A parts transport sorting apparatus

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of conveying and sorting, and discloses a spare part conveying and sorting device, which comprises a material guide groove for bearing and conveying spare parts along a preset conveying path, and the two opposite sides of the slot of the material guide groove are respectively provided with a first conveying belt and a second conveying belt, the conveying directions of the first conveying belt and the second conveying belt are parallel to the length direction of the material guide groove, the running speed of the first conveying belt is greater than the running speed of the second conveying belt, and differential friction driving is used to replace traditional rigid geometric constraints, so that the directional mechanism of long-axis spare parts is fundamentally reconstructed. The core principle is to use the speed difference between the first conveying belt and the second conveying belt to form a continuous correction torque around the center of mass on the spare part body falling into the material guide groove in any posture, and the torque actively drives the rotation of the spare part axis until the axis is aligned with the conveying direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of conveying and sorting technology, and specifically relates to a parts transportation and sorting equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In automated assembly, testing, and recycling / disassembly lines, the automated transport and sorting of parts is a key aspect of achieving flexible manufacturing. This is especially true for long-shaft parts (such as bolts, pins, and connecting rods), where efficient, stable directional transport and precise sorting directly determine the overall line efficiency. Currently, transport and sorting systems for such materials often employ a separate architecture consisting of a stepped elevator or vibratory feeder, a linear conveyor track, and a rear-end sorting mechanism. However, this traditional architecture reveals significant systemic flaws in actual operation.

[0003] First, traditional equipment generally relies on fixed mechanical limits or gravity sliding for passive material handling. For long shaft parts with large length-to-diameter ratios and significant center-of-gravity offsets, stepped elevators are prone to bridging at the steps or being forcibly jammed; the spiral track of the centrifugal vibratory feeder provides weak frictional guidance for long shafts and is prone to surface scratches. More importantly, when parts enter the conveying section at an angle or laterally, existing equipment lacks an effective dynamic torque application mechanism to drive the part's axis to automatically align with the conveying direction, resulting in low alignment efficiency and poor material flow stability. Secondly, in recycling, dismantling, or multi-product mixed-line production, it is common for long-shaft parts of different specifications to be mixed into the conveyor line. The alignment parameters (such as groove width, belt speed, and amplitude) of traditional rigid mechanical structures are strongly bound to single geometric dimensions, making them completely unsuitable for handling mixed materials: small-sized parts are easily missed or lose their posture control, while large-sized parts are directly jammed. Even if some equipment has simple speed adjustment functions, it often cannot independently decouple the control of "conveyor speed" and "correction torque," and lacks fine-tuning mechanisms for key parameters such as conveyor belt spacing and vibration amplitude. This leads to difficulties in changing parts, high costs for removing residual mixed materials, and seriously restricts the flexibility of the production line. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a parts transportation and sorting device to solve the problems existing in the background art.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution of the present invention is a parts transportation and sorting device, including a guide trough for carrying and conveying parts along a preset conveying path. A first conveyor belt and a second conveyor belt are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the opening of the guide trough. The conveying direction of the first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt is parallel to the length direction of the guide trough. The running speed of the first conveyor belt is greater than the running speed of the second conveyor belt, so as to form a differential correction torque on the parts located in the guide trough, driving the axis of the parts to tend to align with the length direction of the guide trough.

[0006] Preferably, the opening of the guide trough has a first sidewall near the first conveyor belt and a second sidewall near the second conveyor belt. The inclination angle of the first sidewall relative to the horizontal plane is smaller than the inclination angle of the second sidewall relative to the horizontal plane. The first sidewall can provide a smooth transition guide surface when the component is driven to rotate towards the first conveyor belt by the differential correction torque. The second sidewall can guide the component to slide down along the second sidewall to the bottom of the guide trough, so as to prevent the component from being pulled onto the first conveyor belt by crossing the second sidewall under the differential action.

[0007] Preferably, the tilt angle of the first sidewall is in the range of 30° to 60°, and the tilt angle of the second sidewall is in the range of 60° to 90°.

[0008] Preferably, the cross-section of the feed trough is at least one of V-shaped, U-shaped or arc-shaped.

[0009] Furthermore, the conveying surface of the first conveyor belt is inclined downward along the direction close to the guide trough; when the component is driven to rotate towards one side of the first conveyor belt by the differential correction torque, a gravity component pointing towards the bottom of the guide trough is provided to cooperate with the gentle slope structure of the first sidewall to promote the stable contact of the end of the component and suppress the upward climbing trend of the component caused by the drag of the high-speed belt.

