Automatic sorting system for super special cigarettes

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of cigarette sorting, in particular to an automatic sorting system for super special cigarettes. The utility model provides an automatic sorting system for super special cigarettes. The automatic sorting system comprises a cigarette sorting conveyor, a master control box, a coordinate manipulator, a visual camera, at least one positioning box and a plurality of cigarette material boxes, the coordinate manipulator and the visual camera are respectively in signal connection with the general control box; the cigarette sorting conveyor is located below the coordinate robot arm, the positioning box is close to the cigarette sorting conveyor, the positioning box is provided with a plurality of positioning areas used for containing cigarette material boxes, and the positioning areas correspond to the cigarette material boxes in a one-to-one mode. When the automatic sorting system for the super-special cigarettes is used for sorting the super-special cigarettes, a cigarette bin does not need to be independently designed, manual sorting of the super-special cigarettes is not needed, the labor burden of workers is relieved, the production efficiency is improved, the labor cost is saved, and the sorting error rate is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of cigarette sorting, in particular to an automatic sorting system for ultra-special cigarettes. Background Art

[0002] At present, in the domestic commercial tobacco field, in order to better distinguish the categories of cigarette cartons, we generally divide cigarette cartons into six categories: standard cigarettes, slim cigarettes, short cigarettes, medium cigarettes, special-shaped cigarettes and super-special-shaped cigarettes. Among them, the first five categories of standard cigarettes, slim cigarettes, short cigarettes, medium cigarettes and special-shaped cigarettes can be sorted by fully automated cigarette carton sorting systems due to the large order volume and fixed size.

[0003] Since ultra-specific cigarette cartons come in various specifications and sizes, it is difficult to customize cigarette bins, and ultra-specific cigarette cartons account for a very small share of the market. In order to save costs, manufacturers will not design separate cigarette bins for sorting ultra-specific cigarette cartons. Therefore, ultra-specific cigarette cartons of various specifications can only be placed in cigarette bins, and then the ultra-specific cigarette cartons required for the order are manually sorted and placed on the conveyor. Automated sorting cannot be achieved, and the manual sorting mode requires a large number of personnel, is labor-intensive, has low work efficiency, and has a high error rate. Utility Model Content

[0004] (1) The problem to be solved by the present invention is that currently ultra-specific cigarette strips need to be manually sorted, and the manual sorting mode requires a large number of personnel, is labor-intensive, has low work efficiency and a high error rate.

[0005] (2) Technical solution

[0006] An automatic sorting system for super-specific cigarettes, comprising a cigarette sorting conveyor, a master control box, a coordinate robot, a visual camera, at least one positioning box and a plurality of cigarette material boxes;

[0007] The coordinate robot and the visual camera are respectively connected to the master control box signal;

[0008] The cigarette sorting conveyor is located below the coordinate robot arm, and the positioning box is close to the cigarette sorting conveyor. The positioning box has a plurality of positioning areas for placing cigarette material boxes, and the positioning areas correspond to the cigarette material boxes one by one;

[0009] The coordinate robot is used to grab the cigarettes in the cigarette box and place them on the cigarette sorting conveyor according to the instructions sent down by the main control box. The visual camera is installed on the coordinate robot to assist the coordinate robot in grabbing and placing the cigarettes.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment, the coordinate robot includes a support frame, an X-axis guide rail, a Y-axis guide rail, a Z-axis guide rail and a clamp, the X-axis guide rail is installed on the support frame, the Y-axis guide rail is slidably installed on the X-axis guide rail along a first direction, the Z-axis guide rail is slidably installed on the Y-axis guide rail along a second direction, and the clamp is installed on the Z-axis guide rail and can slide along a third direction.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment, the automatic sorting system for super-specific cigarettes includes a cigarette cache conveyor, which is arranged side by side with the cigarette sorting conveyor;

[0012] The cigarette carton buffer conveyor is provided with a pushing mechanism, and the pushing mechanism is used to push the cigarette carton on the cigarette carton buffer conveyor to the cigarette carton sorting conveyor.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment, the pushing mechanism includes at least one telescopic member and a push plate, the telescopic direction of the telescopic member is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the cigarette cache conveyor, and the push plate is installed at one end of the telescopic member close to the cigarette cache conveyor.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment, an infrared sensor is installed on the cigarette sorting conveyor, the infrared sensor is installed at the feeding end of the cigarette sorting conveyor, and the infrared sensor is connected to the main control box signal.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment, the positioning box includes a circular frame and a plurality of partitions, and the plurality of partitions are evenly arranged in the circular frame along the length direction of the circular frame.

