Improved plate feeder

Abstract

The application discloses an improved plate feeder, which comprises a rack, a conveying chain plate arranged along the extension direction of the rack, a speed reducer installed on the rack for driving the conveying chain plate to run, a picking station, the picking station being located on one side of the rack and being provided with a plurality of picking mechanical arms along the extension direction of the rack, a sorting material conveying belt corresponding to each picking mechanical arm being arranged on the side of the picking station away from the rack, and a box body installed on the rack and provided with a supporting roller for flexibly supporting the conveying chain plate. The application relates to the technical field of coal gangue utilization, and through a scanner and a visual identification camera, materials on the conveying chain plate can be scanned and identified in real time, and coal gangue and impurities such as stone blocks, high-value coal blocks and other high-quality solid wastes can be accurately separated through mechanical arm clamps, so that the waste of resources caused by the high-value solid wastes entering the crushing process together with the coal gangue can be avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of coal gangue processing technology, specifically to an improved plate feeder. Background Technology

[0002] Coal gangue is a carbonaceous rock waste residue associated with coal seams and discharged during coal mining and washing. It is blackish-gray, harder than coal, and generally contains 20%-30% carbon. It belongs to the bulk solid waste of coal mines. Although coal gangue is solid waste, it has many uses, including as underground backfill material, building material, and raw material for chemical extraction.

[0003] Coal gangue often contains other impurities, such as stones, coal chunks, or other solid wastes with high utilization value. Existing coal gangue plate feeders only transport coal gangue and do not separate it from other solid wastes. They often send coal gangue and other high-value solid wastes together to the subsequent crushing process, making it difficult to fully utilize the value of coal gangue. Moreover, the chain plate supports of existing plate feeders are mostly rigid and fixed, with the support rollers and frame fixed in place, lacking self-adjusting capability. Due to the varying sizes of coal gangue and the presence of impurities of different sizes, uneven material weight and high-speed vibration and impact during material feeding can easily lead to uneven stress on the conveyor chain, causing problems such as deviation, slippage, deformation, and abnormal noise. This not only seriously affects the stability of material conveying but also significantly increases the frictional wear between the conveyor chain and the support rollers. Furthermore, rigid impacts can easily cause the equipment frame to loosen, shortening the overall service life of the equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides an improved plate feeder that solves the problems of existing plate feeders for transporting coal gangue being unable to classify coal gangue from other solid wastes and the conveyor chain plates being prone to failure.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides an improved plate feeder through the following technical solution, comprising: A frame is provided with a conveyor chain plate along the extension direction of the frame, and a reducer is installed on the frame for driving the conveyor chain plate to run; A picking station is located on one side of the frame and has multiple picking robotic arms arranged along the extension direction of the frame. A sorting material conveyor belt corresponding to the position of each picking robotic arm is arranged on the side of the picking station facing away from the frame. The housing is mounted on the frame and is provided with support rollers for flexible support with the conveyor chain.

[0006] In some embodiments, an oil storage chamber is formed inside the housing, and a plurality of sleeves are arranged in the housing along the conveying direction of the conveyor chain plate. A piston is arranged in each sleeve, and the piston and the sleeve define a floating oil chamber. The floating oil chamber is connected to the oil storage chamber. A square connecting rod is arranged on the side of each piston away from the floating oil chamber. A bracket is installed on each square connecting rod, and a support roller is arranged on each bracket.

[0007] In some embodiments, the frame is equipped with an oil tank, which is connected to a return oil pump and a supply oil pump. The return oil pump, the oil tank, the supply oil pump, and the housing form a closed oil circuit. An oil filter is connected between the oil tank and the supply oil pump. Multiple detection sensors are installed in the closed oil circuit.

[0008] In some embodiments, a crossbeam is installed on the other side of the frame and above the conveyor chain plate, the crossbeam corresponding to the pickup station position, and a plurality of scanners are installed on the side of the crossbeam facing the conveyor chain plate.

[0009] In some embodiments, an electrical control box is installed on the side of the frame near the crossbeam, and the electrical control box is electrically connected to the scanner, the return oil pump, the supply oil pump, the detection sensor, the reducer and the picking robot arm.

[0010] In some embodiments, the frame is equipped with a hopper at the feed end of the conveyor chain plate, and the hopper is provided with a conical discharge port facing the conveyor chain plate to gather and limit the flow of falling materials.

[0011] In some embodiments, limit sliding rings are fixedly installed on the inner wall of the sleeve and on the upper and lower sides of the piston, respectively.

[0012] In some embodiments, the outer surface of the support roller is covered with a wear-resistant and anti-slip rubber layer, which is in contact with the conveyor chain plate.

[0013] In some embodiments, the actuator of the picking robotic arm is equipped with grippers for picking up stones and a visual recognition camera for identifying stones.

[0014] In some embodiments, a dust cover is installed on the end face of the sleeve, and the square connecting rod is slidably engaged with the dust cover.

[0015] Beneficial effects By installing a pickup station, multiple sets of robotic arms for pickup, and corresponding material sorting conveyor belts on the side of the frame, along with a scanner on the crossbeam and a vision recognition camera at the end of the robotic arm, the system can scan and identify materials on the conveyor chain in real time, accurately distinguishing coal gangue from stones, high-value coal, and other high-quality solid waste and other impurities. The robotic arm grippers complete precise pickup, sorting, and transfer, completely solving the problem of the traditional "one-size-fits-all" conveying and processing. This avoids the resource waste caused by high-value solid waste entering the crushing process along with coal gangue, achieving classified treatment and graded utilization of coal gangue and associated solid waste. This significantly improves the comprehensive utilization rate and economic value of coal mine solid waste, meeting the needs of modern coal gangue resource processing and production.

