Automatic cap unscrambler for honey combination caps

Abstract

The application provides an automatic cap arranging device for honey combination caps, which comprises a cap arranging device, a feeding hopper, a cap outlet, a blocking rod, a rejecting device and a supporting assembly. The feeding hopper is connected to the upper part of the cap arranging device, the blocking rod is arranged on the inner side of the discharge port of the cap arranging device, the rejecting device is arranged at the discharge port, the cap outlet is connected to the outer side of the discharge port, and the supporting assembly is connected to the bottom of the cap arranging device. The application has the following advantages: the two-stage correction mode of centrifugal conveying combined with mechanical dialing and position supplementing and rejecting is adopted for honey irregular combination caps, the automatic forward arrangement of irregular caps can be realized without a visual recognition system, the cap arranging accuracy is high, the problems of cap jamming and reverse cap in the conventional cap arranging device are effectively solved, the overall structure is stable and reliable, the operation and maintenance cost is low, the continuous production rhythm of the filling production line can be matched, and the application is suitable for the large-scale production of honey drinks.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention mainly relates to the technical field of beverage filling production line equipment, specifically to an automatic cap feeder for honey combination caps. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous upgrading of consumer demand for healthy beverages, honey combination caps with independent honey storage chambers are experiencing continuous market expansion due to their convenience and good preservation. Honey combination caps are asymmetrical irregular-shaped combination caps, with a raised honey storage chamber on one side. The overall shape and center of gravity are asymmetrical, making it impossible to directly use the capping process of conventional round caps. The orientation and arrangement of the caps has become a key process in the honey beverage bottling production line.

[0003] Currently, centrifugal cap sorters commonly used in bottling lines are designed for standard round flat caps with symmetrical shapes and a centrally located center of gravity. They rely on the difference in the caps' own center of gravity and track limits to achieve forward sorting. When applied to honey with irregularly shaped combination caps, they easily cause problems such as the inability to identify and correct a large number of inverted or side-flipped caps. The cap sorting accuracy is low, and the irregular protruding structures are very easy to get stuck in the track gaps, causing material jamming and cap blockage. This leads to frequent production line downtime, often requiring dedicated personnel to pick out inverted caps and clear jammed materials online, which not only increases labor costs but also limits the operating efficiency of the bottling line.

[0004] Existing solutions for improving irregularly shaped lids often involve introducing machine vision systems in conjunction with air-blowing rejection mechanisms. While this can improve recognition accuracy, it significantly increases equipment procurement and maintenance costs. Furthermore, vision systems are poorly adapted to the humid and dusty environments of food workshops, resulting in a high failure rate over long-term operation, making it difficult to widely apply them in small and medium-sized production scenarios.

[0005] It should be noted that the above content falls within the scope of the inventor's technical knowledge. Due to the vast and complex nature of the technical content in this field, the above content of this application does not necessarily constitute prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] 1. The technical problem that the invention aims to solve: This invention provides an automatic cap feeder for honey combination caps, in order to solve the technical problems existing in the background art.

[0007] 2. Technical Solution: To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution provided by the present invention is as follows: an automatic cap sorting device for honey combination caps, comprising a cap sorting device, a feeding hopper, a cap outlet channel, a baffle, a rejection device, and a support assembly; the feeding hopper is connected to the upper part of the cap sorting device for feeding honey combination caps to be sorted into the cap sorting device; the baffle is located inside the outlet of the cap sorting device for mechanically correcting honey combination caps conveyed in the opposite direction; the rejection device is located at the outlet of the cap sorting device for rejecting incorrectly sorted reverse caps and returning them to the inside of the cap sorting device; the cap outlet channel is connected to the outside of the outlet of the cap sorting device for outputting sorted, upright honey combination caps; the support assembly is connected to the bottom of the cap sorting device for supporting and fixing the entire device.

[0008] Furthermore, the lid feeder is a centrifugal rotating barrel with a spirally rising guide track on the inner wall of the barrel, and the barrel is arranged at an angle.

[0009] Furthermore, the outlet channel is inclined downwards along the discharge direction at an angle of 20°, and the honey combination cap slides out along the outlet channel by its own weight.

