An automatic cake packaging system and method

Abstract

This application relates to the field of food packaging technology and discloses an automatic pastry packaging system and method, comprising: a frame, which serves as a basic component to support lower structures; a forming machine, disposed on one side of the frame, for producing pastries; a dust removal and filtration box connected to the output end of the forming machine; and a material preparation unit disposed inside the frame, the material preparation unit including a tray-separating dust removal structure, which is equipped with a dust removal electro-ion fan and multiple tray-pressing mechanisms. By integrating the material preparation unit, the robot tray loading unit, and the box-sealing output unit, a fully automated packaging line is constructed, from carton tray separation, middle tray loading, pastry gripping, fork assembly to box lid sealing. The carton tray pull-down and flipping mechanism completes the automatic separation and flipping of the carton, the parallel Delta robot realizes the automatic gripping and stepped arrangement of pastries, and the lid-closing and conveying mechanism completes the automatic positioning and closing of the box lid.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of food packaging technology, specifically to an automatic packaging system and method for pastries. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the packaging industry for pastries, especially for fragile products like mung bean cakes that require neat arrangement, mainly relies on manual operation or semi-automatic equipment.

[0003] Firstly, in the material preparation and filling stage, existing technology typically involves manually placing the tray into the cardboard box, then manually picking up the formed mung bean cakes and arranging them in a stepped pattern within the tray. This manual operation method is not only labor-intensive and inefficient, but also makes it difficult to ensure the consistency and stability of the mung bean cake arrangement, easily leading to problems such as misplacement, omissions, or skewed arrangement.

[0004] Secondly, regarding quality control, the existing packaging line lacks an effective online inspection and rejection mechanism. After the mung bean cakes are formed, they go directly into the packaging process, making it impossible to monitor the weight or appearance of each piece in real time. This results in products that are not up to weight or have appearance defects entering the packaging stage, affecting the quality of the final product.

[0005] Furthermore, in the component assembly and sealing stages, the insertion of the transparent fork and the closing of the box lid are all done manually, further increasing labor and time costs. Meanwhile, existing packaging equipment is mostly single-line operation with a loose layout and poor coordination between processes, limiting overall packaging efficiency. In addition, the lack of effective safety measures during equipment operation poses certain operational safety hazards. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides an automated pastry packaging system and method, which solves the problems of existing pastry packaging relying on manual operation, lacking online quality inspection, and having low efficiency in single-line operations.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: an automatic pastry packaging system, comprising:

[0008] The frame, as a basic component, is used to support the lower structure;

[0009] A forming machine, located on one side of the frame, is used for producing pastries;

[0010] A dust removal and filter box is connected to the output end of the molding machine;

[0011] The material preparation unit is located inside the frame. The material preparation unit includes a tray dust removal structure. The tray dust removal structure is equipped with a dust removal electro-ion air bar and multiple tray pressing mechanisms. The multiple tray pressing mechanisms are respectively equipped with a cardboard tray, a middle tray tray and a dust removal pressing tray.

[0012] A weighing and rejection unit is located on one side of the forming machine. It has an NG receiving box inside. The weighing and rejection unit is used to weigh the pastries and reject the defective products into the NG receiving box.

[0013] A robot loading unit is located on one side of the weighing and rejection unit, and includes at least two Delta robots connected in parallel, used to pick up pastries that have passed the weighing and place them into the middle tray and the sub-tray.

[0014] The accessory assembly unit is located on one side of the robot loading unit and is used to load the transparent fork into the middle tray.

[0015] A box sealing output unit is located on one side of the accessory assembly unit and performs a lid-closing operation on the cardboard box. The output end of the box sealing output unit is equipped with a labeling machine, which conveys the finished product to the labeling machine.

[0016] An electrical control cabinet, located inside the rack, is used to control the operation of each unit.

[0017] Preferably, the pressing mechanism includes a paper box limiting mechanism, a paper box tray pull-down and flipping mechanism, and a chain plate conveyor line 1, which passes through multiple pressing mechanisms in sequence.

[0018] The paper tray pull-down and flipping mechanism is configured to perform the following actions: clamping the paper tray, pulling down and flipping, and then unloading the paper after flipping.