[0016] This technical solution employs a box-type floating support roller structure, distinct from traditional fixed rigid support rollers. Through a box-type housing, sleeve, piston, and square connecting rod, a sliding flexible support structure is formed. This structure can adaptively and finely adjust the support height and force according to the vibration of the conveyor chain and changes in the weight of the material. On one hand, it effectively buffers the mechanical vibration and impact stress of the conveyor chain during operation, avoiding chain deformation, abnormal noise, and loosening caused by rigid contact, significantly improving the overall stability of the equipment. On the other hand, in conjunction with the limit sliding rings on the upper and lower sides inside the sleeve, the piston's sliding stroke can be precisely limited, preventing excessive displacement and failure of the floating structure, ensuring the standardization and stability of the support structure's operation. Simultaneously, the outer circumference of the support roller is covered with a wear-resistant and anti-slip rubber layer, increasing the contact friction with the conveyor chain, preventing slippage and deviation, and further buffering frictional wear, significantly reducing the wear rate of the support roller and conveyor chain. This effectively extends the service life of core vulnerable components such as the conveyor chain and support roller, reducing equipment replacement and maintenance costs.

[0017] This technical solution employs a flexible support structure composed of a housing, sleeve, piston, and square connecting rod. This allows the support rollers to adaptively float and adjust according to factors such as material weight differences, equipment vibration, and material impact. When the oil level in the housing is fixed, when one piston presses down on the hydraulic oil, other hydraulic oils push the piston upward. As the conveyor chain moves and coal gangue falls, the floating conveyor chain creates a wave-like motion, carrying the coal gangue and other materials forward. Under conditions where the coal gangue material varies in size and weight, and the equipment experiences vibration and impact at high speeds, this solution can compensate for the force deviation of the conveyor chain in real time, balancing the support strength in different areas of the chain. This effectively solves the problems of conveyor chain misalignment, slippage, deformation, and abnormal noise that are common in traditional equipment, ensuring the continuity and stability of the coal gangue and impurity material conveying process, and significantly improving the overall conveying accuracy and operational stability of the equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a top view of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the positions of the support roller and the conveyor chain plate of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the sleeve of the present invention.

[0021] In the diagram: 1. Frame; 2. Hopper; 3. Conveyor chain; 4. Crossbeam; 5. Electrical control box; 6. Scanner; 7. Pickup station; 8. Pickup robotic arm; 9. Sorting material conveyor belt; 10. Support roller; 11. Box body; 12. Oil tank; 13. Return oil pump; 14. Oil filter; 15. Supply oil pump; 16. Bracket; 17. Sleeve; 18. Piston; 19. Square connecting rod; 20. Limit sliding limit ring. Detailed Implementation

[0022] 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.

[0023] This invention provides a technical solution: an improved plate feeder, such as... Figure 1 As shown, it includes: a frame 1, a conveyor chain plate 3 is arranged along the extension direction of the frame 1, and a reducer is installed on the frame 1 to drive the conveyor chain plate 3; a picking station 7, the picking station 7 is located on one side of the frame 1 and is provided with multiple picking robotic arms 8 along the extension direction of the frame 1, and a sorting material conveyor belt 9 corresponding to the position of each picking robotic arm 8 is arranged on the side of the picking station 7 facing away from the frame 1; and a box 11, the box 11 is installed on the frame 1 and is provided with support rollers 10 for flexibly supporting the conveyor chain plate 3.

[0024] During operation, after the reducer is powered on, it provides stable power to the conveyor chain plate 3, driving it to rotate at a constant speed along the length of the frame 1, thus achieving continuous material conveying. During the conveying process, the support roller 10 flexibly supports the bottom of the conveyor chain plate 3, supporting the chain plate and the material above it throughout the entire process, preventing the chain plate from collapsing or deforming due to excessive material weight. When the material moves with the conveyor chain plate 3 to the corresponding area of ​​the picking station 7, multiple picking robotic arms 8 work simultaneously to accurately grab the material to be sorted on the conveyor chain plate 3 and place the sorted material on the matching sorting material conveyor belt 9, completing the linkage operation of material conveying and sorting. The advantage of this overall architecture is that it integrates material conveying, intelligent picking, and classification conveying functions into one unit. The equipment has a high degree of integration and a compact layout, enabling continuous and automated material sorting and conveying operations, significantly reducing manual intervention, effectively improving material processing efficiency. At the same time, the floating support roller structure can adapt to slight vibrations and load changes during material conveying, ensuring the stability of the conveying operation and reducing the probability of equipment jamming and downtime.

[0025] In some embodiments, an oil storage chamber is formed inside the housing 11, and a plurality of sleeves 17 are arranged in the housing 11 along the conveying direction of the conveyor chain plate 3. A piston 18 is arranged in each sleeve 17, and the piston 18 and the sleeve 17 define a floating oil chamber. The floating oil chamber is connected to the oil storage chamber. A square connecting rod 19 is arranged on the side of each piston 18 away from the floating oil chamber. A bracket 16 is installed on each square connecting rod 19, and a support roller 10 is arranged on each bracket 16.

