Automatic device for assembling bottle sleeve on inner container of bottle made of degradable material

Abstract

The utility model relates to an automation device for assembling a bottle sleeve on a degradable material bottle liner, the automation device comprises an operation table, a feeding mechanism and a discharging mechanism, the operation table is used for processing, the feeding mechanism comprises a bottle liner conveying unit, a bottle shoulder conveying unit, a bottle body conveying unit and a bottle bottom conveying unit which surround the operation table, and the discharging mechanism is used for discharging the bottle sleeve. Through mechanical control, all corresponding conveying units in the feeding structure convey the bottle inner containers, the bottle shoulder sleeves, the bottle body sleeves and the bottle bottom sleeves to an operation table to be machined, and the bottle inner containers assembled with the bottle outer sleeves are obtained; the discharging mechanism comprises a discharging unit and is used for guiding the bottle inner container assembled with the bottle outer sleeve out of the machining table. Besides, according to the operation method of the automatic device, the outer sleeves of all the parts of the bottle inner container can be buckled in order, the bottle inner container is sleeved with a layer of environment-friendly outer sleeves made of biodegradable materials such as PBS, and certain contribution is made to environment friendliness.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of automated assembly equipment technology, and in particular to an automated device for assembling bottle sleeves for biodegradable material bottle liners. Background Technology

[0002] PEF (polyethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) is a 100% plant-based, recyclable and biodegradable polymer with a wide range of applications, such as packaging, textiles, and films.

[0003] PBS (polybutylene succinate) is a biodegradable polyester material with excellent physicochemical properties and a wide range of applications. PBS exhibits good thermal and machinability, with a melting point between 115-120°C, a glass transition temperature of around -30°C, a tensile strength generally between 40-50 MPa, and an elongation at break of approximately 200-300%, demonstrating excellent mechanical properties. Furthermore, PBS has low moisture absorption and good moisture resistance. Major applications of PBS include packaging materials, agricultural films, and textiles. In packaging materials, PBS is used to manufacture disposable tableware, shopping bags, and food packaging; these products are biodegradable after use, reducing environmental pollution. In agricultural films, PBS is used for mulch films and covering films, which are biodegradable after use in farmland, reducing soil pollution. Additionally, PBS is used to manufacture biodegradable fibers, meeting the needs of green textiles. The main production methods for PBS include chemical synthesis and biosynthesis. Chemical synthesis polymerizes butanediol and succinic acid through melt condensation, while biosynthesis utilizes microbial fermentation technology to produce PBS, offering the advantage of using renewable resources. The environmentally friendly characteristics of PBS make it play a crucial role in sustainable development; its biodegradability allows the product to decompose naturally in the environment, ultimately forming carbon dioxide and water, thus avoiding pollution.

[0004] These products perfectly combine environmental characteristics with superior functionality, exhibiting improved CO2 and O2 barrier properties, thereby extending the shelf life of packaged products. PBS also possesses high mechanical strength, allowing it to be injection molded into bottle sleeves, which are then assembled onto commonly used bottle liners. PBS and other biodegradable materials serve as the outer layer, meeting both environmental requirements and the bottle's mechanical strength and sealing properties. Traditional processes typically assemble bottle sleeves and liners using cold assembly, but this process requires addressing assembly difficulties caused by the material's susceptibility to deformation. This places high demands on equipment design, presents significant challenges, and requires high compatibility with the equipment. Utility Model Content

[0005] The present invention provides an automated device for assembling bottle sleeves for biodegradable bottle liners, in order to solve the technical problem that the assembly process is difficult due to the easy deformation of the material, which requires high design requirements, high difficulty, and high compatibility of the equipment.

[0006] First aspect

[0007] This utility model discloses an automated device for assembling bottle sleeves for biodegradable material bottle liners, comprising:

[0008] The operating table is equipped with a rotatable turntable. The upper surface of the turntable is provided with multiple spaced positioning devices along its circumference. The rotation of the turntable drives the positioning devices to rotate synchronously to different processing positions.

