A full-automatic filling and packaging production system for ceramic electric heating tube and a method for using the same

The ceramic heating tube production system, which integrates visual positioning and high-precision detection components, solves the problems of single potting quality inspection and low efficiency in handling defective products in existing technologies. It realizes fully automated production and high-precision potting, thereby improving product yield and production efficiency.

CN122227456APending Publication Date: 2026-06-16JIANGSU TIANBAO CERAMICS CO LTD +1
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202610318110.5
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2026-03-16
Publication Date
2026-06-16

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing ceramic heating tube production equipment lacks full-process quality control, and the filling quality inspection has only one dimension, which cannot provide real-time feedback and automatic correction, resulting in the circulation of defective products and low production efficiency.

Method used

It integrates visual positioning, filling quality inspection and finished product inspection components, realizes real-time monitoring of the whole process through a circulating conveyor line, introduces visual positioning detection components for pre-filling position compensation, uses 3D laser contour sensors for high-precision detection, and realizes automatic sorting through the control system.

Benefits of technology

It has achieved fully automated production of ceramic heating tube potting and encapsulation, improved potting accuracy and product yield, and achieved 100% online full inspection and automated sorting, which has significantly improved production efficiency and quality control.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of ceramic electric heating tube full-automatic filling and packaging production system and its use method, belong to the technical field of automated production equipment, including circulating conveying line, tray, feeding assembly station, filling station, packaging station, discharging station, online detection component and control system, multiple trays are arranged at intervals on circulating conveying line, and the profiling positioning groove for positioning ceramic base is provided on the tray;Feeding assembly station is set on the side of circulating conveying line, for resistance wire is assembled to ceramic base in tray, form semi-finished product.In the present application, by integrating vision positioning, filling quality detection and product detection and other multiple online detection components, the real-time monitoring and feedback of filling and packaging whole process are realized, can automatically identify and compensate position deviation, detect filling defect and product appearance problem, and according to detection result, it is automatically sorted, significantly improve the yield of product and the automation, intelligent level of production process.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automated production equipment technology, and in particular to a fully automated potting and packaging production system for ceramic heating tubes and its usage method. Background Technology

[0002] Ceramic heating tubes are widely used in electric water heaters, water dispensers, industrial heating equipment and other fields due to their advantages such as high temperature resistance, good insulation performance and high thermal efficiency. Their production process usually includes steps such as assembling the resistance wire into the ceramic base, filling the groove of the base with insulating and thermally conductive material (such as magnesium oxide cement slurry or insulating and thermally conductive adhesive), and sealing the cover plate.

[0003] In the field of automated production equipment, there have been some attempts at automated assembly and filling equipment for ceramic heating elements or similar products. For example, Chinese patent document CN111818673A discloses a ceramic heating element assembly and filling machine, which includes a tray, assembly components and filling components, realizing automated assembly of ceramic base and resistor and automated filling of cement slurry. This technical solution improves production efficiency to a certain extent. In addition, patent document CN102674224A discloses a visual addressing dual-barrel compatible filling system, which uses photoelectric sensors to visually position the material barrel opening to guide the movement of the filling mechanism. This technology is mainly applied in the field of liquid material filling. Patent document CN212769785U discloses a dispensing machine with a visual positioning automatic correction device, which positions the storage tank through a positioning mechanism to reduce waste caused by conveying deviation.

[0004] However, the aforementioned existing technical solutions still have the following technical problems and shortcomings:

[0005] Fragmented processes and lack of full-process quality control: Although existing technologies (such as CN111818673A) have achieved automation of assembly and filling, each process is relatively independent and lacks real-time monitoring of key quality characteristics of the production process. After the filling process is completed, the filling quality (such as whether the filling height is qualified, whether there are air bubbles, etc.) cannot be known immediately. Quality problems are often only discovered in subsequent processes or even during finished product testing, which leads to the continued circulation of defective products and waste of materials and time.

[0006] Limited testing dimensions, unable to comprehensively assess potting quality: Although some existing technologies have introduced testing methods (such as the weighing measurement in CN102674224A), the testing dimensions are limited, and only a few indicators such as weight can be detected. They cannot comprehensively assess the flatness of the potting surface, the presence of dents or bubbles, and other key quality characteristics that directly affect the insulation performance and lifespan of the product.

