A device and method for precise heating of the mouth area of a plastic preform

Abstract

The application discloses a device for precise heating of a bottle mouth area of a plastic bottle blank, comprising a main control system, at least one linear supplementary heating light source module, a light spot shaping and homogenizing mechanism, a synchronous triggering unit and a temperature detection unit; the synchronous triggering unit and the temperature detection unit respectively detect the position of the plastic bottle blank and the temperature data of the area below the bottle mouth in real time, so that when the plastic bottle blank reaches the entrance of the heating area and the temperature data of the area below the bottle mouth is lower than a preset threshold, the at least one linear supplementary heating light source module is controlled to emit a supplementary heating light beam, the light spot shaping and homogenizing mechanism is controlled to shape and homogenize the supplementary heating light beam into a linear light spot band, so that the area below the bottle mouth of the plastic bottle blank is supplemented and heated, and the height and length of the linear light spot band are adjusted through a light spot size adjusting mechanism in the light spot shaping and homogenizing mechanism. Based on this, the application realizes efficient, stable and non-contact supplementary heating of the area below the bottle mouth of the bottle blank queue which is moving at high speed and rotating.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of plastic preform blow molding technology, specifically to a device and method for precise heating of the mouth area of ​​a plastic preform. Background Technology

[0002] In existing blow molding production lines for plastic bottles (especially PET bottles), preforms are typically heated in furnaces consisting of multiple rows of halogen lamps. To prevent the bottle neck from deforming due to overheating, cold air is often used to protect it. However, this results in excessively low temperatures at the bottle neck and a section below it (approximately 5-15 cm), making it difficult to stretch the preform sufficiently during blow molding, leading to "material accumulation" and affecting product quality.

[0003] In the prior art, there are solutions that use lasers or infrared lamps to heat the entire preform, such as Chinese patent application CN118386521B published on October 11, 2024, and Chinese patent application CN119974480A published on May 13, 2025. These solutions typically completely replace halogen lamps with laser arrays, which are part of the main heating system and require large-scale modifications to the production line, resulting in high costs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies that require large-scale production line modifications and are costly to completely replace halogen lamps with laser arrays, this invention provides a device and method for precise heating of the bottle mouth area of ​​plastic preforms. At least one linear supplementary heating light source module is set downstream of a traditional halogen lamp heating furnace. By generating an ultra-large rectangular homogenized light spot with independently adjustable height and length, efficient, stable, and non-contact supplementary heating is achieved for a specific area below the bottle mouth of a high-speed, rotating preform queue.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for precise heating of the mouth area of ​​a plastic preform is provided, disposed downstream of a halogen lamp heating furnace, comprising at least one linear supplementary heating light source module, a light spot shaping and homogenizing mechanism, a main control system, a synchronization triggering unit, and a temperature detection unit; the main control system is connected to all linear supplementary heating light source modules, the light spot shaping and homogenizing mechanism, and the synchronization triggering unit; the synchronization triggering unit detects the position of the plastic preform in real time and feeds it back to the main control system, and the temperature detection unit monitors the temperature data of the area below the mouth of the plastic preform in real time and feeds it back to the main control system, so that when the plastic preform reaches the entrance of the heating area and the temperature data of the area below the mouth is lower than a preset threshold, the main control system is triggered to control at least one of the linear supplementary heating light source modules to emit a supplementary heating beam, and the light spot shaping and homogenizing mechanism is controlled to shape and homogenize the supplementary heating beam emitted by at least one of the linear supplementary heating light source modules into a linear light spot band, so as to supplement the heating of the area below the mouth of the plastic preform entering the heating area; wherein, the light spot shaping and homogenizing mechanism includes a light spot size adjustment mechanism for adjusting the height and length of the linear light spot band.

[0006] Furthermore, when there are multiple linear heat-replenishing light source modules, the multiple linear heat-replenishing light source modules are arranged side by side along the bottle preform conveying direction to form a horizontally arranged heat-replenishing light source array.

