Material taking device and method of drying equipment
By designing a guide pipe and a gravity-fed sampling device inside the drying drum, the problems of low automation and high cost of drum material handling are solved, achieving efficient and reliable material sampling and meeting the drying needs of various products such as Chinese herbal medicine pieces.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- SHANGHAI LANPU INTELLIGENT TECH CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2026-03-19
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-21
AI Technical Summary
Existing drying equipment's drum feeding device has low automation, high cost, and limited adaptability to various materials. Furthermore, it suffers from high uncertainty in material level identification under high temperature, high humidity, and high dust conditions, making it difficult to achieve efficient and reliable sampling.
A material handling device for a drying equipment was designed, including a conveying mechanism, a guide pipe, a sampling box, and a feeding assembly. The guide pipe connects the area near the inner wall of the drum to the receiving position. The sampling box moves inside the drum to collect samples, and the material is fed by its own weight, which simplifies the sampling process and reduces the requirements for power and space.
It achieves efficient and reliable sampling under different material levels and varieties, reduces costs, adapts to the diverse drying needs of traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces, and operates stably in harsh environments.
Smart Images
Figure CN121898129A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of material handling technology for drying equipment, and more particularly to a material handling device and method for drying equipment. Background Technology
[0002] With the increasing automation and intelligence of drying equipment, controlling the moisture content, related intrinsic quality, and effective ingredient content of the dried materials during the drying process is becoming increasingly important. Taking traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) decoction pieces as an example, there are many types of TCM decoction pieces, and the control of process quality during drying is particularly crucial. Drum drying, as an important drying mode for decoction pieces, features high drying uniformity, built-in loading and unloading functions, a simple structure, and is suitable for drying a wide variety of important decoction pieces.
[0003] During the drying process of materials inside the drying drum of the drying equipment, a small amount of sample is usually taken and sent to the outside for relevant index testing. However, the properties of Chinese herbal medicine pieces are different, and their material positions inside the drum are also different. Taking out samples from the rotating drum with various uncertainties is technically challenging.
[0004] The main technologies currently used include manual sampling and robotic arm sampling;
[0005] Among them, manual sampling has a low degree of automation, cannot achieve multi-process linkage, and has low efficiency;
[0006] Although robotic arm sampling achieves automation, the sampling mechanism is complex, occupies a large area, has complicated movements, is costly, and is only suitable for a limited variety of materials. Specifically, due to the wide variety of materials processed inside the drum, the material level is extremely inconsistent. In addition, the harsh environment inside the drum, characterized by high temperature, high humidity, and high dust, makes it difficult and costly to use vision or other sensors to identify the material level.
[0007] Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes a simple, efficient and low-cost material handling device and method for drying equipment. Summary of the Invention
[0008] To address the technical problems existing in the drum-type material handling of current drying equipment, this invention provides a material handling device and method for drying equipment.
[0009] According to one objective of the present invention, the present invention provides a material handling device for a drying apparatus, comprising:
[0010] The conveying mechanism is arranged along the axis of the drying drum, and on both sides of its length direction are a receiving position located at the center of the inner side of the drum and a discharging position located on the outer side of the drum.
[0011] A guide tube is disposed inside the drum and extends radially, forming a guide channel inside that connects the area near the inner wall of the drum and the receiving position;
[0012] The sampling box is configured to move along the length of the conveying mechanism between the receiving position and the unloading position, and when it is located at the receiving position, its inlet is connected to the outlet of the guide tube;
[0013] A feeding component is disposed between the conveying mechanism and the sampling box. When the sampling box moves to the feeding position, the feeding component opens the sampling box and transfers the material inside it. Conversely, the feeding component keeps the sample in the sampling box.
[0014] Preferably, the guide pipe is vertically arranged, and the inlet of the guide pipe is located close to the inner wall of the drum, wherein the material inside the drum is not higher than the center of the drum.
