transmission method are not the focus of the technical innovation of this invention, but belong to the prior art. Therefore, the transmission and power control parts will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0049] After the testing process is initiated, the tobacco sampling gripper 1 picks up sampled tobacco from the tobacco conveyor line at a preset frequency. Since the starting end of the first receiving conveyor belt 31 is within the travel range of the tobacco sampling gripper 1, the sampling gripper releases the tobacco directly onto the first receiving conveyor belt 31 after picking it up. The first receiving conveyor belt 31 then smoothly transports the sampled tobacco to its end.

[0050] A second receiving conveyor belt 32, located below the end of the first receiving conveyor belt 31, operates synchronously, with its rotational speed always higher than that of the first receiving conveyor belt 31. When the sampled tobacco shreds on the first receiving conveyor belt 31 reach its end, they naturally fall onto the second receiving conveyor belt 32 below. Utilizing the speed difference between the two, the sampled tobacco shreds, which might otherwise be clumped, are quickly spread out, achieving initial thinning. The second receiving conveyor belt 32 then transports the initially thinned tobacco shreds to its end, connecting them to the inlet of the falling channel of the dispersing vibration feeding mechanism.

[0051] The initially thinned tobacco shreds fall vertically through the falling channel, while the vibrating and shaking device 4 in the tobacco dispersing mechanism is continuously operating. This vibrating and shaking device 4 employs a dome-shaped structure 41 with a raised top surface, its central top directly facing the bottom of the falling channel, ensuring that the falling tobacco shreds accurately contact the top surface of the dome-shaped structure 41. The dome-shaped structure 41 generates continuous lateral or longitudinal reciprocating vibrations through connected vibrating components. The tobacco shreds in contact with the top surface are rapidly dispersed under the vibration and slide down the slope of the dome to the surrounding areas. The dispersed tobacco shreds form a thin, sparse layer and slide out from the perimeter of the dome. In this embodiment, a micro vibrator is installed below the arc-shaped dome structure 41, and the coverage area of ​​the arc-shaped dome structure 41 is larger than the micro vibrator. The micro vibrator is mounted on the material drop hood via a mounting bracket. The material drop hood is vertically installed on one side of the end of the second receiving conveyor belt 32, and the side of the material drop hood facing the second receiving conveyor belt 32 is an open structure. The material drop hood is fixedly mounted on the frame, and a tension adjustment mechanism for adjusting the tension of the second receiving conveyor belt 32 is installed on the side plate flush with the second receiving conveyor belt 32. The arc-shaped dome structure 41 can be a circular arc cover structure or a teardrop-shaped arc surface extending in the conveying direction.

[0052] The tobacco thinning and feeding mechanism 6 is located below the loose tobacco vibrating discharge mechanism and connected to its outlet. In this embodiment, the tobacco thinning and feeding mechanism 6 is a vibrating feeder. The dispersed tobacco output from the end of the loose tobacco vibrating discharge mechanism enters the vibrating feeder. The vibrating feeder further disperses the tobacco through continuous vibration. Due to the trough-shaped structure of the vibrating feeder, the width of the dispersed tobacco is limited, while adapting the width of the tobacco to match the size of the subsequent tobacco flattening and conveying mechanism. Then, the tobacco is smoothly conveyed to the feed end of the tobacco flattening and conveying mechanism through its end outlet. A vibrator is installed on the bottom of the tobacco thinning and feeding mechanism 6 to provide vibratory conveying.

[0053] The bottom conveyor belt 51 and the upper conveyor belt 52 of the tobacco flattening and conveying mechanism are both horizontally arranged and rotate in opposite directions under the drive of the power transmission mechanism. Their opposing surfaces are in close contact to form a pressing conveying surface. The conveying speed of the bottom conveyor belt 51 and the upper conveyor belt 52 is consistent, and both are equipped with conveyor belt tensioning mechanisms to ensure stable and uniform pressure on the pressing conveying surface. The dispersed tobacco shreds conveyed from the tobacco thinning and feeding mechanism 6 first arrive at the starting end of the bottom conveyor belt 51. As the bottom conveyor belt 51 rotates, the tobacco shreds are conveyed to the feed end of the pressing conveying surface and then rolled between the contact surfaces of the two conveyor belts. The tobacco shreds are conveyed synchronously with the two conveyor belts while being clamped. After at least 5 to 10 seconds of continuous clamping, the tobacco shreds, which were originally in a natural state, are fully flattened and formed into a flattened posture.