[0026] It is understandable, for example Figure 2 As shown, when the coal gangue falls onto the conveyor chain plate 3 above the leftmost piston, the piston 18 at that position is subjected to downward pressure from the support roller 10 and the square connecting rod 19. At this time, the piston 18 squeezes the hydraulic oil in the floating oil chamber downward into the oil storage chamber. Since the conveyor chain plate 3 above the pistons 18 at other positions is not under pressure, the hydraulic oil will enter the floating oil chamber on the right and push the piston on the right to rise. At this time, the conveyor chain plate 3 will form a concave area to catch the falling coal gangue. As the conveyor chain plate 3 runs and the coal gangue falls, the conveyor chain plate 3 will continuously rise and fall during its forward movement, thus forming a "wave"-shaped transportation method, continuously catching the falling coal gangue and transporting the coal gangue out.

[0027] The flexible support can be a spring-type flexible support structure, using mechanical springs as a flexible buffer medium. It relies on the elastic extension and contraction characteristics of the springs to achieve flexible support for the conveyor chain plate 3, which is suitable for high-frequency impact and large load fluctuation during stone conveying. It solves the defects of traditional rigid support, such as hard pressure, easy deformation, abnormal noise and severe wear of the chain plate.

[0028] A housing 11 is fixedly installed inside the equipment frame 1. Multiple sets of support components are arranged in an array on the side of the housing 11 facing the conveyor chain plate 3. Each set of support components is equipped with a sleeve 17 and a slidingly fitted piston 18. A square connecting rod 19 is fixedly connected to the side of the piston 18 facing away from the housing 11. A bracket 16 is mounted at the end of the square connecting rod 19. A support roller 10 is rotatably installed inside the bracket 16 and is in contact with the bottom surface of the conveyor chain plate 3 for support. A compression spring is vertically installed inside the sleeve 17, between the bottom of the piston 18 and the bottom wall of the sleeve 17. The two ends of the compression spring are fixedly abutted against the bottom surface of the inner wall of the sleeve 17 and the end face of the piston 18, respectively, so that the piston 18 is elastically suspended and assembled by the compression spring. At the same time, limit sliding limit rings 20 are fixedly installed on the upper and lower sides of the inner wall of the sleeve 17 to limit the extension and retraction limit stroke of the piston 18 and prevent the spring from being over-compressed or over-stretched, which would cause structural damage or failure. A dust cover is fitted on the outside of the square connecting rod 19, which can effectively prevent stone dust and debris from entering the sleeve 17 and ensure the smooth movement of the piston 18 and the spring.

[0029] Furthermore, multiple sets of springs are arranged one-to-one with the support rollers 10, independently forming single-point elastic support units. Each set of support units works together to support the conveyor chain plate 3 throughout the entire process. The outer circle of the support roller 10 is covered with a wear-resistant and anti-slip rubber layer, which can not only increase the contact friction with the chain plate and prevent slippage during conveying, but also help buffer local contact stress.

[0030] During operation, the conical discharge port of hopper 2 gathers and restricts the flow of stones before they fall onto the surface of conveyor chain plate 3. The weight of the material generates an instantaneous impact load, which is transmitted to the support roller 10, bracket 16, and square connecting rod 19, thereby pushing piston 18 to compress the compression spring inside sleeve 17. The elastic deformation of the compression spring absorbs the impact energy of the falling material, replacing the traditional rigid support and achieving a flexible buffering effect, effectively offsetting the instantaneous impact and reducing equipment vibration and operating noise. When the material is conveyed smoothly and the impact load decreases or disappears, the compression spring rebounds and resets, pushing piston 18, connecting rod, and support roller 10 to reset, continuously providing stable elastic support for conveyor chain plate 3. To address the local load differences caused by uneven material distribution, each set of independent springs can adaptively compress and deform to adapt to the bearing pressure at different points, avoiding local stress concentration on conveyor chain plate 3 and significantly extending the service life of the chain plate and the overall equipment.

[0031] Flexible support can be a rubber pad flexible support structure, using a high elastic wear-resistant rubber pad as the flexible support medium. It relies on the high elastic deformation and damping shock absorption characteristics of the rubber pad to achieve flexible support. It has the characteristics of wear resistance, aging resistance and excellent shock absorption and noise reduction effect. It is suitable for continuous and stable conveying conditions and can effectively solve the problems of rapid wear of rigid support, strong vibration transmission and easy material bounce and spillage.

[0032] Multiple sets of sleeves 17, pistons 18, square connecting rods 19, and support rollers 10 are evenly arranged on the side of the frame 1 housing 11 facing the conveyor chain plate 3. The pistons 18 are slidably assembled inside the sleeves 17. The square connecting rods 19 connect the pistons 18 to the support roller brackets 16. The support rollers 10 are rotatably mounted on the brackets 16 and fit against the bottom surface of the conveyor chain plate 3. High-elasticity wear-resistant rubber pads are fixedly installed on the contact and pressure-bearing end faces of the pistons 18 and sleeves 17, as well as on the connection base surfaces of the brackets 16 and square connecting rods 19. The rubber pads are made of high-strength vulcanized rubber and have wear-resistant, pressure-resistant, and deformation-resistant properties. The rubber pads are fixed by adhesive or press-fitting methods, without loosening or displacement, and can participate in pressure buffering throughout the entire process. At the same time, the limit sliding limit ring 20 inside the sleeves 17 ensures the stability of the piston 18's sliding stroke, and together with the outer dust cover, achieves structural dust protection, ensuring the long-term stable operation of the flexible support structure.