[0007] Lack of real-time feedback and automatic correction mechanism: The existing visual positioning technology (such as CN102674224A, CN212769785U) is mainly used for positioning guidance before filling, but it fails to use the subsequent detection results for feedforward control or feedback compensation, and cannot realize dynamic adjustment of filling trajectory and filling volume, and it is also difficult to automatically reject and sort out the detected non-conforming products.

[0008] Defective product handling relies on manual labor, affecting production efficiency: In the absence of online detection and automatic sorting, the identification and handling of defective products often rely on manual visual inspection and manual rejection, which is not only inefficient but also prone to missed detection and misjudgment, making it difficult to meet the requirements of large-scale high-quality production.

[0009] In summary, the existing technology has not yet provided a ceramic heating tube potting and packaging production system that can achieve fully automated production, and can monitor potting quality online in real time, automatically compensate for positional deviations, and automatically sort out defective products. Summary of the Invention

[0010] This invention provides a fully automated ceramic heating tube potting and packaging production system and its usage method, which solves the problems mentioned in the background technology. By integrating multiple online detection components such as visual positioning, potting quality inspection and finished product inspection, it realizes real-time monitoring and feedback of the entire potting and packaging process. It can automatically identify and compensate for position deviations, detect potting defects and finished product appearance problems, and automatically sort according to the detection results, which significantly improves the product yield and the automation and intelligence level of the production process.

[0011] The present invention solves the above-mentioned technical problems as follows: A fully automatic ceramic heating element potting and encapsulation production system and its usage method, comprising a circulating conveyor line, trays, a feeding assembly station, a potting station, an encapsulation station, an unloading station, an online detection component, and a control system. Multiple trays are spaced apart on the circulating conveyor line, and each tray has a contour positioning groove for positioning a ceramic base. The feeding assembly station is located beside the circulating conveyor line and is used to assemble the resistance wire into the ceramic base on the tray, forming a semi-finished product. The potting station is located downstream of the feeding assembly station and is used to... The potting compound is injected into the groove of the semi-finished product; the encapsulation station is located downstream of the potting station and is used to encapsulate the cover plate onto the potted semi-finished product; the unloading station is located downstream of the encapsulation station and is used to remove the finished product from the tray; the online detection component is located beside the circulating conveyor line and is used to collect the status information of the product during the production process and output detection signals; the control system is electrically connected to the circulating conveyor line, the loading assembly station, the potting station, the encapsulation station, the unloading station, and the online detection component, respectively. The control system receives the detection signals and generates control commands based on preset thresholds.

[0012] Based on the above technical solution, the present invention can be further improved as follows.

[0013] Furthermore, the filling station includes a mixing mechanism, a linear pumping mechanism, and a moving platform. The linear pumping mechanism is connected to the outlet of the mixing mechanism. The moving platform is equipped with a filling head and drives the filling head to move in three dimensions. The online detection component includes a visual positioning detection component, which is set on the moving platform of the filling station or on the entrance side of the filling station. It is used to collect images of the grooves to be filled on the semi-finished product. The control system generates a filling trajectory compensation command based on the identified groove position. The mixing mechanism ensures the uniformity of the filling material and prevents sedimentation. The linear pumping mechanism achieves precise quantitative delivery. The moving platform drives the filling head to move in three dimensions. In conjunction with the visual positioning detection component, it can identify the groove position and compensate for the trajectory in real time, ensuring that the filling head is accurately aligned with the groove of each product, improving the filling position accuracy, avoiding filling deviations caused by tray positioning errors or product consistency differences, and improving product yield.

[0014] Furthermore, the visual positioning and detection component includes an industrial camera, a lens, and a light source. The control system has a built-in image processing module for identifying the groove position and calculating the deviation from the standard position. The industrial camera, lens, and light source constitute a stable machine vision system that can clearly acquire groove images. The built-in image processing module of the control system automatically identifies the groove edge or feature points, accurately calculates the position deviation, provides data support for trajectory compensation, achieves high-precision positioning, adapts to different product specifications, and enhances the flexibility of the system.