[0019] Preferred options also include:

[0020] The transfer module is equipped with a transfer gripper inside, which is used to transfer the carton trays and the middle trays from the first chain conveyor line to the second chain conveyor line.

[0021] Preferably, the robot loading unit includes:

[0022] Second chain conveyor line, which runs through the robot loading unit;

[0023] The top camera and panel light source are positioned above the second chain conveyor line;

[0024] An NG receiving box is located on the side of the robot loading unit, and its output end is connected to a belt conveyor.

[0025] The human-machine interface is located on the top side of the robot loading unit.

[0026] Preferably, the sealing output unit includes a lid-fastening and conveying mechanism, the lid-fastening and conveying mechanism comprising:

[0027] Transparent box lid feeding hopper, used to store transparent box lids;

[0028] A transparent lid suction mechanism is used to suction transparent lids from the transparent lid loading bin;

[0029] The buffer slot is used to hold the transparent lid after the contents have been extracted.

[0030] An antistatic ion bar is disposed on one side of the buffer position;

[0031] The lid secondary positioning mechanism and the paper tray secondary positioning mechanism are used to position and correct the transparent box lid and the paper box, respectively.

[0032] A double-headed transplanting mechanism, wherein one end of the double-headed transplanting mechanism is provided with a cover clamp and the other end is provided with a transport clamp.

[0033] Preferably, the lid clamp is used to cover the transparent box lid onto the cardboard box, and the transport clamp is used to transport the covered finished product to the second belt conveyor, and then to the labeling machine via the reversing conveyor mechanism.

[0034] Preferably, the frame also integrates a tray distribution box, a box-closing machine, and a label conveyor. One end of the box-closing machine is connected to a lid-closing and transporting mechanism. The input end of the label conveyor is connected to the box-sealing output unit, and the output end is used to connect to a label applicator.

[0035] Preferably, the frame is provided with two parallel and independently operating packaging lines, and a quick connection mechanism is provided between adjacent equipment.

[0036] Preferably, the connection points of each unit device in the rack are equipped with protective doors and safety light curtains.

[0037] In addition, the present invention also provides an automatic packaging method for pastries, comprising the following steps:

[0038] Step 1: Separate the cardboard box trays from the middle trays using the material preparation unit, and then load the middle trays into the cardboard boxes;

[0039] Step 2: Weigh the pastries coming out of the forming machine through the weighing and rejection unit, and transport qualified products to the next station, while rejecting unqualified products to the NG receiving box.

[0040] Step 3: The first Delta robot of the robotic loading unit grabs qualified pastries and places them into the middle tray and the second Delta robot grabs pastries again to replenish the filling.

[0041] Step 4: Insert the transparent fork into the groove of the middle tray using the accessory assembly unit;

[0042] Step 5: The transparent box lid is closed onto the cardboard box through the sealing output unit, and the finished product is reversed and conveyed to the labeling machine.

[0043] This invention provides an automatic packaging system and method for pastries. It has the following beneficial effects:

[0044] 1. This invention integrates a material preparation unit, a weighing and rejection unit, a robot palletizing unit, an accessory assembly unit, and a sealing and output unit to construct a fully automated packaging line from carton separation and pallet loading, pastry picking, fork assembly to lid sealing. The carton separation and flipping mechanism automatically separates and flips the cartons, while the parallel Delta robot automatically picks up and arranges the pastries in a stepped pattern. The lid-closing and conveying mechanism automatically positions and closes the lids. All units work collaboratively, requiring no manual intervention, significantly reducing the intensity of manual labor.

[0045] 2. This invention incorporates a weighing and rejection unit after the forming machine. Each piece of mung bean cake is dynamically weighed and automatically sorted according to preset standards. Cakes that pass the weighing test enter the robot's gripping station, while those that fail are automatically pushed into the NG (Not Good) receiving box for discharge. Simultaneously, the robot's loading unit is equipped with a top camera and panel light source, enabling visual positioning of the cakes during gripping and allowing for secondary rejection of abnormal cakes. Through multiple online detection and rejection mechanisms, the consistency of the packaged finished product's quality is ensured.

