A conveying device and method for ceramic tile production with width self-adaptive adjustment and anti-sinking function

Abstract

The application discloses a conveying device and method with width self-adaptive adjustment and anti-sinking function for ceramic tile production, and relates to the technical field of ceramic tile production. In view of the problems of low efficiency of width adjustment of the conveying device depending on manual shutdown, and easy center sinking and fracture of large-size thin plate ceramic tiles during conveying in the prior art. The device mainly comprises a rack, a conveying device, an adjusting part, a lifting part and a side blocking part. The conveying device is internally provided with a nested sliding structure of a movable rod and a main shaft; the adjusting part is driven to rotate by a bidirectional screw rod driven by an adjusting motor, thereby driving a moving frame and the movable rod to synchronously and symmetrically translate, so that dynamic self-adaptive adjustment of the spacing of conveying belts is realized; the lifting part is provided with lifting wheels to provide anti-sinking support at the bottom; and the side blocking part is provided with rolling side wheels to realize anti-yaw correction. The application can realize self-adaptive adjustment of the spacing of the conveying belts, and provide auxiliary lifting support and rolling limiting correction for the thin plate ceramic tiles during the conveying process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of ceramic tile production and processing equipment technology, specifically to a ceramic tile production conveying device and method with adaptive width adjustment and anti-sinking functions. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of the building ceramics industry and the diversification of consumer market demands, the specifications of ceramic tile products are becoming increasingly diverse, evolving from traditional small-sized wall and floor tiles to today's large slabs, porcelain slabs, and ultra-thin tiles. In automated ceramic tile production lines, conveyor systems are key equipment connecting various process nodes such as presses, kilns, polishing machines, and packaging lines. Their operational stability and flexibility directly determine the processing efficiency and yield rate of the entire production line.

[0003] Existing tile conveying devices suffer from the following significant technical drawbacks: First, the spacing of traditional conveyor belts is typically fixed or semi-fixed. When switching between different specifications of tiles, especially those with significant width differences, on the production line, operators often need to stop the machine, use wrenches or other tools to loosen the fixing bolts, manually push or pull the conveyor belt supports to the appropriate position, and then re-tighten them. This adjustment method is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, reducing the overall efficiency of the production line, but also makes it difficult to ensure the symmetry of the two conveyor belts relative to the center line, easily leading to positioning deviations of the tiles in subsequent processes.

[0004] Secondly, in pursuit of lightweight design and material conservation, thin ceramic tiles with a thickness between 3mm and 6mm have been widely used. However, thin ceramic tiles have a relatively low section modulus of bending. During the overhead conveying process supported by conveyor belts at both ends, their central area is prone to deflection and sinking due to their own weight and operational vibrations. Traditional suspended conveying methods cannot provide effective support in the middle, causing "chatter" patterns to form on the thin ceramic tiles during transport, and even leading to breakage at stress concentration points, severely affecting product yield.

[0005] Furthermore, during automated conveying, tiles inevitably experience slight lateral disturbances. Existing anti-yawing devices mostly use rigid baffles. When the edge of the tile slides and rubs against the rigid baffle, it can easily scratch the glaze on the side of the tile and increase running resistance and the load on the drive motor. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a conveying device and method for ceramic tile production with adaptive width adjustment and anti-sinking functions.

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to provide a conveying device and method for producing ceramic tiles with adaptive width adjustment and anti-sinking functions, so as to solve the problems of existing ceramic tile conveying devices requiring manual adjustment when switching between different specifications of ceramic tiles, the easy sinking and breakage of thin ceramic tiles during conveying, and the easy damage to the edges of ceramic tiles caused by conveying deviation.

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0009] A ceramic tile production conveying device with width adaptive adjustment and anti-sinking function includes a frame and a conveying device. The conveying device is mounted on the frame. The conveying device includes two main shafts, each rotatably connected to the inner wall of the frame. Two movable rods are slidably connected to the inner wall of each main shaft. The movable rods are splined or keyed to the main shafts, allowing them to slide along the axial direction of the main shafts and rotate synchronously with them. One end of each movable rod is fixedly connected to a synchronous pulley, and a synchronous conveyor belt is installed between the two synchronous pulleys. A drive motor is mounted on the frame, and its output is connected to the main shafts. The frame has an adjustment part for adjusting the movement of the movable rods. A lifting part is fixedly connected to the frame, located between the two synchronous conveyor belts, with the top of the lifting part lower than the top of the two synchronous conveyor belts. The frame also has side stops for correcting the deviation of the ceramic tiles.