[0015] Furthermore, the online inspection component includes a potting quality inspection component, which is positioned between the potting station and the packaging station. The potting quality inspection component includes a 3D laser profile sensor for scanning the surface of the semi-finished product after potting, generating three-dimensional point cloud data. The control system incorporates a defect identification algorithm for detecting potting quality. Timely detection of potting quality after potting prevents defective products from entering subsequent packaging processes, thus avoiding waste of materials such as cover plates. Using a 3D laser profile sensor to acquire three-dimensional point cloud data allows for precise measurement of the height, flatness, and presence of defects such as bubbles or dents on the potting surface. Combined with the defect identification algorithm, automated and high-precision inspection is achieved, improving inspection efficiency and reliability.

[0016] Furthermore, the potting quality inspection component also includes a rejection mechanism, which is located downstream and electrically connected to the control system. When a defective potting product is detected, it is removed from the circulating conveyor line. The rejection mechanism automatically removes defective products to prevent them from flowing into downstream processes, ensuring continuous operation of the production line and reducing manual intervention. The control system controls the rejection action in real time based on the detection results to achieve automated sorting and improve production efficiency.

[0017] Furthermore, the packaging station includes a cover plate loading mechanism, a dispensing mechanism, and a pressing mechanism. The dispensing mechanism is used to apply sealant to the bonding surface of the ceramic base or cover plate. The cover plate loading mechanism automatically supplies the cover plate, the dispensing mechanism automatically applies the sealant, and the pressing mechanism presses the cover plate onto the base to achieve fully automatic packaging, ensuring consistent sealing effect, improving packaging quality and efficiency, and reducing human error.

[0018] Furthermore, the online inspection component includes a finished product inspection component, which is located between the packaging station and the unloading station. It is used to inspect the surface encapsulation quality, cover plate assembly position, and appearance defects of the finished product. After packaging, the finished product is comprehensively inspected, including the surface encapsulation quality (such as excess glue, insufficient glue), cover plate assembly position (whether it is offset or tilted), and appearance defects (such as scratches and dirt), to ensure the quality of the products leaving the factory. The inspection results are used for subsequent sorting to prevent defective products from flowing out.

[0019] Furthermore, the unloading station includes an unloading robot, a qualified product conveyor belt, and a defective product collection box. The unloading robot is electrically connected to the control system. The control system controls the unloading robot to place qualified and defective products separately according to the detection signal output by the online detection component. The unloading robot automatically sorts qualified and defective products according to the detection results and places them in the qualified product conveyor belt and the defective product collection box, respectively, to achieve automated unloading and classification, avoid confusion, reduce manual sorting, and improve production efficiency and quality traceability.

[0020] The present invention also provides a method of using a fully automatic potting and packaging production system for ceramic heating tubes, comprising the following steps: S1. At the material loading and assembly station, the resistance wire is automatically assembled into the ceramic base on the tray to form a semi-finished product;

[0021] S2. The semi-finished product is transferred to the potting station along with the pallet, and a certain amount of potting material is injected into the groove of the semi-finished product;

[0022] S3. The semi-finished product after potting is transferred to the packaging station, where the cover is sealed onto the ceramic base to form the finished product;

[0023] S4. The finished product is transferred to the unloading station and removed from the pallet;

[0024] It also includes an online inspection step: before or during step S2, a visual positioning inspection component is used to acquire images of the semi-finished product, identify the groove position and compensate for the filling trajectory; after step S2 and before step S3, a filling quality inspection component is used to scan the surface of the semi-finished product after filling and inspect the filling quality; after step S3 and before step S4, a finished product inspection component is used to inspect the finished product quality; and the control system controls the product sorting action in step S4 based on the inspection results.

[0025] Furthermore, in step S2, three-dimensional point cloud data of the potting surface is acquired by a 3D laser contour sensor. When the filling height deviation or bubble size exceeds a preset threshold, the control system controls the rejection mechanism to remove the corresponding product from the circulating conveyor line. The unloading robot automatically sorts qualified and defective products according to the detection results and places them in the qualified product conveyor belt and the defective product collection box, respectively, to achieve automated unloading and classification, avoid confusion, reduce manual sorting, and improve production efficiency and quality traceability.

[0026] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention provides a fully automated potting and packaging production system for ceramic heating tubes and its usage method, which has the following advantages:

[0027] 1. By connecting various automated workstations through a circulating conveyor line, fully automated production from material loading and assembly, potting, packaging to unloading is achieved, which greatly improves production efficiency.

