Packaging and positioning production line for cone-like products

Abstract

The utility model relates to a packaging and positioning production line for cone-like products. Comprising an assembly line used for conveying the cone-like products and a mechanical arm used for grabbing the cone-like products from the assembly line and placing the grabbed cone-like products in a packaging container. The guiding and positioning mechanism is arranged at the feeding end of the assembly line and used for guiding the cone-like products and conveying the cone-like products to the assembly line according to the same posture. According to the packaging positioning production line, posture adjustment is conducted on the products to be packaged entering the production line through the positioning mechanism by means of the self weight, the products to be packaged enter the production line in the mode that the large ends of the products to be packaged face forwards, meanwhile, the products are positioned in the transverse position of the production line through the V-shaped grooves, and the production efficiency is improved. The operation difficulty of a mechanical arm used in the follow-up packaging process is effectively reduced, the failure rate of the mechanical arm is also reduced, and the packaging efficiency is greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of packaging equipment, in particular to a packaging positioning production line for cone-shaped products. Background Art

[0002] Existing automatic packaging production lines usually use visual recognition solutions, using cameras to visually identify materials and provide coordinates for grabbing. When faced with materials with regular shapes, the recognition accuracy and grabbing efficiency are relatively high. However, when faced with materials with irregular shapes or when materials are irregularly arranged on the conveyor belt, the difficulty of recognition increases. At the same time, the irregular arrangement of irregular-shaped materials will cause low grabbing efficiency.

[0003] When using existing robotic arms to grasp regular-shaped, rigid products and place them in packaging containers, it's relatively easy. However, when packaging irregularly shaped products, arranging them in a consistent position becomes a significant challenge, especially when loading soft, conical-shaped products vertically into packaging tubes (bottles) on an assembly line. Utility Model Content

[0004] In order to solve the above problems, the utility model provides a packaging and positioning production line for conical products, including an assembly line for conveying conical products, a robot for grabbing conical products from the assembly line and placing the grabbed conical products in a packaging container; it is characterized in that it also includes a guiding and positioning mechanism arranged at the feed end of the assembly line for guiding the conical products and conveying the conical products to the assembly line in the same posture.

[0005] On the basis of the above solution, the manipulator is a suction cup manipulator, and the suction cup of the suction cup manipulator is a soft telescopic suction cup.

[0006] On the basis of the above scheme, the manner in which the quasi-conical products are conveyed to the assembly line in the same posture is that all the quasi-conical products maintain a posture with their large ends facing forward when entering the assembly line.

[0007] On the basis of the above solution, the guiding and positioning mechanism includes a rolling plate for receiving the quasi-conical product and allowing the quasi-conical product to roll toward the side close to the production line by its own gravity;

[0008] and

[0009] A guide plate used to receive the conical products falling from the rolling plate and allow the conical products to continue sliding down to the assembly line with the big end facing forward.

[0010] On the basis of the above scheme, the angle between the guiding and positioning mechanism and the horizontal plane is 24°, and the lower end is close to one side of the assembly line 1.

[0011] On the basis of the above solution, a guide groove is provided on the guide plate, and the guide groove is a V-shaped groove.

[0012] Based on the above solution, the length of the rolling plate for the quasi-conical product to roll down is 1.5-2.0 times the length of the quasi-conical product; the length of the guide groove for the quasi-conical product to slide down is 1.1-1.6 times the length of the quasi-conical product.

[0013] On the basis of the above scheme, it also includes a conveyor line for conveying packaging containers containing conical products; the conveyor line is provided with a cone cylinder on the side away from the assembly line (1) for positioning and restraining the conical products when the suction cup type manipulator vertically places the conical products into the packaging cylinder (or packaging bottle).

[0014] On the basis of the above solution, the cone includes a cylinder body and a stop back for stopping the tilted cone-shaped product to prevent it from exceeding the constraint range of the cone when the suction cup manipulator releases the cone-shaped product.