[0015] Preferably, the conveying mechanism includes:
[0016] A linear guide rail is fixedly installed along the axial direction of the roller, and the sampling box is movably installed on the linear guide rail;
[0017] The driving assembly includes a push-pull slide and a push-pull mechanism. Both the push-pull slide and the push-pull mechanism are mounted on a fixed mounting bracket outside the roller. The push-pull mechanism is driven to connect to the sampling box through the push-pull slide.
[0018] Preferably, the push-pull mechanism is configured to be detachably engaged with the sampling box; when the sampling box moves to the receiving position, the push-pull mechanism disengages from the sampling box so that the sampling box remains inside the roller.
[0019] Preferably, a connecting bracket is fixedly connected to the side of the sampling box facing the driving component, and a linear bearing is respectively provided on two opposite sides of the connecting bracket in the width direction, and the linear bearing is sleeved on the linear guide rail.
[0020] Preferably, the feeding assembly includes:
[0021] A sampling base plate is disposed at the bottom of the sampling box, and the sampling box is hinged to the sampling base plate on the side near the guide tube;
[0022] The guide base plate is laid along the linear guide rail to provide a supporting plane for the sampling base plate at the bottom of the sampling box. It has a discharge port at the position corresponding to the discharge position, which allows the sampling base plate to move. When the sampling box is in the discharge position, the sampling base plate is above the discharge port. The sampling base plate loses its support and opens under its own weight with the help of the hinge, realizing automatic discharge.
[0023] Preferably, the feeding assembly further includes a receiving tray, which is disposed below the feeding port and is used to receive the material falling from the sampling box.
[0024] Preferably, the material handling device of the drying equipment further includes a compressed air cleaning mechanism, configured to periodically and automatically clean key parts using compressed air, wherein the key parts include the surface of the conveying mechanism and the sampling box.
[0025] Preferably, the material handling device of the drying equipment further includes:
[0026] The mounting bracket supports and connects the feeding assembly, the conveying mechanism, and the guide pipe.
[0027] A material handling method using the above-mentioned material handling device is also provided, comprising the following steps:
[0028] Move the sampling box to the receiving position so that its inlet is aligned with the outlet of the guide tube;
[0029] The drying drum is driven to rotate, and the material inside the drum falls into the sampling box through the guide pipe;
[0030] Stop rotating the drying drum, move the sampling box to the unloading position, and open the bottom of the sampling box to unload the material;
[0031] Move the unloaded sampling box back to the receiving position.
[0032] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:
[0033] The material handling device of this drying equipment has a guide pipe that connects the area near the inner wall of the drum and the receiving position. The material inside the drum is lower than the center position of the drum. When the drum rotates, the material is guided into the sampling box along the guide pipe, which solves the problem of sampling difficulties caused by different material positions and different material types inside the drum.
[0034] The sampling box can be moved to the center of the top of the roller to take samples. The sampling box can freely enter and exit the roller. After the sampling box has finished receiving the material, it exits the roller along the guide rail. This solves the problem of special requirements for the structure, power supply and space of the sampling device due to the rotation of the roller.
[0035] The bottom of the sampling box is connected to the sampling base plate via a hinge to support the incoming material. When the sampling box moves to the unloading tray, the sampling base plate opens under its own weight, and the material falls into the unloading tray. The unloading process does not require any other power assistance. In addition, the guide tube in this sampling device, which is used for guiding and sampling, is linked to the roller. Similarly, it does not require any other power assistance to complete the sampling action, achieving energy-saving and environmentally friendly effects and reducing sampling costs.
[0036] This invention has a wide range of applications and covers a wide variety of medicinal herbs, solving the problem that existing technologies have limited applicability due to the large variety of Chinese medicinal herbs.
[0037] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Attached Figure Description
[0038] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall connection of the material handling device to the drying drum of the drying equipment described in this invention;
[0039] Figure 2 This is an overall schematic diagram of the material handling device of a drying equipment according to the present invention;
[0040] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the sampling box and the connecting bracket in the material handling device of the drying equipment described in this invention;
[0041] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the sampling box and the sampling base plate in the material handling device of the drying equipment described in this invention;
[0042] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding component in the feeding device of a drying equipment according to the present invention;
[0043] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the mounting bracket in the material handling device of the drying equipment described in this invention. Detailed Implementation
[0044] The following description is intended to provide a detailed account of the invention so that those skilled in the art can implement it. The preferred embodiments described below are merely examples, and other obvious variations will occur to those skilled in the art. The basic principles of the invention defined in the following description can be applied to other embodiments, modifications, improvements, equivalents, and other technical solutions that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.