[0054] Since both ends of the bottom conveyor belt 51 are longer than the top conveyor belt 52, when the tobacco shreds are conveyed to the end by the pressing conveyor surface, they detach from the clamping state of the two conveyor belts and continue to move towards the end with the bottom conveyor belt 51. At this time, the vision inspection mechanism 2, located above the end of the bottom conveyor belt 51, is activated to accurately acquire images of the tobacco shreds that have just detached from the clamping state and are in a flattened posture. After the acquisition is completed, the vision inspection mechanism 2 analyzes and processes the image data to complete the detection of the width of the tobacco shreds.

[0055] Example 2

[0056] Based on Embodiment 1, the vibration and scattering device 4 is a set of horizontally swinging material swaying rods. The horizontally swinging material swaying rods include a drive motor, which drives the crank 42 transmission mechanism to rotate. The crank 42 is hinged to a horizontally arranged first movable rack 43. The first movable rack 43 can move horizontally back and forth with the crank 42 in the first horizontal slide groove 44. A parallel second horizontal slide groove 45 is arranged above or below the first horizontal slide groove 44. The second movable rack 46 can move horizontally back and forth in the second horizontal slide groove 45. The teeth of the first movable rack 43 and the second movable rack are opposite to each other and are connected to each other through a gear 47 that can rotate at a fixed point. The first movable rack 43 and the second movable rack 46 are each equipped with several horizontally extending material swaying rods 48 arranged side by side to form a first material swaying rod and a second material swaying rod. The two are parallel to each other and have a mutually interlaced horizontal motion adaptation structure with opposite directions of travel. The horizontally swinging material rack achieves the opposite staggered horizontal swinging motion of two sets of material racks 48 through mechanical transmission, and uses dynamic disturbance to break the agglomeration of tobacco shreds and achieve uniform loosening of tobacco shreds.

[0057] The drive motor outputs rotational power, driving the crank 42 transmission mechanism to operate. The rotational motion of the crank 42 is converted into the transverse reciprocating linear motion of the first movable rack 43 through the hinge point, causing the first movable rack 43 to slide stably left and right along the first transverse slide groove 44. The teeth of the first movable rack 43 and the second movable rack 46 are opposite to each other, and the two are connected by a fixed-point rotating gear 47. When the first movable rack 43 reciprocates laterally within the slide groove, it drives the fixed-point gear 47 to rotate synchronously. The rotation of the gear 47 drives the second movable rack 46 to reciprocate laterally along the second transverse slide groove 45 in the opposite direction to the first movable rack 43. Ultimately, the linkage of the two sets of movable racks is achieved: when the first movable rack 43 moves to the left, the second movable rack 46 moves to the right; when the first movable rack 43 moves to the right, the second movable rack 46 moves to the left, providing drive for the counter-clockwise interlacing motion of the two sets of material handling rods 48.

[0058] Several horizontally extending material-dispersing rods 48 are respectively installed on the first and second movable racks 46. These material-dispersing rods 48 are arranged side by side to form a first and second parallel material-dispersing swing rod. Under the reverse drive of the two sets of racks, the two sets of material-dispersing swing rods form a lateral movement state with opposite directions of travel and staggered positions. When the tobacco falls from above and passes through the area of ​​the two sets of material-dispersing swing rods, it is repeatedly stirred and combed by the continuously reverse-swinging material-dispersing rods 48: the clumps or overlaps of tobacco are broken up by the dynamic rods and separated from the clumps; at the same time, the reverse-swinging movement trajectory can cover the entire area where the tobacco falls, avoiding local accumulation of tobacco, so that the tobacco is evenly dispersed in all directions under the disturbance, and finally forms a thin, loose, and non-overlapping state, which falls into the conveying mechanism below. In this embodiment, the horizontal swinging material-dispersing rod frame is installed on the material drop hood, and the material drop hood is provided with transverse grooves at corresponding positions for the material-dispersing swing rods to pass through and move.