[0015] The packaging positioning production line of the present invention uses a positioning mechanism to adjust the posture of the products to be packaged entering the production line by their own weight, so that the products to be packaged all enter the production line with their big heads facing forward. At the same time, the use of V-shaped grooves positions the products in the horizontal position of the production line, effectively reducing the difficulty of operating the manipulator used in the subsequent packaging process, reducing the failure rate of the manipulator, and greatly improving the efficiency of packaging. For conical cigarettes, the present invention uses a telescopic suction cup manipulator to apply a certain pressure to the material to ensure that the material can be sucked up without crushing the material. During bottling, the use of the cone forms an effective positioning constraint on the conical product during packaging. The back stop of the cone can effectively solve the problem of the product tilting beyond the constraint range of the cone due to the use of the soft telescopic suction cup, thereby ensuring that the product can smoothly enter the packaging tube vertically. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the production line in Example 1 of the present application;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of the cone-shaped product in Example 1 of the present application;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the guiding and positioning mechanism in Example 1 of the present application;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the loading state of the assembly line in Example 1 of the present application;

[0021] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the lifting device and the guiding and positioning mechanism used in conjunction with each other in the production line of this application;

[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the robot in the production line of this application;

[0023] Figure 7 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the production line in Example 1 of the present application (including the conveyor line);

[0024] Figure 8 This is a schematic structural diagram of the cone in the production line of Example 1 of the present application;

[0025] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the working state of the production line of Example 1 of the present application when loading products into containers;

[0026] Figure 10 for Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the enlarged structure of part A;

[0027] Figure 11 for Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the enlarged structure of part A;

[0028] Figure 12 This is a schematic structural diagram of a conveyor line in the production line of Example 1 of the present application;

[0029] Figure 13 This is a first-person exploded structural diagram of the chain plate and carrier in Example 1 of the present application (three fixing holes);

[0030] Figure 14 A schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the chain plate and the carrier from a second perspective (three fixing holes) in Example 1 of the present application;

[0031] Figure 15 This is a first-person exploded structural diagram of the chain plate and carrier in Example 1 of the present application (one fixing hole);

[0032] Figure 16 A schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the chain plate and the carrier from a second perspective (one fixing hole) in Example 1 of the present application;

[0033] Figure 17This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the carrier body in Example 1 of the present application (three fixing holes);

[0034] Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structural view of the carrier body in Example 1 of the present application; (one fixing hole). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The following will be combined with the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. 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.

[0036] Example 1

[0037] like Figure 1 As shown, the utility model provides a packaging and positioning production line for conical products, including an assembly line 1 for conveying conical products, a robot 2 for grabbing conical products from the assembly line 1 and placing the grabbed conical products in a packaging container; and also includes a guiding and positioning mechanism 3 arranged at the feed end of the assembly line 1 for guiding the conical products and conveying the conical products to the assembly line 1 in the same posture.

[0038] like Figure 2 As shown, the quasi-conical product described in this application refers to a product with an overall shape similar to a cone. The quasi-conical product has a large end (diameter A) and a small end (diameter a), and A>a.

[0039] As a product with a specific application, the cone-shaped product is a cone-shaped cigarette, which is made of a relatively soft material, with paper or tobacco leaves on the outside and tobacco shreds on the inside.

[0040] During packaging, due to the material of the conical product, the conical product is very easy to be scratched when it is grasped by a gripper-type manipulator. In order to solve this technical problem, based on the above technical solution, this application provides a packaging and positioning production line for conical products, wherein the manipulator 2 is a suction cup manipulator. The suction cup manipulator can absorb 5 products, and the product can be rotated 90° when placed. It needs to be equipped with an air circuit, a rotary cylinder, a Z-axis motion cylinder, a solenoid valve, etc., so it is relatively heavy. The manipulator used in this utility model is a KM1510 manipulator produced by Qingdao Kumi Industrial Equipment Co., Ltd.

