Automatic cleaning device for tobacco frame of tipping feeder

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of cigarette tobacco production, and discloses an automatic cleaning device for tobacco frames of a turnover feeding machine, which comprises a visual detection device, a robot unit, a cleaning unit and a control host, the robot unit comprises a six-axis mechanical arm and a linear moving assembly, the cleaning unit comprises a soft brush assembly, a blowing assembly and a scraping assembly, the soft brush assembly and the blowing assembly are arranged at the end of the six-axis mechanical arm, the scraping assembly comprises a scraper and a driving member, the scraper is adjustably mounted at the end of the six-axis mechanical arm, the scraper comprises a working position and a standby position, and the driving member is used for driving the scraper to switch between the working position and the standby position. The present application is used for solving the problem that the existing automatic cleaning device matched with the visual detection device cannot stably clean stubborn tobacco materials and cannot guarantee the continuity of production.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of cigarette tobacco production technology, and in particular to an automatic cleaning device for cigarette frames in a turning feeder. Background Technology

[0002] In the vacuum rehumidification process of a tobacco processing line, tobacco leaves treated by a vacuum rehumidifier are typically transferred using dedicated tobacco frames. When the frames are transported to the tipping feeder station, the feeder flips the frames, causing the tobacco leaves inside to spill onto the downstream conveyor. However, because the tobacco leaves are in a high-temperature and high-humidity state during vacuum rehumidification, and are compressed by the weight of the tobacco bales themselves, a large amount of tobacco leaf material inevitably adheres to the bottom and inner surface of the frames.

[0003] Currently, the industry primarily relies on manual methods to clean residual materials inside tobacco frames, where workers enter the frames to clean them. This method has significant drawbacks: firstly, manual cleaning is extremely labor-intensive and the working environment is harsh; secondly, its cleaning efficiency is low. Furthermore, the indiscriminate nature of manual cleaning can easily lead to incomplete cleaning, and long-term accumulation may cause mold growth in the tobacco leaves, resulting in quality problems such as material cross-counting and mixing, affecting product uniformity.

[0004] To address the aforementioned issues, Chinese Patent [Publication No.: CN110813960A] discloses an intelligent cigarette holder cleaning device and control method. This technical solution introduces a visual detection device and a robotic unit. It visually identifies residual materials within the cigarette holder and controls the robot to drive cleaning tools for automatic cleaning. This device achieves a certain degree of automation and intelligence in cigarette holder cleaning, significantly improving cleaning efficiency and effectively reducing manual labor intensity and material waste.

[0005] However, in actual production applications, it has been found that when cleaning stubbornly adsorbed tobacco leaves, the robot unit repeatedly performs cleaning actions until the tobacco leaves are cleaned, resulting in low cleaning efficiency and unpredictable time consumption, which can easily affect the continuity of production. In special cases, blowing and brushing may even fail to remove stubbornly adsorbed tobacco leaves, causing the robot to enter a state of apparent malfunction, continuously repeating cleaning actions. Currently, to ensure the continuity of production, the vision detection device has been abandoned, and the robot unit cleans according to a predetermined trajectory, in conjunction with manual cleaning of stubbornly adsorbed tobacco leaves inside the tobacco frames. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of this, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an automatic cleaning device for tobacco frames of a turning feeder, which solves the problem that in the prior art, when an automatic cleaning device equipped with a vision detection device cleans stubborn tobacco material, the cleaning efficiency is unstable and the production continuity cannot be guaranteed.

[0007] The present invention solves the above-mentioned technical problems through the following technical means:

[0008] An automatic cleaning device for cigarette frames in a box-turning feeder includes a vision inspection device, a robot unit, a cleaning unit, and a control host. The robot unit includes a six-axis robotic arm and a linear motion component. The cleaning unit includes a soft brush component, a blowing component, and a scraping component. The soft brush component and the blowing component are both disposed at the end of the six-axis robotic arm. The scraping component includes a scraper and a drive component. The scraper is mounted at the end of the six-axis robotic arm in an adjustable position. The scraper includes a working position and a standby position. The drive component is used to drive the scraper to switch between the working position and the standby position.