[0009] The feeding mechanism includes a bottle liner conveying unit, a bottle shoulder conveying unit, a bottle body conveying unit, and a bottle bottom conveying unit arranged at intervals along the side periphery of the turntable; the bottle liner conveying unit is used to convey the bottle liner to the turntable and install it on the positioning device; the bottle shoulder conveying unit is used to convey the bottle shoulder sleeve to the turntable and fasten it to the upper half of the bottle liner; the bottle body conveying unit is used to convey the bottle body sleeve to the turntable and fit it onto the lower half of the bottle liner; and the bottle bottom conveying unit is used to convey the bottle bottom sleeve to the turntable and fasten it to the bottom of the bottle liner.

[0010] The discharging mechanism includes a discharging unit located on the side periphery of the turntable and between the bottle bottom conveying unit and the bottle inner liner conveying unit. The discharging unit is used to eject the bottle inner liner with the bottle outer sleeve assembled from the turntable.

[0011] As can be seen from the above technical solution, the embodiments of this utility model have at least the following advantages and positive effects:

[0012] This utility model provides an automated device for assembling bottle sleeves onto biodegradable bottle liners. The automated device includes an operating table, a feeding mechanism, and a discharging mechanism. A positioning device is installed on the turntable of the operating table for installing the bottle liners for conversion processing. The feeding mechanism includes a bottle liner conveying unit, a bottle shoulder conveying unit, a bottle body conveying unit, and a bottle bottom conveying unit surrounding the operating table. Through automated program control, each corresponding conveying unit in the feeding mechanism conveys the bottle liner, bottle shoulder sleeve, bottle body sleeve, and bottle bottom sleeve to the operating table for processing, resulting in a bottle liner with an assembled bottle sleeve. The discharging mechanism includes a discharging unit for exporting the assembled bottle liner from the turntable. Furthermore, the operation method of this automated device allows for the orderly fastening of the sleeves onto various parts of the bottle liner, providing an environmentally friendly "sleeve" of biodegradable material such as PBS to the bottle liner, contributing to environmental friendliness. Moreover, compared to traditional cooling processes, the bottle sleeve processing and fastening process provided by this application has lower equipment requirements and requires less energy during assembly, significantly reducing process costs. Attached Figure Description

[0013] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0014] Figure 1 This is an exploded structural diagram of the inner liner of a bottle with the bottle outer shell assembled, according to an embodiment of this application.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an automated device for assembling bottle sleeves for biodegradable material bottle liners according to an embodiment of this application;

[0016] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an automated device according to one embodiment (second embodiment) of this application;

[0017] Figure 4 for Figure 2 Top view of the automated device shown;

[0018] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a double-circle workstation structure in an automated device according to another embodiment of this application;

[0019] Figure 6 for Figure 5 An enlarged schematic diagram of point A in the automated device shown;

[0020] Figure 7 for Figure 5 A magnified schematic diagram of the structure at point B in the automated device shown.

[0021] Figure 8 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the fastening components of the automated device shown.

[0022] Figure 9 for Figure 8 The diagram shows the exploded structure of the third robotic arm.

[0023] Figure 10 For along Figure 8 A partial cross-sectional structural diagram along the AA direction;

[0024] Figure 11 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the bottle liner clamping unit of the automated device shown.

[0025] Figure 12 for Figure 4 The diagram shows the structure of the robotic arm in the bottle inner liner conveying unit of the fully automated bottle outer liner assembly equipment.

[0026] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the automated device described in this application.

[0027] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the bottle bottom sleeve simulation positioning and fastening assembly tooling in one embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of a tooling for detecting air leakage on the finished product side of the discharged product in one embodiment of this application.