[0028] 2. It can achieve high-precision closed-loop control. By introducing a vision positioning and detection component, the workpiece position is accurately identified and compensated before potting, which overcomes the potting deviation caused by positioning error and improves the potting accuracy.

[0029] 3. Real-time quality monitoring is possible. Through the potting quality inspection component and the finished product inspection component, key quality characteristics (such as potting height, flatness, air bubbles, cap assembly, etc.) can be detected in real time during the production process, achieving 100% online full inspection and preventing defective products from flowing into the next process.

[0030] 4. It can realize automatic sorting and traceability. The control system automatically controls the unloading robot or rejection mechanism to sort according to the detection results, separating qualified products from defective products, and providing a data basis for subsequent quality traceability.

[0031] The above description is merely an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to better understand the technical means of the present invention and to implement it according to the contents of the specification, the preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Specific embodiments of the present invention are given in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0032] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and, together with their description, serve to explain the invention and do not constitute an undue limitation thereof. In the drawings:

[0033] Figure 1 A system architecture diagram of a fully automated ceramic heating tube potting and encapsulation production system and its usage method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2This is a flowchart illustrating a fully automated potting and encapsulation production system for ceramic heating tubes and its usage method, as provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1-2 The principles and features of the present invention are described below. The examples given are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The invention is described more specifically in the following paragraphs by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. The advantages and features of the invention will become clearer from the following description. It should be noted that the drawings are in a very simplified form and use non-precise proportions, and are only used to facilitate and clarify the illustration of the embodiments of the invention.

[0036] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein in the description of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0037] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides a fully automated ceramic heating tube potting and packaging production system and its usage method, including a circulating conveyor line, a tray, a feeding assembly station, a potting station, a packaging station, a unloading station, an online detection component, and a control system;

[0038] The circular conveyor line adopts a ring-shaped guide rail conveyor line, which forms a closed loop when the ends are connected, enabling continuous circular transport of pallets. Multiple pallets are arranged at equal intervals on the circular conveyor line. The upper surface of the pallet is machined with contour positioning grooves that match the shape of the ceramic base for precise positioning and support of the ceramic base. The bottom of the pallet is equipped with guide wheels or sliders that cooperate with the circular conveyor line. At key workstations (such as material loading and assembly stations, filling stations, etc.), a pallet positioning and lifting mechanism is set on the side of the circular conveyor line. When the pallet moves to this position, the positioning and lifting mechanism lifts and locks the pallet to ensure the accuracy of subsequent operations. After the operation is completed, the pallet is released and continues to move forward.

[0039] The material feeding and assembly station is located beside the starting section of the circulating conveyor line. This station includes a resistance wire feeding mechanism, a resistance wire clamping and translating mechanism, and a pressing mechanism. The resistance wire feeding mechanism straightens and cuts the wound resistance wire to a fixed length, or directly provides shaped resistance wires. The clamping and translating mechanism clamps the resistance wire and moves it to the ceramic base on the tray. The pressing mechanism presses the end of the resistance wire into the pre-set fixing groove of the ceramic base to complete the resistance wire assembly and form a semi-finished product. The control system controls the coordinated actions of each mechanism to ensure that the resistance wire is installed in place.

[0040] The filling station is located downstream of the material loading and assembly station. This station includes a mixing mechanism, a linear pumping mechanism, and a moving platform.

[0041] The mixing mechanism is used to prepare and store potting materials (such as magnesium oxide cement slurry or insulating thermally conductive adhesive). It is equipped with stirring blades inside and is driven by a motor to continuously stir, preventing the potting material from settling and clumping, and ensuring the uniformity of the potting material.

[0042] The inlet of the linear pumping mechanism is connected to the outlet of the mixing mechanism. In this embodiment, a piston pump driven by a servo motor is used. The pumping flow rate is precisely controlled by the PID algorithm of the control system, which can achieve a filling accuracy within ±0.5%.

[0043] The mobile platform is a three-axis (X, Y, Z) servo drive module, on which a filling head is mounted. The filling head is connected to the outlet of the linear pumping mechanism through a hose. The mobile platform can drive the filling head to move in three-dimensional space so that it is accurately aligned with the groove to be filled.

