Sorting device and method for the production of veterinary tablets using vision

Abstract

This invention discloses a vision-based sorting device and method for veterinary drug tablet production, belonging to the field of sorting technology. The vision-based sorting device for veterinary drug tablet production includes a sorting box with a feed inlet at the top and a powder outlet at the bottom. It also includes: a sieve screen fixed inside the sorting box; an auxiliary sorting component disposed inside the sorting box; a crushing component disposed inside the sorting box and positioned below the sieve screen; and a vision sorting component. This invention achieves gentle size sieving through a rotating brush spreading process and a static sieve. Undersized crushed tablets are crushed and recovered online by a linked reciprocating crushing component. The screened intact tablets enter a vision inspection unit, where image recognition combined with pneumatic rejection achieves secondary sorting of appearance-defective products. This device integrates sorting, crushing, and unclogging functions, achieving efficient, precise, automated, and low-damage veterinary drug tablet sorting.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of sorting technology, and in particular to a sorting device and method for the production of veterinary drug tablets using vision. Background Technology

[0002] Veterinary drugs refer to substances (including medicated feed additives) used to prevent, treat, diagnose animal diseases, or purposefully regulate animal physiological functions. Veterinary drugs mainly include: serum products, vaccines, diagnostic products, probiotic products, traditional Chinese medicine, prepared Chinese medicines, chemical drugs, antibiotics, biochemical drugs, radioactive drugs, and external insecticides and disinfectants. Different types and dosages of veterinary drugs and health products are required for different diseases. For ease of administration, some drugs are usually made into granules or tablets, which can be mixed into food during feeding.

[0003] Currently, during the production of granules or tablets for veterinary drugs, the granules or tablets often collide with each other on the production line, making the veterinary drugs easily broken or even powdered, which reduces the quality of the veterinary drugs. Furthermore, after sorting, unqualified tablets need to be ground into powder and then pressed into film again, making the process relatively fragmented and unable to meet the production needs of tablet veterinary drugs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to solve the problems of reduced product yield, fragmented processes, easy cross-contamination / dust, low raw material utilization, and inconsistent quality in the existing technology. It proposes a vision-based sorting device and method for veterinary drug tablet production. It replaces high-frequency vibration with a static screen and a rotating brush for gentle spreading, protecting the integrity of the tablets from the source. The complete linkage technology solution with a single drive motor (rotating rod) as the core of operation realizes the simultaneous completion of four actions by a single rotation operation: gentle and non-damaging spreading and screening, in-situ crushing and recycling, automatic intermittent unblocking, and precise non-contact pneumatic rejection.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A vision-based sorting device for veterinary drug tablet production includes a sorting box, with a feed inlet at the top and a powder outlet at the bottom of the sorting box, and further includes: A screening screen, which is fixed inside a sorting box, is used to sort standard tablet veterinary drugs and broken tablet veterinary drugs; An auxiliary sorting component is installed inside the sorting box and is used to evenly spread the tablet veterinary drugs falling from the feed inlet onto the screening mesh. A crushing assembly, which is disposed in a sorting box and placed below a screening screen, is used to crush broken veterinary tablets falling from the screening screen. And a visual sorting component, which is located on the outside of the sorting box and is used to further sort standard tablet veterinary drugs after they have been sieved by the sieve screen.

[0006] Preferably, the screening screen has a discharge port, and a lifting plate is inclinedly arranged on one side of the discharge port, with the feed port located above the lower end of the lifting plate; The inner wall of the sorting box is provided with a receiving groove on the lower side of the feeding port. The discharge end of the receiving groove passes through the sorting box and extends to the upper side of the visual sorting component.

[0007] Preferably, the auxiliary sorting component includes a drive motor fixed to the top of the sorting box, a rotating rod rotatably disposed inside the sorting box and connected to the output end of the drive motor, a connecting rod fixed on the rotating rod, and a brush arranged along the length of the connecting rod.

[0008] Preferably, the crushing assembly includes a reciprocating screw fixedly connected to the rotating rod, a filter screen fixedly disposed at the bottom of the reciprocating screw, a screw tube threadedly connected to the reciprocating screw, and a crushing block disposed at the bottom of the screw tube.

[0009] Preferably, the filter screen is a circular screen with a concave center, and the crushing block includes a bottom pressure plate that matches the concave shape of the filter screen and a top guide plate that has the same structure as the bottom pressure plate but is in the opposite direction. The cross-sectional length of the crushing block is smaller than the cross-sectional length of the filter screen.

[0010] Preferably, a sliding plate is provided on the top of the crushed block, and a groove for sliding the sliding plate is provided on the inner wall of the sorting box. The upper and lower sides of the groove are inclined and have guide surfaces.

[0011] Preferably, the inner wall of the sorting box is rotatably provided with a rotating shaft, a driven gear is provided on the rotating shaft, a toothed plate that meshes with the driven gear is provided on the sliding plate, and a rubber hammer that moves against the filter screen and the crushed block is also provided on the rotating shaft; A protective shell for covering the driven gear is provided on the outside of the rotating shaft, and a telescopic cover for covering the tooth plate is provided between the top opening of the protective shell and the slide plate.

[0012] Preferably, a rotating ring is rotatably provided on the outer side of the solenoid, and a mounting frame is fixed to the rotating ring via a connecting rod. The mounting frame is slidably connected to the smooth section of the reciprocating screw via a keyway structure. Several rubber top blocks that cooperate with the mesh of the screening screen are evenly arranged in a circle on the mounting frame.

