Conveying component, conveying platform and multi-stage screening visual selector

Abstract

The utility model discloses a conveying part, a conveying platform and a multistage screening visual selector, the conveying part comprises a flexible part and a plurality of bearing parts, the flexible part is driven by a conveying roller to operate; the multiple bearing components are arranged in the extending direction of the flexible component and attached to the outer side of the flexible component. The areas, located on the two sides of the flexible component, of the bearing component are each provided with a positioning structure, the positioning structures are used for bearing materials and limiting the materials to move relative to the bearing component, and therefore in the material conveying process of the conveying component, the materials are stably located on the bearing component.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of screening and sieving technology, and in particular to a conveying component, a conveying platform, and a multi-stage screening and sorting machine. Background Technology

[0002] Existing material screening machines (such as nuts and fruits) typically include a conveying platform, a vision recognition system, and a rejection mechanism. The conveying platform includes a conveyor belt for transporting materials and conveyor rollers that support and drive the belt. The vision recognition system collects image information of the materials on the conveyor belt and determines whether screening is necessary based on screening rules (programs). The rejection mechanism, based on the vision recognition system's determination that screening is required, alters the material's conveying trajectory to separate it from other materials. The separated material is then collected by a receiving mechanism, thus achieving material screening. In existing technologies, to achieve multi-stage screening, the vision recognition system classifies materials into grades based on image information (this classification includes, but is not limited to, size, surface quality, and shape grades). Materials of different grades are screened separately by the rejection mechanism and collected by their corresponding receiving mechanisms.

[0003] However, when the conveyor belt of the existing conveyor platform is applied to the visual sorting machine, it will have the following impact on the positioning and identification of materials: the materials may move relative to the conveyor belt (e.g., rolling, translation), especially unstable circular, near-circular, and irregularly shaped materials. This will not only result in inaccurate positioning of the materials, but may also result in blurry images captured by the visual recognition system (if the camera in the recognition system takes pictures of materials in relative motion, the captured images may be blurry). Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned problems existing in the prior art, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a conveying component, a conveying platform, and a multi-stage screening and sorting machine to solve the problems in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following solution.

[0006] A conveying component includes: a flexible component and a plurality of supporting components, wherein the flexible component is driven to operate by a conveying roller; wherein:

[0007] Multiple supporting components are arranged along the extension direction of the flexible component and attached to the outside of the flexible component;

[0008] The supporting component has positioning structures configured on both sides of the flexible component. These positioning structures receive the material and restrict its movement relative to the supporting component, thus ensuring that the material remains stably positioned on the supporting component during material transport by the conveying component. The supporting component can adopt various structural forms, including but not limited to shapes such as strips, discs, or contoured sections of the material extending perpendicular to the conveying direction. The supporting portion of the material includes, but is not limited to, planar surfaces, curved surfaces, or irregularly shaped surfaces that mimic the contours of the material.

[0009] Preferably, the positioning structure is at least used to restrict the movement of the material relative to the flexible component in the conveying direction.

[0010] Preferably, the flexible component includes a flexible band, the outer surface of which is formed with a plurality of protrusions, and the bottom of the supporting component is provided with a slot, through which the protrusions are inserted into the slot so that the supporting component is attached to the flexible band.

[0011] Preferably, the positioning structure includes a positioning groove that extends perpendicular to the conveying direction and passes through the end of the supporting component.

[0012] Preferably, the supporting member has a protruding rib at the position corresponding to the slot, and the slot extends into the interior of the protruding rib; wherein:

[0013] The rib is higher than the bottom of the positioning groove.

[0014] Preferably, the cross-section of the positioning groove is U-shaped or V-shaped.

[0015] Preferably, the supporting component is configured to be transparent. The supporting component can take various structural forms, including but not limited to the following: the supporting component is configured to extend in a strip, disc, or contoured shape of a part of the material perpendicular to the conveying direction, wherein the supporting part of the material includes, but is not limited to, a plane, a curved surface, or an irregularly shaped surface that contours a part of the material.

