A vertical conveying and packing method for full-size cigarette cartons

Abstract

The application discloses a full-size cigarette vertical transmission and packaging method, which adopts the same sorting conveying line to convey the cigarettes with less sorting quantity to one inlet of a packaging machine, and a cigarette direction adjusting mechanism is arranged in front of the sorting conveying line to change the conveying direction of the cigarettes from horizontal conveying to vertical conveying; when the cigarettes conveyed by the sorting conveying line are combined with the cigarettes conveyed by other sorting conveying lines for single packaging, the cigarettes are vertically stacked above the horizontally stacked cigarettes. The vertical conveying of the cigarettes can solve the problems that the conveying posture of the cigarettes is changed due to mutual extrusion of the cigarettes with different sizes during the conveying process, or the conveying sequence of the cigarettes is changed to cause the brand confusion of the cigarettes in the order, and the medium cigarettes are vertically conveyed, so that the size of the cigarette packets combined with other cigarettes is relatively uniform, the automatic equipment can be used for the packet coding of the cigarette packets in the later packaging process, and the coded cigarette packets are not prone to falling.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a vertical conveying and packaging method for all types of cigarette cartons, belonging to the field of logistics sorting and packaging technology for cigarette cartons. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional dual-inlet cigarette packaging systems can be divided into two types. One type accommodates counting, stacking, and packaging of all cigarette brands at both inlets. However, this type of equipment cannot automatically stack irregularly shaped cigarettes when orders are large. Therefore, when an order contains a large number of irregularly shaped cigarettes, it must be split into multiple packs. Since the packaging efficiency at the sealing and wrapping point is relatively fixed per unit time, the overall system packaging efficiency decreases when orders are split. Therefore, this type of dual-inlet cigarette packaging system is only suitable for order sorting with fewer irregularly shaped cigarettes. It becomes less suitable when the proportion of irregularly shaped cigarettes increases, exhibiting low flexibility. The other type of dual-inlet cigarette packaging system uses one inlet for automatic counting and stacking of standard, fine, medium, short, and similar standard cigarettes, while the other inlet is used for automatic counting and stacking of irregularly shaped cigarettes or other cigarettes with smaller sorting quantities. It can also combine the stacked cigarettes from the other inlet into a single pack. However, this type of dual-inlet cigarette packaging system also has certain problems:

[0003] First, after being sorted by the sorting machine onto the sorting conveyor line, the cigarette cartons are then transported to various entrances. Once on the sorting conveyor line, the cigarette cartons are transported laterally (i.e., the length of the cigarette cartons is aligned with the width of the conveyor line). However, there are many types of cigarette cartons, and their lengths vary greatly. Standard and slim cigarettes are no more than 290mm long, while medium cigarettes can reach 350mm. The shortest irregular-shaped cigarettes are only 90mm long. When irregular-shaped cigarettes and other types of cigarette cartons are transported laterally on the same sorting conveyor line, the significant length difference between the irregular-shaped and other specifications can easily cause changes in the transport posture of the other specifications of cigarette cartons due to the starting and stopping of the conveyor belt and the mutual compression between the cigarettes. This can also cause changes in the transport sequence of the cigarette cartons, resulting in brand confusion in the order. In response to this situation, a manual sorting station needs to be set up at the end of the sorting and conveying line, where patrol personnel sort the cigarette packs. This not only increases the labor intensity of the patrol personnel, but also seriously affects the packaging efficiency of the packaging equipment.

[0004] Furthermore, after the cigarette cartons are transported horizontally to each entrance, they are stacked into piles according to customer order requirements. The piles are stacked from bottom to top, containing standard cigarettes, slim cigarettes, and long / medium cigarettes. For example, a 350mm long / medium cigarette stacked on top of a 290mm long standard cigarette will have its end protruding 60mm beyond the standard cigarette, a significant excess. Because the packaged cigarette packs vary in size, they cannot be uniformly and vertically placed into the stacking carts using automated equipment; manual stacking is necessary, increasing labor intensity and severely limiting production efficiency. Moreover, the significant length difference between long / medium cigarettes and standard cigarettes causes the upper packs to tip over when placed on top of lower packs, easily damaging the cigarette cartons under pressure from other packs. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a vertical conveying and packaging method for all types of cigarette cartons. Cartons with small sorting volumes are transported using a single sorting conveyor line. During the conveying process, a reversing structure changes the horizontal transport of the cigarette cartons to vertical transport. This effectively solves the problem of brand confusion in orders caused by the varying sizes of cigarettes when they are transported together with other types into the packaging machine. Furthermore, by vertically conveying, counting, and stacking medium-sized cigarettes, the resulting bundles are more uniform in size with standard, thin, short, and similar standard cigarettes. This allows for automated packing in subsequent packaging stages, reducing labor intensity and increasing production efficiency. Additionally, the bundles are less prone to tipping over, preventing damage from compression.