[0046] 3. This invention employs a dual-path parallel setup, with two parallel and independently operating packaging lines mounted on the frame. The two lines can operate synchronously, each independently completing the entire process from material preparation to finished product output. Quick-connect mechanisms are provided between adjacent devices for easy docking and maintenance. Protective doors and safety light curtains are installed at the connection points of each unit to ensure operational safety. The dual-path parallel structure, combined with high-speed Delta robot gripping, enhances overall packaging capacity while ensuring system stability and safety. Attached Figure Description

[0047] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the automatic pastry packaging system of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating the automatic pastry packaging system of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the material preparation unit in this invention;

[0050] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of the material preparation unit in this invention;

[0051] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the material preparation unit in this invention;

[0052] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the robot mounting unit in this invention;

[0053] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating the robot mounting unit in this invention;

[0054] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the cap-closing and conveying mechanism in this invention;

[0055] Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating the reversing conveyor mechanism of the present invention.

[0056] The components include: 1. Frame; 2. Forming machine; 3. Dust removal and filtration box; 4. Material preparation unit; 5. Dust removal structure for tray distribution; 6. Dust removal electro-ion air bar; 7. Pressing mechanism; 8. Carton tray distribution; 9. Middle tray distribution; 10. Dust removal pressing tray; 11. Weighing and rejection unit; 12. NG receiving box; 13. Robot tray loading unit; 14. Delta robot; 15. Accessory assembly unit; 16. Sealing output unit; 17. Transparent box cover; 18. Labeling machine; 19. Electrical control cabinet; 20. Carton limiting mechanism; 21. Carton tray pull-down and flipping mechanism; 22. Chain conveyor line one; 23. Transfer module; 24. Transplanting gripper. 25. Chain conveyor line two; 26. Top camera; 27. Panel light source; 28. Belt conveyor line one; 29. ​​Human-machine interface; 30. Lid-locking and handling mechanism; 31. Transparent box lid loading hopper; 32. Transparent box lid suction mechanism; 33. Buffer position; 34. Antistatic ion bar; 35. Lid secondary positioning mechanism; 36. Paper tray secondary positioning mechanism; 37. Double-headed transfer mechanism; 38. Lid-loading clamp; 39. Handling clamp; 40. Belt conveyor line two; 41. Reversing conveyor mechanism; 42. Tray splitting machine control box; 43. Box-closing machine; 44. Docking label conveyor; 45. Equipment quick connection mechanism; 46. Protective door; 47. Safety light curtain. Detailed Implementation

[0057] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0058] Please see the appendix Figure 1 - Appendix Figure 9 This invention provides an automatic pastry packaging system, comprising:

[0059] Frame 1 serves as a basic component, used to support the lower structure;

[0060] Forming machine 2, located on one side of frame 1, is used for producing pastries;

[0061] Dust removal filter box 3 is connected to the output end of molding machine 2;

[0062] Material preparation unit 4, located inside frame 1, is used for automatic flipping, loading, and dust removal of cardboard boxes and trays. Material preparation unit 4 includes a tray dust removal structure 5, which contains a dust removal electro-ion fan bar 6 and multiple tray pressing mechanisms 7. Each tray pressing mechanism 7 contains a cardboard box tray 8, a tray tray 9, and a dust removal pressing tray 10. The cardboard box tray 8 adopts a stacked feeding structure and has a cardboard box limiting mechanism 20 inside. This limiting mechanism uses side clamps to limit the stacked cardboard boxes and prevent them from tipping over. A cardboard box tray pull-down flipping mechanism 21 is located below the cardboard box tray 8 and uses a combination of pneumatic grippers and a rotary cylinder. During operation, the pneumatic grippers clamp the bottommost cardboard box from both sides of the bottom of the cardboard box stack. The rotary cylinder drives the grippers to pull vertically downwards, causing the cardboard box to detach from the cardboard box tray 8. Then, the rotary cylinder drives the grippers and the cardboard box to rotate 180°, so that the opening of the cardboard box changes from downward to upward. Finally, the pneumatic grippers release, and the flipped cardboard box is released onto the chain conveyor line 22.