[0016] As a preferred embodiment, two positioning boxes are provided, and the two positioning boxes are respectively located on both sides of the cigarette sorting conveyor.

[0017] As a preferred embodiment, the cigarette sorting conveyor is provided with a plurality of partition bars.

[0018] As a preferred embodiment, the clamp is a suction cup clamp.

[0019] Beneficial effects of the utility model:

[0020] The utility model provides an automatic sorting system for super-specific cigarettes, comprising a cigarette sorting conveyor, a main control box, a coordinate robot, a visual camera, at least one positioning box and a plurality of cigarette material boxes; the coordinate robot and the visual camera are respectively connected to the main control box signal; the cigarette sorting conveyor is located below the coordinate robot, and the positioning box is close to the cigarette sorting conveyor, and the positioning box has a plurality of positioning areas for placing cigarette material boxes, and the positioning areas correspond one-to-one to the cigarette material boxes; the coordinate robot is used to grab the cigarettes in the cigarette material box according to the instructions sent down by the main control box and place them on the cigarette sorting conveyor, and the visual camera is installed on the coordinate robot to assist the coordinate robot in grabbing and placing the cigarettes.

[0021] Ultra-specific cigarettes of various specifications are placed in different cigarette boxes respectively. A positioning area on the positioning box corresponds to an ultra-specific cigarette of a certain specification. Then the cigarette box is placed in the positioning area corresponding to the positioning box. When the main control box receives the order information, the main control box sends instructions to the coordinate robot according to the order information. The coordinate robot grabs the ultra-specific cigarettes in the corresponding cigarette box according to the instructions and places them on the cigarette sorting conveyor. After all the ultra-specific cigarettes in the order are sorted, the cigarette sorting conveyor is turned on to transport all the ultra-specific cigarettes in the order to the packaging table. When sorting ultra-specific cigarettes, there is no need to design a separate cigarette bin, and there is no need to manually sort ultra-specific cigarettes. This reduces the labor burden of workers, improves production efficiency, saves labor costs, and reduces the sorting error rate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the utility model. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0023] Figure 1 A top view of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of a positioning box and a cigarette material box provided in an embodiment of the present utility model.

[0025] Icons: 1. Support frame; 2. Coordinate robot; 3. Clamp; 4. Visual camera; 5. Cigarette sorting conveyor; 6. Cigarette buffer conveyor; 7. Telescopic part; 8. Push plate; 9. Positioning box; 901, partition; 10. Cigarette material box. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions of the present invention in conjunction with the embodiments. Obviously, the embodiments described are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] like Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides an automatic sorting system for ultra-specific cigarettes, comprising a cigarette sorting conveyor 5, a main control box, a coordinate robot 2, a visual camera 4, at least one positioning box 9 and a plurality of cigarette material boxes 10; the coordinate robot 2 and the visual camera 4 are respectively connected to the main control box signal; the cigarette sorting conveyor 5 is located below the coordinate robot 2, and the positioning box 9 is close to the cigarette sorting conveyor 5, and the positioning box 9 has a plurality of positioning areas for placing the cigarette material boxes 10, and the positioning areas correspond one-to-one to the cigarette material boxes 10; the coordinate robot 2 is used to grab the cigarettes in the cigarette material box 10 according to the instructions sent down by the main control box and place them on the cigarette sorting conveyor 5, and the visual camera 4 is installed on the coordinate robot 2 to assist the coordinate robot 2 in grabbing and placing the cigarettes.

[0028] In this embodiment, ultra-specific cigarettes of various specifications are placed in different cigarette bins 10, with each positioning area on the positioning box 9 corresponding to an ultra-specific cigarette of a certain specification. Then, the cigarette bins 10 are placed in the corresponding positioning areas of the positioning box 9. When the main control box receives the order information, it sends instructions to the coordinate robot 2 based on the order information. The coordinate robot 2 grabs the ultra-specific cigarettes in the corresponding cigarette bin 10 according to the instructions and places them on the cigarette sorting conveyor 5. After all the ultra-specific cigarettes in the order are sorted, the cigarette sorting conveyor 5 is turned on to transport all the ultra-specific cigarettes in the order to the packaging table.

[0029] When sorting ultra-specific cigarette cartons, there is no need to design a separate cigarette bin, and there is no need to manually sort ultra-specific cigarette cartons, which reduces the labor burden of workers, improves production efficiency, saves labor costs, and reduces the sorting error rate.