[0010] Preferably, the ends of the first and second conveyor belts are provided with limiting plates, and the limiting plates have a guiding surface formed on the side facing the inside of the guide trough. The guiding surface is inclined inward along the direction close to the bottom of the guide trough. The guiding surface converts the axial kinetic energy of the component into a normal pressure pointing to the bottom of the guide trough, so as to prevent the component from rushing out or rebounding out of the guide trough due to inertia and maintain the alignment posture of the component before output.

[0011] Preferably, the system also includes a vibration unit capable of applying longitudinal vibration along the length of the guide trough to the first conveyor belt and / or the second conveyor belt, wherein the longitudinal vibration amplitude of the first conveyor belt is greater than that of the second conveyor belt.

[0012] Furthermore, the first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt are composed of a support structure and a transmission assembly, and the vibration unit acts on the transmission assembly.

[0013] Preferably, the system further includes a width adjustment mechanism and / or a speed adjustment module; the width adjustment mechanism is used to adjust the lateral spacing between the first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt; the speed adjustment module is used to independently adjust the running speed of the first conveyor belt and / or the second conveyor belt to change the magnitude of the differential correction torque.

[0014] The main technical effects of this invention are reflected in the following aspects: This invention fundamentally reconstructs the orientation mechanism of long-axis parts by replacing traditional rigid geometric constraints with differential friction drive. Its core principle lies in utilizing the speed difference between the first and second conveyor belts to generate a continuous corrective torque around the center of mass on the part body falling into the guide chute in any posture. This torque actively drives the part's axis to rotate until it aligns with the conveying direction, eliminating the need for passive screening using rigid structures such as steps, scrapers, or spiral tracks. It eliminates the risk of jamming caused by bridging or forced insertion at steps in traditional stepped elevators due to the large aspect ratio and significant center of mass offset of the long shaft. It also avoids the weakness of the centrifugal disc spiral track in guiding long shaft friction, which easily causes surface scratches. Since the correction process is entirely dominated by flexible friction torque and the two conveyor belts operate continuously, the material flow is freed from the pulse-like output characteristics of discrete lifting actions at the source, laying a continuous and stable physical foundation for subsequent stable flow and efficient sorting.

[0015] An asymmetric sidewall cooperative constraint mechanism is adopted to precisely adapt to the dynamic behavior characteristics of long-axis components in the differential field. The principle is that the first sidewall near the high-speed zone is designed as a gentle slope, which serves as a smooth transition guide surface, allowing the end of the component to slide into and adhere to the bottom of the groove during differential rotation. This converts the impact kinetic energy into a sliding component along the slope, achieving a soft landing and avoiding bouncing and rebounding caused by steep sidewalls. At the same time, the second sidewall near the low-speed zone is designed as a steep slope, which serves as a rigid constraint boundary to prevent excessive tumbling of the component and to provide stable support reaction force for the tail.

[0016] The first conveyor belt is tilted downwards, so that gravity generates a component pointing towards the bottom of the trough. This, together with the high-speed side slope, counteracts the upward climbing trend caused by the belt surface dragging, promoting stable contact of the parts at the end. On the other hand, a limiting plate with an inwardly tilted guide surface is set at the end of the conveyor belt, which converts the axial kinetic energy of the parts when they arrive into a normal pressure pointing towards the bottom of the trough, suppressing inertial rushing out and rebounding and maintaining the alignment posture before output. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the present invention; Figure 2for Figure 1 Structural diagram of the central guide trough; In the figure: 1. Feed chute; 11. First side wall; 12. Second side wall; 2. First conveyor belt; 3. Second conveyor belt. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, so as to make the technical solution of the present invention easier to understand and master. In the embodiments, it should be understood that the terms "middle," "upper," "lower," "top," "right side," "left end," "above," "back," "center," etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention. In addition, unless otherwise specified in this specific embodiment, the connection or fixing method between components can be achieved by bolt fixing, pin fixing, or pin connection commonly used in the prior art, etc., and therefore will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0019] To address the three major systemic defects faced by long shaft parts in automated transportation and sorting processes—directional jamming, flow pulse, and poor compatibility with mixed materials—this embodiment provides a parts transportation and sorting device that achieves efficient, stable, and flexible transportation of long shaft parts through structural innovation and coordinated control.