[0059] Preferably, the vibration and scattering device 4 consists of two sets of horizontally swinging material swaying rods placed one above the other in sequence, forming a four-layered, staggered, reciprocating, multi-layered reciprocating feeding rod combination frame structure. After the two sets of rods are arranged in an overlapping manner, four layers of parallel material swaying rods 48 are formed, and the motion logic of the two layers of material swaying rods 48 in each set of rods maintains the opposite characteristic of one layer moving to the left and the other layer moving to the right.

[0060] The staggered movement of the four-layered pendulum rods coordinates the spatial arrangement of the upper and lower layers of loose material rods 48 when the two sets of rods overlap, ensuring that the gaps between the loose material rods 48 of the upper frame correspond to the positions of the loose material rods 48 of the lower frame, forming a dynamic disturbance network without blind spots. In terms of movement direction, the lateral swing directions of the four layers of pendulum rods are alternately opposite, with a typical movement pattern: the first layer of pendulum rods moves left → the second layer moves right → the third layer moves left → the fourth layer moves right (or adjusted to other alternating combinations depending on the arrangement of the two sets of rods). This multi-layered alternating opposite movement allows the tobacco to be continuously agitated from different directions and heights during its descent. Preferably, two sets of structures can be arranged to form a staggered lateral and longitudinal movement.

[0061] The falling clumps of tobacco first come into contact with the two layers of opposing swing rods on the upper frame. The opposing swing rods push and tear them from both sides, breaking the large clumps of tobacco into smaller clumps, which then begin to disperse in all directions. The tobacco that has been initially broken up continues to fall and comes into contact with the two layers of opposing swing rods on the lower frame. The small clumps that have not been completely broken up are disturbed again by the opposing forces, further separating into single strands or a few loose strands. The staggered opposing movements of the four layers of swing rods form a dynamic barrier covering the entire cross section of the falling channel. The tobacco cannot maintain its clump state during the repeated disturbances and is finally discharged from below the frame in a thin, sparse form with no obvious overlap, and enters the subsequent conveying mechanism.

[0062] In addition, the swing frequency of the two sets of rods can be adjusted independently (such as adjusting the speed of the drive motor). By setting different swing frequencies, the randomness of the disturbance is enhanced, which can adapt to the needs of loose tobacco materials with different humidity and different degree of agglomeration, and further improve the uniformity of the loose material.

[0063] Example 3

[0064] This embodiment is based on an online sampling and detection device for tobacco shred width. This device works in conjunction with a tobacco shred sampling gripper 1, a visual inspection mechanism 2, and a power transmission mechanism. The power transmission mechanism provides stable power for each step, ensuring precise and synchronized actions at each stage. The specific steps and implementation process of the detection method are as follows:

[0065] Step S1: Receive the sampled tobacco shreds and convey them to the differential conveyor mechanism. The tobacco sampling gripper 1 grabs tobacco shreds from the tobacco conveyor line at a preset frequency and random points. Since the starting end of the first receiving conveyor belt 31 is within the stroke range of the sampling gripper, the sampling gripper directly releases the grabbed tobacco shreds onto the first receiving conveyor belt 31. The first receiving conveyor belt 31 then conveys the tobacco shreds, smoothly carrying them to its end. When the tobacco shreds reach the end of the first receiving conveyor belt 31, they naturally fall to the differential conveyor mechanism below. The tobacco shreds change from a discrete grabbing state after sampling to a continuous flow state of smooth conveying, without changing the agglomeration or looseness characteristics of the tobacco itself.