[0029] The annotations in the attached figures are explained as follows:

[0030] 10. Automated devices;

[0031] 11. Operating table; 101. Support rod; 100. Turntable; 200. Positioning device; 210. Outer ring positioning groove; 211. Base; 212. First clamp; 213. Second clamp; 214. Mounting groove; 220. Inner ring positioning groove; 230. Positioning block; 231. Positioning hole;

[0032] 12. Feeding mechanism; 300. Inner bottle conveying unit; 310. Material sorter; 320. Conveyor rail; 330. Robot arm; 331. Horizontal axis motor; 332. Vertical axis motor; 333. Rotary cylinder; 334. Mechanical gripper; 400. Bottle shoulder conveying unit; 410. First shoulder clamp; 411. First contour suction cup fixture; 420. Second shoulder clamp; 421. Second contour suction cup fixture; 500. Bottle body conveying unit; 600. Bottle bottom conveying unit;

[0033] 13. Discharge mechanism; 700. Discharge unit;

[0034] 14. Tightening mechanism; 510. Bottle body fastening assembly; 511. Stepper motor; 512. Rotating shaft; 513. Spring; 514. Sleeve; 515. Gripper; 516. Notch; 517. Clamping block; 5171. Rotating end; 5172. Gripping end; 610. Bottle bottom fastening assembly;

[0035] 15. Pressing mechanism; 800. Inner bottle pressing unit; 810. Lifting motor; 820. Pressing table; 900. Bottom bottle pressing unit;

[0036] 20. Product being discharged; 21. Bottle liner; 22. Bottle shoulder sleeve; 22a. Left shoulder sleeve; 22b. Right shoulder sleeve; 23. Bottle body sleeve; 24. Bottle bottom sleeve. Detailed Implementation

[0037] Typical embodiments embodying the features and advantages of this utility model will be described in detail in the following description. It should be understood that this utility model can have various variations in different embodiments, all of which do not depart from the scope of this utility model, and the descriptions and illustrations therein are for illustrative purposes only and not intended to limit this utility model.

[0038] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the stated features. In the description of this application, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0039] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "setup," and "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0040] refer to Figure 1PEF (polyethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) is a 100% plant-based, recyclable, and biodegradable polymer with a wide range of applications, including packaging, textiles, and films. It perfectly combines environmental characteristics with superior functionality, exhibiting improved CO2 and O2 barrier properties, thereby extending the shelf life of packaged products. PEF also possesses high mechanical strength, allowing it to be injection molded into bottle sleeves, which can then be fitted onto commonly used bottle liners as an outer layer, meeting both environmental requirements and the bottle's mechanical strength and sealing properties. Figure 1 As illustrated in this application, the bottle outer material is divided into a bottle shoulder sleeve 22, a bottle body sleeve 23, and a bottle bottom sleeve 24 according to different parts of the corresponding bottle inner liner 21. The bottle inner liner 21, bottle shoulder sleeve 22, bottle body sleeve 23, and bottle bottom sleeve 24 are assembled to form a bottle inner liner 21 with a bottle body sleeve, i.e., the output product 20.

[0041] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 This application provides an automated device 10 for bottle outer casing. This automated device 10 uses mechanical automation process control to systematically attach a layer of biodegradable material such as PBS to the inner liner 21 of the bottle to meet environmental protection requirements. The automated device 10 includes an operating table 11, a feeding mechanism 12, and a discharging mechanism 13. The operating table 11 provides processing positions for various parts of the bottle outer casing. The feeding mechanism 12 is used to transfer various raw materials to the corresponding processing positions on the operating table for processing and assembly. The discharging mechanism 13 is used to remove the processed and assembled product 20 from the operating table 11 for subsequent sorting and packaging.