[0020] In this embodiment, the core load-bearing and orientation unit of the device is the material guide trough 1, see [link / reference] Figure 1 The guide trough 1 has a first conveyor belt 2 and a second conveyor belt 3 arranged on opposite sides of its opening, both extending parallel to the length of the guide trough 1. Unlike traditional stepped elevators that rely on rigid steps for passive screening, this solution uses a differential friction drive principle: the first conveyor belt 2 (high-speed side) runs at a significantly higher speed than the second conveyor belt 3 (low-speed side). When long shaft parts (such as bolts and pins) fall into the guide trough 1 in any posture, their two ends contact the two conveyor belts with different speeds, thereby forming a differential correction torque around the center of mass on the part. This torque actively drives the part's axis to rotate until it tends to align with the length of the guide trough 1. This mechanism fundamentally eliminates rigid geometric constraints, avoiding the phenomenon of parts with large length-to-diameter ratios forming bridging at the steps or being forcibly stuck by scrapers. It completely solves the problems of frequent jamming and surface scratches caused by the inherent deficiencies in the orientation process of traditional equipment, achieving a technological leap from passive screening to active flexible correction.

[0021] The design of the guide trough 1 in this embodiment draws heavily on the mature engineering experience of the discharge rail of traditional screw vibrating feeders. However, it is not a simple adaptation, but rather a deep adaptation and innovative reconstruction tailored to the differential speed correction mechanism and the orientation requirements of long-axis parts. The discharge rail of traditional screw vibrating feeders typically adopts a symmetrical V-shaped or U-shaped cross-section. Its core function is to provide single-row constraint and smooth discharge of pre-oriented materials under vibration drive. The side wall angle, surface roughness, and bottom curvature have all been verified through long-term practice, effectively preventing lateral displacement or tilting of materials during conveying. This solution retains this industrially proven geometric inclusiveness advantage, setting the cross-section of the guide trough 1 to at least one of V-shaped, U-shaped, or arc-shaped, ensuring stable bottom support and lateral restraint for long-axis parts with different length-to-diameter ratios and diameters. This avoids jamming or jumping problems caused by mismatched trough shapes, which is the basic physical condition for ensuring the continuous and stable differential speed correction process.

[0022] However, the symmetrical structure of traditional discharge rails is designed for vibration conveying in a single velocity field and cannot adapt to the asymmetrical mechanical environment generated by the differential speed operation of the two conveyor belts in this solution. If a symmetrical V-groove is directly applied, when the part rotates towards the high-speed side under the action of differential torque, the steep symmetrical sidewalls will cause the end to bounce and rebound after impact, disrupting the contact state; while the same steep slope on the low-speed side may cause the part to slip excessively or even detach from the groove under differential drive. Therefore, this embodiment introduces an asymmetrical sidewall design based on the geometric framework of the traditional discharge rail (see...). Figure 2 The first sidewall 11 near the first conveyor belt 2 has a smaller inclination angle relative to the horizontal plane (preferably 30° to 60°), forming a gentle slope transition guide surface, while the second sidewall 12 near the second conveyor belt 3 has a larger inclination angle (preferably 60° to 90°), forming a steep slope constraint boundary. The cross-section of the guide trough 1 can be at least one of V-shaped, U-shaped or arc-shaped to accommodate parts with different length-to-diameter ratios. This asymmetric collaborative mechanism of "gentle slope guidance + steep slope restraint" precisely adapts to the dynamic behavior of long-shaft parts in a differential field: when the part rotates towards the high-speed side under the action of differential torque, the gentle slope provides a smooth transition guide surface, allowing the end of the part to slide in smoothly and stick to the groove wall, avoiding bouncing or secondary overturning caused by steep steps, and converting the impact kinetic energy into a sliding component along the slope to achieve a soft landing; while the steep slope on the low-speed side forms an approximately vertical constraint boundary, preventing the part from overstepping the centerline and rolling towards the low-speed side during differential rotation, while providing a stable support reaction force for the tail of the part, ensuring that the part is always constrained within the effective correction area. This angle range has been verified by a large number of experiments to be applicable to most industrial long-shaft parts, which is a major improvement over traditional symmetrical V-grooves or flat-bottomed tracks.

[0023] Furthermore, the discharge rails of traditional spiral vibrating feeders are usually horizontally arranged or have only a slight inclination, and the material's forward propulsion relies entirely on vibration, eliminating the risk of upward climbing due to belt surface drag. In contrast, in this solution, the first conveyor belt 2 is the active drive source. Its surface friction generates a normal component pointing upwards along the belt surface while driving the parts to rotate. Especially when the length-to-diameter ratio of the parts is large or the surface friction coefficient is high, it can easily cause the ends to climb upwards along the high-speed belt, disrupting the established contact state.