[0007] Furthermore, the heating beams emitted by the multiple linear heating light source modules are shaped and homogenized to obtain multiple rectangular homogenized light spots. The multiple rectangular homogenized light spots are adjacent or partially overlapped in space to form a continuous, large-sized linear light spot band.

[0008] Furthermore, the height of the linear light spot is 5cm to 15cm, the length is 15cm to 100cm, and the energy uniformity is not less than 90%.

[0009] Furthermore, the light spot shaping and homogenization mechanism includes: a first-stage shaping unit, used to receive the heating beam emitted from each linear heating light source module and initially integrate the heating beam into a continuous linear light band; a second-stage homogenization unit, used to spatially redistribute the linear light band output by the first-stage shaping unit, eliminating hot spots and dark areas to form a rectangular homogenized light spot; and a third-stage focusing / collimation unit, used to adjust the divergence angle of the rectangular homogenized light spot according to the target heating distance.

[0010] Furthermore, the spot size adjustment mechanism is located in the second-stage homogenization unit. The spot size adjustment mechanism includes: a Y-direction adjustment unit, which adjusts the height of the rectangular homogenized spot in the Y-direction by driving at least one optical element in the spot shaping and homogenization mechanism to move in the Y-direction; wherein the Y-direction is perpendicular to the preform conveying direction; and an X-direction adjustment unit, which adjusts the length of the rectangular homogenized spot in the X-direction by driving the rotation angle of at least one optical element in the spot shaping and homogenization mechanism, or by changing the relative distance between the linear heating light source module and the spot shaping and homogenization mechanism; wherein the X-direction is parallel to the preform conveying direction.

[0011] Furthermore, the reheating range of the area below the bottle mouth of the plastic preform is between 60°C and 110°C.

[0012] Furthermore, the linear heating light source module includes a high-power laser, a VCSEL array, or a high-power infrared LED linear array.

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for precise heating of the mouth region of a plastic preform is provided, implemented using the aforementioned apparatus for precise heating of the mouth region of a plastic preform. The method includes: installing at least one linear supplementary heating light source module horizontally side-by-side at the outlet end of a halogen lamp heating furnace; controlling a synchronous triggering unit to detect the position of the plastic preform, and simultaneously controlling a temperature detection unit to monitor the temperature data of the area below the mouth of the plastic preform in real time, so that when the plastic preform reaches the entrance of the heating area and the temperature data of the area below the mouth is lower than a preset threshold, controlling at least one linear supplementary heating light source module to emit a supplementary heating beam; and controlling a spot shaping and homogenizing mechanism to shape and homogenize the supplementary heating beam emitted by at least one linear supplementary heating light source module into a linear spot band to supplement the heating of the area below the mouth of the plastic preform entering the heating area.

[0014] Furthermore, the method also includes: controlling the spot size adjustment mechanism to adjust the size of the linear spot band in the preform conveying direction and in the direction perpendicular to the preform conveying direction.

[0015] The above technical solution includes a device for precise heating of the bottle mouth area of ​​a plastic preform installed downstream of a traditional halogen lamp heating furnace. This device includes at least one linear supplementary heating light source module, a light spot shaping and homogenization mechanism, a light spot size adjustment mechanism, a main control system, a synchronization triggering unit, and a temperature detection unit. The synchronization triggering unit detects the position of the plastic preform in real time and feeds it back to the main control system. The temperature detection unit monitors the temperature data of the area below the bottle mouth of the plastic preform in real time and feeds it back to the main control system. When the plastic preform reaches the entrance of the heating area and the temperature data of the area below the bottle mouth is lower than a preset threshold, the main control system is triggered to control at least one linear supplementary heating light source module to emit a supplementary heating beam, ensuring the accuracy of the supplementary heating timing. Then, the main control system controls the light spot shaping and homogenization mechanism to shape and homogenize the supplementary heating beam emitted by at least one linear supplementary heating light source module into a large-size rectangular homogenized light spot to supplement the heating of the area below the bottle mouth of the plastic preform entering the heating area. The height and length of the linear light spot are adjusted by the light spot size adjustment mechanism in the light spot shaping and homogenization mechanism.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0017] (1) Precise heating: As a post-module of the halogen lamp heating furnace, it is specifically designed to solve the problem of material accumulation at the bottle mouth and is perfectly compatible with the existing production line.