[0009] When the scraper is in the working position, the scraper is located on the side of the soft brush assembly near the cigarette frame, and is used to scrape the cigarette frame;

[0010] When the scraper is in the standby position, the scraper is located on the side of the soft brush assembly away from the cigarette frame, so that the soft brush assembly can contact the cigarette frame.

[0011] By setting up the above structure, the scraper can switch between a working position and a standby position. When working, the scraper extends in front of the soft brush assembly to powerfully scrape away stubborn tobacco leaves that are difficult to remove by the soft brush and blowing, effectively improving cleaning efficiency and thoroughness, and preventing the robot from falling into a "false dead" state due to repeated cleaning of ineffective materials, thus ensuring production continuity. In the standby position, the scraper is retracted without affecting the normal operation of the soft brush and blowing, realizing flexible coordination of multiple cleaning modes.

[0012] Furthermore, the scraping assembly also includes a mounting plate and a mounting bracket. The mounting bracket is rotatably mounted on the end of the six-axis robotic arm. The rotation axis of the mounting bracket coincides with the rotation axis of the soft brush assembly. The mounting plate is fixedly mounted on the mounting bracket. The scraper is fixedly mounted on the outer side of the mounting plate. The drive component is connected to the mounting bracket in a transmission manner.

[0013] By designing the above structure, the scraper's position can be switched by oscillating around the same axis, resulting in a compact structure and reasonable layout. The drive component rotates the mounting bracket to switch the scraper's position, making the operation simple and reliable. It also facilitates coordinated movement with the soft brush assembly, avoiding mutual interference.

[0014] Furthermore, the scraping assembly also includes a combing plate, which is installed on the inner side of the mounting plate. The length of the combing plate is the same as the length of the soft brush assembly. The combing plate is provided with multiple comb teeth. When the comb teeth rotate relative to the soft brush assembly, the comb teeth remove the material from the bristles of the soft brush assembly.

[0015] By setting up the above structure, when the soft brush assembly rotates relative to the combing plate, the comb teeth can remove the material trapped in the bristles, realize the self-cleaning of the bristles, prevent the bristles from clogging, maintain the cleaning ability and durability of the soft brush assembly, reduce manual maintenance, and improve the reliability of continuous operation of the equipment.

[0016] Furthermore, the carding plate is rotated and mounted on the mounting plate along the length of the mounting plate by a torsion spring. When the torsion spring is not compressed, the angle between the mounting plate and the carding plate is an acute angle. The end of the six-axis robotic arm is provided with a limiting component. During the process of the scraper switching from the working position to the standby position, the limiting component forces the carding plate to rotate towards the mounting plate until the carding plate and the mounting plate are in contact.

[0017] By setting the above structure, when the scraper retracts to the standby position, the limiting component forces the combing plate to lie flat against the mounting plate, avoiding interference with the soft brush and cigarette frame; when the scraper extends, the combing plate opens under the torsion spring and inserts into the bristles at a suitable angle for combing. The action linkage does not require additional drive, simplifying control.

[0018] Furthermore, when the scraper is in the working position, the opening at the angle between the mounting plate and the combing plate faces downwards.

[0019] By setting up the above structure, the rejected materials can fall off automatically under the action of gravity, avoiding accumulation on the combing plate, ensuring continuous combing effect, and preventing materials from adhering to the smoke frame again or falling back into the smoke frame.

[0020] Furthermore, an elastic seat is provided between the scraper and the mounting plate, and the scraper is fixedly mounted on the mounting plate by the elastic seat.

[0021] By setting the above structure, when there is a deviation in the actual position of the inner wall of the cigarette frame, the elastic seat can undergo elastic deformation to absorb the position error, so that the scraper can adaptively fit the surface of the cigarette frame, avoiding rigid hard extrusion that could damage the scraper and the cigarette frame, ensuring the scraping effect while reducing the stringent requirements for positioning accuracy.