[0006] The technical solution of the present invention is a method for vertical conveying and packaging of cigarette cartons of all specifications. A small number of cartons of cigarettes are conveyed to one of the inlets of the packaging machine using the same sorting conveyor line. A cigarette carton orientation mechanism is set in front of the sorting conveyor line to change the conveying direction of the cigarette cartons from horizontal to vertical. When the cigarette cartons conveyed by the sorting conveyor line are combined with cigarette cartons conveyed by other sorting conveyor lines for packaging, they are vertically stacked on top of the horizontally stacked cigarette cartons.

[0007] In the aforementioned method for vertical transport and packaging of all types of cigarettes, the cigarettes with a smaller sorting quantity include irregularly shaped cigarettes, medium-sized cigarettes, and other types of cigarettes with a smaller sorting quantity.

[0008] In the aforementioned method for vertical transport and packaging of all types of cigarette cartons, each carton of cigarettes is assigned a unique QR code by a QR code device during its transport on the sorting conveyor line. The QR code is linked to customer information and cigarette brand information. After the carton of cigarettes is separated into different order counts by a negative pressure verification mechanism at the end of the sorting conveyor line, it still needs to undergo secondary verification through QR code recognition or visual recognition. The verification includes scanning the QR code to identify whether the carton of cigarettes belongs to the order or visually recognizing whether the brand of cigarettes corresponding to the order is correct.

[0009] In the aforementioned method for vertical transport and packaging of all types of cigarette cartons, after the cigarette cartons are coded by a QR code device, they are transported along one side of the sorting and conveying line via a cigarette carton side-mounting mechanism.

[0010] In the aforementioned method for vertical transport and packaging of all types of cigarette cartons, after the cigarette cartons pass through the side-mounting mechanism and before the negative pressure verification mechanism separates the order count according to the order, the cigarette cartons are transported in a dense buffering manner on the sorting conveyor line—that is, the cigarette cartons are transported in close proximity without being separated by order. Before passing through the side-mounting mechanism, the cigarette cartons are transported in an intermittent manner.

[0011] In the aforementioned method for vertical transport and packaging of all types of cigarettes, when vertically transported cigarettes are stacked together with cigarettes transported laterally on other sorting and conveying lines, each layer of vertically stacked medium-sized cigarettes can have a maximum of 3 packs stacked.

[0012] In the aforementioned vertical conveying and packaging method for all types of cigarette cartons, the sorting conveyor line sequence for cartons with a small sorting quantity includes a cigarette carton orientation mechanism, a cigarette carton conveyor belt, a QR code device, a cigarette carton side-positioning mechanism, a flexible cigarette guide device, a negative pressure counting mechanism, a cigarette carton inlet conveyor belt, a cigarette carton circulating side-push mechanism, a cigarette carton circulating side-push stacking mechanism, and a cigarette carton stacking and order merging mechanism. Densely buffered cartons of cigarettes are separated according to order information by the negative pressure counting mechanism. The separated cartons then enter the cigarette carton inlet conveyor belt and are further processed by the cigarette carton... The cigarette circulation side-push mechanism pushes the cigarette packs into the cigarette pack circulation side-push stacking mechanism. When the number of cigarette packs stored in the cigarette pack circulation side-push stacking mechanism reaches the number of layers corresponding to the cigarette pack, the cigarette packs on the cigarette pack circulation side-push stacking mechanism are pushed into the cigarette pack stacking and order-combining mechanism. The cigarette pack stacking and order-combining mechanism can be raised and lowered to stack the cigarette packs into one or more layers. After stacking, the cigarette packs are pushed sideways into the cigarette pack conveyor chain conveyor to combine with other cigarette packs that have been horizontally stacked. Finally, the cigarette packs are sent to the wrapping and sealing mechanism for wrapping and packaging.

[0013] In the aforementioned method for vertical conveying and packaging of all types of cigarette cartons, two cigarette carton circulation side-pushing and stacking mechanisms are provided on both sides of the cigarette carton inlet conveyor belt. The two cigarette carton circulation side-pushing and stacking mechanisms share one cigarette carton circulation side-pushing mechanism. Each cigarette carton circulation side-pushing and stacking mechanism has a cigarette carton stacking and order-combining mechanism at its outlet end. When one of the cigarette carton circulation side-pushing and stacking mechanisms is storing cigarette cartons, the cigarette carton circulation side-pushing mechanism can reverse the side-pushing mechanism to push the cigarette cartons of the next order into the other cigarette carton circulation side-pushing and stacking mechanism.