[0013] Preferably, the visual sorting component includes a vibratory plate disposed outside the sorting box and below the discharge end of the receiving trough. The discharge end of the vibratory plate is connected to a conveying channel. A first opening and a second opening are respectively opened on both sides of the conveying channel. An L-shaped plate is fixed at the first opening of the conveying channel. A detection camera is disposed on both sides of the L-shaped plate. An airflow nozzle connected to an air supply device via an air pipe is disposed on the side of the L-shaped plate opposite to the second opening. A baffle is disposed at the second opening of the conveying channel via a pin. A torsion spring for driving the baffle to reset is disposed on the pin. A discharge channel is also disposed on the side of the second opening of the conveying channel.

[0014] This invention also discloses a visual sorting method for veterinary drug tablet production, which involves sorting using the aforementioned visual sorting device for veterinary drug tablet production, and includes the following steps: S1: Equipment Preparation and Start-up Securely install the device on the production line, ensuring that the feed inlet is connected to the previous process, the powder outlet is connected to the powder collection device, the discharge channel is connected to the defective product collection box, the air pipe of the airflow nozzle is connected to the air supply equipment, and start the control system of the drive motor and vision sorting components. S2: Feeding and initial spreading screening The tablet-veterinary drug mixture to be sorted is continuously or in batches poured into the sorting box from the feed inlet. The tablets fall at the lower end of the lifting plate of the screening screen. The lifting plate can guide the flow of tablets and prevent tablets from falling out of the feed inlet too early. The drive motor drives the rotating rod to rotate, and the brush on the connecting rod rotates accordingly, spreading the accumulated tablets evenly and gently on the entire working surface of the screening screen. S3: Crushing and Screening of Tablets Under the spreading action of the brush, the broken small particles and powder fall through the mesh of the sieve screen, while the unbroken standard tablets are brushed by the brush and move towards the feed port on the sieve screen. Some of the broken tablets and powder that pass through the sieve screen fall directly onto the edge of the filter screen below, and some fall onto the top guide plate of the broken block that is moving up and down. The material that falls on the filter screen slides down its concave surface to the center, and the material that falls on the broken block is guided by the top guide plate to the edge of the filter screen and then slides towards the center. S4: Crushing and Anti-clogging Linkage When the rotating rod rotates, it synchronously drives the reciprocating screw to rotate. Since the rotation of the screw tube is restricted by the slide plate and the groove, under the drive of the reciprocating screw, the screw tube drives the crushed block to move up and down reciprocally. When the crushed block moves downward, its bottom pressure plate cooperates with the inner concave surface of the rotating filter screen to crush and grind the crushed tablets accumulated in the center of the filter screen, further refining them into powder that can pass through the filter screen. The rotation of the filter screen makes the crushing uniform and sufficient. When the slide moves up and down, the toothed plate on it drives the driven gear and the rotating shaft to rotate back and forth, so that the rubber hammer intermittently hits the filter screen and crushed blocks, shaking off the adhering powder, ensuring smooth feeding and crushing effect; When the spiral tube moves up and down, it drives several rubber top blocks to move up and down synchronously through the rotating ring, connecting rod and mounting frame. When the rubber top blocks move upward, they pass through the mesh of the screening screen and gently push out the tablets or granules that are blocked in the mesh of the screening screen to avoid blockage. The pushed-out material re-participates in screening under the action of the brush. S5: Secondary visual sorting of standard tablets Standard tablets screened by the screening mesh fall from the feeding port into the receiving trough and are then discharged to the vibrating plate through its discharge end. The vibrating plate arranges the tablets in an orderly manner and sends them into the conveying channel in a single row. The tablets pass through the L-shaped plate area in the conveying channel in sequence. The detection cameras above and to the side of the L-shaped plate simultaneously acquire and analyze images of the thickness and shape of the passing tablets. If the tablets are deemed qualified, they continue to move along the conveying channel to the next process. If a tablet is determined to be defective, the control system immediately triggers the airflow nozzle to spray a short burst of air. The airflow blows the defective tablet out of the second opening, impacts the baffle, causing it to open briefly, and the tablet falls into the defective product collection area through the feeding channel. After the airflow ends, the baffle returns to its original position under the action of the torsion spring, closing the second opening without affecting the subsequent tablet conveying.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a sorting device and method for veterinary drug tablet production that utilizes vision, and has the following beneficial effects: 1. In this invention, a sieving method using a rotating brush continuously spreading the tablets on a static sieving screen replaces the traditional high-frequency vibrating sieving method. This method solves to some extent the problem of veterinary tablets colliding and rubbing against each other during vigorous vibrating sieving, causing surface wear or edge breakage. The brushing motion of the rotating brush is gentle and uniform, which can gently spread the accumulated tablets falling from the feed inlet onto the sieving screen. This allows broken fine particles and powder to pass through the mesh naturally under the action of gravity, while intact standard tablets move orderly towards the discharge outlet under the flat pushing action of the brush. The spreading and flat pushing sieving mode avoids the impact and wear caused to tablets by traditional vibrating screens. It is especially suitable for tablet products with high integrity requirements, protecting the appearance of qualified products from the source and improving the yield of good products.

[0016] 2. In this invention, the crushing components are driven by the same drive motor using a rotating rod, which solves the technical problems in traditional processes where the crushed tablets separated by screening need to be collected and transported separately to a dedicated crushing equipment for secondary processing, resulting in dispersed processes, lengthy workflows, and easy cross-contamination and dust generation. Inside the device, the crushed tablets that pass through the screening screen fall into the central area of ​​the rotating filter screen below, where they are crushed by the reciprocating crushing blocks in conjunction with the filter screen. They can be recycled as raw materials in real time, realizing the in-situ and real-time processing of unqualified products, greatly shortening the production cycle, improving the utilization rate of raw materials, and reducing material turnover links.