[0066] Step S2: The material is received by a high-speed conveyor belt, which quickly thins the clumps of tobacco material through the speed difference. The second receiving conveyor belt 32 in the differential conveying mechanism operates continuously, and its speed is always higher than that of the first receiving conveyor belt 31. The tobacco material falling from the end of the first receiving conveyor belt 31 lands precisely on the second receiving conveyor belt 32. Under the action of the speed difference between the two conveyor belts, the tobacco material that may have been clumped together is quickly separated, allowing the tobacco material to be quickly thinned from a clump-like structure into a layered structure, breaking the initial clumping state, reducing the difficulty of subsequent deep dispersion, and providing a more uniform material flow basis for subsequent vibration and shaking.

[0067] Step S3: Loosen the initially thinned tobacco sample, allowing it to fall vertically onto the continuously vibrating dispersing device 4. Under the vibration of the device 4, the tobacco sample quickly slides and disperses in all directions. Simultaneously, the tobacco sample, dispersed by the device 4, is vibrated and fed into a trough. The vibration within the trough further disperses and separates the tobacco, adapting the width of the sample to match the widths of the bottom conveyor belt 51 and the upper conveyor belt 52. In this step, the tobacco sample initially thinned in step S2 is conveyed to the end by the second receiving conveyor belt 32, and then enters the falling channel of the dispersing vibration dropping mechanism, falling vertically along the channel onto the continuously vibrating dispersing device 4 below. The vibratory dispersing device 4 is an arc-shaped dome structure 41 with a raised top surface. Its central top faces the exit of the falling channel. After the tobacco sample contacts the arc-shaped dome, it rapidly slides outwards under the reciprocating vibration in both the horizontal and vertical directions, forming a thin, sparsely dispersed layer. The dispersed tobacco sample then enters a vibratory trough (in this embodiment, the vibratory feeder). The vibratory feeder further combs the tobacco through continuous vibration, adjusting the width of the tobacco sample to a size suitable for the subsequent flattening and conveying mechanism. Finally, it falls from the end of the vibratory trough onto the bottom conveyor belt 51, further widening the spacing between the tobacco shreds and distributing them in a scattered manner. The tobacco sample transforms from an initially thinned state to a deeply loose, discrete state, further eliminating overlap between some tobacco shreds and ensuring the width matches the subsequent flattening requirements.

[0068] Step S4: The loose tobacco sample is horizontally conveyed, and during the conveying process, it is squeezed by the bottom conveyor belt 51 and the upper conveyor belt 52. The bottom conveyor belt 51 and the upper conveyor belt 52 form a tightly attached and oppositely rotating structure, which can clamp the tobacco sample on the bottom conveyor belt 51 into the contact surface for conveying. The clamping and conveying process lasts for at least 5 to 10 seconds, so that the tobacco is clamped into a flattened state and conveyed on the bottom conveyor belt 51. When this step is implemented, the loose tobacco sample processed in step S3 falls to the starting end of the bottom conveyor belt 51 and is horizontally conveyed by the bottom conveyor belt 51 to the feed end of the contact conveying surface. The bottom conveyor belt 51 and the upper conveyor belt 52 keep rotating in opposite directions and their opposite surfaces are tightly attached. The conveying speed is the same, and the tobacco sample is rolled into the contact surface between the two conveyor belts. Under the stable pressure ensured by the tensioning mechanism, it is continuously clamped and conveyed. After 5 to 10 seconds of continuous clamping, the tobacco is fully flattened. The tobacco shreds transform from a loose, naturally curled state to a flat, extended state, with each shred fully unfolded in width and maintaining a consistent posture. Through continuous and stable clamping and flattening, the tobacco shreds achieve a uniform flattened posture, avoiding width detection errors caused by curling, straightening, twisting, or curling of the tobacco shreds. This provides a larger number of clear and standardized samples of individual tobacco shreds for subsequent visual inspection.