[0016] This utility model also discloses a conveying platform, including a conveying roller and the aforementioned conveying component, wherein the flexible component of the conveying component is mounted on the conveying roller.

[0017] This utility model also discloses a multi-stage screening and sorting machine, including a visual recognition system and a rejection mechanism. The multi-stage screening and sorting machine also includes the aforementioned conveying platform.

[0018] Compared with existing technologies, the conveying components, conveying platform, and multi-stage screening and sorting machine provided by this utility model have the following advantages:

[0019] 1. By configuring a positioning structure on the supporting component, the material can be stably conveyed by the conveying component to avoid material movement relative to the conveying component. This facilitates the visual recognition system to obtain a clear image of the material, and the positioning of the material by the supporting component helps the rejection mechanism to accurately reject the material. The conveying component provided by this utility model is particularly suitable for conveying unstable materials, such as round materials, near-round materials, and other unstable irregularly shaped materials. The multi-stage screening and vision sorting machine provided by this utility model is particularly suitable for screening unstable materials.

[0020] 2. Configure the supporting components to be transparent to avoid blocking light, which will help the visual recognition system to photograph materials from different positions and angles.

[0021] 3. In the support component with the positioning structure configured as a positioning groove, the positioning groove has a better guiding effect on the lateral movement of materials and airflow, so that the airflow pushes the material to move strictly in the lateral direction, and avoids affecting the materials on other support components.

[0022] 4. Other advantages, either directly or implicitly, are described in the specific implementation details below.

[0023] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and illustrative only, and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0024] The overview of various implementations or examples of the technology described in this utility model is not a complete disclosure of the full scope or all features of the disclosed technology. Attached Figure Description

[0025] In drawings that are not necessarily drawn to scale, the same reference numerals may describe similar parts in different views. The same reference numerals with or without letter suffixes may indicate different instances of similar parts. The drawings generally illustrate various embodiments by way of example rather than limitation and, together with the description and claims, serve to explain embodiments of the utility model. Where appropriate, the same reference numerals are used in all drawings to refer to the same or similar parts. Such embodiments are illustrative and not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive embodiments of the apparatus or method.

[0026] Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural view of a multi-stage screening and sorting machine provided for an embodiment of this utility model.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the conveying component in a multi-stage screening and sorting machine provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 3A three-dimensional structural diagram from one perspective of the supporting component.

[0029] Figure 4 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the supporting component from another perspective.

[0030] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the flexible strip.

[0031] Figure label:

[0032] 10-Hopper; 20-Discharge mechanism; 30-Conveying platform; 31-Platform body; 32-Conveying component; 321-Supporting component; 3211-Positioning groove; 3212-Protruding rib; 3213-Slot; 322-Flexible belt; 3221-Positioning strip; 3222-Protrusion; 41-First vision recognition system; 42-Second vision recognition system; 50-Air jet mechanism; 51-Mounting base; 60-Receiving mechanism; 61-Receiving port; 62-Transverse guiding mechanism; 621-Transverse drive roller; 622-Transverse conveyor belt; 623-Separating strip; 624-Inclined guiding channel; 70-Storage box. Detailed Implementation

[0033] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this utility model clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this utility model. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the described embodiments of this utility model without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0034] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this utility model shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this utility model pertains. The terms "first," "second," and similar terms used in this utility model do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Terms such as "comprising" or "including" mean that the element or object preceding the word encompasses the elements or objects listed following the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Terms such as "connected" or "linked" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. Terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are used only to indicate relative positional relationships; when the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0035] To keep the following description of the embodiments of this utility model clear and concise, detailed descriptions of known functions and known components are omitted.