[0017] 3. In this invention, the up-and-down movement of the spiral tube drives the mounting frame and rubber top block to move synchronously, thereby actively lifting and clearing the mesh of the screening screen. The up-and-down movement of the sliding plate drives the toothed plate to mesh with the driven gear, driving the rotating shaft and rubber hammer to swing, thereby achieving intermittent knocking on the filter screen and crushed blocks. This effectively solves the technical problems of the mesh being easily blocked by tablets during the screening process, resulting in a decrease in screening efficiency, and the powder easily adhering to the surface of the components during the crushing process, affecting the crushing effect and the smoothness of the discharge. All of the above actions are driven by the main drive motor in linkage, without the need for additional sensors or control systems. The structure is simple and reliable, with low maintenance costs, ensuring high stability and durability of the equipment in continuous production.

[0018] 4. In this invention, a vision sorting component, including a detection camera, a feeding channel, and an airflow nozzle, is connected after mechanical screening. This solves the technical problem that traditional sorting methods struggle to quickly and accurately remove appearance defects such as thickness, defects, and adhesion. Standard tablets are conveyed in a single row and direction in the feeding channel under the guidance of a vibrating plate. When passing the L-shaped plate, the detection cameras on its top and sides simultaneously collect image information of the tablets. The image processing system accurately analyzes the thickness and shape contour. Once a defective product is identified, the system immediately controls the airflow nozzle to spray a short burst of air, precisely blowing the defective product into the feeding channel, while qualified products continue to move forward. The sorting process is non-contact and without physical damage, with high sorting accuracy and fast response. This achieves the final strict control over the appearance quality of qualified products, significantly improving the overall consistency of the product.

[0019] 5. In this invention, since the material state is extremely complex in the initial stage, mechanical spreading and screening can first separate components with huge differences in physical form. Then, visual sorting is used to identify and sort the relatively complete tablets after screening by the sieve. This avoids a pile of mixtures containing a lot of debris, powder, different sizes, and even sticking together directly entering the vibrating plate and narrow visual inspection channel, which would cause blockage of the vibrating plate track and conveying channel, and powder contamination of the camera lens. This ensures that the entire sorting scheme is efficient and economical.

[0020] 6. In this invention, compared with traditional vibrating screens, independent crushers, and manual / simple vision solutions, the invention achieves four functions simultaneously through a single drive motor linkage: brush spreading (preventing collision damage), reciprocating crushing (instant recycling), rubber hammer / top block clearing (continuous anti-clogging), and visual pneumatic rejection (non-contact precise control). This reduces multiple independent power sources, resulting in a lower overall failure rate, lower energy consumption, and a shorter production cycle. These synergistic effects are achieved through the coaxial transmission of the rotating rod, resulting in an overall improvement. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention. Figure 1 ; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention. Figure 2 ; Figure 3 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the sorting box of the present invention; Figure 4 for Figure 3 Enlarged structural diagram of section A in the middle; Figure 5 for Figure 3 Enlarged structural diagram of section B; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom cross-sectional structure of the sorting box of the present invention; Figure 7 for Figure 6 Enlarged structural diagram of section C; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the screening mesh of the present invention; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the external structure of the rotating rod of the present invention; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the external structure of the solenoid of the present invention; Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the external structure of the L-shaped plate of the present invention.

[0022] In the diagram: 1. Sorting box; 101. Feed inlet; 102. Powder outlet; 2. Screening screen; 201. Discharge port; 202. Tilt plate; 3. Drive motor; 301. Rotating rod; 302. Connecting rod; 303. Brush; 4. Reciprocating screw; 401. Screw; 402. Crushed piece; 4021. Bottom pressure plate; 4022. Top guide plate; 5. Filter screen; 6. Slide plate; 601. Slide groove; 602. Toothed plate; 7. Rotating shaft; 701. Driven gear; 702. Rubber hammer; 8. Protective shell; 801. Telescopic cover; 9. Rotating ring; 901. Mounting frame; 902. Rubber top block; 10. Vibrating plate; 11. Conveying channel; 12. L-shaped plate; 121. Detection camera; 122. Airflow nozzle; 123. Baffle; 13. Discharge channel; 14. Receiving trough. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments.

[0024] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0025] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, this embodiment proposes a vision-based sorting device for veterinary drug tablet production, including a sorting box 1. The top and bottom of the sorting box 1 are respectively provided with a feed inlet 101 and a powder outlet 102, and it also includes: Screening mesh 2 is fixed inside the sorting box 1 and is used to sort standard tablet veterinary drugs and broken tablet veterinary drugs. The corresponding screening mesh 2 can be replaced according to the tablet specifications to adapt to the sorting needs of different specifications of veterinary drug tablets. An auxiliary sorting component is installed inside the sorting box 1 to evenly spread the tablet veterinary drugs falling from the feed inlet 101 onto the screening screen 2. The crushing component is set inside the sorting box 1 and placed below the screening screen 2, and is used to crush the crushed veterinary tablets falling from the screening screen 2. In addition, a visual sorting component is installed on the outside of the sorting box 1 to further sort the standard veterinary tablets after sieving by the sieve screen 2. Based on the mechanical sieving to remove physically broken products, the visual sorting component is introduced to conduct a secondary inspection of the "intact" tablets. It can accurately identify and remove those appearance defects that are visible to the naked eye but cannot be judged by mechanical sieving, such as cracks, missing corners, stains, and slight deviations in size or thickness. This greatly improves the consistency and reliability of the final product's quality standards and meets the strict requirements of high-end veterinary drug production for product appearance. Specifically, the mixture of veterinary drug tablets to be sorted is fed into the feed inlet 101 at the top of the sorting box 1. The mixture includes standard whole tablets, broken tablets, and powder. The material falls onto the screening screen 2. The auxiliary sorting component is activated, and the accumulated material is evenly spread on the surface of the screening screen 2. During the spreading process, the standard tablets remain on the screen surface, while the broken tablets and powder fall through the mesh. The falling broken tablets enter the crushing component and are crushed into fine powder. This powder continues to fall and is finally collected through the powder outlet 102. The standard tablets remaining on the screening screen 2 are collected and conveyed out of the sorting box 1 under the guidance of the auxiliary sorting component or by their own gravity, and enter the vision sorting component. In the vision sorting component, the tablets are arranged in an orderly manner and pass through the vision inspection station one by one. The vision system performs image acquisition and analysis on each passing standard tablet, such as size, shape, color, and defects, to determine whether its appearance meets the preset standards. Qualified tablets continue to move to the next process, while unqualified tablets are precisely blown away by the execution mechanism of the control system command. By combining static screening and flexible spreading, the traditional high-frequency vibrating screening method is replaced. This effectively avoids the collision of whole tablets with each other during violent vibration, which would cause new damage or edge wear. While ensuring screening efficiency, it significantly reduces secondary damage to qualified products during the sorting process and improves the yield of qualified products. Furthermore, by integrating the functions of collecting, crushing, and recycling unqualified broken tablets into the sorting process, the device eliminates the cumbersome intermediate steps of collecting, transporting, and centrally crushing broken tablets separately in the traditional process. This enables the immediate recycling of waste materials, shortens the production cycle, and improves the overall process compactness and automation. All electrical components are dust explosion-proof.

