Low-fall visual grain counting machine

Abstract

The utility model discloses a low-fall visual grain counting machine which comprises a feeding bin, a feeding mechanism, a guide mechanism, a material receiving mechanism, an industrial camera, a visual light source and an industrial personal computer, and the guide mechanism is a belt line type guide mechanism and comprises a guide belt line and a guide driving motor used for driving the guide belt line to operate. The feeding end of the guiding belt line is communicated with the tail end of the feeding mechanism, the visual light source is arranged above the feeding end of the receiving mechanism, and projection light of the visual light source can penetrate through a gap between the discharging end of the guiding belt line and the feeding end of the receiving mechanism and can be captured by the industrial camera. According to the low-fall visual grain counting machine, the material fall height is reduced to 23 mm, fragile materials can be effectively prevented from being damaged, meanwhile, the low-fall visual grain counting machine is suitable for counting and subpackaging of common materials and the fragile materials, and compatibility is good.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a low-drop visual counting machine, belonging to the field of automatic counting and packaging technology. Background Technology

[0002] Subcontracting of counting operations is involved in many industries, such as: pharmaceutical counting subcontracting, agricultural counting subcontracting, food counting subcontracting, daily necessities counting subcontracting, and counting subcontracting of mechanical parts or workpieces.

[0003] With the rapid development of automation and intelligent technologies, counting and packaging operations are moving towards full automation. Existing technologies for fully automated counting and packaging mainly include weighing counting, photoelectric sensing, and vision counting. Weighing counting suffers from poor accuracy due to individual weight variations in the materials being counted, making it unsuitable for industries with high precision requirements. Photoelectric sensing counting is inefficient and only suitable for small quantities of regularly shaped materials. Vision counting technology, with its lower requirements for material size and shape, has begun to be applied in the packaging industry due to the rapid development of vision technology.

[0004] Visual counting machines are commonly used counting and sorting devices based on visual technology. For example, the visual counting and sorting devices disclosed by the applicant in patents CN106169093B, CN116280455A, and CN212922133U are all commonly used visual counting machines.

[0005] Currently disclosed visual particle counting machines typically include a feeding bin, a feeding mechanism (also known as a conveying mechanism or transport mechanism), a guiding mechanism (also known as a posture adjustment mechanism), a receiving mechanism, an industrial camera, a vision light source, and an industrial control computer. During the counting and packaging process, the material in the feeding bin is fed to the guiding mechanism by the feeding mechanism, and then falls into the receiving mechanism. During the material's descent, the industrial camera uses the vision light source to project and capture continuous dynamic images of the moving material. These images are then transmitted to the industrial control computer for quantity recognition, thus counting the material falling into the receiving mechanism. Although current visual particle counting machines have advantages such as high counting efficiency and accuracy, the guiding mechanisms in current visual particle counting machines are all of the guide slide type. To ensure accurate counting, materials need to fall quickly from the guide slide of the guiding mechanism into the receiving mechanism. This results in a relatively high guide slide in current vision-based particle counting machines, leading to a material drop height of approximately 147mm. Such a high drop means that fragile materials are prone to collisions with the receiving mechanism or with each other, causing damage. This makes traditional vision-based particle counting machines unsuitable for counting and packaging fragile materials, exhibiting poor compatibility. Current methods to address this issue primarily involve spraying adhesive or attaching anti-collision rubber to the receiving mechanism to reduce material damage. However, these measures only partially reduce damage and do not eliminate it, further increasing counting and packaging costs. Utility Model Content

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned problems in the existing technology, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a low-drop visual counting machine.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0008] A low-drop vision counting machine includes a feeding hopper, a feeding mechanism, a guiding mechanism, a receiving mechanism, an industrial camera, a vision light source, and an industrial control computer. The first end of the feeding mechanism is connected to the discharge port of the feeding hopper, and the inlet end of the guiding mechanism is connected to the end end of the feeding mechanism. The industrial camera is electrically connected to the industrial control computer. The guiding mechanism is a belt-type guiding mechanism, including a guide belt and a guide drive motor for driving the guide belt. The inlet end of the guide belt is connected to the end end of the feeding mechanism. The vision light source is located above the inlet end of the receiving mechanism. The projected light from the vision light source can pass through the gap between the discharge end of the guide belt and the inlet end of the receiving mechanism and can be captured by the industrial camera.