[0030] It is important to note that after tobacco is packaged into cigarette cartons, it needs to be placed in the corresponding cigarette bin for storage. When needed, the robot will grab the cigarette cartons in the corresponding cigarette bin and place them on the conveyor. Since the order volume of standard cigarette cartons, slim cigarette cartons, short cigarette cartons, medium cigarette cartons, and special-shaped cigarette cartons is large and the sizes are fixed, tobacco production plants are basically equipped with corresponding cigarette bins. However, ultra-specific cigarette cartons cannot currently be equipped with cigarette bins. The reasons are as follows: First, ultra-specific cigarette cartons have different specifications and sizes, making it difficult to customize cigarette bins. Second, ultra-specific cigarette cartons account for a small proportion of the market, and it is costly for tobacco production plants to customize cigarette bins for ultra-specific cigarette cartons. Since it is impossible to customize cigarette bins, it is also impossible to set up sorting robots according to the cigarette bins for sorting, which means that the current sorting work is basically in manual sorting mode.

[0031] In this embodiment, however, there is no need to customize cigarette bins based on the specific ultra-specific cigarette cartons. Instead, ultra-specific cigarette cartons of different specifications are simply placed in different cigarette cartons 10, which are then placed in the corresponding positioning areas of the positioning box 9. Thus, upon receiving order information, the main control box issues instructions to the coordinate robot 2 based on the order information. The coordinate robot 2, in response to the instructions, grabs the ultra-specific cigarette cartons in the corresponding cigarette cartons 10 and places them on the cigarette sorting conveyor 5. This demonstrates that this automatic ultra-specific cigarette sorting system can automatically sort ultra-specific cigarette cartons, eliminating the need for manual sorting and improving production efficiency.

[0032] It should be noted that the role of the visual camera 4 is to assist the coordinate robot 2 in grasping and placing the super-specific cigarette strips. The visual camera 4 is based on visual positioning technology, and uses a high-resolution camera and image processing technology to capture detailed images of objects and accurately determine their positions and shapes. Furthermore, the visual camera 4 sends the captured images to the image processing system of the master control box by wired or wireless means. The image processing system performs a series of analyses and processing on the images to identify the key features in the images. It should be noted that the use of perspective positioning technology and image processing technology to help robots grasp objects is a very mature technology, and the use of cameras to assist in grasping cigarette strips is a common method in this field.

[0033] It should be noted that the coordinate manipulator 2 is a three-axis robot, and the specific driving method is not specifically limited in this embodiment. Preferably, the coordinate manipulator 2 includes a support frame 1, an X-axis guide rail, a Y-axis guide rail, a Z-axis guide rail and a fixture 3, wherein there are two X-axis guide rails, and the two X-axis guide rails are symmetrically installed on the top of the support frame 1. An X-axis slider is slidably installed on each X-axis guide rail, and the two ends of the Y-axis guide rail are respectively fixed on the two X-axis sliders. The X-axis slider can drive the Y-axis guide rail to move along the X-axis direction, and a Y-axis slider is slidably installed on the Y-axis guide rail. The Z-axis guide rail is installed on the Y-axis slider. The Y-axis slider drives the Z-axis guide rail to move along the Y-axis direction. A Z-axis slider is slidably installed on the Z-axis guide rail. The Z-axis slider can slide along the Z-axis direction, and the fixture 3 is installed on the Z-axis slider so that the fixture 3 moves along the Z-axis with the Z-axis slider. Specifically, the X-axis is Figure 1 The Y axis is the left and right direction, the Z axis is the vertical direction.

[0034] In order to further improve the sorting efficiency, Figure 1 As shown, two X-axis sliders are slidably mounted on each X-axis guide rail, for a total of four X-axis sliders, arranged in pairs. Two Y-axis guide rails, two Z-axis guide rails, and two fixtures 3 are provided, each connected to two sets of X-axis sliders. Each Y-axis guide rail has a Z-axis guide rail mounted on its Y-axis slider, and each Z-axis guide rail has a fixture 3 mounted on its Z-axis slider. This allows two fixtures 3 to perform sorting operations simultaneously, significantly improving sorting efficiency.

[0035] As a preferred embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, two positioning boxes 9 are provided: one in front of the cigarette carton sorting conveyor 5, and the other behind it. One clamp 3 is used to sort the ultra-specific cigarette carton in the positioning box 9 in front of the cigarette carton sorting conveyor 5, while the other clamp 3 is used to sort the ultra-specific cigarette carton in the positioning box 9 behind it. The two sets of clamps 3 work separately, and in conjunction with the two positioning boxes 9, the sorting process can be completed more quickly.