[0044] The online inspection components include a vision positioning inspection component, a potting quality inspection component, and a finished product inspection component, which are respectively set at different positions on the circulating conveyor line;

[0045] The visual positioning and detection component is set on the moving platform of the filling station (or at the entrance of the filling station). It includes an industrial camera, lens and light source. The industrial camera is electrically connected to the control system. After the tray is locked in the predetermined position of the filling station by the positioning and lifting mechanism, the moving platform moves the industrial camera above the semi-finished product. The light source provides stable illumination. The industrial camera captures the image of the groove to be filled on the semi-finished product. The control system has a built-in image processing module (such as using a normalized correlation coefficient matching algorithm) to identify the actual position of the groove and compare it with the pre-stored standard position to calculate the position deviation (ΔX, ΔY, ΔZ). The control system generates a filling trajectory compensation command based on the deviation to correct the movement path of the filling head and ensure that the filling head can accurately align with the center of the groove of each product.

[0046] The filling quality inspection component is located between the filling station and the encapsulation station. It includes a 3D laser contour sensor and a rejection mechanism. The 3D laser contour sensor is mounted above the circulating conveyor line via a bracket and is electrically connected to the control system. As the filled semi-finished product passes by with the tray, the sensor scans the surface of the semi-finished product, generating high-precision 3D point cloud data. The control system has a built-in defect recognition algorithm that compares the point cloud data with a standard model to calculate the filling height, surface flatness, and detect the presence of defects such as bubbles, dents, or cracks. For example, if the filling height deviation exceeds ± When an air bubble larger than 0.5mm is detected, the system determines that the product is a non-conforming product for potting. The rejection mechanism is located downstream of the potting quality inspection component. It is a pneumatic pusher or a picking robot that is electrically connected to the control system. When the control system determines that the current product is a non-conforming product, the rejection mechanism is activated when the pallet moves to the rejection position to push the product off the pallet into the defective product collection box on the side (or directly remove it from the circulating conveyor line 1). In this way, non-conforming products are removed in time to avoid entering the subsequent packaging process and wasting materials such as cover plates.

[0047] The finished product inspection component is located between the packaging station and the unloading station. It includes an intelligent camera (which can be a deep learning vision inspection system) that is electrically connected to the control system. The intelligent camera takes pictures of the packaged finished product from multiple angles and collects images. The control system has a built-in deep learning model or traditional image processing algorithm to inspect the surface potting quality of the finished product (such as excess glue, insufficient glue), the assembly position of the cover plate (whether it is offset or tilted), and appearance defects (such as scratches and dirt), and outputs the inspection results (pass / fail) to the control system.

[0048] The encapsulation station is located downstream of the potting quality inspection component. This station includes a cover plate loading mechanism, a dispensing mechanism, and a pressing mechanism.

[0049] The cover plate feeding mechanism can use a vibratory feeder in conjunction with a linear vibrating track to arrange the cover plates in an orderly manner and transport them one by one to the material picking position;

[0050] The dispensing mechanism includes a dispensing valve and an XYZ moving module, used to precisely apply a ring of sealant to the mating surface of the ceramic base or cover.

[0051] The pressing mechanism includes a pressing head and a pneumatic or servo drive device, used to press the cover plate onto the ceramic base to complete the encapsulation;

[0052] Workflow: When the qualified semi-finished product enters the packaging station with the tray and is positioned, the cover plate feeding mechanism sends the cover plate to the predetermined position, the dispensing mechanism moves to the cover plate or base and applies sealant according to the preset trajectory, and then the pressing mechanism grabs the cover plate and accurately places it on the base, applies a certain pressure and holds it for a period of time to make the sealant evenly distributed and initially bonded, forming the finished product.

[0053] The unloading station is located downstream of the finished product inspection component. This station includes an unloading robot, a qualified product conveyor belt, and a defective product collection box. The unloading robot is electrically connected to the control system. The control system summarizes the inspection results from the potting quality inspection component and the finished product inspection component, and generates a final judgment label (qualified / defective) for each finished product. When the pallet moves to the unloading station and is positioned, the unloading robot grabs the finished product from the pallet and, according to the instructions of the control system, places qualified products on the qualified product conveyor belt and places defective products in the defective product collection box. The empty pallet continues to move with the circulating conveyor line to enter the next production cycle.

[0054] The control system includes programmable logic controllers (PLCs), industrial computers, and human-machine interfaces (HMIs).