[0063] A weighing and rejection unit 11 is located after the forming machine 2. It contains an NG (Not From Good) receiving box 12. The weighing and rejection unit 11 is used to weigh the pastries and reject defective products into the NG receiving box 12. The weighing and rejection unit 11 is located on one side of the forming machine 2 and includes a dynamic belt scale and a rejection mechanism. The dynamic belt scale uses a high-precision strain gauge sensor to dynamically weigh each piece of mung bean cake continuously flowing out of the forming machine 2 online. The output end of the dynamic belt scale is connected to a transition belt, and the weighing signal is transmitted in real time to the PLC controller inside the electrical control cabinet 19.

[0064] The PLC controller compares the measured weight with a preset standard value: if the weight exceeds the allowable error range, it is judged as a defective product; if the weight is within the allowable error range, it is judged as a qualified product. Defective products are pushed into the NG receiving box 12 by the rejection mechanism. This rejection mechanism adopts a pneumatic push rod structure, and the push rod moves in sync with the running speed of the dynamic belt scale. The NG receiving box 12 has a drawer-type structure for easy periodic cleaning. Qualified products continue to be transported by the transition belt to the gripping station of the robot loading unit 13.

[0065] The robot loading unit 13, located after the weighing and rejection unit 11, includes at least two Delta robots 14 connected in parallel, used to pick up pastries that have passed the weighing and place them into the middle tray 9.

[0066] The accessory assembly unit 15, located after the robot loading unit 13, is used to load the transparent forks into the middle tray 9. The accessory assembly unit 15 is located on one side of the robot loading unit 13 and includes a fork bin, a flexible vibratory feeder, a vision inspection component, and a loading robot. The fork bin adopts a hopper-type structure for storing the transparent forks; the flexible vibratory feeder is located at the output end of the fork bin and uses electromagnetic vibration to arrange the transparent forks in an orderly manner and output them to the picking position.

[0067] The vision inspection component includes a top camera 26 and a panel light source 27, positioned above the chain conveyor line 25. It takes pictures of the groove position on the center tray to locate the position, generates position coordinate information, and transmits it to the loading robot. The loading robot, employing a SCARA or Delta robot structure, grasps a transparent fork from the output end of the flexible vibratory feeder based on the vision positioning information and accurately inserts it into the predetermined groove of the center tray.

[0068] The sealing output unit 16 is located on one side of the accessory assembly unit 15 and performs the lid-closing operation on the cardboard box. The output end of the sealing output unit 16 is equipped with a labeling machine 18, which conveys the finished product to the labeling machine 18.

[0069] The electrical control cabinet 19 is located inside the rack 1 and integrates a PLC controller, servo driver, pneumatic solenoid valve group and touch screen human-machine interface 29. The PLC controller, as the core of the system, receives detection signals from the top camera 26 and the weighing rejection unit 11, and controls the Delta robot 14, motors of each conveyor line, cylinders and other actuators through the fieldbus to achieve coordinated control of the entire system.

[0070] The pressing mechanism 7 is equipped with a paper box limiting mechanism 20, a paper box tray pull-down and flipping mechanism 21, and a chain plate conveyor line 22. The chain plate conveyor line 22 passes through multiple pressing mechanisms 7 in sequence.

[0071] The paper tray pull-down flipping mechanism 21 is configured to perform the following actions: clamping the paper tray, pulling down and flipping, and then feeding the paper after flipping.

[0072] Specifically, during operation, the cardboard box limiting mechanism 20 limits the stacked cardboard boxes, and the cardboard box tray pull-down and flipping mechanism 21 clamps the bottom cardboard box, pulls it down and flips it 180° so that the opening of the cardboard box faces upward. Then, the cardboard box is released onto the chain conveyor line 22. The chain conveyor line 22 is a flat-top chain conveyor line driven by a motor, which passes through three stations in sequence: cardboard box tray 8, middle tray tray 9, and dust removal and pressing tray 10. The middle tray tray 9 adopts a similar structure to the cardboard box tray 8. It is equipped with a middle tray limiting mechanism inside. The middle tray tray 9 separates the stacked middle trays one by one, and the pushing cylinder pushes the middle tray into the inside of the cardboard box, completing the merging of the middle tray and the cardboard box. The dust removal and pressing tray 10 station is equipped with a dust removal electro-ion air bar 6. This air bar adopts pulsed high-voltage ionization technology. During operation, it generates positive and negative ion air to blow on the surface of the cardboard box and the middle tray, removing the attached dust and neutralizing static electricity.