[0014] In the aforementioned method for vertical conveying and packaging of all types of cigarette packs, the cigarette pack orientation mechanism and the cigarette pack side-mounting mechanism are inclined roller conveyors.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: Compared with the prior art, the above-described technical solution of the present invention can achieve the following advantages:

[0016] 1) Divide the packaging machine into two or more cigarette inlets. The selection can be optimized according to the size of the cigarettes, the sorting volume, and the order. The direction of the cigarettes to the inlet can be determined. Irregularly shaped cigarettes with large differences in length and size, and medium-sized cigarettes with small sorting volumes, can be transported by one of the sorting conveyor lines. During the conveying process, the horizontal conveying of cigarettes can be changed to vertical conveying through the reversing structure. This can avoid the phenomenon of the cigarettes changing their conveying posture or the conveying order changing due to the start and stop of the cigarette conveyor belt and the mutual compression between cigarettes during the transmission process. This can also improve the stability of the equipment to a certain extent. After the equipment is stable, the labor intensity of the equipment inspection personnel can be greatly reduced.

[0017] 2) By making the cigarette packs more uniform in size after vertical transport, counting, and palletizing of medium-sized cigarettes and combining them with standard, thin, short, and similar standard cigarettes, the cigarette pack damage rate caused by the squeezing of cigarette packs during the stacking and delivery process due to inconsistent cigarette pack sizes can be reduced by about 10-15%.

[0018] 3) By vertically transporting, counting, and stacking medium-sized cigarettes, and then combining them with standard, thin, short, and similar standard cigarettes, the size of the cigarette packs is more uniform. This allows for automated packaging equipment to be used for packing cigarette packs in the later stages, reducing the labor intensity of personnel and increasing production efficiency by about 10-15%.

[0019] In summary, this invention features a dedicated stacking and packaging entrance on a traditional dual (multi)-entry packaging machine. This entrance enables vertical transport of all types of cigarette cartons and allows for combined packaging with cartons from other stations. Particularly beneficial for the packaging of cigarette cartons in the full-range sorting line, this separate vertical transport, counting, and stacking entrance effectively addresses the issue of inconsistent cigarette sizes causing transport variations due to conveyor belt starts and stops and mutual compression. This can disrupt the transport order and lead to brand confusion in orders. Furthermore, this invention significantly improves packaging efficiency. The resulting uniformity in the size of cigarette packs after vertical transport, counting, and stacking, combined with standard, thin, short, and similar cigarette packs, allows for automated packing in subsequent stages, reducing labor intensity and increasing production efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of dense buffering for vertical transmission of cigarette packs;

[0021] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of dense buffering for horizontal transmission of cigarette packs;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cigarette pack for adjusting the direction of the middle-length cigarette pack;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a non-directional cigarette pack for medium-length cigarettes;

[0024] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure after a pack of medium-length cigarettes is placed into a stacking car;

[0025] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure after a non-directional cigarette pack is placed into a stacking car;

[0026] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the system structure for implementing the method of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 8 Another schematic diagram of the system structure for implementing the method of the present invention.

[0028] Reference numerals: 1-Cigarette pack orientation mechanism, 2-Cigarette pack conveyor belt, 3-QR code device, 4-Cigarette pack side-mounting mechanism, 5-Cigarette pack turning conveyor belt, 6-Flexible cigarette guide device, 7-Negative pressure high-speed counting mechanism, 8-Flipping cigarette stacking mechanism, 9-Negative pressure counting mechanism, 10-Cigarette pack inlet conveyor belt, 11-Cigarette pack circulation side-pushing mechanism, 12-Cigarette pack circulation side-pushing stacking mechanism, 13-Cigarette pack stacking and order merging mechanism, 14-Cigarette pack conveyor chain conveyor, 15-Wrapping and sealing mechanism, 16-Cigarette pack heat shrinking machine. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, but this should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0030] An embodiment of the present invention: a method for vertical transport and packaging of all grades of cigarette packs. Figure 1 and 3 As shown, smaller quantities of cigarette cartons are transported to one of the packaging machine's inlets using the same sorting conveyor line. A cigarette carton orientation mechanism 1 is installed in front of this conveyor line to change the conveying direction from horizontal to vertical. If the cigarette cartons transported by this conveyor line need to be combined with cartons from other conveyor lines into a single package, the cartons stacked on this conveyor line are vertically stacked on top of the horizontally stacked cartons. Alternatively, the cartons stacked on this conveyor line can be grouped into individual packages according to order allocation. Other sorting conveyor lines refer to the main sorting conveyor line, which can sort and transport standard, fine, short, and similar standard cigarettes.