[0018] (2) Adjustable XY spot: The core is that it realizes an ultra-large rectangular heating spot that is independently adjustable in the X direction (parallel to the bottle preform conveying direction) and the Y direction (perpendicular to the bottle preform conveying direction), which can flexibly adapt to the heating needs of different bottle types.

[0019] (3) High-efficiency production: "Flying heating" can be achieved with a single module, which is suitable for high-speed continuous production lines.

[0020] (4) System expansion: The system adopts a modular design and can be flexibly adapted to production lines with different production capacities by increasing the power of a single light source or by horizontally connecting multiple linear heat-generating light source modules. It has good scalability.

[0021] (5) Intelligent control: Combined with temperature feedback, the heating process is closed-loop controlled. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a large-size rectangular homogenized light spot covering a preform queue, provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for precise heating of the mouth area of ​​a plastic preform, provided as an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The technical solutions of various 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.

[0025] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," and "counterclockwise," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, 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. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0026] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a connection that allows for communication; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0027] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature includes the first feature directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature includes the first feature directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0028] Please refer to the appendix. Figure 1This invention provides a device for precise heating of the bottle mouth area of ​​a plastic preform, comprising at least one linear supplementary heating light source module, a light spot shaping and homogenizing mechanism, a main control system, a synchronization triggering unit, and a temperature detection unit. The main control system is electrically connected to all linear supplementary heating light source modules, the light spot shaping and homogenizing mechanism, the synchronization triggering unit, and the temperature detection unit. The light spot shaping and homogenizing mechanism is connected to each linear supplementary heating light source module. The synchronization triggering unit detects the position of the plastic preform in real time and feeds it back to the main control system. The temperature detection unit monitors the temperature data of the area below the bottle mouth of the plastic preform in real time and feeds it back to the main control system. When the plastic preform reaches the entrance of the heating area and the temperature data of the area below the bottle mouth is lower than a preset threshold, the main control system is triggered to control at least one linear supplementary heating light source module to emit a supplementary heating beam. Finally, the light spot shaping and homogenizing mechanism shapes and homogenizes the supplementary heating beam emitted by at least one linear supplementary heating light source module into a linear light spot band to supplement the heating of the area below the bottle mouth of the plastic preform entering the heating area. The light spot shaping and homogenizing mechanism includes a light spot size adjustment mechanism for adjusting the height and length of the linear light spot band. It should be noted that the preset threshold can be set according to actual needs, and no limitation is made here.

[0029] Each linear heating light source module can independently generate a rectangular homogenized light spot extending along the preform conveying direction. When there are multiple linear heating light source modules, they are arranged side by side along the preform conveying direction to form a transversely arranged heating light source array. The heating beams emitted by the multiple linear heating light source modules are shaped and homogenized to obtain multiple rectangular homogenized light spots. These rectangular homogenized light spots are adjacent or partially overlapped in space to form a continuous and longer large-size rectangular homogenized light spot (i.e., a linear light spot band) to adapt to production lines with higher capacity. Preferably, the height of the linear light spot band is 5cm to 15cm, the length is 15cm to 100cm, and the energy uniformity is not less than 90%. Understandably, this application achieves efficient, stable, and non-contact supplementary heating of the area below the bottle neck of a rapidly advancing and self-rotating preform queue by generating a narrow (i.e., small in height, to fit the area below the bottle neck rather than the preform as a whole) and long (i.e. long enough to allow the preform queue to be supplemented with heating as it moves forward (i.e., in-flight heating)) linear spot band.