[0033] In this structure, the rubber pad serves as the core flexible load-bearing component, replacing the traditional rigid metal contact structure. All rigid connection points that bear pressure and transmit power are flexibly transitioned through the rubber pad. Combined with the rubber coating layer on the surface of the support roller 10, a double-layer flexible protective support structure is formed, which reduces rigid contact wear in all directions.

[0034] During the stone conveying operation, the conveyor chain 3 generates downward pressure after carrying the material. When this pressure is transmitted to the piston 18 and the support 16 structure, the rubber pads sandwiched in the middle undergo elastic deformation to absorb the pressure and vibration. Utilizing the damping characteristics of the rubber pads themselves, the vibration and minor impacts generated by material conveying can be quickly attenuated, preventing the vibration from being transmitted step by step to the entire frame 1, thus reducing the overall vibration amplitude and operating noise of the equipment. At the same time, the flexible deformation of the rubber pads can adaptively compensate for the assembly gap and minor deformation errors between the support roller 10 and the chain 3, ensuring that the support roller 10 and the conveyor chain 3 always maintain a close supporting state, avoiding material bumping, bouncing, and spillage caused by partial suspension support.

[0035] Compared to spring support structures, rubber pad flexible supports have no mechanical jamming or fatigue noise issues, making them suitable for long-term continuous operation. They can stably cooperate with scanner detection and robotic arm picking and sorting operations, ensuring smooth operation of the conveyor chain plate 3 and regular material conveying posture. This effectively improves the accuracy of subsequent stone sorting and picking operations, while significantly reducing the wear rate of equipment parts and reducing equipment maintenance costs.

[0036] During the use of this telescopic sliding support structure, the housing 11 provides space for hydraulic oil. Changes in oil pressure drive the piston 18 inside the sleeve 17 to reciprocate along the sleeve's axial direction. The piston 18 drives the square connecting rod 19 to extend and retract synchronously, thereby pushing the bracket 16 and the support roller 10 mounted on the bracket 16 to achieve vertical floating adjustment. Under conditions such as changes in material conveying load and vibration of the conveyor chain, this structure can adaptively adjust the support height of the support roller 10 in real time, dynamically conforming to the operating state of the conveyor chain 3. The square connecting rod 19 effectively limits rotational deviation, ensuring the straightness of the telescopic movement and preventing the support roller 10 from skewing or shaking. The core function of this structure is to achieve flexible support for the support roller 10, buffering impact loads during material conveying, adapting to conveying conditions of materials of different thicknesses and weights, while eliminating the problems of easy rotation and inaccurate positioning of the circular connecting rod. This ensures accurate support position and smooth operation of the support roller, effectively reducing wear on the conveyor chain and extending the service life of the chain and support roller.

[0037] In some embodiments, the frame 1 is equipped with an oil tank 12, the oil tank 12 is connected to a return oil pump 13 and an oil supply pump 15, the return oil pump 13, the oil tank 12, the oil supply pump 15 and the housing 11 form a closed oil circuit, an oil filter 14 is connected between the oil tank 12 and the oil supply pump 15, and multiple detection sensors are installed in the closed oil circuit.

[0038] During operation, the hydraulic oil supply system operates by starting the oil supply pump 15, which draws hydraulic oil from the oil tank 12. After passing through the oil filter 14 to filter impurities and purify the oil, the oil is delivered to the housing 11, providing hydraulic power for the extension and retraction of the piston 18 in the sleeve 17. When the operation is completed or when resetting and adjustment are required, the return oil pump 13 starts, returning the hydraulic oil from the housing 11 to the oil tank 12, forming a complete closed-loop oil circuit. Simultaneously, multiple sensors on the closed-loop oil circuit can collect real-time operating data such as oil pressure, oil temperature, oil flow rate, and oil cleanliness, monitoring the entire oil circuit's operating status. The system provides stable and clean hydraulic power for the floating adjustment of the support roller 10. The oil filter 14 effectively filters impurities such as iron filings and dust from the hydraulic oil, preventing impurities from entering the oil circuit and causing wear and jamming of the sleeve and piston, thus ensuring the long-term stable operation of the hydraulic system. The closed-loop oil circuit design enables the recycling of hydraulic oil, reducing oil consumption and equipment maintenance costs. The matching detection sensors can provide early warning of oil circuit faults, promptly detect problems such as abnormal oil pressure, oil circuit blockage, and oil contamination, avoid equipment downtime caused by hydraulic system failures, and significantly improve the reliability of equipment operation and the level of intelligent monitoring.

[0039] In some embodiments, a crossbeam 4 is installed on the other side of the frame 1 and above the conveyor chain plate 3. The crossbeam 4 corresponds to the position of the picking station 7, and a plurality of scanners 6 are installed on the side of the crossbeam 4 facing the conveyor chain plate 3.