[0031] The cigarette cartons with smaller sorting quantities include non-standard cigarettes, medium-length cigarettes, and other cigarette brands with smaller sorting quantities. For example, if a brand of standard cigarettes has a smaller sorting quantity, it can be transported along the same sorting conveyor line as non-standard and medium-length cigarettes. These cigarette cartons with smaller sorting quantities are not sorted and transported using the main sorting conveyor line, which avoids these cigarette cartons occupying the cigarette bins of the main sorting machine.

[0032] During the sorting and conveying process, each carton of cigarettes is coded with a unique QR code by a QR code device. This QR code is linked to customer information and the cigarette brand information. At the end of the sorting and conveying line, after the cigarettes are separated into cartons by a negative pressure verification mechanism based on the order quantity, a secondary verification is performed using QR code recognition or visual recognition. This verification includes scanning the QR code to confirm whether the carton belongs to the order or visually verifying the correct brand for the order. The negative pressure verification mechanism only verifies the quantity of the order, not the customer information or cigarette brand. By adding a QR code recognition device or visual recognition device, the customer information or cigarette brand information for each order can be identified, achieving secondary verification and better preventing packaging errors.

[0033] After being coded by the QR code device, the cigarette cartons are conveyed along one side of the sorting conveyor line via a cigarette carton edge-aligning mechanism. The cigarette cartons need to be centered during QR code coding. Since the width of different cigarette cartons varies, to facilitate subsequent counting by the negative pressure counting mechanism 9, it is best to convey the cigarette cartons along one side of the negative pressure counting mechanism 9. Therefore, a cigarette carton edge-aligning mechanism is also provided to ensure that the cigarette cartons are conveyed along one side of the sorting conveyor line.

[0034] After passing through the cigarette pack-side-mechanism 4 and before being separated into cartons based on order count by the negative pressure verification mechanism 9, the cigarette packs are transported on the sorting conveyor line using a dense buffering method—that is, cigarette packs are transported side-by-side regardless of order. Before passing through the cigarette pack-side-mechanism 4, the cigarette packs are transported intermittently. Traditional conveyor methods consist of multiple conveyor belts spliced ​​together, with stops between each belt section. Each belt section buffers one carton of cigarettes for one order. After one order's carton of cigarettes is transported forward, the next order's carton of cigarettes enters from the previous conveyor belt section for buffering. The biggest drawback of this method is that even when an order contains only one carton of cigarettes, it still requires one conveyor belt section, resulting in low belt utilization and reduced sorting efficiency. Therefore, the dense buffering method is used for cigarette transport, where cigarette packs are transported side-by-side regardless of order, improving belt utilization. Without changing the conveyor belt length, more cigarette packs can be buffered, thus improving sorting efficiency. Before passing through the cigarette pack side-mounting mechanism 4, the cigarette packs are conveyed in an intermittent manner. First, when passing through the cigarette pack adjusting mechanism 1, the gap between the cigarette packs is maintained to avoid the cigarette packs squeezing each other and changing their posture. Second, when passing through the QR code device 3, the gap is maintained to avoid identifying multiple cigarette packs that are being conveyed close together as a single cigarette pack.

[0035] When vertically conveyed cigarette packs are combined with horizontally conveyed cigarette packs from other sorting lines for stacking, each layer of vertically stacked medium-sized cigarettes can contain a maximum of 3 packs. For example... Figure 3As shown, when stacking cigarette packs, standard cigarettes should be stacked at the bottom first, followed by slim cigarettes, and medium-sized cigarettes should be stacked on top of the slim cigarettes. A maximum of 5 packs of standard cigarettes should be stacked per layer, and to ensure the stability of the stack, a maximum of 4 packs of slim cigarettes should be stacked per layer. Each standard pack of cigarettes is 90mm wide, and five packs together are 450mm wide. Each standard pack is 290mm long. Therefore, five standard packs of cigarettes will be stacked to form a 290mm×450mm square. Taking the longest medium-length cigarette as an example, its length is 350mm and its width is 100mm. After repositioning, the 450mm length of the standard pack can fully support the 350mm length of the medium-length cigarette. When the 290mm width of the standard pack supports three medium-length cigarettes with a width of 100mm side by side, the total width of the three medium-length cigarettes is 300mm, which is only 10mm more than 290mm. The excess height is relatively small, and the size of the cigarette packs after being combined is relatively uniform. This allows for the use of automated equipment to stack the cigarette packs in the subsequent packaging. Moreover, the cigarette packs with this structure have good stability after being placed in the stacking cage, and the cigarette packs are not easy to tip over, avoiding the cigarette packs from being squeezed together and damaging the packs.