[0036] It should be noted that the function of the positioning box 9 is to position the ultra-specific cigarette cartons of different specifications, so as to facilitate the coordinate robot 2 to grab the ultra-specific cigarette cartons of different specifications. Figure 2As shown, the positioning box 9 includes a circular frame and multiple partitions 901. The circular frame is in the shape of an elongated strip. The multiple partitions 901 are evenly arranged in the circular frame along its length. The multiple partitions 901 divide the cavity in the circular frame into multiple positioning areas for placing the cigarette material boxes 10. In this way, the sorting personnel can place the cigarette material boxes 10 containing ultra-specific cigarette cartons of different specifications into different positioning areas. That is, the placement position of each ultra-specific cigarette carton is fixed. In this way, when the order information is received, the coordinate robot 2 can grab the ultra-specific cigarette cartons of the required specifications from the designated positioning area according to the ultra-specific cigarette cartons of that specification.

[0037] Preferably, the clamp 3 is a suction cup clamp, which is commonly used in the art. It uses a suction cup to absorb cigarettes. As for how it specifically absorbs objects, it will not be described in detail here. The advantage of using a suction cup clamp is that it can adapt to various types of cigarettes.

[0038] Optional, such as Figure 1 As shown, a plurality of partition bars are provided on the cigarette sorting conveyor 5, and the function of the partition bars is to separate adjacent cigarette bars.

[0039] It should be noted that generally an order includes a variety of cigarettes, for example, an order includes a large number of standard cigarettes, slim cigarettes and short cigarettes and a small amount of super-specific cigarettes. Due to the uneven sizes of super-specific cigarettes of different specifications, the super-specific cigarettes can only be placed at the end, and it is impossible to place the super-specific cigarettes at the bottom when packing. Therefore, after the super-specific cigarettes required for an order are grabbed by the cigarette sorting conveyor 5, it is necessary to wait until the other types of cigarettes in the order are transported to the packing table before the cigarette sorting conveyor 5 transports the super-specific cigarettes required for the order to the packing table.

[0040] Since the cigarette sorting conveyor 5 needs to wait for other types of cigarettes to arrive before it can be transported, the coordinate robot 2 can only suspend its work during the waiting period of the cigarette sorting conveyor 5 because the space of the cigarette sorting conveyor 5 is occupied. This will reduce the utilization rate of the coordinate robot 2 and reduce production efficiency.

[0041] In order to solve this technical problem, Figure 1As shown, a cigarette cache conveyor 6 is provided behind the cigarette sorting conveyor 5, and a pushing mechanism is provided on the cigarette cache conveyor 6. The cigarette cache conveyor 6 is used to temporarily place ultra-specific cigarettes. Thus, while the cigarette sorting conveyor 5 is waiting, the coordinate robot 2 is activated to grab the ultra-specific cigarettes required for the next order and place them on the cigarette cache conveyor 6. When the ultra-specific cigarettes required for the previous order leave the cigarette sorting conveyor 5, the pushing mechanism pushes the ultra-specific cigarettes required for the next order from the cigarette cache conveyor 6 onto the cigarette sorting conveyor 5. Therefore, the utilization rate of the coordinate robot 2 is improved, and production efficiency is improved.

[0042] Preferably, the pushing mechanism is used to push the cigarettes on the cigarette buffer conveyor 6 to the cigarette sorting conveyor 5, such as Figure 1 As shown, the pushing mechanism includes a telescopic member 7 and a push plate 8. A column is provided behind the cigarette buffer conveyor 6. One end of the telescopic member 7 is mounted on the column. The telescopic direction of the telescopic member 7 is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the cigarette buffer conveyor 6. The push plate 8 is mounted on the free end of the telescopic member 7. The telescopic member 7 is an air cylinder or an oil cylinder, preferably an air cylinder. The push plate 8 is driven to move closer to or away from the cigarette sorting conveyor 5 by extending or shortening the cylinder.

[0043] When it is necessary to push the super-special cigarettes on the cigarette cache conveyor 6 onto the cigarette sorting conveyor 5, the main control box controls the extension of the cylinder, and the cylinder extends to drive the push plate 8 to move toward the cigarette sorting conveyor 5, thereby pushing the super-special cigarettes on the cigarette cache conveyor 6 onto the cigarette sorting conveyor 5.