[0009] In one embodiment, the guide belt includes a guide bracket, with guide rollers rotatably mounted at the beginning and end of the guide bracket, and a guide belt fitted on the guide rollers. The output end of the guide drive motor is connected to one of the guide rollers.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the guide belt includes a guide drive wheel and a guide driven wheel located on the outer side of one end of the guide bracket, a guide synchronous belt connecting the guide drive wheel and the guide driven wheel, the output end of the guide drive motor being connected to the guide drive wheel, and the guide driven wheel being connected to the guide roller at the corresponding position.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the outer covers of the guide drive wheel, the guide driven wheel, and the guide timing belt are provided with guide protective covers.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, guide conveying side plates are respectively provided on the upper left and right sides of the guide bracket.

[0013] In one embodiment, the receiving mechanism includes a receiving conveyor belt horizontally disposed below the discharge end of the guide belt and a receiving conveyor drive motor for driving the receiving conveyor belt. The end of the receiving conveyor belt is provided with a discharge port, and the discharge port is connected to a receiving container.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the receiving conveyor belt includes a receiving conveyor support, with receiving conveyor rollers rotatably mounted at the beginning and end of the receiving conveyor support, and a receiving conveyor belt fitted onto the receiving conveyor rollers. The output end of the receiving conveyor drive motor is connected to one of the receiving conveyor rollers, and the discharge port is located at the end of the receiving conveyor support.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the receiving conveyor belt includes a receiving conveyor drive wheel and a receiving conveyor driven wheel located on the outer side of one end of the receiving conveyor support. A receiving conveyor synchronous belt connects the receiving conveyor drive wheel and the receiving conveyor driven wheel. The output end of the receiving conveyor drive motor is connected to the receiving conveyor drive wheel, and the receiving conveyor driven wheel is connected to the receiving conveyor roller at the corresponding position.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, the outer covers of the receiving conveyor drive wheel, the receiving conveyor driven wheel, and the receiving conveyor synchronous belt are provided with receiving conveyor protective covers.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the receiving and conveying support is provided with receiving and conveying side plates at the head end and on both sides of the receiving and conveying support.

[0018] In one embodiment, the feeding mechanism is a two-stage linear vibration conveying mechanism. Each stage of the vibration conveying mechanism includes a vibrating plate and a linear vibrator. The inlet end of the first-stage vibrating plate is connected to the outlet of the feeding hopper, and the outlet end of the last-stage vibrating plate is connected to the inlet end of the guide belt.

[0019] In one embodiment, the visual light source is an LED light source.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial technical effects of this utility model are as follows:

[0021] The low-drop visual counting machine provided by this utility model adopts a belt-type guiding mechanism to replace the traditional slide-type guiding mechanism, which reduces the material drop height from 147mm to 23mm, greatly reducing the material drop height. During the counting and packaging process, it can effectively avoid damage to fragile materials. It is not only suitable for counting and packaging ordinary materials but also for counting and packaging fragile materials. It has good compatibility, simple structure, convenient use, and low cost, and has obvious practical value. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the low-drop visual counting machine provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram from another angle of the low-drop visual counting machine provided in this embodiment of the utility model;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the low-drop visual counting machine provided in this embodiment of the utility model after removing part of the outer shell;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the guiding mechanism and the receiving mechanism in an embodiment of this utility model;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the guiding mechanism and the receiving mechanism after removing the receiving conveyor protective cover in the embodiments of this utility model;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the guiding mechanism and the receiving mechanism from another angle in an embodiment of this utility model;

[0028] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the guiding mechanism and the receiving mechanism after removing the guide guard in this embodiment of the utility model;

[0029] The labels in the diagram are as follows:

[0030] 1. Feeding bin; 2. Feeding mechanism; 21. Vibratory feeder; 21a. First-stage vibratory feeder; 21b. Last-stage vibratory feeder; 22. Linear vibrator; 3. Guiding mechanism; 31. Guide drive motor; 32. Guide support; 33. Guide roller; 34. Guide belt; 35. Guide drive wheel; 36. Guide driven wheel; 37. Guide synchronous belt; 38. Guide protective cover; 39. Guide conveyor side plate; 4. Receiving mechanism; 41. Receiving conveyor drive motor; 42. Discharge port; 43. Receiving container; 44. Receiving conveyor support; 45. Receiving conveyor roller; 46. Receiving conveyor belt; 47. Receiving conveyor drive wheel; 48. Receiving conveyor driven wheel; 49. Receiving conveyor synchronous belt; 410. Receiving conveyor protective cover; 411. Receiving conveyor side plate; 5. Industrial camera; 6. Vision light source; 7. Industrial control computer. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The technical solution of this utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be noted that the terminology used in this utility model is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to limit the utility model. Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this utility model should have the ordinary meaning understood by those skilled in the art. Terms such as "inner," "outer," "upper," "lower," "top," "bottom," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," and "horizontal," indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this utility model. In addition, the terms “set up,” “install,” “connect,” “link,” “fix,” etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection or a detachable connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances. It should also be noted that when an element is referred to as “fixed to” or “set on” another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intermediate element.