[0036] The sorting and conveying sequence for cigarettes with a small number of cartons includes: 1. cigarette orientation mechanism; 2. cigarette conveyor belt; 3. QR code device; 4. cigarette side-mounting mechanism; 6. flexible cigarette guide device; 9. negative pressure counting mechanism; 10. cigarette inlet belt; 11. cigarette circulation side-push mechanism; 12. cigarette circulation side-push stacking mechanism; and 13. cigarette stacking and order combining mechanism. The densely packed cigarette packs are separated according to order information by the negative pressure counting mechanism 9. The separated cigarette packs enter the cigarette pack inlet conveyor belt 10 and are pushed into the cigarette pack circulation side push stacking mechanism 12 by the cigarette pack circulation side push stacking mechanism 11. When the number of cigarette packs stored in the cigarette pack circulation side push stacking mechanism 12 reaches the number of layers corresponding to the cigarette pack, the cigarette packs on the cigarette pack circulation side push stacking mechanism 12 are pushed into the cigarette pack stacking and order combining mechanism 13. The cigarette pack stacking and order combining mechanism 13 can be raised and lowered to stack the cigarette packs into one or more layers. Then, it is pushed laterally into the cigarette pack conveyor chain plate machine 14 to combine with other horizontally stacked cigarette packs. Finally, it is sent to the wrapping and sealing mechanism 15 for wrapping and packaging.

[0037] When densely packed packs of cigarettes pass through the negative pressure counting mechanism 9, they are separated according to order information. That is, when the packs of cigarettes pass through the negative pressure counting mechanism 9, there is a speed difference between the conveyor belts before and after the negative pressure counting mechanism 9. The inlet section is low speed and the outlet section is high speed. This speed difference creates a gap between the packs of cigarettes sent out from the outlet. This gap facilitates the packs of cigarettes to be pushed one by one into the packs of cigarettes to ... When the cigarette packs enter the cigarette inlet conveyor belt 10 from the negative pressure counting mechanism 9, a baffle is installed in front of the cigarette inlet conveyor belt 10 to block the cigarette packs and prevent them from rushing out of the conveyor belt 10. At the same time, the cigarette pack circulation side-pushing mechanism 11 above the cigarette inlet conveyor belt 10 moves to push the cigarette packs laterally into the cigarette pack circulation side-pushing stacking mechanism 12. The cigarette pack circulation side-pushing stacking mechanism 12 is also equipped with a baffle on the outer side of the cigarette pack circulation side-pushing mechanism 11 to block the side-pushing cigarette packs. At the same time, a pusher plate is also installed directly behind the cigarette pack circulation side-pushing stacking mechanism 12. After all the cigarette packs of a certain layer of an order have been pushed into the cigarette pack circulation side-pushing stacking mechanism 12, Figure 3 As shown in the example, after all three long medium-length cigarettes are pushed sideways into the cigarette circulation side-pushing mechanism 12, the pushing plate on it pushes these three long medium-length cigarettes into the cigarette stacking and order-combining mechanism 13. Then, the cigarette stacking and order-combining mechanism 13 lowers a certain height to receive the other three long medium-length cigarettes of the next layer. After two layers of long medium-length cigarettes are stacked on it, the cigarette stacking and order-combining mechanism 13 is raised and lowered again so that the pushing plate on it can push the two layers of long medium-length cigarettes from the side into the entrance of the cigarette stack conveyor chain machine 14, and combine them with the cigarette stacks already stacked on the main line sorting conveyor.

[0038] The cigarette inlet conveyor belt 10 is equipped with two cigarette circulation side-pushing and stacking mechanisms 12 on both sides. The two cigarette circulation side-pushing and stacking mechanisms 12 share one cigarette circulation side-pushing mechanism 11. Each cigarette circulation side-pushing and stacking mechanism 12 is equipped with a cigarette stacking and order-combining mechanism 13 at its outlet end. When one of the cigarette circulation side-pushing and stacking mechanisms 12 is filled with cigarettes, the cigarette circulation side-pushing mechanism 11 can push in the opposite direction to push the cigarettes of the next order into the other cigarette circulation side-pushing and stacking mechanism 12. By setting up two cigarette circulation side-pushing and stacking mechanisms 12 and two cigarette stacking and order-combining mechanisms 13, the order-combining efficiency of cigarettes can be improved.