[0040] During the operation of this scanning and detection structure, as the material passes uniformly through the area below the crossbeam 4 along the conveyor chain 3, multiple scanners 6 mounted on the crossbeam 4 are simultaneously activated, performing a comprehensive, blind-spot-free scan of the material below. This process collects real-time data on parameters such as the material's size, shape, position, quality, and impurity content. Furthermore, the scanners 6 precisely correspond to the picking station 7, accurately locating the specific position of the material to be sorted. Its core function is to provide accurate data support for subsequent material sorting operations, enabling intelligent identification and precise positioning of materials. Compared to manual identification, the scanners 6 offer higher accuracy and faster speed, quickly distinguishing between qualified, defective, and impurity materials, effectively avoiding missed or false detections, ensuring the sorting accuracy of the picking robot arm 8, and significantly improving material sorting precision and operational efficiency. Simultaneously, the fixed installation structure of the crossbeam 4 provides stability, effectively preventing detection deviations caused by scanner vibration and ensuring long-term stable detection.

[0041] In some embodiments, an electrical control box 5 is installed on the side of the frame 1 near the crossbeam 4. The electrical control box 5 is electrically connected to the scanner 6, the return oil pump 13, the supply oil pump 15, the detection sensor, the reducer, and the picking robot arm 8.

[0042] During the operation of this electrical control system, the electrical control box 5 serves as the core control hub of the equipment. It uniformly receives signal data from various components during equipment operation: collecting material detection data from the scanner 6 and operating data from the oil circuit detection sensors. Simultaneously, it precisely controls the speed of the reducer, the start / stop and power adjustment of the return oil pump 13 and supply oil pump 15, and the movement rhythm and picking trajectory of the picking robotic arm 8. Operators can preset equipment operating parameters through the electrical control box 5 to achieve coordinated operation of various components. When abnormal parameters occur, the electrical control box 5 can promptly issue warnings and automatically fine-tune the equipment's operating status, triggering shutdown protection when necessary. The advantages of this structure are that it achieves fully automated, intelligent, and centralized control of the equipment, coordinating all processes such as conveying, detection, hydraulic adjustment, and sorting. This ensures a high degree of matching in the operating rhythm of each mechanism, eliminating coordination misalignment and efficiency gaps that can occur when components operate independently. It significantly reduces the difficulty of manual operation, improves the automation level and operational stability of the equipment, and facilitates equipment fault diagnosis and parameter adjustment, simplifying equipment maintenance processes.

[0043] In some embodiments, a hopper 2 is installed on the frame 1 at the feeding end of the conveyor chain plate 3, and the hopper 2 is provided with a conical discharge port facing the conveyor chain plate 3 to gather and limit the flow of falling materials.

[0044] During operation, material is fed into the equipment from the top of hopper 2. After being gathered and limited by the conical discharge port at the bottom of hopper 2, it falls evenly and orderly onto the feed end surface of the conveyor chain plate 3. The tapered conical discharge port can gather and organize scattered materials while limiting the flow rate and range of material, preventing large-scale scattering, accumulation, and deviation. Its core function is to optimize the feeding effect of the equipment, control the feeding amount per unit time, prevent material accumulation and blockage due to excessive feeding, or affect work efficiency due to excessively slow feeding. It also avoids excessive local load on the chain plate and material waste caused by material deviation during falling, effectively ensuring the uniformity and stability of feeding, providing a good material conveying foundation for subsequent material scanning, detection, and sorting operations, reducing material loss, and further improving the overall smoothness of equipment operation.

[0045] In some embodiments, limit sliding rings 20 are fixedly installed on the inner wall of the sleeve 17 and on the upper and lower sides of the piston 18, respectively.

[0046] When the piston 18 slides up and down inside the sleeve 17, the limit sliding rings 20 on both the upper and lower sides can rigidly limit the maximum sliding stroke of the piston 18. When the piston 18 slides to the preset upper or lower limit position, the limit rings 20 can prevent the piston 18 from continuing to move, avoiding overtravel. Its main function is to regulate the sliding stroke of the piston 18, preventing the piston 18 from sliding excessively upwards or downwards, causing it to disengage from the sleeve 17, jam, or impact the end of the sleeve. It effectively protects the piston, sleeve, and the associated connecting rod, bracket, and other transmission structures, avoiding component deformation, damage, oil leakage, and other malfunctions caused by overtravel. At the same time, it can precisely control the floating adjustment range of the support roller 10, ensuring that the support height is always within the optimal operating range of the equipment, making the support state of the conveyor chain plate 3 stable and controllable, significantly reducing the equipment failure rate, and extending the service life of the hydraulic transmission structure.

[0047] In some embodiments, the outer surface of the support roller 10 is covered with a wear-resistant and anti-slip rubber layer, which is in contact with the conveyor chain plate 3.

[0048] The support roller 10 rotates synchronously with the conveyor chain plate 3. The wear-resistant and anti-slip rubber layer covering its outer circumference is in close contact with the bottom surface of the conveyor chain plate 3, providing close support and anti-slip transmission throughout the material conveying process. The advantages and functions of this structure are significant. On the one hand, the rubber layer has excellent anti-slip performance, which can increase the friction between the support roller 10 and the conveyor chain plate 3, avoiding slippage and free rotation between the chain plate and the support roller, ensuring stable transmission of conveying power, and eliminating problems such as material conveying jamming and displacement. On the other hand, the wear-resistant rubber layer has moderate hardness and strong wear resistance, which can buffer the hard friction and impact between the metal support roller and the metal chain plate, greatly reducing the wear of both, while reducing operating noise, optimizing the equipment operating environment, effectively extending the service life of the support roller and the conveyor chain plate, and reducing the replacement cost of equipment parts and the frequency of maintenance.

[0049] In some embodiments, the end of the picking robotic arm 8 is equipped with grippers for picking up stones and a visual recognition camera for identifying stones.