[0024] To address the potential "upward climbing" issue caused by high-speed belt drag, the conveying surface of the first conveyor belt 2 is inclined downwards along the direction closest to the guide chute 1 (see...). Figure 1 , Figure 2 When the components rotate toward the first conveyor belt 2 driven by the differential correction torque, a gravity component pointing toward the bottom of the guide trough 1 is provided. This gravity component works in conjunction with the gentle slope structure of the first sidewall 11, on the one hand promoting the stable contact of the component ends with the trough wall, and on the other hand counteracting the upward dragging tendency of the high-speed belt. This is a three-dimensional mechanical balance design that has never been considered in traditional horizontal conveyor tracks. It reflects a refined modeling of the force state of long-axis components in the differential field, effectively preventing the component ends from climbing up along the high-speed belt and destroying the established contact state. Meanwhile, to solve the problem of "material output in a pulsed manner and violent flow fluctuation" in the background technology, limit plates are set at the ends of the first conveyor belt 2 and the second conveyor belt 3. The limit plate forms an inwardly inclined guide surface on the side facing the inside of the guide trough 1. The guide surface converts the axial kinetic energy of the parts when they reach the end into a normal pressure pointing to the bottom of the trough. This not only prevents the parts from rushing out or rebounding out of the guide trough 1 due to inertia, but also maintains the alignment posture of the parts before output. Combined with the continuous flow characteristics of differential conveying, it forms a dynamic soft landing buffer, allowing the materials to enter the rear sorting station with a constant rhythm and stable posture, completely eliminating the dependence on a large buffer area.

[0025] In this preferred embodiment, a vibration unit is also included, which acts on the transmission components of the first and second conveyor belts (taking a belt conveyor as an example, the transmission component is a belt). Through structural transmission, the conveyor belt bearing surface generates longitudinal vibration along the length of the guide trough 1, and the longitudinal vibration amplitude of the first conveyor belt 2 is greater than that of the second conveyor belt 3. This vibration is not a simple auxiliary feeding method, but an active control element coupled with the depth of differential speed correction, which is different from the disordered omnidirectional vibration of traditional centrifugal discs: applying only longitudinal vibration avoids the lateral component from interfering with the posture of the aligned parts. The larger amplitude on the high-speed side helps to overcome the static friction between the parts and the belt surface, prevent small parts from slipping and stopping, and assist the differential torque to accelerate posture convergence. The smaller amplitude on the low-speed side mainly plays the role of preventing jamming. The indirect excitation method avoids the uneven local wear of the belt surface that may be caused by the direct connection of the vibration motor to the belt body, extends the life of the conveyor belt, and makes the vibration distribution more uniform. In addition, the equipment is equipped with a width adjustment mechanism and / or a speed adjustment module. The width adjustment mechanism is used to adjust the lateral spacing between the two conveyor belts to accommodate parts of different diameters. The speed adjustment module is used to independently adjust the running speed of the two conveyor belts to change the magnitude of the differential correction torque. The two can be adjusted in conjunction to form the optimal parameter combination, so that the same hardware platform can be compatible with mixed materials of multiple specifications. It can adapt to mixed materials with a large range of specifications in recycling and dismantling scenarios without stopping the machine to change the model, completely eliminating the dependence on special tooling and manual pre-sorting.

[0026] Finally, traditional discharge rails typically have an open outlet or only a simple baffle at the end, where materials rely on inertia to rush out, easily causing rebound, attitude disturbances, or flow pulses, requiring a back-end buffer for buffering. This embodiment, while drawing on the guiding function of the discharge rail end, adds a limiting plate with an inwardly inclined guiding surface. This guiding surface converts the axial kinetic energy of the parts reaching the end into normal pressure pointing towards the bottom of the trough, suppressing inertial rushing and rebound, and maintaining the alignment attitude before output. Combined with the continuous flow characteristics of differential conveying, it forms a dynamic soft landing buffer zone. This not only continues the constraint and guidance function of the traditional discharge rail on the material flow, but also solves the problem of end-flow stabilization in continuous conveying scenarios through a kinetic energy conversion mechanism. This allows the equipment to achieve constant cycle time and stable attitude output without a large buffer zone, completely overcoming the systemic defects of flow pulse and attitude disturbance superposition in the traditional architecture, and realizing a functional leap from passive output to active flow stabilization.