[0036] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, embodiments of this utility model disclose a conveying component 32, a conveying platform 30 including the conveying component 32, and a multi-stage screening and sorting machine including the conveying platform 30. The multi-stage screening and sorting machine further includes a feeding mechanism 20, a visual recognition system, a rejection mechanism, and a receiving mechanism 60. The multi-stage screening and sorting machine disclosed in this utility model can be used to screen materials such as nuts, specifically walnuts, and also to screen materials such as fruits, specifically apples and tomatoes. The multi-stage screening and sorting machine disclosed in this utility model is particularly suitable for screening unstable materials, such as round or near-round materials, but it is not limited to these materials. The multi-stage screening and sorting machine disclosed in this utility model can divide materials into multiple grades according to preset rules and screen the divided materials accordingly. For example, it can divide the materials into grades according to the size of walnuts, or according to the surface quality of walnuts, and then screen and collect the materials of different grades.

[0037] like Figure 1 As shown, the discharge mechanism 20 is located upstream of the conveying platform 30, that is, behind the conveying platform 30. A hopper 10 is installed above the discharge mechanism 20. The hopper 10 contains the material to be screened. The material in the hopper 10 gradually falls onto the tray of the discharge mechanism 20. The tray of the discharge mechanism 20 has multiple guide components arranged at an angle. Under the action of vibration, the material falling on the tray moves forward and is discharged from the front end of the tray in multiple rows and falls onto the conveying platform 30 in front by the dispersion effect of the guide components.

[0038] The conveying platform 30 includes a platform body 31, conveying rollers 33, and conveying components 32. The rear side of the platform body 31 is adjacent to the discharge mechanism 20. Conveying rollers 33 are installed on the upper and lower rear sides of the platform body 31 and on the upper and lower front sides of the conveying platform 30. At least one of the conveying rollers 33 is a drive roller, that is, it is driven to rotate by a motor. For example, the conveying roller 33 on the upper front side of the conveying platform 30 is a drive roller.

[0039] like Figure 2 and combined Figures 3 to 5As shown, the conveying component 32 includes a flexible component and multiple supporting components 321. The flexible component includes, but is not limited to, the following structural forms: a flexible belt, or a chain (if the flexible component is a chain, a sprocket must be installed on the drive roller). The following description uses a flexible belt 322 as an example of a flexible component; however, this does not constitute a limitation on the structural type of the conveying component 32, and other structural types of flexible components can be applied to this invention. The supporting components 321 can adopt various structural forms, including, but not limited to, shapes such as strips, discs, or contoured parts of the material extending perpendicular to the conveying direction. The supporting portion 321 of the material includes, but is not limited to, planar, curved, or irregularly shaped surfaces that mimic the contour of the material.

[0040] Multiple support components 321 are attached to the outer surface of the flexible belt 322 and arranged along the extending direction of the flexible belt 322. The conveying component 32 is mounted on the platform body 31 such that the flexible belt 322 is sleeved on all the conveying rollers 33, thereby forming a flat conveying plane on the upper layer of the conveying component 32, and the inner surface of the flexible belt 322 defines an installation space to allow other components to be installed in the installation space.

[0041] The flexible belt 322 and the supporting component 321 are configured, for example, as follows:

[0042] A positioning strip 3221 is formed in the middle of the inner surface of the flexible belt 322. The positioning strip 3221 extends along the extension direction of the flexible belt 322. An annular groove is provided on the roller surface of the conveying roller 33. When the conveying roller 33 drives the flexible belt 322 to rotate, the positioning strip 3221 cooperates with the annular groove to restrict the flexible belt 322 from moving in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction (i.e., in the lateral direction, the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction will be referred to as the lateral direction below). This helps to suppress the lateral movement of the material on the conveying component 32.

[0043] The outer surface of the flexible strip 322 is formed with a plurality of protrusions 3222, for example, rectangular strip protrusions 3222. The plurality of protrusions 3222 are arranged at intervals along the extension direction of the flexible strip 322. In some preferred structures, the protrusions 3222 are integrally formed with the flexible strip 322.