[0041] When loading conical products directly onto the assembly line during conventional loading, the conical products cannot maintain a consistent orientation—that is, they cannot all face the same direction when entering assembly line 1. This poses a significant challenge for the robotic arm used for packaging on the assembly line. When the conical products are loaded into a packaging container (a box or tube) in the same orientation, if the two conical products face each other, the suction cup arm must rotate 180° after grasping the first one before it can grasp the second one. However, due to the weight and rotation speed of the suction cup arm, it creates significant inertia, making it prone to dropping the material. Therefore, for stable and reliable operation, the arm's operating speed must be reduced, significantly slowing the gripper's ability to grasp products. To address this technical issue, it would be ideal to ensure that all conical products entering the assembly line maintain a consistent orientation, eliminating the need for the suction cup arm to rotate excessively during grasping. The utility model uses a guiding and positioning mechanism 3 to enable the conical products entering the production line 1 to maintain the same posture, so that the speed is faster when the robot arm 2 grabs and packs them.

[0042] The conical products can be conveyed to the assembly line 1 in the same posture in such a way that the large ends of all the conical products enter the assembly line first, or the small ends of all the conical products enter the assembly line first; or all the conical products enter in other directions but all the conical products maintain the same posture.

[0043] like Figure 3 As shown, the present application provides a specific structure of a guide and positioning mechanism 3 for allowing the large ends of all conical products to enter the production line 1 first. Specifically, the guide and positioning mechanism 3 includes a rolling plate 3-1 for receiving the conical products and allowing the conical products to roll toward the side closer to the production line 1 under their own gravity;

[0044] and

[0045] It is used to receive the conical products falling from the rolling plate 3-1 and allow the conical products to continue to slide down to the guide plate 3-2 of the assembly line with the big end facing forward.

[0046] like Figure 4As shown, when in use, the operator can directly place the quasi-conical product on the rolling plate 3-1. Since the quasi-conical product is a special-shaped structure with one end large and the other end small, the quasi-conical product will roll downward under the action of its own gravity (the arc with an arrow is the direction in which the quasi-conical product rolls, and the straight line with an arrow is the direction in which the quasi-conical product moves as a whole), and the large end will be downward during rolling. Finally, the quasi-conical product will fall onto the guide plate 3-2 and continue to slide down to the assembly line 1. When the quasi-conical product falls onto the guide plate 3-2, the large end will first contact the guide plate 3-2.

[0047] In order to make the conical products fall onto the rolling plate 3-1 and roll down by their own gravity, the angle between the guiding and positioning mechanism 3 and the horizontal plane is 24°, and the lower end is close to the side of the assembly line 1; that is, the rolling plate 3-1 and the guide plate 3-2 both form an angle of 24° with the horizontal plane.

[0048] As the quasi-conical products roll down and slide down the guide and positioning mechanism 3, their posture is adjusted so that all quasi-conical products entering the assembly line 1 maintain the same posture, with their large ends facing forward. The process of the quasi-conical products rolling down the rolling plate 3-1 is a preliminary posture adjustment, while the final posture adjustment occurs on the guide plate 3-2. In a specific embodiment, the rolling plate 3-1 is a smooth flat plate, and the guide plate 3-2 is provided with a guide groove 3-3. To better adjust the posture of the quasi-conical products, the guide groove 3-3 is a V-shaped groove.

[0049] If the length of the rolling plate 3-1 for the quasi-conical product to roll down is too short, the posture of the quasi-conical product has not yet been adjusted. At this time, the posture of the quasi-conical product falling into the V-shaped guide groove 3-3 of the guide plate 3-2 is relatively messy, and subsequent posture consistency adjustment cannot be completed; and if it is too long, due to the influence of inertia, the posture of the quasi-conical product is over-adjusted, which also causes the posture of the quasi-conical product falling into the V-shaped guide groove 3-3 of the guide plate 3-2 to be relatively messy; therefore, the length of the rolling plate 3-1 for the quasi-conical product to roll down is 1.5-2.0 times the length of the quasi-conical product; this length can meet the requirement that the quasi-conical product entering the rolling plate 3-1 laterally is rotated by its own gravity so that its thick end is forward. Similarly, the length of the guide groove 3-3 for the cigarette to slide down should not be too long or too short. If it is too long, the quasi-conical product will be affected by friction and eventually stay in the V-shaped guide groove of the guide plate 4-2, and will not be able to enter the assembly line. If it is too short, the quasi-conical product will directly enter the assembly line before the posture of the rolling plate 3-1 is completely stabilized. Therefore, the length of the guide groove 3-3 for the quasi-conical product to slide down is 1.1-1.6 times the length of the quasi-conical product.