[0022] Furthermore, a mounting column is fixedly provided at the end of the six-axis robotic arm, the mounting bracket is rotatably mounted on the mounting column, and the driving component is a pneumatic component, which includes:

[0023] A driving arc block is fixedly sleeved on the mounting post, and an arc-shaped driving cavity is opened inside the driving arc block;

[0024] The piston is sealed and slidably disposed within the drive chamber;

[0025] The transmission arc rod and the connecting block are fixedly connected to the mounting bracket. One end of the transmission arc rod is connected to the piston, and the other end is fixedly connected to the connecting block.

[0026] By setting the above structure and using pneumatic drive, the arc-shaped cavity, piston and transmission arc rod in the drive arc block form an arc-shaped swing cylinder, which directly drives the mounting bracket to rotate. The structure is simple and the response is fast.

[0027] Furthermore, the driving component also includes:

[0028] A three-way valve is fixedly connected to one end of the drive arc block. The three-way valve includes a first air outlet, a second air outlet, and an air inlet. The first air outlet is connected to the drive chamber, the second air outlet is connected to an external connection, and the air inlet is connected to the same compressed air source as the scraping assembly.

[0029] A compression spring is disposed between the connecting block and the driving arc block;

[0030] When the first air outlet and the second air outlet are connected, the compression spring forces the connecting block to abut against the end of the drive arc block, and the scraper is in the standby position;

[0031] When the first air outlet is connected to the air inlet, the compressed air forces the piston to move in the drive chamber and further compresses the compression spring until the piston abuts against the end wall of the drive chamber, and the scraper is in the working position.

[0032] By setting up the above structure, the scraper can be automatically retracted when the gas supply is cut off, avoiding interference with subsequent operations. Moreover, only one gas control is required, simplifying the pipeline and control system.

[0033] Furthermore, it also includes an identification piece set on the cigarette frame, which carries the identification information of the cigarette frame. The identification piece is identified by the visual detection device to obtain the current identification information of the cigarette frame. The control host is also used to associate and store the cleaning record of the scraper performing the scraping action with the identification information of the cigarette frame.

[0034] By setting up the above structure, since the scraping of the scraper will cause some wear to the anti-stick coating on the inner wall of the cigarette frame, the wear degree of the anti-stick coating can be accurately assessed by recording and counting the number of times each cigarette frame is scraped, providing a quantitative basis for the regular maintenance or replacement of the anti-stick coating.

[0035] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0036] 1. This invention, by setting up a scraper and a drive component, allows the scraper to switch between a working position and a standby position. When working, the scraper extends in front of the soft brush assembly to powerfully scrape away stubborn tobacco leaves that are difficult to remove by the soft brush and blowing, effectively improving cleaning efficiency and thoroughness, and preventing the robot from falling into a "false dead" state due to repeated cleaning of ineffective materials, thus ensuring production continuity. In the standby position, the scraper retracts without affecting the normal operation of the soft brush and blowing, realizing flexible coordination of multiple cleaning modes.

[0037] 2. This invention features a scraper that is rotatably mounted at the end of a six-axis robotic arm, allowing the scraper's position to swing around the same axis. The structure is compact and the layout is rational. The drive unit rotates the mounting bracket to switch the scraper position, making the operation simple and reliable. It also facilitates coordinated movement with the soft brush assembly, avoiding mutual interference.

[0038] 3. By setting a combing plate, when the soft brush assembly rotates relative to the combing plate, the comb teeth can remove the material mixed in with the bristles, realize the self-cleaning of the bristles, prevent the bristles from clogging, maintain the cleaning ability and durability of the soft brush assembly, reduce manual maintenance, and improve the reliability of continuous operation of the equipment.