[0026] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, in a preferred embodiment, based on the above method, the screening screen 2 is further provided with a discharge port 201, and a lifting plate 202 is inclinedly provided on one side of the discharge port 201. The feed inlet 101 is located on the upper side of the lower end of the lifting plate 202. An adjustable feed gate is provided at the feed inlet 101, which is linked to the speed of the drive motor 3 to ensure that the feeding speed matches the spreading speed of the brush 303 and avoid material accumulation. A receiving groove 14 is provided on the inner wall of the sorting box 1 below the feeding port 201. The discharge end of the receiving groove 14 passes through the sorting box 1 and extends to the upper side of the visual sorting component. Furthermore, the auxiliary sorting components include a drive motor 3 fixed to the top of the sorting box 1, a rotating rod 301 rotatably disposed inside the sorting box 1 and connected to the output end of the drive motor 3, a connecting rod 302 fixed on the rotating rod 301, and a brush 303 arranged along the length of the connecting rod 302. The bottom of the bristles of the brush 303 makes slight contact with or maintains a very small gap with the upper surface of the screening screen 2. A dustproof sealing ring and a self-lubricating bushing are added to the rotating mating surface to prevent dust and jamming.

[0027] Specifically, the mixed material falls from the feed inlet 101, first landing on the screening screen 2 in the area near the discharge port 201. Guided by the inclined surface of the lifting plate 202, it mainly accumulates near the lower end of the lifting plate 202, preventing unscreened material from falling from the discharge port 201. The drive motor 3 starts, causing the rotating rod 301 to rotate, which in turn causes the connecting rod 302 and the brush 303 fixed below it to rotate around the axis. The rotating brush 303 gently and continuously spreads and sweeps the material accumulated near the lower end of the lifting plate 202 around the perimeter of the screening screen 2. During this process, materials smaller than [a certain size] are swept away. The broken tablets and powder fall through the sieve mesh, completing the first separation, while the intact standard tablets are driven by the brush 303 and move across the entire plane of the sieve mesh 2. Under the continuous rotating and sweeping action of the brush 303, the intact standard tablets dispersed in various parts of the sieve mesh 2 are gradually guided and gathered at the discharge port 201, and fall into the receiving trough 14 below by their own gravity. The standard tablets that fall into the receiving trough 14 slide out of the sorting box 1 from its discharge end along the inclined surface of the receiving trough 14 and are orderly transported to the vision sorting component, waiting for the next step of precision appearance inspection. The use of a rotating flexible brush 303 for spreading and pushing replaces the traditional vibrating screen or rigid scraper. The brush bristles are in flexible contact with the tablets, and the sweeping force is gentle and controllable. This effectively avoids edge damage, surface scratches or the generation of new debris caused by violent collisions or friction between rigid parts and tablets, as well as between tablets and screens. This helps to protect the integrity of veterinary drug tablets and improve the yield of the final product. The entire preliminary screening and material conveying process, including spreading, diffusion, collection and guided discharge, is driven by a single drive motor 3 through a simple mechanical structure. There is no need to configure an additional power source or complex control system for vibration, reciprocating and other actions. The mechanical structure is simple and compact, with low manufacturing cost, few points of failure, convenient maintenance and high reliability. Furthermore, the standard tablets initially screened out are smoothly and centrally transferred to the vision sorting component through the receiving trough 14, providing a pre-treated material flow for subsequent processes. This avoids the blockage, interference, and misjudgment that may occur if the original chaotic mixture is directly sent into the precision vision system, significantly improving the working efficiency, detection accuracy, and operational stability of the vision sorting component, making the two-stage sorting process seamless and doubling its efficiency.