[0010] Preferably, the adjustment unit includes an adjustment motor, a bidirectional screw, a movable frame, and a connecting plate; the adjustment motor is mounted on the frame, the bidirectional screw is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the frame, and fixedly connected to the output end of the adjustment motor; two opposing movable frames are threaded onto the bidirectional screw, and the two movable frames are respectively fixedly connected to the corresponding movable rods through the connecting plate.

[0011] Preferably, the movable frame is slidably connected to the outer wall of the main shaft, and the outer wall of the main shaft is fixedly connected to two fixing rings, with the two fixing rings located on both sides of the movable frame respectively.

[0012] Preferably, the lifting part includes a lifting frame and lifting wheels; two lifting frames are fixedly connected on the frame and inside the conveying device, and multiple lifting wheels are rotatably connected to the top of the two lifting frames along the conveying direction of the conveying device.

[0013] Preferably, the side baffle includes a side plate, side wheels, and fixed columns; multiple fixed columns are fixedly connected to both sides of the frame, and a side plate is fixedly connected to the top of the fixed columns on the same side; multiple side wheels are rotatably connected to the side of the side plate near the synchronous conveyor belt.

[0014] Preferably, the device further includes a main control system and a size detection sensor; the size detection sensor is used to detect the width of the tile to be conveyed, and the main control system is used to receive the tile width data sent by the size detection sensor in real time; when the difference between the width of the tile to be conveyed and the actual distance between the two sets of synchronous conveyor belts is detected to be greater than a preset tolerance threshold, the main control system outputs a rotation command to the regulating motor.

[0015] Another technical solution of the present invention is: providing a conveying method for the above-mentioned conveying device for ceramic tile production with adaptive width adjustment and anti-sinking function, comprising the following steps:

[0016] S101: The system receives the set target tile width dimensions;

[0017] S102: The main control system calculates the difference between the target width and the current actual distance. When the difference exceeds the preset tolerance threshold, it outputs an operation command to the regulating motor.

[0018] S103: Adjust the motor to drive the bidirectional screw to rotate, which in turn drives the two moving frames and movable rods on both sides to move along the main shaft through the connecting plate, adjusting the distance between the two sets of synchronous conveyor belts to the target width;

[0019] S104: The drive motor drives the main shaft and synchronous conveyor belt to operate and transport the tiles; during the transport process, the bottom of the tiles that undergo downward deflection is supported by the lifting rollers, and the lateral displacement of the yawed tiles is limited by the side rollers.

[0020] Technical effects of the present invention:

[0021] 1. This invention achieves symmetrical adjustment of the synchronous conveyor belt spacing through the linkage structure of the bidirectional screw and the moving frame, which can adapt to the conveying needs of tiles of different widths and specifications, and reduce manual downtime adjustment operations.

[0022] 2. The present invention provides auxiliary rolling support when thin ceramic tiles sink in the middle by setting up lifting wheels between synchronous conveyor belts, thereby reducing the probability of tiles breaking during transportation.

[0023] 3. This invention uses side wheels to roll and limit the movement of the tiles, thereby reducing friction between the tile sides and the side guard structure and minimizing damage to the tile edges. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom transmission structure of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a side view of the structure of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of the adjustment part of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 5 This is the present invention. Figure 4 Enlarged view of the structure at point A in the middle;

[0029] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the automatic width adjustment process of the present invention.

[0030] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0031] 101-Frame; 200-Conveying device; 201-Drive motor; 202-Main shaft; 203-Synchronous pulley; 204-Synchronous conveyor belt; 205-Moving rod; 300-Adjusting part; 301-Adjusting motor; 302-Double screw; 303-Moving frame; 304-Connecting plate; 305-Fixing ring; 400-Lifting part; 401-Lifting frame; 402-Lifting wheel; 410-Side baffle; 411-Side plate; 412-Side wheel; 413-Fixing column. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and thoroughly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The specific embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0033] Reference Figures 1 to 5 This invention provides a ceramic tile production conveying device with width adaptive adjustment and anti-sinking functions, including a frame (101) as the basic support structure and a conveying device (200) disposed on the surface of the frame (101). The conveying device (200) is the core component group responsible for performing horizontal ceramic tile transport operations. The conveying device (200) includes two parallel spaced main shafts (202), the two ends of which are rotatably connected to the inner wall of the frame (101) via deep groove ball bearings.