[0039] The cigarette pack orientation mechanism and the cigarette pack side-mounting mechanism are inclined roller conveyors.

[0040] like Figure 7 As shown, the sorting conveyor line corresponding to the method of the present invention is generally matched with the main sorting conveyor line to form a full-specification cigarette sorting, conveying and packaging system. The whole system consists of the sorting conveyor line of the present invention, the main sorting conveyor line, the cigarette stack conveyor chain plate machine 14, the wrapping and sealing mechanism 15, and the cigarette pack heat shrink machine 16. The end outlets of the sorting conveyor line and the main sorting conveyor line of the present invention are both located on the side of the cigarette stack conveyor chain plate machine 14. The outlet of the main sorting conveyor line is located in front of the outlet of the sorting conveyor line of the present invention on the cigarette stack conveyor chain plate machine 14, so that the cigarettes sorted and stacked by the method of the present invention can be stacked on it. The tail side of the cigarette stack conveyor chain plate machine 14 is set to correspond to the inlet end of the wrapping and sealing mechanism 15. After the stacked cigarette packs are conveyed to the inlet aligned with the wrapping and sealing mechanism 15, they are pushed into the wrapping and sealing mechanism 15 by the cigarette pushing mechanism of the wrapping and sealing mechanism 15 for wrapping and sealing.

[0041] The main sorting and conveyor line generally includes, in sequence, a cigarette pack conveyor belt 2, a QR code device 3, a cigarette pack turning belt 5, a negative pressure high-speed counting mechanism 7, and a flip-plate stacking mechanism 8. The outlet end of the flip-plate stacking mechanism 8 is located on the side of the cigarette stack conveyor chain 14. The flip-plate stacking mechanism 8 is used to stack the cigarette packs corresponding to the orders on the main sorting and conveyor line and push the stacked cigarette packs into the cigarette stack conveyor chain 14. The structure of the main sorting and conveyor line is a conventional structure, and its specific structure will not be described in detail here.

[0042] The sorting and conveying line corresponding to the method of the present invention includes, in sequence, a cigarette pack orientation mechanism 1, a cigarette pack conveyor belt 2, a QR code device 3, a cigarette pack side-mounting mechanism 4, a flexible cigarette guide device 6, a negative pressure counting mechanism 9, a cigarette pack inlet conveyor belt 10, a cigarette pack circulation side-pushing mechanism 11, a cigarette pack circulation side-pushing stacking mechanism 12, and a cigarette pack stacking and order-combining mechanism 13. The cigarette pack inlet conveyor belt 10 is located at the tail of the negative pressure counting mechanism 9. The cigarette pack circulation side-pushing mechanism 11 is located on the side above the cigarette pack inlet conveyor belt 10. The cigarette pack circulation side-pushing stacking mechanism 12 is located on the side of the cigarette pack inlet conveyor belt 10. The cigarette pack stacking and order-combining mechanism 13 is located close to the outlet end of the cigarette pack circulation side-pushing stacking mechanism 12. The cigarette pack stacking and order-combining mechanism 13 is located on the side of the cigarette stack conveyor chain plate machine 14.

[0043] like Figure 8As shown, the negative pressure counting mechanism 9 is located directly above the cigarette stack conveyor chain plate machine 14. Two cigarette pack circulation side-pushing stacking mechanisms 12 are set on both sides of the cigarette pack inlet conveyor belt 10. The two cigarette pack circulation side-pushing stacking mechanisms 12 share one cigarette pack circulation side-pushing mechanism 11. Each cigarette pack circulation side-pushing stacking mechanism 12 has a cigarette pack stacking and order-combining mechanism 13 at its outlet end. The rear end of the main line sorting conveyor is divided into two packaging lines. The front conveyor line transports cigarette packs to the two packaging lines respectively through a cigarette pack swing arm conveyor. The two packaging lines include a cigarette pack turning conveyor belt 5, a negative pressure high-speed counting mechanism 7, and a flip-plate stacking mechanism 8. The flip-plate stacking mechanisms 8 at the ends of the two packaging lines are respectively set on both sides of the cigarette stack conveyor chain plate machine 14 and are staggered. The two packaging lines can further improve the sorting efficiency of the main line cigarettes.