[0010] Furthermore, the rejection device is a rotary rejection mechanism with a paddle, which is arranged back and forth with the baffle along the discharge direction to form a two-stage station for cover correction and rejection.

[0011] Furthermore, a silicone pad is fitted to the inner wall of the feed hopper to cushion the impact of the cap falling, reduce collision noise, and reduce wear on the cap surface.

[0012] Furthermore, the top of the lid sorter is provided with a cover plate, which is rotatably connected to the body of the lid sorter and can be opened and closed to enable internal inspection and cleaning.

[0013] Furthermore, the support assembly includes a pad, a first support rod, and a second support rod; the pad is fixed to the bottom of the cover feeder, and the upper ends of the first support rod and the second support rod are both connected to the pad, while the lower ends are used to fix them to the mounting base.

[0014] Furthermore, a lifting assembly is provided on the outside of the lid feeder, which includes a lifting plate and a lifting rod for hoisting and transporting the entire equipment.

[0015] 3. Beneficial effects: Compared with the prior art, the technical solution provided by this invention has the following advantages: In response to the structural characteristics of honey with irregularly shaped combination caps, a two-stage correction method is adopted, which combines centrifugal conveying with mechanical straightening by a baffle and a replacement and removal device. This method can achieve the forward sorting of irregularly shaped caps without the need for a visual recognition system, with a high accuracy rate. It is suitable for the irregular structure of honey combination caps and effectively reduces the problems of cap jamming and reverse capping. The entire structure operates on a purely mechanical basis combined with centrifugal principles, resulting in a stable and reliable structure with low maintenance and debugging costs. It can match the continuous production cycle of the filling production line and significantly improve cap sorting efficiency. The cap outlet uses a gravity discharge method with a fixed tilt angle, which requires no additional driving power, has a simple structure, and ensures smooth discharge. The inner wall of the feed hopper is equipped with a silicone gasket, which can reduce the noise of cap collision, reduce the wear on the bottle cap surface, and ensure the appearance quality of the product. It comes with integrated support and lifting components, making equipment installation, fixing, and overall transportation convenient. It is adaptable to different workshop installation scenarios and has strong versatility.

[0016] It should be noted that the structures not described in this invention are not related to the design points and improvement directions of this invention, and are the same as or can be implemented using existing technologies, so they will not be elaborated here. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention from another angle; Figure 3 For the present invention Figure 1 Enlarged schematic diagram of the structure at point I.

[0018] Figure label: 1. Cover feeder; 2. Pad plate; 3. First support rod; 4. Second support rod; 5. Cover outlet; 6. Cover plate; 7. Feed hopper; 8. Stop bar; 9. Lifting plate; 10. Lifting rod; 11. Removal device. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more complete description of the invention will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of the invention. However, the invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure of the invention will be more thorough and complete.

[0020] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "page," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," and "counterclockwise," 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.

[0021] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0022] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installed," "connected," "linked," "fixed," "provided with," and "located in" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0023] See attached document Figure 1-3 An automatic cap feeder for honey capsules is disclosed. Its core structural components include a cap feeder 1, a pad 2, a first support rod 3, a second support rod 4, a cap outlet 5, a cap plate 6, a feed hopper 7, a stop bar 8, a lifting plate 9, a lifting rod 10, and a rejection device 11. All components are fastened using standard fasteners of corresponding specifications, including hexagonal head screws, hexagonal bolts, flat washers, spring washers, cap nuts, eye bolts, hinges, and handles. These standard connectors are conventional components and are not within the scope of this claim.

[0024] The lid feeder 1 is the main working unit of the equipment. It adopts a centrifugal rotating barrel structure. The barrel is equipped with a guide rail that spirals upward along the inner wall. The barrel is installed at an angle. A rotating drive turntable is installed inside the barrel. When it is running, it drives the honey combination lids inside to make centrifugal circular motion, so that the lids gradually rise along the spiral guide rail and are finally conveyed to the discharge port at the top of the barrel.

[0025] The feed hopper 7 is installed on the upper side of the cap feeder 1, with its bottom opening communicating with the interior of the cap feeder 1. It is used to feed honey caps to be sorted in batches into the equipment. A layer of silicone gasket is attached to the inner wall of the feed hopper 7 on-site, which can buffer the impact of the caps falling, greatly reduce the noise generated by the caps colliding, and at the same time prevent the cap surface from directly scratching the metal inner wall, reducing appearance wear.