[0050] Once the scanner 6 detects the stones to be sorted and locates their position, the robotic arm 8 starts operating. Simultaneously, its visual recognition camera activates secondary precision recognition, capturing real-time details of the stone's shape, position, and quality to accurately distinguish between qualified stones, defective stones, and impurities. Feedback signals control the opening angle and gripping force of the grippers. After recognition, the grippers precisely conform to the stone's shape for stable gripping. The robotic arm then rotates, precisely placing the gripped stone onto the corresponding sorting conveyor belt 9, completing a single sorting operation. This structure enables precise stone identification, adaptive gripping, and classified conveying. The visual recognition camera compensates for the scanner's lack of detail detection, improving material identification accuracy and adapting to the sorting needs of stones of different specifications and irregular shapes. The adjustable grippers prevent excessive gripping force from damaging the stone or insufficient force from causing material to fall off, effectively improving the accuracy and integrity of stone sorting, reducing material breakage, and achieving refined and intelligent sorting operations.

[0051] In some embodiments, a dust cover is installed on the end face of the sleeve 17, and the square connecting rod 19 slides in conjunction with the dust cover.

[0052] During the telescopic sliding process, the square connecting rod 19 remains in close contact with the dust cover on the end face of the sleeve 17, ensuring complete coverage of the sliding gap between the sleeve 17 and the connecting rod 19. Stone dust, debris, impurities, and external moisture and dust generated during equipment operation are effectively blocked from entering the sliding contact area of ​​the sleeve by the dust cover. The core benefit is achieving dustproof sealing protection for the hydraulic sliding structure, preventing dust and debris from entering the sleeve and causing wear, jamming, or sticking of the piston 18 and sleeve 17. It also prevents the accumulation of debris from causing oil circuit seal failure, hydraulic leakage, and other malfunctions. This effectively ensures the smooth telescopic movement of the piston and connecting rod, maintains the accuracy and stability of the hydraulic adjustment structure over the long term, significantly reduces equipment downtime, lowers equipment cleaning, maintenance, and repair costs, and is suitable for harsh working conditions involving dust, such as stone processing.

[0053] Example 1: Conventional coal gangue mixture sorting and conveying operation This embodiment represents the equipment's standard operating condition, suitable for conveying and sorting ordinary mixed coal gangue materials generated during daily coal mining. The materials have uniform particle size, small weight differences, and no oversized hard impurities, making it the basic usage scenario for the equipment.

[0054] Equipment operation process: First, the operator starts the entire machine through the electrical control box 5. The reducer is powered on and runs, driving the conveyor chain plate 3 on the frame 1 to rotate at a uniform low speed, with the operating speed set at 0.8m / s. Then, the mined mixed coal gangue material is fed into the hopper 2 at the feed end. The material is gathered and restricted through the conical discharge port at the bottom of the hopper 2, and falls evenly and dispersedly onto the surface of the conveyor chain plate 3, avoiding material accumulation and localized concentrated pressure.

[0055] The material is conveyed forward by the conveyor chain plate 3 and enters the detection area below the crossbeam 4. Multiple scanners 6 at the bottom of the crossbeam 4 perform real-time full-area scanning of the conveyed material, collecting data on the material's shape, volume, and texture. At the same time, the visual recognition camera at the end of the picking robotic arm 8 assists in recognition. Through the intelligent control system built into the electrical control box 5, the database is compared to accurately distinguish different materials such as ordinary coal gangue, high-value coal blocks, and hard rocks.

[0056] After identification, the control system triggers the corresponding action of the picking robot arm 8 at the picking station. For the identified valuable materials such as coal blocks and high-quality solid waste, the picking robot arm 8 accurately grabs them with its end grippers and transfers them to the corresponding sorting material conveyor belt 9, thereby separating the valuable materials from the ordinary coal gangue. The ordinary coal gangue that is not picked up continues to be transported with the conveyor chain plate 3 and enters the subsequent crushing and processing process.

[0057] During the conveying process, the flexible support structure composed of the box 12, sleeve 17, piston 18, and square connecting rod 19 at the bottom of the frame 1 operates in real time. It adaptively and finely adjusts the support height of the support roller 10 according to slight weight differences of the material on the conveyor chain plate 3. In conjunction with the wear-resistant and anti-slip rubber layer on the surface of the support roller 10, it ensures the smooth operation of the conveyor chain plate 3 without slippage or deviation. At the same time, the closed-loop oil circuit system continuously supplies and returns oil, the oil filter 14 filters impurities in the hydraulic oil in real time, and the detection sensors monitor the oil circuit pressure and temperature parameters in real time to ensure stable operation of the equipment under normal working conditions.

[0058] This embodiment is suitable for routine production, with a sorting accuracy of over 95%. The equipment operates without significant vibration or abnormal noise, and the wear of core components is extremely low.

[0059] Example 2: Conveying and sorting operation of large-diameter irregular coal gangue materials This embodiment is applicable to coal gangue processing scenarios containing large-diameter, irregularly shaped materials. The material particle size ranges from 50 to 300 mm, and the material weight varies greatly and the shape is irregular, which can easily cause local overload of the chain plate. This is a high-load, differentiated operation scenario for the equipment.

[0060] Equipment operation process: Before starting the machine, the operator presets the flexible support adjustment parameters through the electrical control box 5 and activates the high-precision detection mode of the oil circuit to ensure that the closed oil circuit sensor collects pressure data in real time at high frequency. After starting the equipment, the conveyor chain plate 3 runs stably at a low speed of 0.6m / s to reduce the impact of conveying large materials.