[0045] Please see Figure 1-6The present invention provides a technical solution: a material receiving device for a drying equipment, comprising: a conveying mechanism 100, which is arranged along the axis of a drying drum 200, and a material receiving position 100a located at the center of the inner side of the drum 200 and a material unloading position 100b located on the outer side of the drum 200, respectively, on both sides of its length direction;
[0046] The guide tube 300 is disposed inside the roller 200 and extends radially, and forms a guide channel inside that connects the area near the inner wall of the roller 200 and the receiving position 100a.
[0047] The sampling box 400 is configured to move along the length of the conveying mechanism 100 between the receiving position 100a and the unloading position 100b, and when it is located at the receiving position 100a, its inlet is connected to the outlet of the guide tube 300.
[0048] The feeding component 500 is disposed between the conveying mechanism 100 and the sampling box 400. When the sampling box 400 moves to the feeding position 100b, the feeding component 500 opens the sampling box 400 and transfers the material inside it. Conversely, the feeding component 500 keeps the sample in the sampling box 400.
[0049] In use, the sampling box 400 moves along the conveying mechanism 100 and stops at the receiving position 100a inside the roller 200. When the roller 200 rotates, the material can be introduced into the sampling box 400 through the guide pipe 300 at any position of the roller 200. When the roller 200 stops rotating, the sampling box 400 can continue to exit along the conveying structure to the outside of the roller 200. When the sampling box 400 reaches the unloading position 100b, the unloading component 500 acts on the sampling box 400, opens the sampling box 400 and transfers the material inside to the target position. Then, the sampling box 400 continues to move along the conveying mechanism 100 to the receiving position 100a, waiting for the next sampling, thus completing a single sampling process.
[0050] See Figure 1 The drum 200 is a container for drying materials. The purpose of the material taking device of the drying equipment is to take a small sample of the material inside the drum 200 and send it to the outside of the drum 200 for relevant index testing.
[0051] Because the types of materials processed inside the drum 200 vary greatly, the material level height is extremely inconsistent. In addition, the harsh environment of high temperature, high humidity and high dust inside the drum 200 means that using vision or other sensors to identify the material level height will introduce a lot of uncertainty and high cost.
[0052] In this invention, the guide tube 300 and the sampling box 400 utilize the theory of the center of rotation of an object to take samples from the center of the drum 200. The sampling box 400 is located at the center of the drum 200. With extremely low cost, reliable and stable simplicity, a non-discriminatory sampling method for different materials at different positions is achieved. This solves the problem that sampling at other positions of the drum 200 cannot be fixed due to the rotation of the drum 200. At the same time, it solves the problem that it is inconvenient to connect the peripheral components to electricity and air when the drum 200 is rotating.
[0053] For details, see Figure 2 The guide pipe 300 is vertically arranged, and the inlet of the guide pipe 300 is set close to the inner wall of the roller 200. In use, the guide pipe 300 and the sampling box 400 remain stationary inside the roller 200. The sampling box 400 is located at the material receiving position 100a at the center of the roller 200. The material inside the roller 200 is relatively small, and the height of the material is basically no higher than the center of the roller 200. The material at the edge of the roller 200 is guided to the center of the roller 200 through the guide pipe 300 and then falls into the sampling box 400.
[0054] See Figure 2 and 5 The conveying mechanism 100 includes:
[0055] Linear guide rail 101 is fixedly installed along the axis of drying drum 200. Linear guide rail 101 serves as the core guiding reference, providing a precise and stable linear motion path for sampling box 400 to enter and exit drum 200. Specifically, sampling box 400 is externally connected to two connecting brackets 401 for linear guide rail 101. Linear bearings 402 can be installed on the connecting brackets 401, and the linear bearings 402 are fitted onto the linear guide rail 101 to achieve sliding.