[0028] like Figure 3 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 , Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, in a preferred embodiment, based on the above method, the crushing assembly further includes a reciprocating screw 4 fixedly connected to the rotating rod 301, a filter screen 5 fixedly disposed at the bottom of the reciprocating screw 4, a screw tube 401 threadedly connected to the reciprocating screw 4, and a crushing block 402 disposed at the bottom of the screw tube 401; the track groove on the reciprocating screw 4 is placed inside the screw tube 401 and the crushing block 402, and is located in a sealed protective cavity to avoid affecting its transmission function; Furthermore, the filter screen 5 is configured as a circular screen with a concave center. The crushing block 402 includes a bottom pressure plate 4021 that matches the concave shape of the filter screen 5 and a top guide plate 4022 that has the same structure as the bottom pressure plate 4021 but is in the opposite direction. The cross-sectional length of the crushing block 402 is smaller than the cross-sectional length of the filter screen 5. The reciprocating stroke design of the crushing block 402 ensures that the bottom pressure plate 4021 is always in contact with the center of the filter screen 5 to avoid eccentric deformation. Furthermore, a sliding plate 6 is provided on the top of the crushed block 402, and a chute 601 for sliding the sliding plate 6 is provided on the inner wall of the sorting box 1. The upper and lower sides of the chute 601 are inclined with guide surfaces. A self-lubricating wear-resistant bushing is added in the chute 601 to improve the stability of operation. Specifically, the drive motor 3 drives the rotating rod 301 to rotate, which in turn drives the reciprocating screw 4 and the bottom filter screen 5, which are fixedly connected to it, to rotate synchronously. Since the screw tube 401 is restricted within the groove 601 by the sliding plate 6 and cannot rotate, when the reciprocating screw 4 rotates, the screw tube 401 is forced to make a reciprocating linear motion along the axial direction of the reciprocating screw 4 according to the thread direction. Furthermore, the guide surfaces at the upper and lower ends of the groove 601 prevent material accumulation. When the sliding plate 6 moves, it pushes the material entering the groove 601, and the material slides out along the guide surface under force. The broken tablets and powder falling from the screening screen 2 fall onto the rotating filter screen 5. Because the filter screen 5 has a concave circular structure in the middle, the material... Under the action of centrifugal force and gravity, the material will gather towards the central area of ​​the filter screen 5. At the same time, the crushed block 402 moves up and down reciprocally under the drive of the reciprocating screw 4. When the crushed block 402 moves downward, its bottom pressure plate 4021 cooperates with the rotating, concave central area of ​​the filter screen 5 to squeeze and grind the crushed tablets gathered here, thus achieving the crushing function. When the crushed block 402 moves upward, the top guide plate 4022 acts as an inclined plane to guide the material falling on it to the edge of the filter screen 5, so that it slides towards the central area to wait for the next crushing. The powder that is crushed to a sufficiently fine size finally falls through the mesh of the filter screen 5 and is discharged from the powder outlet 102. The classic combination of reciprocating screw 4, slide plate 6, and slide groove 601 transforms the rotational motion of the main shaft into precise linear reciprocating motion. As a purely mechanical transmission method, it has a simple structure, reliable transmission, low failure rate, and convenient maintenance, making it very suitable for industrial environments that require continuous and stable operation. It should be noted that, as needed, a food-grade anti-stick coating can be added to the surface of the screening screen 2 and filter screen 5, and a dry nitrogen purging interface can be added inside the sorting box 1 to prevent adhesion and moisture.

[0029] like Figure 3 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, in a preferred embodiment, based on the above method, a rotating shaft 7 is rotatably provided on the inner wall of the sorting box 1, a driven gear 701 is provided on the rotating shaft 7, a toothed plate 602 that meshes with the driven gear 701 is provided on the slide plate 6, and a rubber hammer 702 that moves against the filter screen 5 and the crushing block 402 is also provided on the rotating shaft 7. The rubber hammer 702 includes a hammer handle and a hammer head. A protective shell 8 is provided on the outside of the rotating shaft 7 to cover the driven gear 701. A telescopic cover 801 is provided between the top opening of the protective shell 8 and the slide plate 6 to cover the tooth plate 602. This helps to protect the gear meshing pair and prevent dust from entering. During the whole process, the telescopic cover 801 extends and retracts synchronously with the up and down movement of the slide plate 6, always ensuring that the tooth plate 602 is isolated from the external environment. The fixed protective shell 8 protects the rotating parts of the rotating shaft 7 and the driven gear 701, isolating them from the dust in the working chamber. Specifically, during the operation of the crushing component, the slide plate 6, constrained by the slide groove 601, moves up and down in a reciprocating linear motion along with the screw tube 401 and the crushed block 402. The movement of the slide plate 6 drives the toothed plate 602 on it to move up and down synchronously. The toothed plate 602, through meshing with the driven gear 701, drives the rotating shaft 7 to reciprocate and rotate. The rubber hammer 702 fixed on the rotating shaft 7 swings accordingly. The swinging rubber hammer 702 intermittently and with a certain elasticity strikes the filter screen 5 and the crushed block 402, which can effectively shake off the powder adhering to the mesh of the filter screen 5 or the surface of the crushed block 402. This solves the problem of poor discharge and reduced crushing efficiency caused by material adhesion during long-term operation of the crushing equipment. Its unblocking action is automatic, continuous, and synchronized with the main crushing motion. The unblocking function is derived entirely from the main crushing action through a gear and rack mechanism, requiring no additional motors, cylinders, or sensors. This makes the unblocking function an inherent and reliable component of the crushing process, eliminating the risk of failure associated with independent electrical components. This significantly improves the operational stability and maintenance-free nature of the entire crushing assembly. In industrial equipment, it is a common and reliable design pattern for a single main motor to drive multiple actuators via shafts, gears, cams, and connecting rods. Its failure rate is far lower than that of complex electrical control systems that use separate motors, sensors, solenoid valves, and controllers for each function. This application reduces the number of independent actuators and control units, thereby reducing electrical failure points and the complexity of control logic from the source.