[0050] Fixing parts 3 - 4 for fixing the guide and positioning mechanism 3 are provided on both sides of the guide and positioning mechanism 3 .

[0051] After using the above-mentioned guiding and positioning mechanism 3, the conical-shaped products entering the production line will maintain the same posture with the big end facing forward, thereby providing a good foundation for the next step of packaging.

[0052] In addition to the operator being able to directly place the product on the rolling plate 3-1, the operator can also use a lifting device to lift the product and transport it to the rolling plate 3-1, such as Figure 5 Here, the lifting device will not be described in detail.

[0053] For cone-shaped cigarettes, when a suction cup manipulator is used to place the cigarettes from the production line 1 into a packaging container, the selection and operation of the suction cup are related to whether the soft, special-shaped cigarettes can be stably grasped.

[0054] The suction cup 2 - 1 of the suction cup manipulator 2 is a soft, telescopic suction cup.

[0055] As a specific embodiment, the packaging and positioning production line for conical-shaped products of the present application also includes a conveyor line 4 for conveying packaging containers (packaging containers are packaging tubes or packaging bottles) containing conical-shaped products; the conveyor line 4 is provided with a cone 5 on the side away from the assembly line 1 for positioning and constraining the conical-shaped products when the suction cup manipulator 2 vertically places the conical-shaped products into the packaging tube (or packaging bottle).

[0056] Because the entrance of the packaging tube (or packaging bottle) is relatively small, when the conical product is placed vertically, there may be a certain deviation that causes the conical product to fail to be loaded into the packaging tube. In order to solve this technical problem, Figure 7 and Figure 10 As shown, the present application sets a cone 5 on the outside of the conveyor line 4 (the side away from the assembly line 1); when loading the tube, the large end of the cone 5 faces upward, and the small end corresponds to the mouth of the packaging tube. When the suction cup manipulator 2 releases the conical product in a vertical posture, the conical product will smoothly enter the packaging tube under the positioning and constraint of the cone 5.

[0057] When the suction cup manipulator 2 releases the conical product, the soft telescopic suction cup 2-1 will generate a thrust on the conical product, causing the vertical conical product to tilt, thereby causing it to exceed the constraint range of the cone 5 and thus cannot enter the packaging tube smoothly. In order to solve this technical problem, the present application provides a specific implementation scheme of the cone 5, such as Figure 8 、 Figure 9 and Figure 10As shown, the cone 5 includes a cylinder body 5-1 and a stopper 5-2 for stopping the tilted cone-shaped product when the suction cup manipulator 2 releases the cone-shaped product to prevent it from exceeding the constraint range of the cone 5. Specifically, the stopper 5-2 is formed by extending a portion of the cone surface of the cylinder body 5-1 toward the opening of the cone 5.

[0058] like Figure 7 、 Figure 11 and Figure 12 As shown, the conveying line 4 is a plate chain line, and a carrier (6) for carrying the packaging tube is provided on the plate chain line; the chain plate on the plate chain line includes a chain plate body (4-1), as shown Figure 13-16 As shown, a metal plate (4-2) is provided on the chain plate body (4-1); the carrier (6) comprises a carrier body (6-1) for carrying the packaging tube and a magnet block (6-2) provided at the bottom of the carrier body (6-1) and adapted to the metal plate (4-2).