[0073] Also includes:

[0074] The transfer module 23 has a transfer gripper 24 inside, which is used to transfer the carton tray 8 and the middle tray tray 9 from the first chain conveyor line 22 to the second chain conveyor line 25.

[0075] Specifically, during operation, the chain conveyor line 22 transports the cardboard boxes that have been loaded into the tray to the transfer station. The transfer gripper 24 descends from above, picks up the cardboard box, and moves horizontally to transfer the cardboard box and the tray to the chain conveyor line 25, completing the cross-line transfer of materials.

[0076] Robot loading unit 13 includes:

[0077] Chain conveyor line 25, chain conveyor line 25 passes through robot loading unit 13;

[0078] The top camera 26 and the panel light source 27 are positioned above the chain conveyor line 25;

[0079] NG receiving box 12 is located on the side of robot loading unit 13, and its output end is connected to belt cable 28;

[0080] The human-machine interface 29 is located on the top side of the robot loading unit 13.

[0081] Specifically, the second chain conveyor line 25 is a motor-driven flat-top chain conveyor line that runs through the entire robot palletizing unit 13. It is used to receive cardboard boxes with pre-loaded trays from the transfer module 23. The top camera 26 is an industrial CCD camera, and the panel light source 27 is a ring LED light source. Together, they form a vision positioning system. When the cardboard box is conveyed to the gripping station by the second chain conveyor line 25, the top camera 26 takes pictures of the position of the incoming mung bean cake and the placement position of the tray under the supplementary lighting of the panel light source 27. The images are processed by the vision controller to generate coordinate information and are transmitted in real time to the controllers of the two Delta robots 14. Both Delta robots 14 are four-axis parallel robots with lightweight carbon fiber arms, and the gripping speed can reach 80-100 times per minute. The first Delta robot, based on visual coordinate information, picks up the weighed mung bean cakes from the transition conveyor belt and places them into the middle tray in a preset stepped arrangement. The second Delta robot picks up mung bean cakes again to replenish or confirm the position of the placed mung bean cakes, ensuring that the number of mung bean cakes in the middle tray is sufficient and the arrangement is neat.

[0082] If Delta robot 14 detects defects in the appearance of mung bean cakes, such as breakage or deformation, during the grasping process, it will directly place the defective product into the NG receiving box 12 located on the side of the robot loading unit 13. The output end of the NG receiving box 12 is connected to a belt conveyor 28, which will automatically discharge the defective product.

[0083] The sealing output unit 16 includes a cap-closing and conveying mechanism 30, which includes:

[0084] Transparent box cover loading hopper 31 is used to store transparent box covers 17;

[0085] The transparent box cover picking mechanism 32 is used to pick up the transparent box cover 17 from the transparent box cover loading bin 31;

[0086] Buffer position 33 is used to place the transparent box lid 17 after extraction;

[0087] An antistatic ion bar 34 is positioned on one side of the buffer position 33;

[0088] The lid secondary positioning mechanism 35 and the paper tray secondary positioning mechanism 36 are used to position and correct the transparent box lid 17 and the paper box, respectively.

[0089] The dual-head transplanting mechanism 37 adopts a combination structure of linear module and rotary cylinder. One end is equipped with a lid-fitting clamp 38, and the other end is equipped with a transport clamp 39. The lid-fitting clamp 38 adopts a vacuum suction cup structure to pick up the lid; the transport clamp 39 adopts a pneumatic gripper structure to pick up the finished product.

[0090] The lid clamp 38 is used to close the transparent box lid 17 onto the cardboard box, and the handling clamp 39 is used to transport the closed finished product to the belt conveyor 40, and then to the labeling machine 18 via the reversing conveyor mechanism 41.