[0044] In order to prevent the situation where the ultra-specific cigarettes on the cigarette sorting conveyor 5 have not yet left the cigarette sorting conveyor 5, the pushing mechanism pushes the ultra-specific cigarettes on the cigarette buffer conveyor 6 to the cigarette sorting conveyor 5, an infrared sensor is installed on the right side of the cigarette sorting conveyor 5. The infrared sensor is connected to the main control box signal. The infrared light emitted by the infrared sensor points to the left side of the cigarette sorting conveyor 5. The infrared sensor detects whether there are still ultra-specific cigarettes on the current cigarette sorting conveyor 5. Only when the infrared sensor detects that there are no ultra-specific cigarettes on the current cigarette sorting conveyor 5 will the main control box give instructions to the pushing mechanism, and the pushing mechanism will push the ultra-specific cigarettes on the cigarette buffer conveyor 6.

[0045] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that the terms "upper" and "lower" and other terms indicating orientations or positional relationships are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely to facilitate the description of this utility model and simplify the description. They do not indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0046] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "installation", "connection", and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or a connection between two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to the specific circumstances. In addition, in the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0047] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic sorting system for ultra-specific cigarettes, characterized in that: It comprises a cigarette carton sorting conveyor (5), a master control box, a coordinate robot (2), a visual camera (4), at least one positioning box (9) and a plurality of cigarette carton material boxes (10); The coordinate robot (2) and the visual camera (4) are respectively connected to the master control box signal; The cigarette sorting conveyor (5) is located below the coordinate robot (2), and the positioning box (9) is close to the cigarette sorting conveyor (5). The positioning box (9) has a plurality of positioning areas for placing cigarette material boxes (10), and the positioning areas correspond to the cigarette material boxes (10) one by one. The coordinate robot (2) is used to grab the cigarettes in the cigarette material box (10) and place them on the cigarette sorting conveyor (5) according to the instructions sent down by the main control box. The visual camera (4) is installed on the coordinate robot (2) to assist the coordinate robot (2) in grabbing and placing the cigarettes.

2. The automatic sorting system for ultra-specific cigarettes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The coordinate robot (2) comprises a support frame (1), an X-axis guide rail, a Y-axis guide rail, a Z-axis guide rail and a fixture (3), wherein the X-axis guide rail is mounted on the support frame (1), the Y-axis guide rail is mounted on the X-axis guide rail in a sliding manner along a first direction, the Z-axis guide rail is mounted on the Y-axis guide rail in a sliding manner along a second direction, and the fixture (3) is mounted on the Z-axis guide rail and can slide along a third direction.

3. The automatic sorting system for ultra-specific cigarettes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The automatic sorting system for ultra-specific cigarettes comprises a cigarette cache conveyor (6), wherein the cigarette cache conveyor (6) and the cigarette sorting conveyor (5) are arranged side by side; The cigarette carton buffer conveyor (6) is equipped with a pushing mechanism, which is used to push the cigarette carton on the cigarette carton buffer conveyor (6) to the cigarette carton sorting conveyor (5).

4. The automatic sorting system for ultra-specific cigarettes according to claim 3, characterized in that: The pushing mechanism comprises at least one telescopic member (7) and a push plate (8), wherein the telescopic direction of the telescopic member (7) is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the cigarette cache conveyor (6), and the push plate (8) is installed at one end of the telescopic member (7) close to the cigarette cache conveyor (6).

5. The automatic sorting system for ultra-specific cigarettes according to claim 4, characterized in that: An infrared sensor is installed on the cigarette sorting conveyor (5), the infrared sensor is installed at the feed end of the cigarette sorting conveyor (5), and the infrared sensor is connected to the main control box signal.

6. The automatic sorting system for ultra-specific cigarettes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning box (9) comprises a circular frame and a plurality of partitions (901), wherein the plurality of partitions (901) are evenly arranged in the circular frame along the length direction of the circular frame.

7. The automatic sorting system for ultra-specific cigarettes according to claim 6, characterized in that: Two positioning boxes (9) are provided, and the two positioning boxes (9) are respectively located on both sides of the cigarette sorting conveyor (5).

8. The automatic sorting system for ultra-specific cigarettes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cigarette sorting conveyor (5) is provided with a plurality of partition bars.

9. The automatic sorting system for ultra-specific cigarettes according to claim 2, characterized in that: The clamp (3) is a suction cup type clamp.

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