[0044] The supporting component 321 is generally strip-shaped extending laterally. A slot 3213 is provided in the center of the bottom of the supporting component 321. During installation, a protrusion 3222 on the flexible belt 322 is inserted into the slot 3213 at the bottom of the supporting component 321. The protrusion 3222 is then fixed in the slot 3213 by adhesive bonding or fastener locking, thereby attaching and positioning the supporting component 321 onto the flexible belt. In this way, the supporting component 321 moves forward with the flexible belt 322.

[0045] Positioning structures are provided on the upper surfaces of the support members 321 on both sides of the flexible belt 322. That is, the support members 321 have positioning structures located on both sides of the flexible belt 322 and not overlapping with the flexible belt 322. The positioning structures are used to carry materials and restrict the movement of materials relative to the support members in the conveying direction. Thus, during the conveying process, the materials are stably located on the support members 321. This is beneficial for the vision recognition system to collect image information of the materials and for the rejection mechanism to accurately reject the materials that need to be rejected.

[0046] The positioning structure can have various structural forms. For example, the positioning structure can be multiple ridges protruding from the supporting component 321; the positioning component can be a recess, specifically a spherical recess; or the positioning component can be a positioning groove. This utility model does not limit the specific structural form of the positioning structure.

[0047] This utility model uses the positioning groove 3211 as the positioning structure for description, but it should not be understood that the structural form of the positioning structure is limited.

[0048] Each support component 321 has two positioning slots 3211, which are used to restrict the movement of material falling on it relative to the support component 321 in the conveying direction, so as to enable the vision recognition system to acquire a clear image and to enable the rejection mechanism to accurately reject the material. Thus, the support component 321 that moves with the flexible belt 322 to the front of the discharge mechanism 20 is used to receive two rows of material discharged from the discharge mechanism 20, so that each set of conveying components 32 is used to convey two rows of material positioned by the positioning slots 3211 of the support component 321 forward.

[0049] A rib 3212 is also formed in the area corresponding to the support member 321 and the slot 3213. The rib 3212 is located between two positioning grooves 3211, each positioning groove 3211 extending laterally and penetrating to the end of the support member 321. The slot 3213 extends toward the interior of the rib 3212. A screw (not shown) passes through the top of the rib 3212 and is screwed into the protrusion 3222 located in the slot 3213 to fix the support member 321 to the flexible belt 322. The significant feature and function of the rib 3212 is that the rib 3212 is higher than the bottom of the two positioning grooves 3211, so that the materials located in the two positioning grooves 3211 will not approach each other due to the limitation of the rib 3212.

[0050] The significant advantage of the positioning groove 3211 extending laterally and penetrating to the end of the supporting component 321 is that, if an air jet mechanism (described below) is used as the rejection mechanism, when air is jetted onto the material, the groove wall of the positioning groove 3211 ensures that the airflow flows more strictly in a lateral direction, which makes the airflow direction consistent with the required movement direction of the material. Furthermore, a more significant advantage is that the groove wall of the positioning groove 3211 restricts the airflow from blowing onto the material in adjacent positioning grooves 3211, thereby protecting adjacent materials from the influence of the airflow. The cross-section of the positioning groove 3211 includes, but is not limited to, U-shaped and V-shaped.

[0051] The conveying component 32 includes multiple sets, which are arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction. The number of columns of material conveyed by the multiple sets of conveying components 32 is the same as and corresponds to the number of columns of material discharged from the discharge mechanism 20. Thus, the conveying platform 30 can convey multiple columns of material simultaneously as needed.

[0052] The support component 321 is made of a transparent material; that is, the support component 321 is configured to be transparent. It can be made of glass, plastic, or other materials, but is not limited to these. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the visual recognition system collects image information of the material by photographing it. In this invention, the visual recognition system includes at least two sets, such as a first visual recognition system 41 and a second visual recognition system 42. The first visual recognition system 41 is arranged above the multiple sets of conveying components 32 to collect image information of the material on the supporting component 321 from above. The second visual recognition system 42 is arranged below the multiple sets of conveying components 32 to collect image information of the material on the supporting component 321 from below through the supporting component 321. Because the supporting component 321 is transparent, the second visual recognition system 42 can collect image information of the material through the supporting component 321. According to a predetermined grading rule, the material is divided into different grades.