[0091] Specifically, the transparent box cover feeding hopper 31 adopts an inclined slide structure for storing stacked transparent box covers 17. Its bottom is equipped with a dispensing mechanism to ensure that only one box cover is output at a time. The transparent box cover suction mechanism 32 uses a combination of a vacuum suction cup and a lifting cylinder to suction a single transparent box cover 17 from the output end of the transparent box cover feeding hopper 31 and place it in the buffer position 33. The buffer position 33 adopts a positioning platform structure for temporarily placing the box cover to be closed. The antistatic ion bar 34 uses high-voltage ionization technology to remove static electricity from the box cover. The lid secondary positioning mechanism 35 uses a pneumatic gripper and positioning block structure to accurately position the transparent box cover 17 on the buffer position 33. The paper tray secondary positioning mechanism 36 uses a pneumatic push rod and positioning stop structure to accurately position the paper box on the chain conveyor line 25. The double-headed transfer mechanism 37 moves to the buffer position 33, and its lid-loading clamp 38 picks up the box cover and moves it above the paper box to close the box cover. Subsequently, the double-headed transplanting mechanism 37 rotates 180°, and the transport clamp 39 picks up the finished product after sealing the box and transports it to the belt conveyor 40. After being reversed by the reversing conveyor mechanism 41 with a rotating platform structure, it is sent to the labeling machine 18.

[0092] The frame 1 also integrates a tray distribution box 42, a box-closing machine 43, and a label conveyor 44. One end of the box-closing machine 43 is connected to a lid-closing and conveying mechanism 30. The input end of the label conveyor 44 is connected to a box-sealing output unit 16, and the output end is used to connect to a label applicator 18.

[0093] Specifically, the tray distribution box 42 provides electrical control support for the material preparation unit 4; the box-closing machine 43 works in conjunction with the lid-closing and conveying mechanism 30 to perform the lid-closing action; the docking label conveyor 44 receives the finished products sent from the sealing output unit 16 and smoothly conveys them to the entrance of the labeling machine 18, realizing seamless docking of the system.

[0094] The frame 1 is equipped with two parallel and independently operating packaging lines, and a quick connection mechanism 45 is provided between adjacent equipment.

[0095] The connection points of each unit device in rack 1 are equipped with protective doors 46 and safety light curtains 47.

[0096] Specifically, the two packaging lines can operate simultaneously, each independently completing the entire process from material preparation to finished product output. The quick-connect mechanism 45 enables rapid mechanical docking between adjacent equipment, facilitating installation, commissioning, and maintenance.

[0097] The protective door 46 is made of transparent acrylic material, which encloses each unit of equipment in a safe area; the safety light curtain 47 uses a through-beam photoelectric sensor, which automatically cuts off the operating signal of the corresponding equipment when the protective door 46 is opened, to ensure the personal safety of the operators.

[0098] In addition, the present invention also provides an automatic packaging method for pastries, comprising the following steps:

[0099] Step 1: Material Preparation

[0100] The separation and assembly of the cardboard box and the tray are completed through material preparation unit 4. Specifically:

[0101] First, the cardboard tray 8 separates the stacked cardboard boxes one by one. The cardboard tray pull-down and flipping mechanism 21 clamps the cardboard box and pulls it down, and flips it 180° so that the opening of the cardboard box faces upward, releasing the separated cardboard box onto the chain conveyor line 22.

[0102] Secondly, the chain conveyor line 22 transports the cardboard box to the middle tray and split tray 9 station. The middle tray and split tray 9 separates the stacked middle trays one by one and puts them into the cardboard box to form a semi-finished product to be loaded.

[0103] Then, the chain conveyor line 22 transports the cardboard boxes with the middle trays to the dust removal and pressing station 10, where the dust removal electro-ion air bar 6 blows and removes dust from the cardboard boxes and the middle trays.

[0104] Finally, the transfer gripper 24 of the transfer module 23 picks up the dust-free cardboard box from the first conveyor line 22 and transfers it to the second conveyor line 25, waiting for the mung bean cake to be filled in.