[0032] Example

[0033] Please combine Figures 1 to 7 As shown: This embodiment provides a low-drop vision counting machine, including a feeding bin 1, a feeding mechanism 2, a guiding mechanism 3, a receiving mechanism 4, an industrial camera 5, a vision light source 6, and an industrial control computer 7. The first end of the feeding mechanism 2 is connected to the discharge port of the feeding bin 1, and the inlet end of the guiding mechanism 3 is connected to the end end of the feeding mechanism 2. The industrial camera 5 is electrically connected to the industrial control computer 7. The guiding mechanism 3 is a belt-type guiding mechanism, including a guide belt and a guide drive motor 31 for driving the guide belt. The inlet end of the guide belt is connected to the end end of the feeding mechanism 2. The vision light source 6 is located above the inlet end of the receiving mechanism 4. The projected light from the vision light source 6 can pass through the gap between the discharge end of the guide belt and the inlet end of the receiving mechanism 4 and can be captured by the industrial camera 5.

[0034] In this utility model, the guide drive motor 31 can be a commercially available product, including but not limited to commercially available servo motors, stepper motors, and micro speed-regulating motors.

[0035] In this utility model, combined with Figures 4 to 7As shown, the guide belt includes a guide bracket 32, with guide rollers 33 rotatably mounted at both ends of the guide bracket 32. A guide belt 34 is fitted onto the guide rollers 33. The output end of the guide drive motor 31 is connected to one of the guide rollers 33. In this embodiment, the output end of the guide drive motor 31 is connected to the guide roller 33 located at the first end. In use, the guide drive motor 31 drives the guide roller 33 to rotate, which in turn drives the guide belt 34 on the guide roller 33 to rotate, thereby realizing the guiding and conveying of materials.

[0036] Furthermore, the guide belt includes a guide drive wheel 35 and a guide driven wheel 36 located on the outer side of one end of the guide bracket 32. A guide timing belt 37 connects the guide drive wheel 35 and the guide driven wheel 36. The output end of the guide drive motor 31 is connected to the guide drive wheel 35, and the guide driven wheel 36 is connected to the guide roller 33 at the corresponding position. In this embodiment, the output end of the guide drive motor 31 is connected to the guide roller 33 located at the first end. Correspondingly, the guide drive wheel 35 and the guide driven wheel 36 are located on the outer side of the first end of the guide bracket 32, and the guide driven wheel 36 is connected to the guide roller 33 located at the first end. In use, the guide drive motor 31 drives the guide drive wheel 35 to rotate, which in turn drives the guide driven wheel 36 to rotate via the guide timing belt 37, thereby driving the guide roller 33 to rotate, thus enhancing the stability of the guide drive motor 31 driving the guide roller 33 to rotate.

[0037] In addition, the guide drive wheel 35, the guide driven wheel 36, and the guide timing belt 37 are provided with guide protective covers 38, which protect the guide drive wheel 35, the guide driven wheel 36, and the guide timing belt 37.

[0038] In addition, guide conveying side plates 39 are provided on the upper left and right sides of the guide bracket 32 ​​to prevent materials from falling.

[0039] In this utility model, combined with Figures 4 to 7 As shown, the receiving mechanism 4 includes a receiving conveyor belt horizontally positioned below the discharge end of the guide belt (specifically, the guide belt 34) and a receiving conveyor drive motor 41 for driving the receiving conveyor belt. The end of the receiving conveyor belt is provided with a discharge port 42, which is connected to a receiving container 43. The receiving container 43 is not limited in form and may include, but is not limited to, a receiving bag, receiving box, receiving hopper, or receiving bin. The receiving conveyor belt is equivalent to the inlet end of the receiving mechanism 4. Accordingly, during installation, the visual light source 6 is positioned above the receiving conveyor belt, and the projected light from the visual light source 6 can pass through the gap between the discharge end of the guide belt and the receiving conveyor belt and be captured by the industrial camera 5. The receiving conveyor drive motor 41 can be a commercially available product, including but not limited to commercially available servo motors, stepper motors, and micro-speed-regulating motors.