[0039] 4. The present invention uses a torsion spring to rotate and mount the combing plate on the mounting plate. When the scraper is retracted to the standby position, the limiting component forces the combing plate to be flat against the mounting plate, avoiding interference with the soft brush and cigarette frame. When the scraper is extended, the combing plate opens under the torsion spring and embeds the bristles at a suitable angle for combing. The action is linked and no additional drive is required, simplifying control.

[0040] 5. By setting up a drive arc block, piston, transmission arc rod, three-way valve and compression spring, the present invention can automatically retract the scraper when the air is cut off, so as to avoid the scraper interfering with subsequent operations. Moreover, only one air control is needed, which simplifies the pipeline and control system.

[0041] 6. By setting up identification elements and recording and counting the number of times each cigarette frame is scratched, the wear degree of the anti-stick coating can be accurately assessed, providing a quantitative basis for the regular maintenance or replacement of the anti-stick coating. Attached Figure Description

[0042] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the cooperation structure between the automatic cleaning device and the cigarette frame of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cleaning unit in the automatic cleaning device of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 3 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cleaning unit in the automatic cleaning device of the present invention. Figure 1 (Standby position);

[0045] Figure 4 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cleaning unit in the automatic cleaning device of the present invention. Figure 2 (Work location);

[0046] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the cleaning unit in the automatic cleaning device of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the drive component in the automatic cleaning device of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 7This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the drive component in the automatic cleaning device of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing the disassembled structure of the scraping component of the automatic cleaning device of the present invention;

[0050] in,

[0051] 1. Cigarette frame;

[0052] 3. Robot unit; 31. Six-axis robotic arm; 311. Limiting component; 312. Mounting column; 32. Linear movement assembly;

[0053] 4. Cleaning unit; 41. Soft brush assembly; 411. Soft brush head; 42. Blowing assembly; 43. Scraping assembly; 431. Scraper; 432. Drive unit; 433. Mounting plate; 434. Mounting bracket; 435. Combing plate; 436. Flexible seat;

[0054] 51. Drive arc block; 511. Drive chamber; 52. Three-way valve; 521. First air outlet; 522. Second air outlet; 523. Air inlet; 53. Piston; 54. Transmission arc rod; 55. Connecting block; 56. Compression spring;

[0055] 6. Identification components. Detailed Implementation

[0056] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0057] like Figures 1-8 As shown, this embodiment provides an automatic cleaning device for the smoke frame of a box-turning feeder, including a vision inspection device, a robot unit 3, a cleaning unit 4, and a control host. The vision inspection device, robot unit 3, and cleaning unit 4 are all electrically connected to the control host. The robot unit 3 includes a six-axis robotic arm 31 and a linear motion component 32. The structure and working principle of the vision inspection device, robot unit 3, and control host have been fully disclosed in the prior art, and will not be described in detail in this embodiment. The cleaning unit 4 of this embodiment includes a soft brush component 41, a blowing component 42, and a scraping component 43. The soft brush component 41 and the blowing component 42 are both disposed at the end of the six-axis robotic arm 31. The scraping component 43 includes a scraper 431 and a drive component 432. The scraper 431 is mounted at an adjustable position at the end of the six-axis robotic arm 31. The scraper 431 includes a working position and a standby position. The drive component 432 is used to drive the scraper 431 to switch between the working position and the standby position.

[0058] When the scraper 431 is in the working position, the scraper 431 is located on the side of the soft brush assembly 41 close to the smoke frame 1, and is used to scrape the smoke frame 1;

[0059] When the scraper 431 is in the standby position, the scraper 431 is located on the side of the soft brush assembly 41 away from the cigarette frame 1 so that the soft brush assembly 41 contacts the cigarette frame 1.