[0105] Step 2: Weighing and Rejection

[0106] The mung bean cakes flowing out of the forming machine 2 are subjected to online quality inspection by the weighing rejection unit 11. Specifically:

[0107] The molding machine 2 continuously produces mung bean cakes. The mung bean cakes are dynamically weighed by a belt weigher and then conveyed to the next station via a transition belt line.

[0108] The waste will be processed according to the weighing results:

[0109] If the weight of the mung bean cake does not meet the preset standard, it is judged as a defective product and is pushed into the NG receiving box 12 by the rejection mechanism for centralized discharge.

[0110] If the weight of the mung bean cake meets the preset standard, it is judged as a qualified product and continues to enter the gripping station of the robot loading unit 13 along the conveyor line.

[0111] Step 3: Robot Grasping and Loading

[0112] The automatic filling of mung bean cakes is completed by the robot loading unit 13. Specifically:

[0113] The second chain conveyor 25 transports the cardboard box with the middle tray to the gripping station. The top camera 26, together with the panel light source 27, takes pictures and positions the incoming mung bean cake and the placement of the middle tray, and transmits the coordinate information to two parallel Delta robots 14.

[0114] Guided by the visual positioning system, the first Delta robot 14 grabs the weighed mung bean cakes from the conveyor line and places them into the tray in a preset stepped arrangement.

[0115] The second Delta robot 14 grabs the mung bean cakes again to replenish or confirm the position of the placed mung bean cakes, ensuring that the number of mung bean cakes in the tray is sufficient and the arrangement is neat.

[0116] If any defects or other abnormalities are found in the appearance of the mung bean cake during the grabbing process, the mung bean cake will be placed directly into the NG receiving box 12 and discharged via conveyor belt 28.

[0117] Step 4: Parts Assembly

[0118] The packaging accessories are loaded using the accessory assembly unit 15. Specifically:

[0119] The cardboard boxes containing mung bean cakes are conveyed to the parts assembly station via the chain conveyor line 25. The automatic fork-attaching mechanism takes the transparent forks out of the hopper and accurately inserts them into the predetermined grooves of the tray.

[0120] Step 5: Sealing and Output

[0121] The box lid is sealed and the finished product is output through the sealing output unit 16. Specifically:

[0122] The transparent box cover loading hopper 31 stores stacked transparent box covers 17. The transparent box cover picking mechanism 32 picks up a single box cover from the bottom of the hopper and places it in the buffer position 33. The anti-static ion bar 34 performs anti-static treatment on the box cover.

[0123] The lid secondary positioning mechanism 35 precisely positions the lid, and the paper tray secondary positioning mechanism 36 precisely positions the paper box.

[0124] The double-headed transplanting mechanism 37 moves to the buffer position 33, and the lid clamp 38 at one end picks up the box lid and moves it above the cardboard box, accurately covering the transparent box lid 17 onto the cardboard box to complete the sealing.

[0125] The double-headed transplanting mechanism 37 rotates 180°, and the transport clamp 39 at its other end picks up the finished product after sealing and transports it to the belt conveyor 40.

[0126] The finished product is reversed by 90° or 180° via the reversing conveyor mechanism 41 and flows smoothly into the labeling machine 18 to complete the labeling process.

[0127] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An automatic packaging system for pastries, characterized in that, include: The frame (1) serves as a basic component to support the lower structure; A forming machine (2) is set on one side of the frame (1) and is used to produce pastries; A dust removal filter box (3) is connected to the output end of the molding machine (2); The material preparation unit (4) is located inside the frame (1). The material preparation unit (4) includes a dust removal structure (5). The dust removal structure (5) is equipped with a dust removal electro-ion air bar (6) and multiple pressing mechanisms (7). The multiple pressing mechanisms (7) are respectively equipped with a paper box tray (8), a middle tray tray (9) and a dust removal pressing tray (10). The weighing and rejection unit (11) is located on one side of the forming machine (2), and an NG receiving box (12) is provided inside it. The weighing and rejection unit (11) is used to weigh the pastries and reject the defective products to the NG receiving box (12). The robot loading unit (13) is located on one side of the weighing and rejection unit (11) and includes at least two parallel Delta robots (14) for picking up pastries that have passed the weighing and placing them into the middle tray (9). The accessory assembly unit (15) is located on one side of the robot loading unit (13) and is used to load the transparent fork into the middle tray (9). The sealing output unit (16) is located on one side of the accessory assembly unit (15) and performs a lid-closing operation on the carton. The output end of the sealing output unit (16) is equipped with a labeling machine (18), which transports the finished product to the labeling machine (18). The electrical control cabinet (19) is located inside the frame (1) and is used to control the operation of each unit.