[0034] Specifically, the main shaft (202) is designed as a hollow tubular structure. Two movable rods (205) are slidably nested inside the main shaft (202). This nested structure is used to achieve axial adjustment and synchronous rotation of the movable rods. The main shaft (202) is responsible for transmitting rotational torque, while the internal movable rods (205) can slide and extend axially within the main shaft (202). A synchronous pulley (203) for transmission is fixedly connected to the outward-extending end of the movable rod (205), and a synchronous conveyor belt (204) is tensioned between the two synchronous pulleys (203) on the same side. The top surface of the synchronous conveyor belt (204) is used to directly carry and transport the tiles. A drive motor (201) is mounted on the outer surface of the frame (101), and the output shaft of the drive motor (201) is connected to one end of the main shaft (202) via a transmission belt. When the drive motor (201) starts, it drives the main shaft (202) to rotate as a whole, thereby driving the movable rod (205), synchronous wheel (203) and synchronous conveyor belt (204) sleeved therein to perform cyclic conveying operation.

[0035] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 4 To achieve automatic adjustment of the transport width, the surface of the frame (101) is provided with an adjustment section (300) for adjusting the movement of the movable rod (205). The adjustment section (300), as a width adjustment mechanism, includes an adjustment motor (301), a bidirectional screw (302), a moving frame (303), and a connecting plate (304). The adjustment motor (301) is mounted on the inner bottom surface of the frame (101). The axis of the bidirectional screw (302) is parallel to the main shaft (202), and its two ends are rotatably connected to the inner wall of the frame (101), and its center part is fixedly connected to the output end of the adjustment motor (301) through a coupling. The bidirectional screw (302) is characterized in that its two ends are respectively machined with threaded sections with opposite directions and equal pitch (i.e., one section is a left-hand thread and the other section is a right-hand thread). A moving frame (303) is threadedly engaged with the two end surfaces of the bidirectional screw (302). Due to the mechanical characteristics of the positive and negative threads, when the regulating motor (301) drives the bidirectional screw (302) to rotate in one direction, the two moving frames (303) will inevitably produce synchronous linear displacements in opposite directions (i.e., synchronously approaching each other or synchronously moving away from each other).

[0036] To transmit the linear displacement power of the moving frame (303) to the working end, each moving frame (303) is fixedly connected to the bearing base of the corresponding movable rod (205) above it via a connecting plate (304). Preferably, to ensure the stability and torsional stiffness of the moving frame (303) during movement, the moving frame (303) is not only driven by the bidirectional screw (302), but its main body is also slidably sleeved on the smooth outer surface of the main shaft (202), using the main shaft (202) as a linear guide for the moving frame (303). At the same time, two fixing rings (305) are fixedly connected to both sides of the outer wall of the main shaft (202) using set screws. These two fixing rings (305) form a mechanical limiting structure to limit the extreme sliding range of the moving frame (303) and prevent the moving frame (303) from detaching from the main shaft (202).

[0037] Further reference Figure 1 To address the issue of large or thin ceramic tiles sinking during cross-air transport, a support unit (400) is fixedly connected to the central surface of the frame (101). The support unit (400) includes a longitudinal support frame (401) running the entire length of the conveyor and evenly distributed support wheels (402). The support frame (401) is located on the surface of the frame (101) and centrally positioned inside the two halves of the conveyor device (200). Multiple support wheels (402) are rotatably connected at equal intervals along the conveying direction on the top of the support frame (401). Preferably, the tangential height of the highest point of the support wheel (402) is set to be slightly lower than the horizontal bearing surface of the two synchronous conveyor belts (204) by 1 mm to 3 mm. When conveying thick bricks with good rigidity, the tiles are suspended and do not contact the lifting rollers (402) for friction. However, when conveying thin slab tiles with poor bending resistance, if the center of the tile deflects and sinks due to its own weight or slight vibration of the equipment, the bottom surface of the tile comes into contact with the lifting rollers (402) below. At this time, the lifting rollers (402) roll freely in the direction of the tile's movement, forming rolling support. This design ensures the stability of the conveying process while providing auxiliary support when the tile sinks.