[0040] Specifically, the receiving conveyor belt includes a receiving conveyor support 44, with receiving conveyor rollers 45 rotatably mounted at both ends of the receiving conveyor support 44. A receiving conveyor belt 46 is fitted onto the receiving conveyor rollers 45. The output end of the receiving conveyor drive motor 41 is connected to one of the receiving conveyor rollers 45, and the discharge port 42 is located at the end of the receiving conveyor support 44. In this embodiment, the output end of the receiving conveyor drive motor 41 is connected to the receiving conveyor roller 45 located at the beginning. In use, the material falls onto the receiving conveyor belt 46 through the guide mechanism 3. The receiving conveyor drive motor 41 drives the receiving conveyor rollers 45 to rotate, thereby driving the receiving conveyor belt 46 to rotate, thus conveying the material to the discharge port 42, and then into the receiving container 43 through the discharge port 42, completing the receiving operation. Compared to the traditional receiving bin-type receiving mechanism, this utility model is equipped with a receiving conveyor belt. After being guided by the guiding mechanism 3, the material first falls onto the receiving conveyor belt 46 of the receiving conveyor belt and then is conveyed to the receiving container 43. The receiving conveyor belt 46 can buffer the material while receiving it, which can further reduce the damage to the material.

[0041] Furthermore, the receiving conveyor belt includes a receiving conveyor drive wheel 47 and a receiving conveyor driven wheel 48 located on the outer side of one end of the receiving conveyor bracket 44. A receiving conveyor timing belt 49 connects the receiving conveyor drive wheel 47 and the receiving conveyor driven wheel 48. The output end of the receiving conveyor drive motor 41 is connected to the receiving conveyor drive wheel 47, and the receiving conveyor driven wheel 48 is connected to the receiving conveyor roller 45 at the corresponding position. In this embodiment, the output end of the receiving conveyor drive motor 41 is connected to the receiving conveyor roller 45 located at the first end. Correspondingly, the receiving conveyor drive wheel 47 and the receiving conveyor driven wheel 48 are located on the outer side of the first end of the receiving conveyor bracket 44, and the receiving conveyor driven wheel 48 is connected to the receiving conveyor roller 45 located at the first end. In use, the receiving conveyor drive motor 41 drives the receiving conveyor drive wheel 47 to rotate, which in turn drives the receiving conveyor driven wheel 48 to rotate via the receiving conveyor timing belt 49, and in turn drives the receiving conveyor roller 45 to rotate.

[0042] In addition, the receiving conveyor drive wheel 47, receiving conveyor driven wheel 48, and receiving conveyor synchronous belt 49 are covered with receiving conveyor protective covers 410, which protect the receiving conveyor drive wheel 47, receiving conveyor driven wheel 48, and receiving conveyor synchronous belt 49.

[0043] In addition, the receiving and conveying bracket 44 is provided with receiving and conveying side plates 411 at its head and on both sides to prevent materials from falling.

[0044] In this utility model, see Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the feeding mechanism 2 is a two-stage linear vibration conveying mechanism. Each stage of the vibration conveying mechanism includes a vibrating plate 21 and a linear vibrator 22. The inlet end of the first-stage vibrating plate 21a is connected to the outlet of the feeding bin 1, and the outlet end of the last-stage vibrating plate 21b is connected to the inlet end of the guide belt. In use, the material in the feeding bin 1 is conveyed to the guide belt of the guiding mechanism 3 via the feeding mechanism 2.

[0045] In this invention, the visual light source 6 is an LED light source.

[0046] The method of using the low-drop visual counting machine described in this utility model is as follows:

[0047] The material in the feeding bin 1 is conveyed to the guide belt of the guide mechanism 3 by the feeding mechanism 2. The guide belt accelerates the material to a fixed speed and throws it out under the drive of the guide drive motor 31. The thrown material makes a projectile motion in the air and falls into the receiving mechanism 4 (specifically the receiving conveyor belt 46 of the receiving mechanism 4). During the falling process, the industrial camera 5 uses the visual light source 6 to project and capture continuous dynamic images of the moving material. Then the images are transmitted to the industrial control computer 7 for quantity recognition, and the counting result of the material falling into the receiving mechanism 4 can be obtained.