[0030] The linear heat-generating light source module employs a high-brightness infrared light source. This high-brightness infrared light source, combined with a multi-stage spot shaping and homogenization mechanism, converts the original heat-generating beam from the original light source into a rectangular homogenized spot. The high-brightness infrared light source includes, but is not limited to, any of the following: ① A single high-power laser with an output power greater than 2000W, which is a preferred embodiment of this invention. ② An array, including a VCSEL array. ③ A high-power infrared LED linear array. The wavelength range of the high-brightness infrared light source is 800nm~2500nm. This invention selects the wavelength of the high-brightness infrared light source based on the infrared absorption spectral characteristics of PET material. Preferably, a wavelength with an absorptivity greater than 13% for PET material is selected; more preferably, a wavelength with an absorptivity greater than 30% for PET material is selected. Understandably, by selecting a wavelength with high absorptivity and effective penetration depth, energy utilization efficiency can be improved, the required laser power reduced, system energy consumption and cost lowered, while avoiding material damage caused by excessive energy concentration on the surface.

[0031] The linear heat-generating light source module of the present invention will be described below with reference to several embodiments:

[0032] Example 1 (Preferred Solution): The linear heat-generating light source module uses a single high-power laser with an output power of 2000W and a wavelength of 1660~1720nm as the light source to supplement the heating of a specific area below the bottle mouth of the PET plastic preform. This wavelength (1660~1720nm) is located at the strong absorption peak of PET material, with high absorption rate and high heating efficiency. The heat-generating beam emitted by the high-power laser is processed by a spot shaping and homogenization mechanism to generate a rectangular homogenized spot 10cm high and 45cm long. It should be noted that the configuration of this embodiment (2000W laser, 45cm long spot) can meet the needs of mainstream high-speed production lines. In addition, for production lines with higher capacity, the system capacity can be expanded in the following ways:

[0033] ①Increase the power of a single high-power laser: For example, by using a single high-power laser with a power of 6000W or higher, and in conjunction with a corresponding spot shaping and homogenization mechanism, a rectangular homogenization spot with a length of 135cm or longer can be generated to cover more parallel-transmitted plastic preforms.

[0034] ② Horizontally parallel multiple linear heat source modules: Multiple independent linear heat source modules are installed side by side along the preform conveying direction. The rectangular homogenized light spots generated by each linear heat source module are adjacent or partially overlapped in space, forming an ultra-long large-size rectangular homogenized light spot, thereby achieving a linear increase in production capacity.

[0035] It should be noted that the present invention can employ any one or a combination of the two methods described above. This modular and scalable design enables the present invention to flexibly adapt to various needs of blow molding production lines ranging from small and medium-sized to ultra-large.

[0036] Example 2 (Multi-wavelength verification): A single high-power laser with an output power of 10000W and a wavelength of 1120~1140nm was used as the light source. Although the absorption rate at this wavelength is slightly lower than that in Example 1 (wavelength of 1660~1720nm), effective supplementary heating can still be achieved by appropriately increasing the power.

[0037] Example 3: Ten high-power lasers with an output power of 500W and a wavelength of 1920~2000nm were used as the light source. This also effectively supplemented heating. This wavelength is also one of the absorption peaks of PET, and the system performance was stable.

[0038] Example 4 (Extended Configuration): For a high-speed production line with double-row staggered parallel conveying, two linear heat supplementary light source modules as described in Example 1 are installed side by side in the horizontal direction, and the two rectangular homogenized light spots are seamlessly spliced ​​together in the length direction to form a longer heating zone.

[0039] It should be noted that although the above embodiments describe PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic preforms in detail, the core idea of ​​this invention—namely, to precisely supplement heating the area below the bottle neck using a rear-mounted, independently adjustable, ultra-large rectangular homogenizing light spot—is not limited to this. This technical solution is also applicable to other thermoplastic molding processes that require precise localized heat treatment (which can be areas other than the area below the bottle neck in the plastic preform), such as the production of bottles, cans, containers, or irregularly shaped parts made of PP (polypropylene), PC (polycarbonate), and HDPE (high-density polyethylene). For different materials, similar technical effects can be achieved simply by selecting a suitable light source wavelength based on their infrared absorption spectral characteristics and adjusting the heating power and light spot size parameters. Therefore, the technical solution of this invention has versatility and wide applicability.