[0061] Large-diameter, irregularly shaped coal gangue mixture is fed into hopper 2, and after being buffered and limited by a conical discharge port, it falls onto the conveyor chain plate 3 to prevent large pieces of material from directly impacting the chain plate and causing local deformation. After the material enters the detection area, scanner 6 works in conjunction with the robotic arm's vision camera to perform multi-angle scanning and identification of large pieces of material, distinguishing between large high-value coal blocks, hard debris, and ordinary large coal gangue.

[0062] To address the uneven stress on the conveyor chain caused by the crushing of heavy, irregular materials, the flexible support structure dynamically adjusts in real time: the support roller 10 corresponding to the heavy-load area slides slightly downward within the sleeve 17 via the piston 18, adaptively buffering the impact pressure of the material; the support roller 10 in the light material area automatically resets and rises, balancing the support force of the entire conveyor chain 3. The limit sliding rings 20 on the upper and lower sides inside the sleeve 17 strictly limit the sliding stroke of the piston 18, preventing excessive displacement of the floating structure and ensuring support stability. Simultaneously, the dust cover on the end face of the sleeve 17 effectively prevents material dust from entering the sliding gap, avoiding jamming of the piston 18 and the square connecting rod 19.

[0063] After identification, multiple sets of robotic arms 8 work together to accurately pick up large, valuable materials from different locations one by one. These materials are then transferred by the corresponding sorting conveyor belts 9, while ordinary large pieces of coal gangue are transported normally to the next process. The wear-resistant and anti-slip rubber layer on the surface of the support rollers 10 effectively increases the friction with rough, large materials, completely eliminating slippage and deviation of large materials and preventing chain plate misalignment and accelerated wear.

[0064] This embodiment can stably adapt to working conditions with large-particle-size and irregular materials, effectively solving the problems of chain plate deformation, abnormal noise, and deviation caused by rigid support in traditional equipment, and greatly improving the stability of equipment operation.

[0065] Example 3: Long-term heavy-load continuous production operation This embodiment is applicable to large-scale, uninterrupted mass production scenarios in coal mines, where the equipment operates continuously for 24 hours, with large material conveying volumes and long continuous operation times, placing extremely high demands on equipment stability, wear resistance, and oil circuit reliability.

[0066] Equipment operation: After startup, the equipment enters a heavy-load continuous operation mode. The control system in the electrical control box 5 automatically optimizes the equipment's operating parameters, and the conveyor chain plate 3 operates at a constant speed of 1.0 m / s to improve conveying efficiency. The closed oil circuit consisting of the oil tank 12, the oil supply pump 15, and the return oil pump 13 continuously circulates, and the oil filter 14 continuously filters dust and impurities in the hydraulic oil to prevent oil circuit blockage and component wear. The oil circuit pressure, temperature, and flow detection sensors upload data to the electrical control box 5 in real time to realize real-time early warning of oil circuit faults.

[0067] Large quantities of coal gangue mixture are continuously fed from hopper 2, evenly covering the conveyor chain plate 3, ensuring no interruption or empty material conditions throughout the process. Under prolonged heavy load and pressure, the flexible support structure continuously and adaptively adjusts, dynamically balancing the overall force on the chain plate and preventing chain plate deformation and frame 1 loosening caused by long-term unilateral heavy load. The square connecting rod 19 adopts a square structure design, which can effectively prevent the support roller 10 from rotating and shifting during operation, ensuring support accuracy during long-term operation.

[0068] During continuous conveying, the scanner 6 and the picking robotic arm 8 continuously complete material identification and sorting operations. Multiple sets of robotic arms work alternately to avoid fatigue operation of a single device and ensure continuous sorting efficiency. The wear-resistant and anti-slip rubber layer on the surface of the support roller 10 continuously buffers heavy-load friction, significantly reducing the wear rate of components under long-term continuous operation and extending the service life of vulnerable parts.

[0069] When the equipment experiences oil pressure fluctuations or abnormal local vibrations during prolonged operation, the detection sensors send real-time feedback signals to the electrical control box 5. The system automatically fine-tunes the oil supply and the floating amplitude of the support roller 10, achieving self-adjustment and stable operation without requiring shutdown for maintenance. This embodiment can meet the needs of continuous heavy-duty production in all weather conditions, and the equipment failure rate is reduced by more than 80% compared to traditional plate feeders.

[0070] Example 4: High-precision and refined material sorting operation This embodiment is applicable to the high-value resource utilization and fine processing of coal gangue. It requires accurate differentiation of various materials such as ordinary coal gangue, high-quality coal blocks, recyclable stone, and waste soil. It has extremely high requirements for identification accuracy and sorting precision, and is mostly used in high-end solid waste resource utilization production lines.

[0071] Equipment usage process: The staff turns on the high-precision sorting mode through the electrical control box 5, increases the scanning frequency of the scanner 6 and the recognition accuracy of the picking robotic arm 8, refines the material classification database, and divides the materials into four categories: ordinary coal gangue, high-purity coal blocks, usable building stone, and waste impurities.

[0072] After being restricted by the hopper 2, the material falls at a constant speed onto the conveyor chain plate 3 and is conveyed at low speed to the detection area. The crossbeam 4 and the array scanner 6 complete the three-dimensional contour scanning and material spectrum identification of the material. Combined with the detail identification of the high-definition vision camera at the end of the picking robot arm 8, the material properties are double-verified to prevent misidentification and missed identification.