[0038] To ensure the straightness of the tile's trajectory during transport and prevent it from yawing and falling due to irregularities or lateral disturbances, a side baffle (410) is provided on the outer side of the frame (101). The side baffle (410) includes a side plate (411), side wheels (412), and fixed columns (413). Multiple fixed columns (413) are vertically fixedly connected to the upper platforms on the left and right sides of the frame (101). At the top of the fixed columns (413) on the same side, a long strip-shaped side plate (411) parallel to the transport direction is supported and fixedly connected. Multiple side wheels (412) arranged linearly are rotatably connected to the inner wall of the side plate (411) facing the synchronous conveyor belt (204) via miniature bearings. Preferably, the outer peripheral surface of the side wheels (412) is covered with a highly elastic polyurethane damping layer. Polyurethane material has a certain cushioning and wear resistance. Its soft texture and rolling contact method (replacing the hard sliding friction of traditional baffles) can correct the deviation trajectory of the tile while reducing the probability of scratches on the glaze of the tile side, thus avoiding defects such as chipping and scratches.

[0039] In conjunction with the aforementioned mechanical functional modules, the main control system of this invention coordinates the operation of each functional module in its specific electrical control implementation. In actual production scenarios, when the production line plans to switch from producing conventional 600mm wide ceramic tiles to producing large 800mm wide ceramic tiles, its system workflow (refer to...) Figure 6 The specific steps (see attached diagram) are as follows:

[0040] S101: The system receives or automatically identifies the width and dimension data of the target tile to be delivered through the host computer interface or through the dimension detection sensor.

[0041] S102: The main control system (such as a PLC or microcontroller) compares the target width with the current synchronous conveyor belt (204) spacing parameters stored in the system and calculates the width difference. When the difference exceeds the set tolerance threshold, this condition is used as a trigger condition to output precise instructions on the number of revolutions and direction to the servo driver of the regulating motor (301);

[0042] S103: Start the regulating motor (301), which drives the bidirectional screw (302) to rotate synchronously and smoothly according to the commanded angle;

[0043] S104: The rotating bidirectional screw (302) uses the principle of positive and negative threads to force the moving frame (303) with threads on both sides to simultaneously produce symmetrical translation outward. At this time, the moving frame (303) slides outward with the main shaft (202) as the guide rail, and is pulled outward by the connecting plate (304) to extend the movable rod (205) embedded in the main shaft (202);

[0044] S105: The movement of the movable rod (205) directly drives the end synchronous wheel (203) and the synchronous conveyor belt (204) covering it to open to both sides. During this process, the main control system monitors and judges in real time whether the spacing of the synchronous conveyor belt (204) has reached the target width of 800mm through the motor encoder. If it has not reached the target width, the system returns to step S103 to continue rotating and fine-tuning; if it has reached the target width, the servo driver locks the current position and proceeds to the next step.

[0045] S106: Adaptive width adjustment completed, central control issues feeding permission. At this time, drive motor (201) is started, power drives main shaft (202) to rotate via belt, main shaft (202) drives internal movable rod (205) to rotate synchronously via spline or guide key, thereby causing synchronous pulley (203) to drive synchronous conveyor belt (204) into continuous operation;

[0046] S107: Large, thin ceramic tiles with a span of 800mm are conveyed smoothly onto the surface of the synchronous conveyor belt (204). Due to the large span of the tiles, their center section experiences a slight sag under gravity, contacting the lifting roller (402) of the central support section (400). The lifting roller (402) rolls adaptively as the tiles advance, providing bottom support. Simultaneously, if the tile's posture is slightly off when it enters, the side polyurethane side rollers (412) will limit and correct the tile's rolling. During the conveying process, the support section (400) and the side guards (410) work together to provide anti-sinking support and rolling limit for the tiles.