[0048] During this process, the guide belt moves under the drive of the guide drive motor 31. The speed of the guide belt can be controlled by the guide drive motor 31, thereby controlling the speed of the material on the guide belt, so that the material falls quickly from the guide belt into the receiving mechanism 4. Therefore, compared with the traditional sliding plate type guide mechanism, the height of the guide belt (specifically the guide synchronous belt 37) of the belt type guide mechanism can be set lower, so that the material drop height of the visual counting machine can be reduced from 147mm to 23mm, which greatly reduces the material drop height. Such a low drop height means that when the material falls into the receiving mechanism 4, the collision force between the material and the receiving mechanism 4 is very small, and the collision force between the materials is also very small. Therefore, even if the material is fragile, it will not be damaged due to collision with the receiving mechanism or collision between materials. Thus, the visual counting machine of this utility model is not only suitable for counting and packaging ordinary materials, but also for counting and packaging fragile materials, and the overall compatibility of the equipment is good.

[0049] Finally, it should be pointed out that the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model, but the protection scope of the present utility model is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A low-drop vision counting machine, comprising a feeding hopper, a feeding mechanism, a guiding mechanism, a receiving mechanism, an industrial camera, a vision light source, and an industrial control computer, wherein the first end of the feeding mechanism is connected to the discharge port of the feeding hopper, the inlet end of the guiding mechanism is connected to the end end of the feeding mechanism, and the industrial camera is electrically connected to the industrial control computer, characterized in that: The guiding mechanism is a belt-type guiding mechanism, including a guide belt and a guide drive motor for driving the guide belt. The feed end of the guide belt is connected to the end of the feeding mechanism. The visual light source is located above the feed end of the receiving mechanism. The projected light from the visual light source can pass through the gap between the discharge end of the guide belt and the feed end of the receiving mechanism and can be captured by an industrial camera.

2. The low-drop visual counting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide belt includes a guide bracket, with guide rollers rotatably mounted at the beginning and end of the guide bracket, and a guide belt fitted on the guide rollers. The output end of the guide drive motor is connected to one of the guide rollers.

3. The low-drop visual counting machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The guide belt includes a guide drive wheel and a guide driven wheel located on the outer side of one end of the guide bracket. A guide synchronous belt connects the guide drive wheel and the guide driven wheel. The output end of the guide drive motor is connected to the guide drive wheel, and the guide driven wheel is connected to the guide roller at the corresponding position.

4. The low-drop visual counting machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The guide support is provided with guide conveying side plates on the upper left and right sides respectively.

5. The low-drop visual counting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The receiving mechanism includes a receiving conveyor belt horizontally positioned below the discharge end of the guide belt and a receiving conveyor drive motor for driving the receiving conveyor belt. The end of the receiving conveyor belt is provided with a discharge port, which is connected to a receiving container.

6. The low-drop visual counting machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: The receiving conveyor belt includes a receiving conveyor support, with receiving conveyor rollers rotatably mounted at the beginning and end of the receiving conveyor support. A receiving conveyor belt is fitted onto the receiving conveyor rollers. The output end of the receiving conveyor drive motor is connected to one of the receiving conveyor rollers, and the discharge port is located at the end of the receiving conveyor support.

7. The low-drop visual counting machine according to claim 6, characterized in that: The receiving conveyor belt includes a receiving conveyor drive wheel and a receiving conveyor driven wheel located on the outer side of one end of the receiving conveyor support. A receiving conveyor synchronous belt connects the receiving conveyor drive wheel and the receiving conveyor driven wheel. The output end of the receiving conveyor drive motor is connected to the receiving conveyor drive wheel, and the receiving conveyor driven wheel is connected to the receiving conveyor roller at the corresponding position.

8. The low-drop visual counting machine according to claim 6, characterized in that: The receiving and conveying support is provided with receiving and conveying side plates at the head end and on both sides of the receiving and conveying support.

9. The low-drop visual counting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding mechanism is a two-stage linear vibration transmission mechanism. Each stage of the vibration transmission mechanism includes a vibrating plate and a linear vibrator. The inlet end of the first-stage vibrating plate is connected to the outlet of the feeding hopper, and the outlet end of the last-stage vibrating plate is connected to the inlet end of the guide belt.

10. The low-drop visual counting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The visual light source is an LED light source.

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