[0056] The drive assembly includes a push-pull slide 102 and a push-pull mechanism 103. Both the push-pull slide 102 and the push-pull mechanism 103 are mounted on a stationary mounting bracket 600 outside the roller 200. The push-pull mechanism 103 serves as a power source, providing the linear driving force required to push and pull the sampling box 400.
[0057] The drive assembly is relatively stationary in the rotation direction of the roller 200 and can be regarded as a stationary part outside the roller 200. The roller 200, as a rotating part, is difficult to directly connect with the drive assembly, which is a stationary part outside. The rotating part and the stationary part adopt a non-connected interaction method. The push-pull slide 102 and the sampling box 400 are detachably connected so that after the sampling box 400 is moved to the receiving position 100a, it is disengaged from the sampling box 400 located inside the roller 200 so that the roller 200 can rotate freely. That is, when the roller 200 is not rotating, the drive assembly and the sampling box 400 are in contact to realize the forward and backward movement of the sampling box 400. When the roller 200 rotates, the drive assembly, which is relatively fixed outside the roller 200, disengages from the sampling box 400 and its components fixed on the roller 200 in time so that the roller 200 can rotate freely.
[0058] For details, see Figure 2 and 3 The sampling box 400 is fixedly connected to a connecting bracket 401 on the side facing the driving component. The connecting bracket 401 has a linear bearing 402 on each of its opposite sides in the width direction. The linear bearing 402 is precisely fitted onto the linear guide rail 101, so that the entire sampling box 400 can slide freely along the guide rail, and thus can freely enter and exit the roller 200 along the linear guide rail 101. Through the above design, the material in the roller 200 can enter and exit the roller 200 in a simple and reliable manner through the sampling box 400. The function of the connecting bracket 401 is to place the sampling box 400 connected to it in the receiving position 100a deep in the roller 200 when it is pushed into the roller 200 by the driving component.
[0059] The connecting bracket 401 is also provided with a baffle on the side facing the drive assembly. When the sampling box 400 is located at the receiving position 100a, the baffle closes the opening on the roller 200 for entering and exiting the sampling box 400, thereby reducing the impact of the sampling process on the drying effect of the roller 200.
[0060] A push-pull rod is provided between the connecting bracket 401 and the push-pull slide 102 for connecting and disconnecting the slide 102 and the sampling box 400. The push-pull rod is not shown in the figure.
[0061] The feeding assembly 500 adopts an innovative feeding method. After the sampling box 400 receives the material outside the roller 200, it uses the principle of material weight to make the sampling box 400 suspended from the bottom plate of the feeding port 504. The material falls freely into the receiving tray 503. The feeding assembly 500 has a simple overall structure, is stable and reliable, and achieves the design goal of energy saving and consumption reduction.
[0062] Specifically, the feeding assembly 500 includes:
[0063] A sampling base plate 501 is disposed at the bottom of the sampling box 400, and the sampling box 400 is hinged to the sampling base plate 501 on the side near the guide tube 300.
[0064] The guide base plate 502 is laid along the linear guide rail 101 and provides a supporting plane for the sampling base plate 501 at the bottom of the sampling box 400. Its key design is that a discharge port 504 is opened at the corresponding discharge position 100b, which allows the sampling base plate 501 to move. When the sampling box 400 is located at the discharge position 100b, the sampling base plate 501 is located above the discharge port 504. The sampling base plate 501 loses its support and opens under its own weight with the help of the hinge, realizing automatic discharge.
[0065] The receiving tray 503 is located below the discharge port 504 and is used to receive the material falling from the sampling box 400.
[0066] In use, the material is introduced into the sampling box 400 through the guide pipe 300. After the sampling box 400 completes the material reception, it can be conveyed to the outside of the roller 200 in various ways. The sampling base plate 501 on the sampling box 400 is connected by a hinge. When it exits the roller 200 and moves above the discharge port 504, the bottom is suspended. The sampling base plate 501 opens the hinge by its own weight, and the material falls into the receiving tray 503 by its own weight, thus completing the sampling. When sampling is required again, the sampling box 400 leaves the discharge port 504 and moves toward the roller 200. The bottom plate of the sampling box 400 is supported by the guide base plate 502 of the conveying mechanism 100, so that the sampling base plate 501 is closed by the hinge and moves into the roller 200 for sampling.