[0040] Furthermore, the spot shaping and homogenization mechanism is specifically designed to generate ultra-large rectangular homogenized spots. The spot shaping and homogenization mechanism includes a first-stage shaping unit, a second-stage homogenization unit, and a third-stage focusing / collimation unit. The first-stage shaping unit receives the heating beam emitted from the linear heating light source module and initially integrates the heating beam into a continuous linear light band. The second-stage homogenization unit uses at least one of a microlens array (MLA), a diffractive optical element (DOE), a compound eye lens, or an aspherical cylindrical lens group to spatially redistribute the linear light band output by the first-stage shaping unit, eliminating hot spots and dark areas, and forming a rectangular homogenized spot with an energy density uniformity of over 90%. The third-stage focusing / collimation unit is used to adjust the divergence angle of the spot according to the target heating distance to ensure that the spot size and energy density are optimally matched on the working plane through which the plastic preform passes.

[0041] Furthermore, the spot size adjustment mechanism is located in the second-stage homogenization unit. This mechanism adjusts the size of the rectangular homogenized spot and includes a Y-direction adjustment unit and an X-direction adjustment unit. The Y-direction adjustment unit drives at least one optical element in the spot shaping and homogenization mechanism to move in the Y-direction via an electric translation stage or voice coil motor to adjust the height of the rectangular homogenized spot in the vertical direction, where the Y-direction is perpendicular to the preform conveying direction. The X-direction adjustment unit drives the rotation angle of at least one optical element in the spot shaping and homogenization mechanism via an electric rotary stage or stepper motor, or adjusts the length of the rectangular homogenized spot in the X-direction by changing the relative distance between the linear heating light source module and the spot shaping and homogenization mechanism, where the X-direction is parallel to the preform conveying direction. In this embodiment, the Y-direction adjustment unit drives the cylindrical lens group to move up and down via an electric translation stage to adjust the height of the rectangular homogenized spot. The X-direction adjustment unit drives the DOE element to rotate via a stepper motor to adjust the length of the rectangular homogenized spot.

[0042] The device also includes a temperature detection unit, which is a line-scan infrared thermometer or a high-speed area-array infrared camera. This unit is used to monitor the temperature data of the area below the bottle mouth in multiple plastic preforms in real time and continuously, and feeds the temperature data back to the main control system. This allows the main control system to dynamically adjust the working parameters of the linear heating light source module and the spot shaping and homogenizing mechanism based on the temperature data (i.e., to achieve dynamic closed-loop temperature control), thereby changing the light source power and spot size to compensate for production line fluctuations or the switching between different bottle types.

[0043] Please refer to the following: Figure 2The present invention also provides a method for precise heating of the neck area of ​​plastic preforms. This method uses the aforementioned device for precise heating of the neck area of ​​plastic preforms to efficiently, stably, and non-contactly supplement heating a specific area below the neck of a rapidly advancing and rotating preform queue. Specifically, it includes the following steps:

[0044] Step S1: Install at least one linear supplementary heating light source module horizontally side by side at the outlet end of the halogen lamp heating furnace.

[0045] In step S1, one or more linear supplementary heating light source modules are installed horizontally side-by-side at the outlet end of a conventional halogen lamp heating furnace as one or more independent modules. Understandably, the plastic preform passes through the halogen lamp heating furnace continuously and at high speed, and the main body of the plastic preform is heated by the halogen lamp tubes inside the furnace, while the bottle mouth area is kept at a lower temperature due to cold air protection.

[0046] Step S2: Control the synchronous triggering unit to detect the position of the plastic bottle preform, and simultaneously control the temperature detection unit to monitor the temperature data of the area below the bottle mouth of the plastic bottle preform in real time, so that when the plastic bottle preform reaches the entrance of the heating area and the temperature data of the area below the bottle mouth is lower than the preset threshold, control at least one linear heat supplementing light source module to emit a heat supplementing beam.

[0047] In step S2, the main control system controls the synchronous triggering unit to detect the position of the plastic preform. Simultaneously, the main control system controls the temperature detection unit to monitor the temperature data of the area below the bottle opening of the plastic preform in real time. When the plastic preform reaches the entrance of the heating zone and the temperature data of the area below the bottle opening is lower than a preset threshold, the main control system triggers at least one linear heat-generating light source module to emit a heat-generating beam. It should be noted that when multiple linear heat-generating light source modules are used, the main control system coordinates the operating parameters of each module to ensure uniform energy distribution throughout the heating zone.