[0060] During operation, the scraping component 43 is in standby position. First, the soft brush component 41 performs gentle cleaning, followed by blowing cleaning by the blowing component 42. After the soft brush component 41 and blowing component 42 have cleaned, when the vision detection device detects stubborn tobacco material adsorbed at the bottom of the tobacco frame 1, the control host controls the drive component 432 to switch the scraper 431 from the standby position to the working position. When the scraper 431 is working, it extends in front of the soft brush component 41, and then the six-axis robotic arm 31 drives the scraper 431 to scrape the tobacco frame 1. This powerfully scrapes away stubborn tobacco material that is difficult to remove by the soft brush and blowing, effectively improving cleaning efficiency and thoroughness, and preventing the robot from falling into a "false dead" state due to repeated cleaning of ineffective materials, thus ensuring production continuity. After performing the scraping action, the scraper 431 switches back to the standby position without affecting the normal operation of the soft brush and blowing, realizing flexible coordination of multiple cleaning modes.

[0061] In some embodiments, when the production line speed is adapted, multiple cycles of brushing and blowing can be performed first. If the vision inspection device confirms that there are still stubborn tobacco material residues adsorbed at the bottom of the tobacco frame 1, the drive unit 432 is then controlled to switch the scraper 431 to the working position to perform a scraping action, so as to reduce the frequency of hard scraping, reduce the wear on the anti-stick coating on the inner wall of the tobacco frame 1, and at the same time ensure the cleaning effect.

[0062] In this embodiment, the scraping assembly 43 further includes a mounting plate 433 and a mounting bracket 434. The mounting bracket 434 is rotatably mounted on the end of the six-axis robotic arm 31. The rotation axis of the mounting bracket 434 coincides with the rotation axis of the soft brush assembly 41. The mounting plate 433 is fixedly mounted on the mounting bracket 434, and the scraper 431 is fixedly mounted on the outer surface of the mounting plate 433. The driving component 432 is connected to the mounting bracket 434 for transmission. This allows the scraper 431 to swing around the same axis, resulting in a compact structure and reasonable layout. The driving component 432 rotates the mounting bracket 434 to switch the position of the scraper 431, making the action simple and reliable. It also facilitates coordinated movement with the soft brush assembly 41, avoiding mutual interference. In some other embodiments, the scraper 431 can also be slidably arranged along the length direction of the end of the six-axis robotic arm 31. However, linear movement is difficult to adapt to the combing plate 435 in this embodiment. Without considering the configuration of the combing plate 435, the scraper 431 can be set to slide along the length direction of the end of the six-axis robotic arm 31.

[0063] In this embodiment, the soft brush assembly 41 includes two columnar soft brush heads 411, which are coaxially arranged with the mounting post 312. The mounting end of the soft brush head 411 is fixedly connected to the end of the mounting post 312. During operation, the drive motor inside the soft brush head 411 drives the soft brush head 411 to rotate, thus rotating the soft brush head 411 to brush. The scraping assembly 43 also includes a combing plate 435, which is installed on the inner side of the mounting plate 433. The length of the combing plate 435 is the same as the length of the soft brush assembly 41. The combing plate 435 is provided with multiple comb teeth, which are inserted into the bristles of the soft brush head 411. When the soft brush assembly 41 rotates relative to the combing plate 435, the comb teeth can remove the material mixed in with the bristles, realizing self-cleaning of the bristles, preventing bristle clogging, maintaining the cleaning ability and durability of the soft brush assembly 41, reducing manual maintenance, and improving the reliability of continuous operation of the equipment.

[0064] In this embodiment, the combing plate 435 is rotatably mounted on the mounting plate 433 along its length via a torsion spring. When the torsion spring is not compressed, the angle between the mounting plate 433 and the combing plate 435 is acute. A limiting member 311 is provided at the end of the six-axis robotic arm 31. During the process of the scraper 431 switching from the working position to the standby position, the limiting member 311 forces the combing plate 435 to rotate towards the mounting plate 433 until the combing plate 435 is in contact with the mounting plate 433. When the scraper 431 retracts to the standby position, the limiting member 311 forces the combing plate 435 to lie flat against the mounting plate 433, preventing interference with the soft brush and cigarette frame 1. When the scraper 431 extends, the combing plate 435 opens under the torsion spring, embedding the bristles at a suitable angle for combing. The action is linked without additional drive, simplifying control. In some other embodiments, the combing plate 435 can also be directly fixed to the mounting plate 433 at a preset angle, but this causes greater damage to the soft brush assembly 41.