[0030] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 6 , Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, in a preferred embodiment, based on the above method, a rotating ring 9 is rotatably provided on the outer side of the solenoid 401. The rotating ring 9 is fixed to the mounting frame 901 through a connecting rod. The mounting frame 901 is slidably connected to the smooth section of the reciprocating screw 4 through a keyway structure. A number of rubber top blocks 902 that cooperate with the mesh of the screening screen 2 are evenly arranged on the mounting frame 901 in a circular pattern. Specifically, when the drive motor 3 drives the rotating rod 301 and the reciprocating screw 4 to rotate, the screw tube 401, which is threadedly engaged with the reciprocating screw 4, performs a reciprocating linear motion up and down under the constraint of the sliding plate 6. The rotating ring 9, which is fitted outside the screw tube 401, does not bear the threaded driving force and can rotate freely. When the screw tube 401 moves up and down, its outer wall, through the rotating ring 9 and the connecting rod, drives the mounting bracket 901 to perform a synchronous up and down reciprocating motion. At the same time, since the reciprocating screw 4 itself is also rotating, the mounting bracket 901 will rotate with it. During the upward movement, the top of the rubber top block 902 will extend into... In the mesh corresponding to the upper screening screen 2, an upward pushing force is applied to tablets or clumps that may be blocked in the mesh, gently pushing them away or out of the mesh. During this process, the rubber top block 902 can deform to a certain extent due to its rotation relative to the screening screen 2, which protects qualified products and the screen itself while clearing the blockage. Subsequently, under the rotation of the mounting frame 901 and the action of the auxiliary sorting components, the loosened material is spread out again to participate in screening. There are no additional sensors / cylinders, the mechanical structure is simple, and maintenance only requires lubrication of the rotating rod. Compared with multi-motor solutions, there are fewer failure points, making it suitable for continuous production lines.

[0031] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 11 As shown, in a preferred embodiment, based on the above method, the visual sorting component further includes a vibratory plate 10 disposed outside the sorting box 1 and below the discharge end of the receiving trough 14. A soft buffer pad is added to the receiving point of the vibratory plate 10 to reduce the impact of the tablets falling. The discharge end of the vibratory plate 10 is connected to a conveying channel 11. A first opening and a second opening are respectively opened on both sides of the conveying channel 11. An L-shaped plate 12 is fixed at the first opening of the conveying channel 11. A detection camera 121 is provided on both sides of the L-shaped plate 12. An airflow nozzle 122 connected to an air supply device through an air pipe is provided on the side of the L-shaped plate 12 opposite to the second opening. A material sensor is added to the front end of the airflow nozzle 122 to accurately identify the tablet position. A baffle 123 is provided at the second opening of the conveying channel 11 through a pin. A torsion spring for driving the baffle 123 to reset is provided on the pin. A discharge channel 13 is also provided on the side of the second opening of the conveying channel 11. Specifically, the standard tablets preliminarily screened out from the sorting box 1 fall into the vibrating disk 10 via the material receiving groove 14. The vibrating disk 10 operates to orient and sort the randomly stacked tablets, enabling them to enter the feeding channel 11 one by one, in a single row, and orderly, and be conveyed to the detection area at a stable posture and speed. When a single tablet is conveyed in the feeding channel 11 and passes through the detection area at the first opening, two detection cameras 121 fixed on the L-shaped plate 12 simultaneously collect images of the top and side of the tablet. The collected images are transmitted to an external image processing system for analysis and comparison. The graphic processing system is a prior art and will not be elaborated here. The image processing system determines the tablets according to preset qualified standards, such as size, shape, color, whether there are defects or stains, to ensure the quality consistency of the final products. If the tablets are determined to be qualified, the tablets will continue to advance along the feeding channel 11 and enter the subsequent qualified product collection container. If the tablets are determined to be unqualified, the system sends an instruction, and the air flow nozzle 122 ejects a high-speed air flow to blow the unqualified tablets at the detection position towards the second opening on the opposite side. The unqualified tablets impacted by the air flow knock open the baffle 123 and fly out of the feeding channel 11, falling into the blanking channel 13 on its side and being collected as defective products. After the baffle 123 is knocked open, under the torsion force of the torsion spring, it automatically resets and closes the second opening again to prevent subsequent qualified products from leaking out and ensure the sealing and conveying continuity of the feeding channel 11.