[0026] The top of the lid feeder 1 is equipped with a cover plate 6. One side of the cover plate 6 is rotatably connected to the body of the lid feeder 1 via a hinge, and the other side is equipped with a handle. Workers can easily open and close the cover plate through the handle to clean, inspect and maintain the internal track of the equipment.

[0027] Inside the discharge port of the cap sorter 1, a horizontal stop bar 8 is installed, with the bar extending above the guide rail. When the honey cap is conveyed to this position along the guide rail in a reverse posture, the stop bar 8 will abut against the irregular protrusion of the honey cap and use the difference in the center of gravity of the cap to flip it and correct it to a positive posture. For reverse caps with special postures that cannot be corrected by the stop bar 8, they will continue to move forward along the rail to the rejection device 11 at the discharge port.

[0028] The rejection device 11 is installed at the outlet of the cap sorter 1. It adopts a rotary drive structure with flexible paddles and works in conjunction with the baffle 8 in the discharge direction to form a two-stage correction station of "first straightening, then rejection". When the reverse cap that has not been straightened reaches the rejection station, the rotating paddles will push it off the track and make it fall back into the cap sorter 1 to participate in the centrifugal sorting again, ensuring that only the caps in the correct orientation can enter the cap outlet channel 5.

[0029] The cap outlet channel 5 is installed on the outside of the discharge port of the cap feeder 1. The track section is adapted to the positive contour of the honey combination cap. The whole is inclined downward along the discharge direction at an angle of 20°. After the positive honey combination cap is sorted, it enters the cap outlet channel 5 from the discharge port and slides smoothly along the track by its own gravity. Finally, it is output to the downstream filling and capping station without the need for additional conveying power.

[0030] A pad 2 is fixedly installed at the bottom of the lid feeder 1. A first support rod 3 and a second support rod 4 are connected below the pad 2. The lower ends of the two support rods are equipped with mounting base plates, which are fixed to the workshop mounting base by bolts. Together they form the support components of the equipment, ensuring that the inclined posture of the lid feeder 1 and the lid outlet channel 5 is stable and there is no shaking during operation.

[0031] In addition, the outer side of the lid feeder 1 is equipped with a lifting assembly, including a lifting plate 9 and a lifting rod 10. Together with the lifting eye bolts on the top of the barrel, it can be used as a lifting force point for the overall lifting and transportation of the equipment, which facilitates the installation and relocation of the equipment in the workshop.

[0032] The specific working process of this cover is as follows: Feeding stage: The staff pours the batch of honey caps to be sorted into the feeding hopper 7. The honey caps slide down the inclined inner wall of the feeding hopper 7 and fall into the bottom of the inner cavity of the cap sorter 1 through the connecting opening at the bottom, completing the batch feeding. The silicone gasket on the inner wall of the feeding hopper 7 can buffer the impact of the caps falling, avoid damage to the caps, and reduce the noise of the feeding, which is suitable for the noise reduction requirements of the food production workshop.

[0033] Centrifugal incline conveying stage: The internal rotation drive structure of the cap feeder 1 is activated, driving the turntable at the bottom of the cavity to rotate at a constant speed. The honey combination caps inside the cavity move in a circular motion synchronously with the turntable. Under the continuous action of centrifugal force, the caps gradually move towards the inner wall of the barrel and gradually climb upward along the spiral guide track set on the inner wall. Since the honey combination caps are irregular structures with honey storage chambers, the caps are randomly distributed in posture during the initial stage of centrifugal conveying. Caps in forward, reverse, and side-flipped postures are mixed and conveyed upward along the track.

[0034] First-stage mechanical alignment: When the honey cap assembly on the spiral track is conveyed to the position of the baffle 8 inside the outlet, the baffle 8 spans across the track, and its installation height is precisely matched with the height of the top surface of the positive honey cap. That is, the overall outline height of the positive honey cap is consistent, and it can pass smoothly under the baffle 8 and continue to be conveyed forward along the track. However, for honey caps in the reverse posture, the protruding part of the honey storage cavity faces the outside of the track, and the overall protrusion height exceeds the passage height of the baffle 8. During the movement, the protruding part will be rigidly blocked by the baffle 8. Under the combined action of continuous conveying thrust and its own center of gravity shift, the cap will flip over and be corrected from the reverse posture to the positive posture, and then continue to move forward along the track. Some caps in the side-flipped posture will also be intercepted and corrected by the baffle 8 and adjusted to a flat positive conveying posture.