[0065] In this embodiment, when the scraper 431 is in the working position, the angle between the mounting plate 433 and the combing plate 435 faces downwards. This allows the rejected material to fall off automatically under gravity, preventing it from accumulating on the combing plate 435, ensuring continuous combing effect, and preventing material from adhering again or falling back onto the smoke frame 1.

[0066] In this embodiment, an elastic seat 436 is provided between the scraper 431 and the mounting plate 433, and the scraper 431 is fixedly mounted on the mounting plate 433 through the elastic seat 436. When there is a deviation in the actual position of the inner wall of the smoke frame 1, the elastic seat 436 can undergo elastic deformation to absorb the position error, so that the scraper 431 can adaptively conform to the surface of the smoke frame 1, avoiding rigid hard compression that could damage the scraper 431 and the smoke frame 1, ensuring the scraping effect while reducing the stringent requirements for positioning accuracy.

[0067] In this embodiment, a mounting post 312 is fixedly provided at the end of the six-axis robotic arm 31, and a mounting bracket 434 is rotatably mounted on the mounting post 312. The driving component 432 is a pneumatic component, and the driving component 432 includes:

[0068] The driving arc block 51 is fixedly sleeved on the mounting post 312, and the driving arc block 51 has an arc-shaped driving cavity 511 inside;

[0069] Piston 53 is sealed and slidably disposed within drive chamber 511;

[0070] The transmission arc rod 54 and the connecting block 55 are fixedly connected to the mounting bracket 434. One end of the transmission arc rod 54 is connected to the piston 53, and the other end is fixedly connected to the connecting block 55.

[0071] In some other embodiments, the mounting bracket 434 can be rotated by a motor. In this embodiment, a pneumatic drive is used. The arc-shaped cavity in the drive arc block 51, the piston 53, and the transmission arc rod 54 form an arc-shaped swing cylinder, which directly drives the mounting bracket 434 to rotate. The structure is simple and the response is fast. At the same time, the existing compressed air source can be used directly as the power source, resulting in low modification costs.

[0072] In this embodiment, the driving component 432 further includes:

[0073] Three-way valve 52 is fixedly connected to one end of drive arc block 51. Three-way valve 52 includes a first air outlet 521, a second air outlet 522 and an air inlet 523. The first air outlet 521 is connected to drive chamber 511, the second air outlet 522 is connected to an external connection, and the air inlet 523 is connected to the same compressed air source as scraping assembly 43.

[0074] A compression spring 56 is disposed between the connecting block 55 and the driving arc block 51;

[0075] When the first air outlet 521 is connected to the second air outlet 522, the compression spring 56 forces the connecting block 55 to abut against the end of the drive arc block 51, and the scraper 431 is in the standby position.

[0076] When the first air outlet 521 is connected to the air inlet 523, the compressed air forces the piston 53 to move in the drive chamber 511 and further compresses the compression spring 56 until the piston 53 abuts against the end wall of the drive chamber 511, and the scraper 431 is in the working position.

[0077] In some other embodiments, conventional pneumatic drive components 432 can be used directly. In this embodiment, by setting a three-way valve 52 and a compression spring 56, the scraper 431 can be automatically retracted when the air supply is cut off, so as to avoid the scraper 431 interfering with subsequent operations. Moreover, only one pneumatic control is needed, which simplifies the pipeline and control system.