[0069] Step S5: The vision inspection mechanism 2, located above the bottom conveyor belt 51, acquires images of the tobacco sample that has just left the clamping state, obtaining an image of the tobacco sample with a high flattening rate. During implementation, the tobacco sample, flattened in step S4, is conveyed along the bottom conveyor belt 51 to the end of the pressing conveyor surface. Because the ends of the bottom conveyor belt 51 are longer than the upper conveyor belt 52, the tobacco sample detaches from the clamping state of the two conveyor belts and continues to move towards its end with the bottom conveyor belt 51. At this time, the vision inspection mechanism 2, located above the end of the bottom conveyor belt 51, immediately starts, accurately acquiring images of the tobacco sample that has just detached from the clamping state and is still flattened, ultimately obtaining an image of the tobacco with a high flattening rate and low overlap rate. The tobacco maintains a flattened posture, with no obvious rebound or curling, and its state is stable. It captures the optimal inspection state of flattened tobacco shreds, obtains high-quality and effective image data, eliminates the need for inspection through transparent pressure plates, and enables continuous inspection of tobacco shreds on the inspection conveyor belt, eliminating the need for intermittent and non-continuous batch-by-batch inspection.

[0070] The above examples illustrate the present invention only to aid in understanding it and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art can make various simple deductions, modifications, or substitutions based on the principles of this invention.

Claims

1. An online sampling and detection device for tobacco shred width, arranged on a tobacco shred conveying line, used in combination with a tobacco shred sampling gripper (1), a visual inspection mechanism (2), and a power transmission mechanism, characterized in that... include: The first receiving conveyor belt (31) is set on one side of the tobacco conveying line. The starting end of the conveying is located within the stroke range of the tobacco sampling gripper (1). It is used to receive the sampled tobacco released by the tobacco sampling gripper (1) and convey it to the tobacco dispersing vibration dropping mechanism. The smoke dispersing vibration feeding mechanism includes a falling channel and a vibration shaking device (4) placed inside or below the falling channel. The vibration shaking device (4) generates continuous transverse or longitudinal reciprocating vibration, which can shake the tobacco shreds in contact with it and spread them out in all directions under the vibration action. The sampled tobacco shreds discharged from the falling channel are spread thin and loose and are sent into the tobacco flattening conveying mechanism. The tobacco flattening and conveying mechanism includes a horizontally arranged bottom conveyor belt (51) and an upper conveyor belt (52), which rotate in opposite directions and their opposing surfaces contact each other to form a pressing conveying surface. Both ends of the bottom conveyor belt (51) are longer than the upper conveyor belt (52). The starting end is used to receive the spread and loose sampled tobacco. The feeding end of the pressing conveying surface is wound with the sampled tobacco that is in contact with it. The sampled tobacco is clamped between the contact surfaces of the bottom conveyor belt (51) and the upper conveyor belt (52) and is conveyed, and is discharged from the end of the pressing conveying surface. The visual inspection mechanism (2) is set above the end of the bottom conveyor belt (51) to collect images of the flattened tobacco and perform width detection.

2. The online sampling and detection device for tobacco shred width according to claim 1, characterized in that, Below the end of the first receiving conveyor belt (31), a second receiving conveyor belt (32) is provided. The rotation speed of the second receiving conveyor belt (32) is greater than that of the first receiving conveyor belt (31). The end of the second receiving conveyor belt (32) is connected to the smoke dispersing vibration dropping mechanism.

3. The online sampling and detection device for tobacco shred width according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a tobacco thinning and feeding mechanism (6), which is located at the end of the tobacco dispersing vibration feeding mechanism and connected to it. The tobacco thinning and feeding mechanism (6) is a belt conveyor or a vibrating feeder, and its end outlet is connected to the feed end of the tobacco flattening and conveying mechanism.

4. The online sampling and detection device for tobacco shred width according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom conveyor belt (51) and the top conveyor belt (52) have the same conveying speed and are both equipped with a conveyor belt tensioning mechanism.

5. The online sampling and detection device for tobacco shred width according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vibration and shaking device (4) is an arc-shaped dome structure (41) with a raised top surface. The top center of the arc-shaped dome structure (41) is located directly below the falling channel. The arc-shaped dome structure (41) can continuously vibrate in the horizontal, vertical or vertical directions by installing or connecting vibration components. The arc-shaped dome structure (41) shakes the thin sampled tobacco shreds and makes them slide off from all sides to form a thin layer of sparsely distributed sampled tobacco shreds.