[0032] The present invention also discloses a sorting method for veterinary tablets production using vision. By applying the aforementioned sorting device for veterinary tablets production using vision, it includes the following steps: S1: Equipment preparation and startup Stably install the device on the production line, ensure that the feeding port 101 is connected to the previous process, the powder outlet 102 is connected to the powder collection device, the blanking channel 13 is connected to the defective product collection box, the air pipe of the air flow nozzle 122 is connected to the air supply equipment, and start the control systems of the driving motor 3 and the vision sorting component; S2: Feeding and preliminary spreading and screening Continuously or batch pour the tablet veterinary medicine mixture to be sorted from the feeding port 101 into the sorting box 1. The tablets fall on the low end of the tilting plate 202 of the screening mesh 2. The tilting plate 202 can guide the flow of the tablets and prevent the tablets from falling from the blanking port 201 prematurely. The driving motor 3 drives the rotating rod 301 to rotate, and the brush 303 on the connecting rod 302 rotates accordingly, evenly and gently spreading the stacked tablets on the entire working surface of the screening mesh 2; S3: Screening and crushing of broken tablets Under the spreading action of the brush 303, the broken small particles and powder fall through the mesh of the sieve 2, while the unbroken standard tablets are brushed by the brush 303 and move towards the feed port 201 on the sieve 2. Some of the broken tablets and powder that pass through the sieve 2 fall directly to the edge of the filter screen 5 below, and some fall on the top guide plate 4022 of the breaking block 402 that is moving up and down. The material that falls on the filter screen 5 slides down its concave surface to the center, and the material that falls on the breaking block 402 is guided by the top guide plate 4022 to the edge of the filter screen 5 and then slides towards the center. S4: Crushing and Anti-clogging Linkage When the rotating rod 301 rotates, it synchronously drives the reciprocating screw 4 to rotate. Since the screw tube 401 is restricted from rotating by the slide plate 6 and the groove 601, under the drive of the reciprocating screw 4, the screw tube 401 drives the crushed block 402 to move up and down reciprocally. When the crushed block 402 moves downward, its bottom pressure plate 4021 cooperates with the concave surface of the rotating filter screen 5 to crush and grind the crushed tablets accumulated in the center of the filter screen 5, so that they are further refined into powder that can pass through the filter screen 5. The rotation of the filter screen 5 makes the crushing uniform and sufficient. When the slide plate 6 moves up and down, the toothed plate 602 on it drives the driven gear 701 and the rotating shaft 7 to rotate back and forth, so that the rubber hammer 702 intermittently hits the filter screen 5 and the crushing block 402, shaking off the adhering powder, ensuring smooth feeding and crushing effect. When the spiral tube 401 moves up and down, it drives several rubber top blocks 902 to move up and down synchronously through the rotating ring 9, connecting rod and mounting frame 901. When the rubber top blocks 902 move upward, they pass through the mesh of the screening screen 2 and gently push out the tablets or granules blocked in the mesh of the screening screen 2 to avoid blockage. The pushed-out material re-participates in screening under the action of the brush 303. S5: Secondary visual sorting of standard tablets The standard tablets screened by the screening screen 2 fall into the receiving trough 14 from the discharge port 201 and are discharged to the vibrating plate 10 through its discharge end. The vibrating plate 10 arranges the tablets in an orderly manner and sends them into the conveying channel 11 in a single row. The tablets pass through the area of ​​the L-shaped plate 12 in the conveying channel 11 in sequence. The detection cameras 121 above and on the side of the L-shaped plate 12 simultaneously acquire and analyze images of the thickness and shape of the passing tablets. If the tablets are deemed qualified, they continue to advance along the conveying channel 11 to the next process. If a tablet is determined to be defective, the control system immediately triggers the airflow nozzle 122 to spray a short burst of airflow. The airflow blows the defective tablet out of the second opening and impacts the baffle 123, causing it to open briefly. The tablet falls into the defective product collection area through the feeding channel 13. After the airflow ends, the baffle 123 resets under the action of the torsion spring, closing the second opening without affecting the subsequent tablet conveying.

[0033] The accompanying drawings in this application are for illustrative purposes only. The dimensions and shapes of the components shown are not actual limitations but are merely schematic representations. In actual implementation, the components can be reasonably configured and adjusted according to specific needs and actual conditions.

[0034] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention, based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vision-based sorting device for veterinary drug tablet production, comprising a sorting box (1), characterized in that, The sorting box (1) has a feed inlet (101) at the top and a powder outlet (102) at the bottom, and also includes: Screening mesh (2), which is fixed inside the sorting box (1) and is used to sort standard tablet veterinary drugs and broken tablet veterinary drugs; An auxiliary sorting component is provided inside a sorting box (1) for spreading the tablet veterinary drugs falling from the feed inlet (101) evenly on a sieve screen (2); A crushing assembly is disposed inside the sorting box (1) and placed below the sieve (2) for crushing veterinary tablets falling from the sieve (2). And a visual sorting component, which is located on the outside of the sorting box (1) and is used to further sort the standard tablet veterinary drugs after they have been sieved by the sieve screen (2).

2. The sorting device for veterinary drug tablet production using vision according to claim 1, characterized in that, The screening screen (2) has a discharge port (201), and a lifting plate (202) is inclinedly arranged on one side of the discharge port (201). The feed inlet (101) is located on the upper side of the lower end of the lifting plate (202). The inner wall of the sorting box (1) is provided with a receiving groove (14) on the lower side of the feeding port (201). The discharge end of the receiving groove (14) passes through the sorting box (1) and extends to the upper side of the visual sorting component.

3. A sorting device for veterinary drug tablet production utilizing vision according to claim 2, characterized in that, The auxiliary sorting assembly includes a drive motor (3) fixed on the top of the sorting box (1), a rotating rod (301) rotatably disposed inside the sorting box (1) and connected to the output end of the drive motor (3), a connecting rod (302) fixed on the rotating rod (301), and a brush (303) arranged along the length of the connecting rod (302).

4. A sorting device for veterinary drug tablet production utilizing vision according to claim 3, characterized in that, The crushing assembly includes a reciprocating screw (4) fixedly connected to the rotating rod (301), a filter screen (5) fixed at the bottom of the reciprocating screw (4), a screw tube (401) threadedly connected to the reciprocating screw (4), and a crushing block (402) disposed at the bottom of the screw tube (401).

5. A sorting device for veterinary drug tablet production utilizing vision according to claim 4, characterized in that, The filter screen (5) is configured as a circular screen with a concave center. The crushing block (402) includes a bottom pressure plate (4021) that matches the concave shape of the filter screen (5) and a top guide plate (4022) that has the same structure as the bottom pressure plate (4021) but is opposite in direction. The cross-sectional length of the crushing block (402) is smaller than the cross-sectional length of the filter screen (5).

6. A sorting device for veterinary drug tablet production utilizing vision according to claim 5, characterized in that, The top of the crushed block (402) is provided with a sliding plate (6), and the inner wall of the sorting box (1) is provided with a sliding groove (601) for sliding of the sliding plate (6). The upper and lower sides of the sliding groove (601) are inclined with guide surfaces.