[0078] In this embodiment, an identification element 6 is also included on the smoke frame 1. The identification element 6 carries the identification information of the smoke frame 1. The identification information of the smoke frame 1 is obtained by identifying the identification element 6 through a visual detection device. The control host is also used to associate and store the cleaning records of the scraping action performed by the scraper 431 with the identification information of the smoke frame 1. Since the hard scraping of the scraper 431 will cause some wear to the anti-stick coating on the inner wall of the smoke frame 1, by recording and counting the number of hard scrapings of each smoke frame 1, the wear degree of the anti-stick coating can be accurately assessed, providing a quantitative basis for the regular maintenance or replacement of the anti-stick coating. In some other embodiments, if the budget allows, a high-temperature resistant NFC chip can also be used, and a card reader can be set at the front end of the six-axis robotic arm 31 to directly read the identification information of the smoke frame 1 through near-field communication, which can also realize the digital association and traceability of cleaning records.

[0079] Working principle:

[0080] First, the host computer controls the linear motion component 32 and the six-axis robotic arm 31 to move the cleaning unit 4 to the cigarette frame 1 to be cleaned.

[0081] Then, the visual inspection device scans the inside of the smoke frame 1 to identify the location and type of residual material.

[0082] Subsequently, the soft brush assembly 41 performs soft brushing, and then the blower assembly 42 performs high-pressure blowing.

[0083] If the visual inspection device detects that there are still stubborn tobacco leaves remaining after the above-mentioned routine cleaning, the control host issues a command to switch the state of the three-way valve 52, and compressed air enters the drive chamber 511 and pushes the piston 53 to move, so that the scraper 431 rotates from the standby position to the working position and extends to the front of the soft brush assembly 41.

[0084] Next, the six-axis robotic arm 31 drives the extended scraper 431 to scrape along the inner wall contour of the smoke frame 1, powerfully removing stubborn adhesive substances.

[0085] After the scraping is completed, the three-way valve 52 reverses the exhaust direction, and the compression spring 56 forces the scraper 431 to return to the standby position and retract to the side of the soft brush assembly 41 away from the cigarette frame 1.

[0086] The control host records the number of times the scraper 431 moves throughout the process and accumulates the number of hard scrapings into the maintenance file associated with the identity information of the cigarette frame 1, providing data support for the preventive maintenance of the anti-stick coating.

[0087] When cleaning the soft brush assembly 41 is required, the scraper 431 is switched to the working position, and the soft brush assembly 41 is rotated clockwise. Its bristles move relative to the comb teeth of the combing plate 435, and the rejected material falls off automatically under gravity, completing the self-cleaning of the bristles. After the soft brush is cleaned, the scraper 431 is switched from the working position to the standby position, and the limiting member 311 forces the combing plate 435 to be flat against the mounting plate 433, avoiding interference with the soft brush and the cigarette frame 1.

[0088] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and all such modifications and substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention. Technical aspects, shapes, and structures not described in detail in this invention are all well-known technologies.

Claims

1. An automatic cleaning device for cigarette frames in a box-turning feeder, comprising a vision inspection device, a robot unit (3), a cleaning unit (4), and a control host, wherein the robot unit (3) comprises a six-axis robotic arm (31) and a linear motion component (32), characterized in that, The cleaning unit (4) includes a soft brush assembly (41), a blowing assembly (42), and a scraping assembly (43). The soft brush assembly (41) and the blowing assembly (42) are both located at the end of the six-axis robotic arm (31). The scraping assembly (43) includes a scraper (431) and a drive unit (432). The scraper (431) is mounted at the end of the six-axis robotic arm (31) in an adjustable position. The scraper (431) includes a working position and a standby position. The drive unit (432) is used to drive the scraper (431) to switch between the working position and the standby position. When the scraper (431) is in the working position, the scraper (431) is located on the side of the soft brush assembly (41) close to the cigarette frame (1) for scraping the cigarette frame (1); When the scraper (431) is in the standby position, the scraper (431) is located on the side of the brush assembly (41) away from the cigarette frame (1) so that the brush assembly (41) contacts the cigarette frame (1).