2. The automatic pastry packaging system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pressing mechanism (7) is provided with a paper box limiting mechanism (20), a paper box tray pull-down and flipping mechanism (21), and a chain plate conveyor line (22). The chain plate conveyor line (22) passes through multiple pressing mechanisms (7) in sequence. The paper tray pull-down flipping mechanism (21) is configured to perform the following actions: clamping the paper tray, pulling down and flipping, and then feeding the paper after flipping.

3. The automatic pastry packaging system according to claim 2, characterized in that, Also includes: The transfer module (23) is provided with a transfer gripper (24) inside. The transfer gripper (24) is used to transfer the carton tray (8) and the middle tray tray (9) from the first chain conveyor line (22) to the second chain conveyor line (25).

4. The automatic pastry packaging system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The robot loading unit (13) includes: Chain conveyor line two (25) passes through the robot loading unit (13). A top camera (26) and a panel light source (27) are positioned above the second chain conveyor line (25); NG receiving box (12) is located on the side of the robot loading unit (13), and its output end is connected to a belt line (28). The human-machine operation platform (29) is located on the top side of the robot loading unit (13).

5. The automatic packaging system for pastries according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sealing output unit (16) includes a cap-fastening and conveying mechanism (30), which includes: Transparent box cover loading hopper (31) is used to store transparent box covers (17). A transparent lid suction mechanism (32) is used to suction a transparent lid (17) from the transparent lid loading bin (31). The buffer (33) is used to place the transparent lid (17) after the sample is taken out. An antistatic ion bar (34) is disposed on one side of the buffer position (33); The lid secondary positioning mechanism (35) and the paper tray secondary positioning mechanism (36) are used to position and correct the transparent box lid (17) and the paper box, respectively. A double-headed transplanting mechanism (37) is provided with a cover clamp (38) at one end and a transport clamp (39) at the other end.

6. The automatic pastry packaging system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The lid clamp (38) is used to cover the transparent box lid (17) onto the cardboard box, and the transport clamp (39) is used to transport the finished product after it is covered to the second belt conveyor (40), and then to the labeling machine (18) via the reversing conveyor mechanism (41).

7. The automatic packaging system for pastries according to claim 1, characterized in that, The frame (1) also integrates a tray distribution box (42), a box-closing machine (43), and a label conveyor (44). One end of the box-closing machine (43) is connected to a lid-closing and conveying mechanism (30). The input end of the label conveyor (44) is connected to the sealing output unit (16), and the output end is used to connect to the label applicator (18).

8. The automatic packaging system for pastries according to claim 1, characterized in that, The frame (1) is provided with two parallel and independently operating packaging lines, and a quick connection mechanism (45) is provided between adjacent equipment.

9. The automatic packaging system for pastries according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connection points of each unit device of the rack (1) are provided with protective doors (46) and safety light curtains (47).

10. An automatic packaging method for pastries, characterized in that, An automatic pastry packaging system according to any one of claims 1-9 includes the following steps: Step 1: Separate the cardboard box tray (8) from the middle tray tray (9) through the material preparation unit (4), and put the middle tray tray (9) into the cardboard box; Step 2: Weigh the pastries flowing out of the forming machine (2) through the weighing and rejection unit (11), transport qualified products to the next station, and reject unqualified products to the NG receiving box (12). Step 3: The first Delta robot (14) of the robot loading unit (13) grabs qualified pastries and puts them into the middle tray (9), and the second Delta robot (14) grabs pastries again to replenish the filling. Step 4: Insert the transparent fork into the groove of the middle tray (9) using the accessory assembly unit (15); Step 5: The transparent box cover (17) is closed onto the paper box through the box sealing output unit (16), and the finished product is reversed and conveyed to the labeling machine (18).

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