[0048] Step S3: Control the spot shaping and homogenization mechanism to shape and homogenize the supplementary heating beam emitted by at least one linear supplementary heating light source module into a linear spot band, so as to supplement the heating of the area below the bottle mouth of the plastic preform entering the heating area.

[0049] In step S3, based on the production line speed, preform spacing, bottle type specifications, and target production capacity, the main control system sets the total power of each linear supplementary heating light source module and the operating parameters of the spot shaping and homogenizing mechanism to form an adjustable linear spot band. This band covers an area 5–15 cm below the bottle neck in height and a range of 15–100 cm in length. The spot shaping and homogenizing mechanism includes a spot size adjustment mechanism, which the main control system uses to adjust the size of the large rectangular homogenizing spot in both the preform conveying direction and the direction perpendicular to the preform conveying direction.

[0050] It should be noted that when multiple preforms, moving forward and rotating continuously, leave the halogen lamp heating furnace, their bottle neck areas simultaneously enter the irradiation range of an adjustable linear light spot generated by one or more linear supplementary heating light source modules. Since the light spot is pre-homogenized, adjustable in size, and covers multiple preforms, all preforms receive uniform, stable, and sufficient supplementary heating below their bottle necks as they pass through at high speed. The temperature rapidly rises to the viscoelastic state required for blow molding, and the preforms, having completed supplementary heating, directly and continuously enter the blow molding station for bottle forming.

[0051] It should also be noted that the target heating temperature ultimately reached in the area below the bottle neck of the plastic preform is related to the length of the linear light spot and the total power of the linear heating light source module. With the length of the linear light spot determined, the main control system adjusts the total power of the linear heating light source module during the heating process to ensure that the area below the bottle neck of the plastic preform accurately reaches the target heating temperature. The target heating temperature can be set according to actual needs. In this embodiment, the target heating temperature ultimately reached in the area below the bottle neck of the plastic preform is between 60℃ and 110℃.

[0052] In the above embodiments, a device for precise heating of the bottle mouth area of ​​a plastic preform is installed downstream of a conventional halogen lamp heating furnace. This device includes at least one linear supplementary heating light source module, a beam shaping and homogenization mechanism, a beam size adjustment mechanism, a main control system, a synchronization triggering unit, and a temperature detection unit. The synchronization triggering unit detects the position of the plastic preform in real time and feeds it back to the main control system. The temperature detection unit monitors the temperature data of the area below the bottle mouth of the plastic preform in real time and feeds it back to the main control system. When the plastic preform reaches the entrance of the heating area and the temperature data of the area below the bottle mouth is lower than a preset threshold, the main control system is triggered to control at least one linear supplementary heating light source module to emit a supplementary heating beam to ensure the accuracy of the supplementary heating timing. Then, the main control system controls the beam shaping and homogenization mechanism to shape and homogenize the supplementary heating beam emitted by at least one linear supplementary heating light source module into a large-size rectangular homogenized beam to supplement the heating of the area below the bottle mouth of the plastic preform entering the heating area. The height and length of the linear beam are adjusted by the beam size adjustment mechanism in the beam shaping and homogenization mechanism.

[0053] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for precise heating of the neck area of ​​a plastic preform, disposed downstream of a halogen lamp heating furnace, characterized in that, The system includes at least one linear supplementary heating light source module, a beam shaping and homogenization mechanism, a main control system, a synchronization triggering unit, and a temperature detection unit. The main control system is connected to all linear supplementary heating light source modules, the beam shaping and homogenization mechanism, and the synchronization triggering unit. The synchronization triggering unit detects the position of the plastic preform in real time and feeds it back to the main control system. The temperature detection unit monitors the temperature data of the area below the bottle mouth of the plastic preform in real time and feeds it back to the main control system. When the plastic preform reaches the entrance of the heating area and the temperature data of the area below the bottle mouth is lower than a preset threshold, the main control system is triggered to control at least one of the linear supplementary heating light source modules to emit a supplementary heating beam. The beam shaping and homogenization mechanism is controlled to shape and homogenize the supplementary heating beam emitted by at least one of the linear supplementary heating light source modules into a linear beam band to supplement the heating of the area below the bottle mouth of the plastic preform entering the heating area. The beam shaping and homogenization mechanism includes a beam size adjustment mechanism for adjusting the height and length of the linear beam band.