[0044] This invention features a dedicated stacking and palletizing station on traditional dual-inlet or multi-inlet packaging and order-combining devices to handle smaller quantities of cigarette cartons. Addressing the issue that traditional horizontal (width-direction) transport of cigarette cartons, especially irregularly shaped cartons, can lead to misalignment of the cigarette packs during dense compression transport due to significant differences in length, resulting in incorrect packaging. Based on an analysis of orders and irregularly shaped cigarette carton dimensions from various logistics centers across China, this invention specifically employs a vertical (longitudinal) transport method for irregularly shaped cartons, medium-length cigarettes, and other smaller quantities of cigarettes. This is achieved through a dedicated counting mechanism and a dedicated stacking and palletizing machine. This packaging method enables counting and palletizing of cigarettes, and also allows for combined packaging with other stations. Especially for cigarette packs in a full-range sorting line, a separate conveyor, counting, and palletizing port for smaller quantities of cigarettes is provided. This effectively solves the problem of brand confusion in orders when special-shaped cigarettes are transported together with standard, slim, medium, short, and similar-sized cigarettes. It also allows for repositioning and counting of medium-sized cigarettes, and stacking them, ensuring consistent pack sizes when combined with standard, slim, short, and similar-sized cigarettes, facilitating automatic packing in subsequent stations. Furthermore, this method reduces the need for manual intervention when packaging irregularly shaped cigarettes, a significant improvement over traditional cigarette packaging machines. In the system corresponding to this method, the negative pressure high-speed counting mechanism 7 can realize dense buffering and counting of standard, fine, short, and similar brand cigarettes, while the flip-plate stacking mechanism 8 can realize the verification counting and stacking of standard, fine, short, and similar brand cigarettes. The negative pressure counting mechanism 9, the cigarette inlet belt conveyor 10, the cigarette circulation side push mechanism 11, the cigarette circulation side push stacking mechanism 12, the cigarette stacking and order merging mechanism 13, the cigarette stack conveyor chain plate machine 14, the wrapping and sealing mechanism 15, and the cigarette pack heat shrink machine 16 can realize the automated packaging of all specifications of cigarettes. The system equipment covers dual-inlet and multi-inlet modes (configuration can be determined according to the process equipment).

[0045] The packaging system corresponding to the method of this invention consists of a dual or triple inlet, a cigarette conveyor belt 2, a QR code device 3, a cigarette turning belt 5, a negative pressure high-speed counting mechanism 7, and a flip-plate stacking mechanism 8 forming a single inlet. It is compatible with standard, thin, short, and similar standard cigarettes. Ordered cigarette cartons are conveyed via the cigarette conveyor belt 2, QR code device 3, and cigarette turning belt 5 into the negative pressure high-speed counting mechanism 7. Through negative pressure adsorption, the cigarette cartons can be stored without gaps, greatly improving the throughput. After precise counting by its secondary differential speed synchronous belt mechanism, the cigarette cartons enter the flip-plate stacking mechanism 8. The two pairs of counting switches in the negative pressure high-speed counting mechanism 7 perform secondary verification of the quantity of cigarette cartons, ensuring the accuracy of the quantity for each order. The flip-plate stacking mechanism 8 stacks the cigarette cartons and pushes them into the cigarette stack conveyor chain plate machine 14, depending on the order requirements. Is it possible to combine another port (which can realize automatic counting and stacking of all types of cigarette cartons) with the cigarette carton orientation mechanism 1, cigarette carton conveyor belt 2, QR code device 3, cigarette carton side-positioning mechanism 4, flexible cigarette guide device 6, negative pressure counting mechanism 9, cigarette carton inlet conveyor belt 10, cigarette carton circulation side-push mechanism 11, cigarette carton circulation side-push stacking mechanism 12, and cigarette carton stacking and order combining mechanism 13? However, in this system, this port is generally only used for automatic counting and stacking of medium-sized cigarettes, special-shaped cigarettes, and other cigarettes with very small order quantities. The cigarette cartons of the above two or three ports can be independently packaged and pushed into the cigarette stack conveyor chain plate machine 14, or they can be packaged together and then transported to the wrapping and sealing mechanism 15 through the cigarette stack conveyor chain plate machine 14 for wrapping and then enter the cigarette pack heat shrink machine 16 to complete the heat shrinking and shaping of the cigarette pack, thus completing the packaging process of the cigarette cartons of the order. After that, labeling and loading into the stacking cage carton are carried out to complete the logistics and distribution.

[0046] The method of this invention can, to a certain extent, solve the problem of brand confusion in cigarette packs when special-shaped cigarettes are transported together with standard, thin, medium, short, and similar standard cigarettes into the packaging machine. This is because the cigarettes vary in size, and the transport posture of the cigarette packs changes due to the start and stop of the conveyor belt and the mutual squeezing between the cigarettes during the transport process. Furthermore, it solves the problem that the traditional method of horizontal transport of medium-sized cigarettes results in inconsistent cigarette pack sizes after packaging, making it inconvenient for subsequent packaging equipment to automate the packing process.