[0067] The material handling device of the drying equipment also includes:
[0068] The compressed air cleaning mechanism addresses the issue of dust and other contaminants during production, which can lead to contamination of the sampling device. This mechanism is designed to periodically and automatically clean critical areas using compressed air, including the conveyor mechanism 100 and the surface of the sampling box 400. This compressed air cleaning mechanism is existing technology and will not be described in detail here.
[0069] The material handling device of the drying equipment also includes:
[0070] Mounting bracket 600, on which all mechanisms are mounted, namely, mounting bracket 600 supports and connects the compressed air cleaning mechanism, the unloading assembly 500, the conveying mechanism 100 and the guide pipe 300.
[0071] Based on the sampling device of the above-mentioned drying equipment, the present invention also provides a material sampling method, comprising the following steps:
[0072] Move the sampling box 400 to the receiving position 100a so that its inlet is connected to the outlet of the guide tube 300;
[0073] The drying drum 200 is driven to rotate, and the material inside the drum 200 falls into the sampling box 400 through the guide pipe 300;
[0074] Stop rotating the drying drum 200, move the sampling box 400 to the unloading position 100b, and open the bottom of the sampling box 400 to unload the material;
[0075] Move the unloaded sampling box 400 back to the receiving position 100a.
[0076] More specifically, the sampling methods of the sampling device include:
[0077] The sampling box 400 stops at the receiving position 100a inside the roller 200. When the roller 200 rotates, the material can be introduced into the sampling box 400 through the guide pipe 300 at any position of the roller 200. The roller 200 then stops rotating.
[0078] When the push-pull slide 102 moves backward, the push-pull rod on the push-pull slide 102 contacts the connecting part of the sampling box 400, causing the sampling box 400 to move out of the roller 200. When the sampling box 400 reaches the discharge port 504, the material inside the sampling box 400 opens the hinge of the sampling base plate 501 by its own weight, and the material falls freely into the discharge tray, completing the sampling.
[0079] The push-pull slide 102 moves forward, pushing the sampling box 400 into the roller 200, waiting for the next sampling, thus completing the sampling process.
[0080] In summary, this sampling device connects the area near the inner wall of the drum 200 and the receiving position 100a via the guide pipe 300. The material inside the drum 200 is below the center position of the drum 200. Using the simple guide pipe 300, the material is guided into the sampling box 400 along the guide pipe 300 when the drum 200 rotates. No other power is needed, which solves the problem of sampling difficulties caused by different material positions and different material types inside the drum 200.
[0081] The sampling box 400 can be moved to the center of the top of the roller 200 to take a sample. The sampling box 400 can freely enter and exit the roller 200. After the sampling box 400 has finished receiving the material, it exits the roller 200 along the guide rail. This solves the problem of special requirements for the structure, power supply and space of the sampling device when the roller 200 rotates.
[0082] The bottom of the sampling box 400 is connected to the sampling base plate 501 via a hinge to support the material. When the sampling box 400 moves to the feeding tray position, the sampling base plate 501 at the bottom opens by its own weight, and the material falls into the feeding tray. The feeding process does not require any other power assistance. In addition, the guide tube 300 in this sampling device, which is used for guiding and sampling, is linked with the roller 200. Similarly, it can complete the sampling action without any other power assistance, achieving the effect of energy saving and environmental protection.
[0083] In addition, this invention has a wide range of applications and solves the problem that existing technologies have limited applicability due to the large variety of Chinese herbal medicines.