[0047] In summary, the present invention achieves adaptive adjustment of the synchronous conveyor belt spacing through the adjustment part, and improves the stability of the tile conveying process by cooperating with the lifting part and the side baffle part, thereby reducing the probability of thin slab tiles shifting and breaking during the conveying process.

[0048] 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. A ceramic tile production conveying device with adaptive width adjustment and anti-sinking function, comprising a frame and a conveying device, characterized in that, The conveying device is mounted on the surface of the frame; the conveying device includes two main shafts, which are rotatably connected to the inner wall of the frame respectively; two movable rods are slidably connected to the inner wall of the main shafts, and the movable rods are splined or keyed to the main shafts so that the movable rods can slide along the axial direction of the main shafts and rotate synchronously with the main shafts; a synchronous pulley is fixedly connected to one end of each movable rod, and a synchronous conveyor belt is installed between the two synchronous pulleys; a drive motor is mounted on the surface of the frame, and the output end of the drive motor is connected to the main shafts via a belt; an adjustment part for adjusting the movement of the movable rods is provided on the surface of the frame; a lifting part is fixedly connected to the surface of the frame, located between the two synchronous conveyor belts, and the top height of the lifting part is lower than the top height of the two synchronous conveyor belts to provide anti-sinking support; a side stop is provided on the surface of the frame for rolling and correcting the deviation of the tiles.

2. The ceramic tile production conveying device with width adaptive adjustment and anti-sinking function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adjustment unit includes an adjustment motor, a bidirectional screw, a movable frame, and a connecting plate; the adjustment motor is mounted on the surface of the frame, the bidirectional screw is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the frame, and fixedly connected to the output end of the adjustment motor; the surface of the bidirectional screw is threaded with two opposing movable frames, and the two movable frames are respectively fixedly connected to the corresponding movable rods through the connecting plate.

3. The ceramic tile production conveying device with width adaptive adjustment and anti-sinking function according to claim 2, characterized in that: The movable frame is slidably connected to the outer wall of the main shaft, and two fixing rings are fixedly connected to the outer wall of the main shaft, with the two fixing rings located on both sides of the movable frame.

4. The ceramic tile production conveying device with width adaptive adjustment and anti-sinking function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting part includes a lifting frame and lifting wheels; two lifting frames are fixedly connected to the surface of the frame and inside the conveying device, and multiple lifting wheels are rotatably connected to the top of the two lifting frames and directly below the center of the conveying path of the conveying device, for providing adaptive rolling support when the tile undergoes deflection deformation.

5. A ceramic tile production conveying device with width adaptive adjustment and anti-sinking function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The side baffle includes a side plate, side wheels, and fixed columns; multiple fixed columns are fixedly connected to both sides of the frame, and a side plate is fixedly connected to the top of the fixed columns on the same side. Multiple side wheels are rotatably connected to the side of the side plate near the synchronous conveyor belt to limit the lateral displacement of the tiles during the conveying process and prevent yaw.

6. A ceramic tile production conveying device with width adaptive adjustment and anti-sinking function according to claim 2, characterized in that: The device also includes a main control system and a size detection sensor. The size detection sensor is used to detect the width of the tile to be conveyed. The main control system is used to receive the tile width data sent by the size detection sensor in real time. When the difference between the width of the tile to be conveyed and the actual distance between the two sets of synchronous conveyor belts is detected to be greater than a preset tolerance threshold, the main control system outputs a rotation command to the regulating motor.

7. A method for conveying ceramic tiles in production with adaptive width adjustment and anti-sinking function, applied to the apparatus described in any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S101: The system receives the set target tile width dimensions; S102: The main control system calculates the difference between the target width and the current actual distance. When the difference exceeds the preset tolerance threshold, it outputs an operation command to the regulating motor. S103: Adjust the motor to drive the bidirectional screw to rotate, which in turn drives the two moving frames and movable rods on both sides to move along the main shaft through the connecting plate, adjusting the distance between the two sets of synchronous conveyor belts to the target width; S104: The drive motor drives the main shaft and synchronous conveyor belt to operate and transport the tiles; During the transport process, the bottom of the tile that has undergone downward deflection is supported by the lifting wheel, and the lateral displacement of the yawed tile is restricted by the side wheel.

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