[0053] This invention does not limit the number of visual recognition systems or the shooting angle. Since the supporting component 321 is configured to be transparent, it will not block the light. Therefore, multiple visual recognition systems can be used to capture image information from different positions and angles. The number, position and / or shooting angle of the visual recognition systems depend on factors such as the screening accuracy of the material, the grade classification and the space where the equipment can be installed.

[0054] It should be noted that in this utility model, "transparent" does not refer to an absolutely transparent state. Any state in which light is allowed and the image information of the material collected by the visual recognition system does not affect the classification of grades is called transparent.

[0055] The rejection mechanism can be of various types. For example, the rejection mechanism can be a robotic arm picking mechanism, which uses a robotic arm to pick up materials to reject them. For example, the rejection mechanism can be an air jet mechanism 50, which changes the material's conveying trajectory by jetting air into the material to achieve the purpose of rejecting the material. This utility model uses the air jet mechanism 50 as an example of the rejection mechanism. However, this should not be construed as limiting the type of rejection mechanism in this utility model.

[0056] The air jetting mechanism 50 sieves materials of different grades by jetting air into them. The air jetting mechanism 50, in conjunction with the receiving mechanism 60, performs sieving and receiving of the materials. Specifically, each conveying component 32 is equipped with an air jetting mechanism 50. The jetting mechanism has multiple sets of nozzles spaced apart along the conveying direction. Each set of nozzles includes two nozzles (the nozzles are not shown in the attached figures; only the mounting base 51 for mounting the nozzles is shown). The two nozzles are used to jet air in the transverse direction, and the air jets from the two nozzles are in opposite directions to jet air onto the materials in two support areas on the support component 321, thereby allowing the two materials on each support component 321 to be sieved by moving in opposite transverse directions.

[0057] It should be noted that the two materials on the support component 321 should not be interpreted as being screened by airflow simultaneously from two nozzles in the same group. If the two materials are classified into the same grade, they can be screened simultaneously by airflow. However, if the two materials are classified into different grades, one material can be screened by airflow from the corresponding nozzle in one group of nozzles, while the other material can be screened by airflow from the corresponding nozzle in another group of nozzles.

[0058] The receiving mechanism 60 guides and collects materials of different grades. Specifically, the receiving mechanism 60 includes multiple receiving ports 61 and a transverse guiding mechanism 62; multiple receiving ports 61 are arranged on both sides of the conveying component 32, and the multiple receiving ports 61 are arranged along the conveying direction. The receiving ports 61 on each side face the conveying component 32. The airflow sprayed by the nozzle of the airflow jetting mechanism 50 causes the material to enter the receiving port 61; the transverse guiding mechanism 62 includes a transverse conveyor belt 622 driven by a transverse drive roller 621. The transverse conveyor belt 622 is used to receive the material from the receiving ports 61 and transport the material laterally to the side of the conveying platform 30. More preferably, a plurality of partition strips 623 are provided above the transverse conveyor belt 622. The plurality of partition strips 623 correspond to a plurality of adjacent receiving ports 61 to receive materials from the plurality of receiving ports 61 respectively. In this way, materials of different grades received by different receiving ports 61 can be transported through the same transverse conveyor belt 622. Subsequently, materials of different grades can be guided into different storage devices (e.g., storage boxes 70) through different inclined guide channels 624.

[0059] The advantages of the conveying component 32, the conveying platform 30, and the multi-stage screening and sorting machine provided by this utility model are as follows:

[0060] 1. By configuring a positioning structure on the supporting component 321, the material can be stably conveyed by the conveying component 32 to prevent material movement relative to the conveying component 32. This facilitates the visual recognition system in obtaining a clear image of the material, and the positioning of the material by the supporting component 321 helps the rejection mechanism to accurately reject the material. The conveying component provided by this utility model is particularly suitable for conveying unstable materials, such as round materials, near-round materials, and other irregularly shaped materials. The multi-stage screening and vision sorting machine provided by this utility model is particularly suitable for screening unstable materials.