[0055] The PLC is electrically connected to the circulating conveyor line, the actuators (motors, cylinders, sensors, etc.) at each workstation, and the sensors (partial) of the online detection components, and is responsible for the underlying logic control, timing coordination, and status monitoring.

[0056] The industrial computer is electrically connected to the PLC and various online inspection components such as smart cameras and 3D laser contour sensors. It has built-in image processing algorithms, defect recognition algorithms and data analysis models, and is responsible for complex data processing and quality judgment, and feeds the results back to the PLC.

[0057] The HMI is electrically connected to a PLC or industrial computer to display production status, quality data, alarm information, and receive operator commands such as parameter settings, start / stop, etc.

[0058] The specific working principle and usage method of this invention are as follows:

[0059] S1. Loading and assembly: Place the empty pallet on the circulating conveyor line. At the loading and assembly station, the ceramic base is placed manually or automatically into the contour positioning groove of the pallet. Then, the automated mechanism at the loading and assembly station automatically assembles the resistance wire onto the ceramic base to form a semi-finished product. The control system records the number of each pallet and the production data of its corresponding product.

[0060] S2. Visual positioning and filling before filling: The pallet carrying the semi-finished product flows to the filling station along the circulating conveyor line, and the pallet is locked by the positioning and lifting mechanism.

[0061] The visual positioning and detection component is activated, and the industrial camera captures images of the grooves to be filled on the semi-finished product. The image processing module of the control system identifies the position of the grooves and calculates the deviation from the standard position.

[0062] The control system generates a potting trajectory compensation command based on the deviation and sends it to the mobile platform.

[0063] The mobile platform moves the filling head along the compensated trajectory to the top of the groove. The linear pumping mechanism, under the control of the PID algorithm, injects a fixed amount of filling material into the groove. During the filling process, the mobile platform can make fine adjustments in the Z-axis direction according to the preset program to ensure that the distance between the filling head and the surface of the semi-finished product remains constant (this can be achieved with the assistance of a laser rangefinder).

[0064] S3. Filling quality inspection: After filling, the semi-finished product continues to flow with the tray to the bottom of the filling quality inspection component. The 3D laser contour sensor scans the surface of the semi-finished product and generates three-dimensional point cloud data. The defect recognition algorithm built into the control system analyzes the point cloud data and detects the filling quality. If the filling height deviation is found to exceed ±0.2mm or there are air bubbles with a diameter greater than 0.5mm, it is judged as a non-conforming product. The control system records the non-conforming information and controls the downstream rejection mechanism to remove the corresponding product from the circulating conveyor line when it arrives. Qualified products continue to flow.

[0065] S4. Packaging: Qualified semi-finished products enter the packaging station. After the tray is positioned, the cover plate loading mechanism provides the cover plate, the dispensing mechanism applies sealant to the mating surface of the cover plate or base, and the pressing mechanism accurately presses the cover plate to complete the packaging and form the finished product.

[0066] S5. Finished Product Inspection: After packaging, the finished product is transferred to the finished product inspection component. The intelligent camera captures images of the finished product, and the deep learning model of the control system analyzes the images to detect the surface potting quality (overfill, underfill), cover plate assembly position and appearance defects. The inspection results (pass / fail) are recorded and associated with the product.

[0067] S6. Unloading and Sorting: Finished products enter the unloading station, where the unloading robot sorts them based on the final inspection results provided by the control system (combining filling quality inspection and finished product inspection results).

[0068] If all tests are passed, the unloading robot will grab the finished product and place it on the qualified product conveyor belt, which will then transport it to the next process or packaging area.

[0069] If any test result is unqualified, the unloading robot will grab the finished product and place it in the defective product collection box;

[0070] The empty pallet continues to move along the circulating conveyor line to begin the next production cycle.

[0071] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Content not described in detail in this specification is prior art known to those skilled in the art.