[0035] Secondary replacement and rejection stage: After being corrected by the stop bar 8, there are still a small number of reversed covers with special postures that cannot be corrected by mechanical adjustment. These will continue to be conveyed along the spiral track to the rejection device 11 station at the discharge port. The rotating blade of the rejection device 11 runs continuously at the set speed. The height of the lower edge of the blade matches the passage space of the positive cover. The positive cover can pass normally under the blade. However, the reversed cover with excessive height will be hit by the rotating blade and pushed off the spiral track. It will fall back to the bottom of the cavity of the cover sorter 1 and participate in the centrifugal conveying and sorting process again. Through cyclic screening, it is ensured that all the covers entering the cover outlet 5 are in a positive posture.

[0036] Gravity discharge stage: After two-stage correction, the upright honey combination cap smoothly enters the cap discharge channel 5 from the discharge port of the cap feeder 1; the cap discharge channel 5 is inclined downward at 20° along the discharge direction, and the track groove is precisely matched with the contour of the honey combination cap. Under its own gravity, the cap slides down the track at a uniform speed. During the slide, the side wall of the track limits the cap to prevent it from tipping over again and always maintains a stable upright posture. Finally, it is output from the end of the cap discharge channel 5 and connected to the downstream filling and capping production line to achieve continuous and uninterrupted cap feeding.

[0037] The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of certain implementations of the present invention, and are described in a relatively specific and detailed manner. However, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are all within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An automatic cap feeder for honey combination caps, characterized in that: The device includes a cap sorter (1), a feed hopper (7), a cap outlet channel (5), a baffle (8), a rejection device (11), and a support assembly. The feed hopper (7) is connected to the upper part of the cap sorter (1) and is used to feed honey combination caps to be sorted into the cap sorter (1). The baffle (8) is located inside the outlet of the cap sorter (1) and is used to mechanically straighten honey combination caps that are being conveyed in the opposite direction. The rejection device (11) is located at the outlet of the cap sorter (1) and is used to reject reverse caps that have not been straightened and allow them to fall back into the cap sorter (1). The cap outlet channel (5) is connected to the outside of the outlet of the cap sorter (1) and is used to output the sorted honey combination caps in the correct direction. The support assembly is connected to the bottom of the cap sorter (1) and is used to support and fix the entire device.

2. The automatic cap feeder for honey combination caps according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lid feeder (1) is a centrifugal rotating barrel with a spirally rising guide track on the inner wall of the barrel, and the barrel is arranged at an angle.

3. The automatic cap feeder for honey combination caps according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outlet channel (5) is inclined downward along the discharge direction at an angle of 20°. The honey combination cap slides out along the outlet channel (5) by its own weight.

4. The automatic cap feeder for honey combination caps according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rejection device (11) is a rotary rejection mechanism with a paddle, which is arranged in front and behind the baffle (8) along the discharge direction to form a two-stage station for overturning correction and rejection.

5. The automatic cap feeder for honey combination caps according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner wall of the feed hopper (7) is fitted with a silicone pad to buffer the impact of the cap falling, reduce collision noise and reduce wear on the cap surface.

6. The automatic cap feeder for honey combination caps according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top of the lid sorter (1) is provided with a cover plate (6), which is rotatably connected to the barrel body of the lid sorter (1) and can be opened and closed to realize internal inspection and cleaning.

7. The automatic cap feeder for honey combination caps according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support assembly includes a pad (2), a first support rod (3), and a second support rod (4); the pad (2) is fixed to the bottom of the cover feeder (1), and the upper ends of the first support rod (3) and the second support rod (4) are connected to the pad (2), while the lower ends are used to fix to the mounting base.

8. The automatic cap feeder for honey combination caps according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer side of the lid feeder (1) is provided with a lifting assembly, which includes a lifting plate (9) and a lifting rod (10) for hoisting and transporting the entire equipment.

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