[0059] This type of conveyor line 4 can be applied to the packaging production of various packaging containers. When the packaging container needs to be replaced, only the carrier 6 needs to be replaced. Since the carrier and the chain plate are connected by the cooperation between the magnet block 6-2 and the metal plate 4-2, the carrier 6 can be quickly replaced during replacement.

[0060] As a specific implementation scheme, Figure 14 and Figure 16 As shown, a plate slot 6-3 for matching with the metal plate 4-2 is formed at the bottom of the carrier body 6-1; the magnet block 6-2 is arranged in the plate slot 6-3.

[0061] The adaptation here means that the shape of the plate groove 6-3 is consistent with the outer contour of the metal plate 4-2. When fixed, the metal plate 4-2 can be inserted into the plate groove 6-3, thereby better stabilizing the carrier 6.

[0062] During packaging, different packaging containers and carriers may be replaced for different products or different packaging models of the same product. For this reason, the carrier 6 in this application also includes multiple forms. Specifically, at least one fixing hole 6-4 for supporting the packaging tube is formed on the carrier body 6-1. Figure 13 The carrier body 6-1 is formed with three fixing holes 6-4 for carrying the packaging tubes. The three fixing holes 6-4 can carry three thin cylindrical packaging containers. Figure 15 A fixing hole 6-4 for carrying a packaging tube is formed on the carrier body 6-1. One fixing hole 6-4 can carry a thick cylindrical packaging container.

[0063] In order to more conveniently install the carrier and chain plate, Figure 13-16 As shown, the chain plate body 4-1 is provided with at least two positioning posts 4-11 extending toward the carrier 6. The metal plate 4-2 is formed with a first positioning hole 4-21 for use with the positioning posts 4-11. The plate slot 6-3 of the carrier body 6-1 is formed with a second positioning hole 6-11 for use with the positioning posts 4-11. During installation, the positioning posts 4-11 are inserted into the first positioning holes 4-21 of the metal plate 4-2, and then the chain plate body 4-1 and the metal plate 4-2 are fixed. Then, the positioning posts 4-11 are inserted into the second positioning holes 6-11 of the carrier body 6-1, and then the metal plate 4-2 is inserted into the plate slot 6-3. Finally, the carrier and the chain plate are fixed by the magnetic attraction between the metal plate 4-2 and the magnet block 6-2.

[0064] When the carrier runs on the plate chain line, when it runs to the arc-shaped area at the end of the conveyor line, the chain plate next to the chain plate where the carrier is installed will be tilted due to the arc angle. At this time, the tilted chain plate is likely to push the carrier off the chain plate. In order to solve this technical problem, the present application provides a specific implementation case of a carrier 6, such as Figure 17 and Figure 18 As shown, the carrier 6 has notched areas 6-5 on its front and rear bottoms to prevent it from colliding with adjacent chain plates on the plate chain line during transport. The front and rear refer to the conveyor line's transport direction as the front, and the opposite direction as the rear. The purpose of providing notched areas 6-5 is to keep the bottom of the carrier 6 as far away as possible from the chain plates on its front and rear sides.

[0065] The steps for packaging using the above production line are as follows:

[0066] (1) The conical product is fed into the guide positioning mechanism 3 located at the feed end of the assembly line 1;

[0067] (2) The guiding and positioning mechanism 3 guides the quasi-conical product and conveys the quasi-conical product to the production line 1 in the same posture;

[0068] Specifically, the quasi-conical product is first fed onto the rolling plate 3-1. Since the quasi-conical product has a special-shaped structure with one end larger than the other, the quasi-conical product will roll downward under the action of its own gravity, with the larger end facing downward.

[0069] When the quasi-conical product leaves the rolling plate 3-1, the thick end of the quasi-conical product enters the guide groove 3-3 forward and the guide groove 3-3 further adjusts the posture of the quasi-conical product. Then the quasi-conical product continues to slide along the guide groove 3-3 and finally enters the assembly line.