[0073] Based on the identification results, the control system accurately assigns tasks to each group of picking robotic arms 8: different types of valuable materials are picked up by the corresponding robotic arms and transferred to different sorting material conveyor belts 9, realizing the fine classification of multiple types of materials; only ordinary coal gangue and waste impurities with no utilization value enter the subsequent crushing process.

[0074] In refined sorting operations, the stability of equipment operation directly determines the recognition accuracy. Therefore, the flexible support structure is finely adjusted with high precision throughout the entire process to eliminate chain plate swaying caused by slight equipment vibrations and minor material weight deviations, ensuring that the conveyor chain plate 3 always remains horizontal and stable, providing a stable working condition for scanning recognition and precise grasping by the robotic arm. At the same time, the hydraulic system maintains a constant and stable output pressure to ensure the adjustment accuracy of the flexible support, and the limit ring precisely controls the stroke of piston 18 to avoid the support height deviation affecting the flatness of material conveying.

[0075] This embodiment can achieve fine sorting of four or more types of materials with a sorting accuracy of over 98%, completely solving the problems of mixed material processing and resource waste in traditional equipment, and maximizing the resource utilization value of coal gangue solid waste.

[0076] Under the operating conditions of this embodiment, the equipment achieves zero emissions of exhaust gas and zero dust in the production area. The activity and particle size uniformity of the finished coal gangue powder are significantly improved. The equipment has a low failure rate and low maintenance costs, perfectly meeting the high-end solid waste resource utilization production needs of high-standard environmental protection plants.

[0077] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, the phrase "comprising an element defined as..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes the element.

[0078] It is worth noting that all standard parts used in this invention can be purchased from the market, and irregularly shaped parts can be customized according to the description and drawings. The specific connection methods of each part all adopt conventional methods such as bolts, rivets, and welding that are mature in the prior art. The models of electrical structure equipment involved can be selected according to the user's needs, as long as they meet the requirements of this application. In addition, the circuit connection adopts conventional connection methods in the prior art. The supporting electrical structures such as the control, current detection, position feedback, predicted voltage synchronization and parameter adjustment of the electrical equipment are all existing technologies, such as PLC controllers and module structures, so they will not be described in detail here.

[0079] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An improved plate feeder, characterized in that, include: A frame (1) is provided with a conveyor chain plate (3) along the extension direction of the frame (1), and a reducer for driving the conveyor chain plate (3) is installed on the frame (1). Picking station (7), the picking station (7) is located on one side of the frame (1) and is provided with multiple picking robotic arms (8) along the extension direction of the frame (1). The picking station (7) is provided with a sorting material conveyor belt (9) on the side of the picking station (7) facing away from the frame (1) and corresponding to the position of each picking robotic arm (8). The housing (11) is mounted on the frame (1) and is provided with support rollers (10) for flexible support with the conveyor chain plate (3).

2. The improved plate feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that, An oil storage chamber is formed inside the housing (11). The housing (11) is provided with a plurality of sleeves (17) along the conveying direction of the conveyor chain plate (3). Each sleeve (17) is provided with a piston (18). The piston (18) and the sleeve (17) define a floating oil chamber. The floating oil chamber is connected to the oil storage chamber. Each piston (18) is provided with a square connecting rod (19) on the side away from the floating oil chamber. Each square connecting rod (19) is equipped with a bracket (16). Each bracket (16) is provided with a support roller (10).

3. An improved plate feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that, The frame (1) is equipped with an oil tank (12), which is connected to a return oil pump (13) and an oil supply pump (15). The return oil pump (13), the oil tank (12), the oil supply pump (15) and the housing (11) form a closed oil circuit. An oil filter (14) is connected between the oil tank (12) and the oil supply pump (15). Multiple detection sensors are installed in the closed oil circuit.

4. An improved plate feeder according to claim 3, characterized in that, A crossbeam (4) is installed on the other side of the frame (1) and above the conveyor chain plate (3). The crossbeam (4) corresponds to the position of the picking station (7). Multiple scanners (6) are installed on the side of the crossbeam (4) facing the conveyor chain plate (3).

5. An improved plate feeder according to claim 4, characterized in that, An electrical control box (5) is installed on the side of the frame (1) near the crossbeam (4). The electrical control box (5) is electrically connected to the scanner (6), the return oil pump (13), the supply oil pump (15), the detection sensor, the reducer and the picking robot arm (8).

6. An improved plate feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that, The frame (1) is equipped with a hopper (2) at the feed end of the conveyor chain plate (3), and the hopper (2) is provided with a conical discharge port facing the conveyor chain plate (3) to gather and limit the flow of falling materials.

7. An improved plate feeder according to claim 2, characterized in that, Limiting rings (20) are fixedly installed on the inner wall of the sleeve (17) and on the upper and lower sides of the piston (18).

8. An improved plate feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer surface of the support roller (10) is covered with a wear-resistant and anti-slip rubber layer, which is in contact with the conveyor chain plate (3).

9. An improved plate feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that, The robotic arm (8) is equipped with grippers for picking up stones and a visual recognition camera for identifying stones at its execution end.

10. An improved plate feeder according to claim 2, characterized in that, A dust cover is installed on the end face of the sleeve (17), and the square connecting rod (19) slides in cooperation with the dust cover.

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