[0047] Therefore, this new full-range cigarette sorting model can well meet the urgent needs of users and has broad market prospects.

Claims

1. A method for vertical conveying and packaging of all types of cigarette cartons, characterized in that: A small number of cartons of cigarettes are transported to one of the entrances of the packaging machine using the same sorting conveyor line. A cigarettes reorientation mechanism is set in front of the sorting conveyor line to change the conveying direction of the cigarettes from horizontal to vertical. When the cigarettes transported by this sorting conveyor line are combined with the cigarettes transported by other sorting conveyor lines for packaging, they are stacked vertically on top of the horizontally stacked cigarettes.

2. The method for vertical conveying and packaging of all types of cigarette packs according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cigarette cartons with smaller sorting quantities include irregularly shaped cigarettes, medium-sized cigarettes, and other cigarette brands with smaller sorting quantities.

3. The method for vertical conveying and packaging of all types of cigarette packs according to claim 1, characterized in that: During the sorting and conveying process, each carton of cigarettes is assigned a unique QR code by a QR code device. The QR code is linked to customer information and the brand information of the cigarettes. At the end of the sorting and conveying line, after the cigarettes are separated into different order numbers by a negative pressure verification mechanism, a secondary verification is required through QR code recognition or visual recognition. The verification includes scanning the QR code to identify whether the carton of cigarettes belongs to the order or visually recognizing whether the brand of cigarettes corresponding to the order is correct.

4. The method for vertical conveying and packaging of all types of cigarette packs according to claim 3, characterized in that: After being coded by a QR code device, the cigarette packs are transported along one side of the sorting and conveying line via a cigarette pack side-mounting mechanism.

5. The method for vertical conveying and packaging of all types of cigarette packs according to claim 4, characterized in that: After the cigarette packs pass through the side-mounted mechanism and before the negative pressure verification mechanism separates them according to the order count, they are transported on the sorting conveyor line using a dense buffer method—that is, cigarette packs are transported side by side without being separated by order. Before passing through the side-mounted mechanism, cigarette packs are transported intermittently.

6. The method for vertical conveying and packaging of all types of cigarette packs according to claim 1, characterized in that: When vertically conveyed cigarette packs are stacked together with cigarette packs horizontally conveyed by other sorting and conveying lines, a maximum of 3 cigarette packs can be stacked per layer in the vertical stack.

7. The method for vertical conveying and packaging of all types of cigarette packs according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sorting and conveying line for smaller quantities of cigarette packs includes a cigarette pack orientation mechanism, a cigarette pack conveyor belt, a QR code device, a cigarette pack side-mounting mechanism, a flexible cigarette guide device, a negative pressure counting mechanism, a cigarette pack inlet conveyor belt, a cigarette pack circulation side-push mechanism, a cigarette pack circulation side-push stacking mechanism, and a cigarette pack stacking and order-combining mechanism. Densely buffered cigarette packs are separated according to order information by the negative pressure counting mechanism. The separated cigarette packs enter the cigarette pack inlet conveyor belt and are pushed into the cigarette pack circulation side-push stacking mechanism by the cigarette pack circulation side-push mechanism. When the number of cigarette packs stored in the cigarette pack circulation side-push stacking mechanism reaches the number of layers corresponding to the cigarette pack, the cigarette packs on the cigarette pack circulation side-push stacking mechanism are pushed into the cigarette pack stacking and order-combining mechanism. The cigarette pack stacking and order-combining mechanism can be raised and lowered to stack the cigarette packs into one or more layers. Then, it is pushed laterally into the cigarette stack conveyor chain plate machine to be combined with other horizontally stacked cigarette packs. Finally, it is sent to the wrapping and sealing mechanism for wrapping and packaging.

8. A method for vertical transport and packaging of all types of cigarette cartons according to claim 7, characterized in that: The cigarette inlet conveyor belt is equipped with two cigarette circulation side-pushing and stacking mechanisms on both sides. The two cigarette circulation side-pushing and stacking mechanisms share one cigarette circulation side-pushing mechanism. Each cigarette circulation side-pushing and stacking mechanism has a cigarette stacking and order-combining mechanism at its outlet end. When one of the cigarette circulation side-pushing and stacking mechanisms is filled with cigarettes, the cigarette circulation side-pushing mechanism can reverse the side-pushing mechanism to push the cigarettes of the next order into the other cigarette circulation side-pushing and stacking mechanism.

9. A method for vertical conveying and packaging of all types of cigarette packs according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cigarette pack orientation mechanism and the cigarette pack side-mounting mechanism are inclined roller conveyors.

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