2. The automatic cleaning device for the smoke frame of the box-turning feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that, The scraping assembly (43) also includes a mounting plate (433) and a mounting bracket (434). The mounting bracket (434) is rotatably mounted on the end of the six-axis robotic arm (31). The rotation axis of the mounting bracket (434) coincides with the rotation axis of the soft brush assembly (41). The mounting plate (433) is fixedly mounted on the mounting bracket (434). The scraper (431) is fixedly mounted on the outer side of the mounting plate (433). The drive unit (432) is connected to the mounting bracket (434) in a transmission manner.

3. The automatic cleaning device for the smoke frame of the box-turning feeder according to claim 2, characterized in that, The scraping assembly (43) also includes a combing plate (435), which is installed on the inner side of the mounting plate (433). The length of the combing plate (435) is the same as the length of the soft brush assembly (41). The combing plate (435) is provided with multiple comb teeth. When the comb teeth rotate relative to the soft brush assembly (41), the comb teeth remove the material from the bristles of the soft brush assembly (41).

4. The automatic cleaning device for the smoke frame of the box-turning feeder according to claim 3, characterized in that, The carding plate (435) is mounted on the mounting plate (433) by rotating along the length of the mounting plate (433) via a torsion spring. When the torsion spring is not compressed, the angle between the mounting plate (433) and the carding plate (435) is an acute angle. The end of the six-axis robotic arm (31) is provided with a limiting member (311). During the process of the scraper (431) switching from the working position to the standby position, the limiting member (311) forces the carding plate (435) to rotate towards the mounting plate (433) until the carding plate (435) and the mounting plate (433) are in contact.

5. An automatic cleaning device for the smoke frame of a box-turning feeder according to claim 4, characterized in that, When the scraper (431) is in the working position, the angle between the mounting plate (433) and the combing plate (435) faces downward.

6. An automatic cleaning device for the smoke frame of a box-turning feeder according to claim 2, characterized in that, An elastic seat (436) is provided between the scraper (431) and the mounting plate (433), and the scraper (431) is fixedly mounted on the mounting plate (433) by the elastic seat (436).

7. An automatic cleaning device for the smoke frame of a box-turning feeder according to claim 2, characterized in that, The end of the six-axis robotic arm (31) is fixedly provided with a mounting post (312), and the mounting bracket (434) is rotatably mounted on the mounting post (312). The driving component (432) is a pneumatic component, and the driving component (432) includes: A drive arc block (51) is fixedly sleeved on the mounting post (312), and an arc-shaped drive cavity (511) is opened inside the drive arc block (51); The piston (53) is slidably disposed within the drive cavity (511); The transmission arc rod (54) and the connecting block (55) are fixedly connected to the mounting bracket (434). One end of the transmission arc rod (54) is connected to the piston (53) and the other end is fixedly connected to the connecting block (55).

8. An automatic cleaning device for the smoke frame of a box-turning feeder according to claim 7, characterized in that, The driving component also includes: A three-way valve (52) is fixedly connected to one end of the drive arc block (51). The three-way valve (52) includes a first air outlet (521), a second air outlet (522), and an air inlet (523). The first air outlet (521) is connected to the drive chamber (511), the second air outlet (522) is connected to an external connection, and the air inlet (523) is connected to the same compressed air source as the scraping assembly (43). A compression spring (56) is disposed between the connecting block (55) and the driving arc block (51); When the first air outlet (521) and the second air outlet (522) are connected, the compression spring (56) forces the connecting block (55) to abut against the end of the driving arc block (51), and the scraper (431) is in the standby position. When the first air outlet (521) is connected to the air inlet (523), the compressed air forces the piston (53) to move in the drive chamber (511) and further compresses the compression spring (56) until the piston (53) abuts against the end wall of the drive chamber (511) and the scraper (431) is in the working position.

9. An automatic cleaning device for the smoke frame of a box-turning feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an identification piece (6) set on the cigarette frame (1), the identification piece (6) carries the identity information of the cigarette frame (1), and the identification piece (6) is identified by the visual detection device to obtain the current identity information of the cigarette frame (1). The control host is also used to associate and store the cleaning record of the scraper (431) performing the scraping action with the identity information of the cigarette frame (1).

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