[0070] When the quasi-conical product leaves the rolling plate 3-1 and enters the guide groove 3-3, the thick end of the quasi-conical product is forward, but at this time, the quasi-conical product is not completely along the direction of the guide groove 3-3. However, due to the effect of the V-shaped guide groove 3-3, the thick posture of the quasi-conical product completes the final adjustment, and the big end moves forward and continues to slide forward along the guide groove 3-3.

[0071] (3) The robot 2 located above the assembly line 1 grabs the conical product from the assembly line 1 and transports it to the top of the packaging tube;

[0072] (4) The direction of rotation of the manipulator 2 is such that the cone-shaped product maintains a vertical posture (with the large end facing downward);

[0073] (5) Manipulator 2 releases the conical product, and under the constraint of cone 5, the conical product falls into the packaging cylinder;

[0074] (6) When a packaging tube is full, the conveyor line 4 moves forward and transports an empty packaging tube to the bottom of the cone 5.

[0075] Each embodiment in this specification is described in a related manner. Similar parts between the embodiments can be referred to in conjunction with each other. Each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention are included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A packaging and positioning production line for conical products, comprising an assembly line (1) for conveying conical products, and a robot (2) for grabbing conical products from the assembly line (1) and placing the grabbed conical products in a packaging container; characterized in that: It also includes a guiding and positioning mechanism (3) arranged at the feed end of the assembly line (1) for guiding the quasi-conical products and conveying the quasi-conical products to the assembly line (1) in the same posture.

2. The packaging and positioning production line for cone-shaped products according to claim 1, characterized in that: The manipulator (2) is a suction cup type manipulator, and the suction cup (2-1) of the suction cup type manipulator (2) is a soft telescopic suction cup.

3. The packaging and positioning production line for conical products according to claim 1, characterized in that: The manner in which the quasi-conical products are conveyed to the assembly line (1) in the same posture is that all the quasi-conical products maintain a posture with their large ends facing forward when entering the assembly line (1).

4. The packaging and positioning production line for cone-shaped products according to claim 3, characterized in that: The guiding and positioning mechanism (3) includes a rolling plate (3-1) for receiving the quasi-conical product and allowing the quasi-conical product to roll toward a side close to the production line (1) by its own gravity; and The guide plate (3-2) is used to receive the quasi-conical product falling from the rolling plate (3-1) and allow the quasi-conical product to continue to slide down to the production line in a posture with the big end facing forward.

5. The packaging and positioning production line for cone-shaped products according to claim 3, characterized in that: The angle between the guide and positioning mechanism (3) and the horizontal plane is 24°, and the lower end is close to one side of the assembly line (1).

6. The packaging and positioning production line for cone-shaped products according to claim 4, characterized in that: A guide groove (3-3) is provided on the guide plate (3-2), and the guide groove (3-3) is a V-shaped groove.

7. The packaging and positioning production line for cone-shaped products according to claim 4, characterized in that: The length of the rolling plate (3-1) for the quasi-conical product to roll down is 1.5-2.0 times the length of the quasi-conical product.

8. The packaging and positioning production line for cone-shaped products according to claim 6, characterized in that: The length of the guide groove (3-3) for the quasi-conical product to slide down is 1.1-1.6 times the length of the quasi-conical product.

9. The packaging and positioning production line for cone-shaped products according to claim 1, characterized in that: The invention also includes a conveyor line (4) for conveying packaging containers containing conical products; the conveyor line (4) is provided with a conical cylinder (5) on a side away from the assembly line (1) for positioning and restraining the conical products when the suction cup type manipulator (2) vertically places the conical products into the packaging cylinder; the conveyor line (4) is a plate chain line, and a carrier (6) for carrying the packaging cylinder is provided on the plate chain line.

10. The packaging and positioning production line for cone-shaped products according to claim 9, characterized in that: The cone (5) comprises a cylinder body (5-1) and a stopper back (5-2) for stopping the tilted cone-shaped product to prevent it from exceeding the constraint range of the cone (5) when the suction cup type manipulator (2) releases the cone-shaped product.

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