[0061] 2. The supporting component 321 is configured to be transparent to avoid the supporting component blocking the light, which is conducive to the visual recognition system taking pictures of the material from different positions and angles.

[0062] 3. In the support component 321 in which the positioning structure is configured as the positioning groove 321, the positioning groove 3211 has a better guiding effect on the lateral movement of materials and airflow, so that the airflow pushes the materials to move strictly in the lateral direction, and avoids affecting the materials on other support components 321.

[0063] 4. Other advantages, whether direct or implied, are described above.

[0064] Furthermore, although exemplary embodiments have been described in this invention, its scope includes any and all embodiments based on this invention that have equivalent elements, modifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., schemes involving intersections of various embodiments), adaptations, or alterations. Elements in the claims will be interpreted broadly based on the language used in the claims and are not limited to the examples described in this specification or during the implementation of this application, which will be interpreted as non-exclusive. Therefore, this specification and examples are intended to be considered illustrative only, and the true scope and spirit are indicated by the following claims and the full scope of their equivalents.

[0065] The above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. For example, the above examples (or one or more of them) can be used in combination with each other. Other embodiments can be used by those skilled in the art when reading the above description. Furthermore, in the above detailed description, various features may be grouped together to simplify the invention. This should not be construed as an intention that a disclosed feature not claimed is necessary for any claim. Rather, the subject matter of the invention may be less than all the features of a particular disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are incorporated herein by reference as examples or embodiments, wherein each claim is an independent, separate embodiment, and these embodiments are contemplated to be combined with each other in various combinations or arrangements. The scope of the invention should be determined by reference to the appended claims and the full scope of their equivalents.

[0066] The above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments of this utility model and are not intended to limit this utility model. The scope of protection of this utility model is defined by the claims. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications or equivalent substitutions to this utility model within its substance and scope of protection, and such modifications or equivalent substitutions should also be considered to fall within the scope of protection of this utility model.

Claims

1. A delivery member characterized by, The application relates to a conveying device, comprising: a flexible component driven by a conveying roller; and a plurality of supporting components; wherein: the plurality of supporting components are arranged along the extension direction of the flexible component and attached to the outer side of the flexible component; the supporting components are provided with positioning structures on the areas on both sides of the flexible component, the positioning structures are used for receiving materials and limiting the movement of the materials relative to the supporting components, so that the materials are stably positioned on the supporting components during the conveying of the materials by the conveying component.

2. The delivery member of claim 1, wherein, The positioning structures are used for limiting the movement of the materials relative to the flexible component in the conveying direction.

3. The delivery member of claim 1, wherein, The flexible component comprises a flexible belt, and the outer surface of the flexible belt is formed with a plurality of convex bodies; the bottom of the supporting component is provided with a slot, and the convex bodies are inserted into the slot so that the supporting component is attached to the flexible belt.

4. The delivery member of claim 3, wherein, The positioning structures comprise positioning slots which extend along the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and penetrate through the end of the supporting component.

5. The delivery member of claim 4, wherein, The corresponding position of the supporting component and the slot is provided with a convex rib, and the slot extends to the inside of the convex rib; wherein: the convex rib is higher than the bottom of the positioning slot.

6. The delivery member of claim 4, wherein, The cross section of the positioning slot is in U shape or V shape.

7. The delivery member of claim 3, wherein, The supporting component is transparent.

8. A transport platform comprising a transport roller, characterized in that The application further relates to the conveying device as claimed in any one of claims 1-7, and the flexible component of the conveying device is mounted on the conveying roller.

9. A multi-stage screening vision sorter comprising a vision recognition system, a reject mechanism, characterised in that, The multi-stage screening and selecting machine further comprises the conveying platform as claimed in claim 8.

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