2. The device for precise heating of the mouth area of ​​a plastic bottle preform according to claim 1, characterized in that, When there are multiple linear heating light source modules, the multiple linear heating light source modules are arranged side by side along the bottle preform conveying direction to form a horizontally arranged heating light source array.

3. The device for precise heating of the mouth area of ​​a plastic preform according to claim 2, characterized in that, The heating beams emitted by the multiple linear heating light source modules are shaped and homogenized to obtain multiple rectangular homogenized light spots. The multiple rectangular homogenized light spots are adjacent or partially overlapped in space to form a continuous, large-sized linear light spot band.

4. The device for precise heating of the mouth area of ​​a plastic preform according to claim 3, characterized in that, The linear light spot has a height of 5cm to 15cm, a length of 15cm to 100cm, and an energy uniformity of not less than 90%.

5. The device for precise heating of the mouth area of ​​a plastic preform according to claim 3, characterized in that, The spot shaping and homogenization mechanism includes: The first-stage shaping unit is used to receive the heating beam emitted from each linear heating light source module and initially integrate the heating beam into a continuous linear light band. The second-level homogenization unit is used to redistribute the spatial energy of the linear light band output by the first-level shaping unit, eliminate hot spots and dark areas, and form a rectangular homogenized light spot. The third-stage focusing / collimating unit is used to adjust the divergence angle of the rectangular homogenizing spot according to the target heating distance.

6. The device for precise heating of the mouth area of ​​a plastic preform according to claim 5, characterized in that, The spot size adjustment mechanism is located in the second-level homogenization unit, and the spot size adjustment mechanism includes: The Y-direction adjustment unit adjusts the height of the rectangular homogenized spot in the Y-direction by driving at least one optical element in the spot shaping and homogenizing mechanism to move in the Y-direction; wherein the Y-direction is perpendicular to the preform conveying direction; The X-direction adjustment unit adjusts the length of the rectangular homogenized spot in the X-direction by driving the rotation angle of at least one optical element in the spot shaping and homogenizing mechanism, or by changing the relative distance between the linear heating light source module and the spot shaping and homogenizing mechanism; wherein the X-direction is parallel to the preform conveying direction.

7. The device for precise heating of the mouth area of ​​a plastic preform according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reheating range of the area below the bottle mouth of the plastic preform is between 60°C and 110°C.

8. The device for precise heating of the mouth area of ​​a plastic preform according to claim 1, characterized in that, The linear heating light source module includes a high-power laser, a VCSEL array, or a high-power infrared LED linear array.

9. A method for precise heating of the neck area of ​​a plastic preform, characterized in that, The method employs the apparatus for precise heating of the neck region of a plastic preform as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, and includes: At least one linear supplementary heating light source module is installed horizontally side by side at the outlet end of the halogen lamp heating furnace; The synchronous triggering unit controls the position of the plastic preform and the temperature detection unit monitors the temperature data of the area below the bottle mouth of the plastic preform in real time. When the plastic preform reaches the entrance of the heating area and the temperature data of the area below the bottle mouth is lower than the preset threshold, at least one linear heat source module is controlled to emit a heat beam. The beam shaping and homogenization mechanism controls the beam shaping and homogenization of the supplementary heating beam emitted by at least one linear supplementary heating light source module into a linear beam band to supplement the heating of the area below the bottle mouth of the plastic preform entering the heating zone.

10. The method for precise heating of the mouth area of ​​a plastic preform according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: The control spot size adjustment mechanism adjusts the size of the linear spot band in the bottle preform conveying direction and in the direction perpendicular to the bottle preform conveying direction.

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