7. A sorting device for veterinary drug tablet production utilizing vision according to claim 6, characterized in that, The inner wall of the sorting box (1) is rotatably provided with a rotating shaft (7), a driven gear (701) is provided on the rotating shaft (7), a toothed plate (602) that meshes with the driven gear (701) is provided on the sliding plate (6), and a rubber hammer (702) that moves against the filter screen (5) and the crushed block (402) is also provided on the rotating shaft (7). The outer side of the rotating shaft (7) is provided with a protective shell (8) for covering the driven gear (701), and a telescopic cover (801) for covering the toothed plate (602) is provided between the top opening of the protective shell (8) and the slide plate (6).

8. A sorting device for veterinary drug tablet production utilizing vision according to claim 7, characterized in that, A rotating ring (9) is rotatably provided on the outside of the spiral tube (401). The rotating ring (9) is fixed with a mounting frame (901) by a connecting rod. The mounting frame (901) is slidably connected to the smooth section of the reciprocating screw (4) through a keyway structure. Several rubber top blocks (902) that cooperate with the mesh of the screening screen (2) are evenly arranged on the mounting frame (901) in a circular shape.

9. A sorting device for veterinary drug tablet production utilizing vision according to claim 8, characterized in that, The visual sorting component includes a vibratory plate (10) disposed outside the sorting box (1) and below the discharge end of the receiving trough (14). The discharge end of the vibratory plate (10) is connected to a conveying channel (11). The conveying channel (11) has a first opening and a second opening on its two sides respectively. An L-shaped plate (12) is fixed at the first opening of the conveying channel (11). A detection camera (121) is provided on both sides of the L-shaped plate (12). An airflow nozzle (122) connected to an air supply device is provided on the side of the L-shaped plate (12) opposite to the second opening. A baffle (123) is provided at the second opening of the conveying channel (11) through a pin. A torsion spring for driving the baffle (123) to reset is provided on the pin. A discharge channel (13) is also provided on the side of the second opening of the conveying channel (11).

10. A sorting method for veterinary drug tablet production using vision, comprising sorting by applying the sorting device for veterinary drug tablet production using vision as described in claim 9, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1: Equipment Preparation and Start-up Securely install the device on the production line, ensuring that the feed inlet (101) is connected to the previous process, the powder outlet (102) is connected to the powder collection device, the discharge channel (13) is connected to the defective product collection box, the air pipe of the airflow nozzle (122) is connected to the air supply equipment, and start the control system of the drive motor (3) and the vision sorting component. S2: Feeding and initial spreading screening The tablet veterinary drug mixture to be sorted is continuously or in batches poured into the sorting box (1) from the feed inlet (101). The tablets fall on the lower end of the lifting plate (202) of the sieve screen (2). The lifting plate (202) can guide the tablet flow and prevent the tablets from falling out of the feed inlet (201) too early. The drive motor (3) drives the rotating rod (301) to rotate. The brush (303) on the connecting rod (302) rotates accordingly, spreading the accumulated tablets evenly and gently on the entire working surface of the sieve screen (2). S3: Crushing and Screening of Tablets Under the spreading action of the brush (303), the broken small particles and powder fall through the mesh of the sieve (2), while the unbroken standard tablets are brushed by the brush (303) and move towards the feed port (201) on the sieve (2). Some of the broken tablets and powder that pass through the sieve (2) fall directly onto the edge of the filter screen (5) below, and some fall onto the top guide plate (4022) of the broken block (402) that is moving up and down. The material that falls on the filter screen (5) slides down its concave surface to the center, and the material that falls on the broken block (402) is guided by the top guide plate (4022) to the edge of the filter screen (5) and then slides towards the center. S4: Crushing and Anti-clogging Linkage When the rotating rod (301) rotates, it synchronously drives the reciprocating screw (4) to rotate. Since the screw tube (401) is restricted from rotating by the slide plate (6) and the groove (601), under the drive of the reciprocating screw (4), the screw tube (401) drives the crushed block (402) to move up and down. When the crushed block (402) moves downward, its bottom pressure plate (4021) cooperates with the concave surface of the rotating filter screen (5) to crush and grind the crushed tablets accumulated in the center of the filter screen (5), so that they are further refined into powder that can pass through the filter screen (5). The rotation of the filter screen (5) makes the crushing uniform and sufficient. When the slide plate (6) moves up and down, the toothed plate (602) on it drives the driven gear (701) and the rotating shaft (7) to rotate back and forth, so that the rubber hammer (702) intermittently hits the filter screen (5) and the crushed block (402), shaking off the adhering powder, ensuring smooth feeding and crushing effect; When the spiral tube (401) moves up and down, it drives several rubber top blocks (902) to move up and down synchronously through the rotating ring (9), connecting rod and mounting frame (901). When the rubber top blocks (902) move upward, they pass through the mesh of the screening screen (2) and gently push out the tablets or granules blocked in the mesh of the screening screen (2) to avoid blockage. The pushed-out material re-participates in screening under the action of the brush (303). S5: Secondary visual sorting of standard tablets The standard tablets screened by the screening screen (2) fall into the receiving trough (14) from the feeding port (201) and are discharged to the vibrating plate (10) through its discharge end. The vibrating plate (10) arranges the tablets in an orderly manner and sends them into the conveying channel (11) in a single row. The tablets pass through the L-shaped plate (12) area in the conveying channel (11) in sequence. The detection cameras (121) above and on the side of the L-shaped plate (12) simultaneously acquire and analyze images of the thickness and shape of the passing tablets; If the tablets are deemed qualified, they continue to move along the conveying channel (11) to the next process. If a tablet is determined to be defective, the control system immediately triggers the airflow nozzle (122) to spray a short burst of airflow. The airflow blows the defective tablet out of the second opening and hits the baffle (123) to open it briefly. The tablet falls into the defective product collection point through the feeding channel (13). After the airflow ends, the baffle (123) is reset under the action of the torsion spring and closes the second opening, without affecting the subsequent tablet delivery.

Images