6. The online sampling and detection device for tobacco shred width according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vibration and scattering device (4) is a set of horizontally swinging material racks. The horizontally swinging material racks include a drive motor, which drives the crank (42) transmission mechanism to rotate. The crank (42) is hinged to a horizontally arranged first movable rack (43). The first movable rack (43) can move horizontally back and forth with the crank (42) in the first horizontal slide groove (44). A parallel second horizontal slide groove (45) is arranged above or below the first horizontal slide groove (44). The second movable rack (46) can move horizontally back and forth in the second horizontal slide groove (45). The teeth of the first movable rack (43) and the second movable rack are opposite to each other and are connected by a gear (47) that can rotate at a fixed point. The first movable rack (43) and the second movable rack (46) are each equipped with several horizontally extending material racks (48) arranged side by side to form a first material swinging rod and a second material swinging rod. The two are parallel to each other and have a cross-shaped horizontal motion adaptation structure with opposite directions of travel.

7. The online sampling and detection device for tobacco shred width according to claim 6, characterized in that, The vibration and scattering device (4) consists of two sets of horizontal swaying material swaying rods placed one above the other in sequence, forming a four-layer interlaced reciprocating swaying multi-layer reciprocating feeding swaying rod combination frame structure.

8. A detection method based on the online sampling and detection device for tobacco shred width as described in any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that... Includes the following steps: Step S1: Receive the sampled tobacco material and transport and drop it onto the differential conveyor mechanism; Step S2: The material is received by a high-speed conveyor belt, which can quickly spread the clump of tobacco material into a thinner sheet for the first time by means of the speed difference; Step S3: Loosen the tobacco sample that has been thinned for the first time, so that the tobacco sample falls vertically and lands on the vibrating and shaking device (4) which is continuously vibrating. Under the vibration and shaking of the vibrating and shaking device (4), the tobacco sample quickly slides and disperses to the surroundings. Step S4: The loosened tobacco sample is horizontally conveyed and squeezed by the bottom conveyor belt (51) and the top conveyor belt (52) during the conveying process. The bottom conveyor belt (51) and the top conveyor belt (52) form a tightly attached and opposite rotating structure, which can clamp the tobacco sample on the bottom conveyor belt (51) into the contact surface for conveying. The clamping and conveying process lasts for at least 5-10 seconds, so that the tobacco is clamped into a flattened state and conveyed on the bottom conveyor belt (51). Step S5: The visual inspection mechanism (2) located above the bottom conveyor belt (51) acquires images of the tobacco sample that has just left the clamping state, and obtains images of the tobacco sample with high flattening ratio.

9. The detection method according to claim 8, characterized in that, Step S3 further includes vibrating and feeding the tobacco sample after it has been shaken by the vibration and shaking device (4) in the shaking trough. The shaking in the shaking trough further disperses and separates the tobacco, and the width of the tobacco sample is adapted to the width of the bottom conveyor belt (51) and the upper conveyor belt (52). The loose tobacco falling from the shaking trough comes into contact with the bottom conveyor belt (51) and is further thinned and widened. It enters the clamping and conveying step in the form of scattered tobacco samples.

10. The detection method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The vibration and shaking in step S3 involves causing the tobacco sample to fall vertically onto the top surface of the raised arc dome structure (41). The arc dome structure (41) continuously vibrates longitudinally or laterally, or shakes vertically, causing the tobacco sample on the top surface to quickly shake and slide down from all sides. The tobacco sample spreads out from the top to all sides, forming a loose state and spreading out in the width direction. Alternatively, the tobacco sample can be dropped vertically and passed sequentially through several layers of horizontally and vertically oscillating material racks, creating a high-frequency shaking effect through the crisscrossing oscillations, thereby rapidly dispersing the tobacco sample.

Images