[0072] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Those skilled in the art can readily implement the present invention based on the accompanying drawings and the above description. However, any modifications, alterations, or variations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention, utilizing the disclosed technical content, are equivalent embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, any modifications, alterations, or variations made to the above embodiments based on the essential technology of the present invention are still within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fully automated ceramic heating element potting and packaging production system, comprising a circulating conveyor line, trays, a feeding assembly station, a potting station, a packaging station, a unloading station, an online testing component, and a control system, characterized in that: Multiple trays are spaced apart on a circulating conveyor line, each tray having a contoured positioning groove for positioning ceramic bases. A loading and assembly station is located beside the circulating conveyor line, used to assemble resistance wires into the ceramic bases on the trays, forming semi-finished products. A potting station is located downstream of the loading and assembly station, used to inject potting compound into the grooves of the semi-finished products. A sealing station is located downstream of the potting station, used to seal the caps onto the potted semi-finished products. A unloading station is located downstream of the sealing station, used to remove the finished products from the trays. An online detection component is located beside the circulating conveyor line, used to collect product status information during production and output detection signals. The control system is electrically connected to the circulating conveyor line, the loading and assembly station, the potting station, the packaging station, the unloading station, and the online detection component. The control system receives the detection signals and generates control commands based on preset thresholds.

2. The fully automated potting and packaging production system for ceramic heating tubes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The filling station includes a mixing mechanism, a linear pumping mechanism, and a moving platform. The linear pumping mechanism is connected to the outlet of the mixing mechanism, and the moving platform is equipped with a filling head and drives the filling head to move in three dimensions. The online detection component includes a visual positioning detection component, which is set on the moving platform of the filling station or the entrance side of the filling station, and is used to collect images of the grooves to be filled on the semi-finished product. The control system generates a filling trajectory compensation command based on the identified groove position.

3. The fully automated potting and packaging production system for ceramic heating tubes according to claim 2, characterized in that, The visual positioning and detection component includes an industrial camera, a lens, and a light source. The control system has a built-in image processing module for identifying the position of the groove and calculating the deviation from the standard position.

4. The fully automated potting and packaging production system for ceramic heating tubes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The online inspection component includes a potting quality inspection component, which is located between the potting station and the packaging station. The potting quality inspection component includes a 3D laser profile sensor for scanning the surface of the semi-finished product after potting and generating three-dimensional point cloud data. The control system has a built-in defect recognition algorithm for detecting potting quality.

5. The fully automated potting and packaging production system for ceramic heating tubes according to claim 4, characterized in that, The potting quality inspection component also includes a rejection mechanism located downstream of the control system and electrically connected to it, for removing defective potting products from the circulating conveyor line when they are detected.

6. The fully automated potting and packaging production system for ceramic heating tubes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The packaging station includes a cover plate loading mechanism, a dispensing mechanism, and a pressing mechanism. The dispensing mechanism is used to apply sealant to the mating surface of the ceramic base or cover plate.

7. The fully automated potting and packaging production system for ceramic heating tubes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The online inspection component includes a finished product inspection component, which is set between the packaging station and the unloading station and is used to inspect the surface potting quality, cover plate assembly position and appearance defects of the finished product.

8. The fully automated potting and packaging production system for ceramic heating tubes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The unloading station includes an unloading robot, a qualified product conveyor belt, and a defective product collection box; the unloading robot is electrically connected to the control system, and the control system controls the unloading robot to place qualified products and defective products separately according to the detection signal output by the online detection component.

9. A method of using the fully automated potting and packaging production system for ceramic heating tubes according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. At the loading and assembly station, the resistance wire is automatically assembled into the ceramic base on the tray to form a semi-finished product; S2. The semi-finished product is transferred to the potting station along with the pallet, and a certain amount of potting material is injected into the groove of the semi-finished product; S3. The semi-finished product after potting is transferred to the packaging station, where the cover is sealed onto the ceramic base to form the finished product; S4. The finished product is transferred to the unloading station and removed from the pallet; It also includes an online inspection step: before or during step S2, a visual positioning inspection component is used to acquire images of the semi-finished product, identify the groove position and compensate for the filling trajectory; after step S2 and before step S3, a filling quality inspection component is used to scan the surface of the semi-finished product after filling and inspect the filling quality; after step S3 and before step S4, a finished product inspection component is used to inspect the finished product quality; and the control system controls the product sorting action in step S4 based on the inspection results.

10. The method of using the fully automated potting and packaging production system for ceramic heating tubes according to claim 9, characterized in that, In step S2, three-dimensional point cloud data of the potting surface is acquired by a 3D laser contour sensor. When the filling height deviation or the bubble size exceeds a preset threshold, the control system controls the rejection mechanism to remove the corresponding product from the circulating conveyor line.

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