[0084] The embodiments described above are only used to illustrate the technical ideas and features of the present invention. Their purpose is to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of the present invention and implement it accordingly. The scope of patent application of the present invention should not be limited by these embodiments. That is, any equivalent changes or modifications made in accordance with the spirit disclosed in the present invention still fall within the patent scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A material handling device for a drying equipment, characterized in that, include: The conveying mechanism (100) is arranged along the axis of the drying drum (200), and on both sides of its length direction are respectively a receiving position (100a) located at the center of the inner side of the drum (200) and a discharging position (100b) located on the outer side of the drum (200). A guide tube (300) is disposed inside the roller (200) and extends radially, forming a guide channel inside that connects the area near the inner wall of the roller (200) and the receiving position (100a); The sampling box (400) is configured to move along the length of the conveying mechanism (100) between the receiving position (100a) and the unloading position (100b), and when it is located at the receiving position (100a), its inlet is connected to the outlet of the guide tube (300); The unloading assembly (500) is disposed between the conveying mechanism (100) and the sampling box (400). When the sampling box (400) moves to the unloading position (100b), the unloading assembly (500) opens the sampling box (400) and transfers the material inside it. Conversely, the unloading assembly (500) keeps the sample in the sampling box (400).
2. The material handling device for a drying equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide pipe (300) is vertically arranged, and the inlet of the guide pipe (300) is arranged close to the inner wall of the roller (200). The material inside the roller is not higher than the center of the roller (200).
3. The material handling device for a drying equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conveying mechanism (100) includes: A linear guide rail (101) is fixedly installed along the axial direction of the roller (200), and the sampling box (400) is movably installed on the linear guide rail (101); The driving assembly includes a push-pull slide (102) and a push-pull mechanism (103). The push-pull slide (102) and the push-pull mechanism (103) are both mounted on a fixed mounting bracket (600) outside the roller (200). The push-pull mechanism (103) is driven to connect to the sampling box (400) through the push-pull slide (102).
4. The material handling device for a drying equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The push-pull mechanism (103) is configured to engage detachably with the sampling box (400); when the sampling box (400) moves to the receiving position (100a), the push-pull mechanism (103) disengages from the sampling box (400) so that the sampling box (400) remains inside the roller (200).
5. The material handling device for a drying apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, The sampling box (400) is fixedly connected to a connecting bracket (401) on the side facing the drive assembly. The connecting bracket (401) has a linear bearing (402) on each of its opposite sides in the width direction. The linear bearing (402) is fitted onto the linear guide rail (101).
6. The material handling device for a drying equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding assembly (500) includes: A sampling base plate (501) is disposed at the bottom of the sampling box (400), and the sampling box (400) is hinged to the sampling base plate (501) on the side near the guide tube (300); The guide base plate (502) is laid along the linear guide rail (101) to provide a supporting plane for the sampling base plate (501) at the bottom of the sampling box (400). It has a discharge port (504) at the position corresponding to the discharge position (100b) for the sampling base plate (501) to move. When the sampling box (400) is located at the discharge position (100b), the sampling base plate (501) is located above the discharge port (504). The sampling base plate (501) loses its support and opens under its own weight with the hinge, realizing automatic discharge.
7. The material handling device for a drying apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The feeding assembly (500) further includes a receiving tray (503), which is located below the feeding port (504) and is used to receive the material falling from the sampling box (400).
8. The material handling device for a drying equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material handling device of the drying equipment further includes a compressed air cleaning mechanism, configured to periodically and automatically clean key parts using compressed air, wherein the key parts include the surface of the conveying mechanism (100) and the sampling box (400).
9. The material handling device for a drying equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material handling device of the drying equipment also includes: Mounting bracket (600) supports and connects the feeding assembly (500), the conveying mechanism (100), and the guide tube (300).
10. A material handling method using the material handling device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Move the sampling box (400) to the receiving position (100a) so that its inlet is connected to the outlet of the guide tube (300); Drive the drying drum (200) to rotate, and the material inside the drum (200) falls into the sampling box (400) through the guide pipe (300). Stop rotating the drying drum (200), move the sampling box (400) to the unloading position (100b), and open the bottom of the sampling box (400) to unload the material; Move the unloaded sampling box (400) back to the receiving position (100a).