[0027] The complete motion process of long-shaft parts in this equipment is as follows: After the mixed parts fall into the guide trough 1 from the upstream equipment in a random posture, they slide down to the bottom area of ​​the trough under the action of gravity and come into contact with the two differential speed conveyor belts. The differential speed correction torque is generated immediately and drives the parts to rotate towards the high speed side. During the rotation, the end of the part slides smoothly into the first side wall 11 and sticks to the bottom of the trough. The gravity component and the gentle slope work together to suppress the upward climbing. At the same time, the tail of the part is constrained by the steep slope of the second side wall 12 to prevent excessive rolling. The longitudinal vibration at this stage helps to overcome static friction and accelerate the posture convergence. When the axis of the part is basically aligned with the conveying direction, it enters a stable continuous conveying state. The slight longitudinal vibration maintains the anti-jamming effect. When it reaches the end, the guide surface of the limit plate absorbs the axial kinetic energy and makes the part "soft land" to the output interface in a stable aligned posture. When the production line switches products or encounters mixed incoming materials, the width and speed adjustment module dynamically adjusts the bandwidth and speed difference according to preset or real-time feedback. No manual intervention is required throughout the process, and the equipment always maintains the optimal alignment state. It surpasses the traditional architecture in terms of orientation efficiency, flow stability and material mixing adaptability, providing solid and reliable equipment support for the flexible upgrade of automated production lines.

[0028] Of course, the above are just typical examples of the present invention. In addition, the present invention may have many other specific embodiments. All technical solutions formed by equivalent substitution or equivalent transformation fall within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention.

Claims

1. A parts transportation and sorting equipment, characterized in that, The system includes a guide trough for carrying and conveying parts along a preset conveying path. A first conveyor belt and a second conveyor belt are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the trough's opening. The conveying directions of the first and second conveyor belts are parallel to the length direction of the guide trough. The first conveyor belt operates at a speed greater than the second conveyor belt, thereby creating a differential correction torque on the components located within the guide trough, driving the axis of the components to tend to align with the length direction of the guide trough.

2. The parts transportation and sorting equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The opening of the feed trough has a first sidewall close to the first conveyor belt and a second sidewall close to the second conveyor belt, and the inclination angle of the first sidewall relative to the horizontal plane is smaller than the inclination angle of the second sidewall relative to the horizontal plane. The first sidewall provides a smooth transition guide surface when the component is driven to rotate toward the first conveyor belt by the differential correction torque, and the second sidewall guides the component to slide down along the second sidewall to the bottom of the guide trough, so as to prevent the component from being pulled onto the first conveyor belt by crossing the second sidewall under the differential action.

3. The parts transportation and sorting equipment as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The tilt angle of the first sidewall ranges from 30° to 60°, and the tilt angle of the second sidewall ranges from 60° to 90°.

4. The parts transportation and sorting equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The cross-section of the feed trough is at least one of V-shaped, U-shaped, or arc-shaped.

5. The parts transport and sorting equipment as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The conveying surface of the first conveyor belt is inclined downward along the direction close to the guide trough; When the component is driven to rotate toward the first conveyor belt by the differential correction torque, a gravity component pointing toward the bottom of the guide trough is provided to work in conjunction with the gentle slope structure of the first sidewall to promote stable contact of the component ends and suppress the upward climbing tendency of the component caused by the drag of the high-speed belt.

6. The parts transport and sorting equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Limiting plates are provided at the ends of the first and second conveyor belts, and a guiding surface is formed on the side of the limiting plate facing the inside of the guide trough; The guiding surface is inclined inward along the direction close to the bottom of the guiding groove. The guide surface converts the axial kinetic energy of the component into a normal pressure pointing towards the bottom of the guide groove, so as to prevent the component from being thrown out or rebounding from the guide groove due to inertia, and to maintain the alignment posture of the component before output.

7. The parts transport and sorting equipment as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, It also includes a vibration unit, which is capable of applying longitudinal vibration along the length of the guide trough to the first conveyor belt and / or the second conveyor belt, wherein the longitudinal vibration amplitude of the first conveyor belt is greater than that of the second conveyor belt.

8. The parts transportation and sorting equipment as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt are composed of a support structure and a transmission assembly, and the vibration unit acts on the transmission assembly.

9. The parts transportation and sorting equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a width adjustment mechanism and / or a speed adjustment module; The width adjustment mechanism is used to adjust the lateral spacing between the first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt; The speed adjustment module is used to independently adjust the running speed of the first conveyor belt and / or the second conveyor belt to change the magnitude of the differential correction torque.

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