[0042] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4The operating table 11 is equipped with a rotatable turntable 100. The upper surface of the turntable 100 is provided with multiple spaced positioning devices 200 along the circumference. The turntable 100 can drive the positioning devices 200 to rotate to different processing positions. The feeding mechanism 12 includes a bottle liner conveying unit 300, a bottle shoulder conveying unit 400, a bottle body conveying unit 500, and a bottle bottom conveying unit 600, which are spaced along the side periphery of the turntable 100. The inner bottle conveying unit 300 conveys the inner bottle 21 to the turntable 100 and mounts it on the positioning device 200; the shoulder conveying unit 400 conveys the shoulder sleeve 22 to the corresponding positioning device 200 on the turntable 100 and fastens it to the outer upper half of the inner bottle 21; the body conveying unit 500 conveys the body sleeve 23 to the corresponding positioning device 200 on the turntable 100 and mounts it to the outer lower half of the inner bottle 21; the bottom conveying unit 600 conveys the bottom sleeve 24 to the corresponding positioning device 200 on the turntable 100 and fastens it to the bottom of the inner bottle 21. The discharging mechanism 13 includes a discharging unit 700, which is located on the side of the turntable 100 and between the bottom conveying unit 600 and the inner bottle conveying unit 300. The discharging unit 700 is used to discharge the product 20 from the turntable 100. Here, the operating table 11 uses a high-precision stator divider for precise rotational positioning, combined with servo motors and positioning tooling for machining and assembly. The high-precision stator divider and servo motor have the advantages of high accuracy and high response speed, which can effectively control the rotation of the turntable 100 on the operating table 11, and ensure that the positioning device 200 is accurately aligned with each feeding unit and discharging unit 700.

[0043] Preferably, in conjunction with reference Figure 4 and Figure 5In one embodiment, the positioning device 200 includes a plurality of corresponding outer ring positioning grooves 210 and inner ring positioning grooves 220. At each workstation corresponding to the positioning device 200, one outer ring positioning groove 210 and one inner ring positioning groove 220 are aligned radially along the turntable 100, with the outer ring positioning groove 210 being closer to the edge of the turntable 100 than the inner ring positioning groove 220. The plurality of outer ring positioning grooves 210 are used to uprightly place the bottle liner 21 and are respectively used to process and assemble the various parts of the bottle outer sleeve (bottle shoulder sleeve 22, bottle body sleeve 23, bottle bottom sleeve 24) onto the bottle liner 21; the inner ring positioning grooves 220 are used to uprightly place the bottle liner 21 and switch the processed products from different workstations to the next workstation as the turntable rotates, so as to facilitate further assembly processing. Here, the inner bottle liner 21 remains upright throughout the entire bottle outer casing assembly process. Due to its tapered shape (narrower at the top and wider at the bottom), the inner bottle liner 21 is more stable when positioned upright on the positioning device 200. This prevents wobbling and misalignment during assembly, thus improving the yield of the finished product 20. It should be noted that in other embodiments of this application, the positioning device 200 can be a single-circle or multi-circle station; whether it is a double-circle station is not limited, as long as the station status throughout the entire bottle outer casing assembly process is protected.

[0044] Preferably, in conjunction with reference Figure 5 and Figure 6 In one embodiment, the outer ring positioning groove 210 and the inner ring positioning groove 220 have the same shape, both including a base 211, a first clamp 212, and a second clamp 213. The base 211 is fixed on the turntable 100, and the first clamp 212 and the second clamp 213 are both fixed on the base 211 and enclose to form an installation groove 214. The installation groove 214 is used to place the bottle liner 21 and the processed products. The radial dimension (width) of the installation groove 214 is not less than the radial dimension of the bottle sleeve 23, so that the bottle liner 21 and related processed products can be accommodated in the installation groove 214. The depth (height) of the installation groove 214 is not greater than the height of the lower half of the bottle liner 21, so that the upper half of the bottle liner 21 is completely exposed in the installation groove 214, thereby facilitating the processing and assembly of the bottle shoulder sleeve 22. The above-mentioned mounting groove 214 is in a form that facilitates the processing and formation of the outer ring positioning groove 210 and the inner ring positioning groove 220. In other embodiments, the mounting groove 214 can also be directly drilled. Therefore, in this application, the method of forming the mounting groove 214 is not limited. The mounting groove 214 can be formed by injection molding using the lower half of the product 20 as a mold.

[0045] Preferably, in conjunction with reference Figure 5 and Figure 7In one embodiment, the bottle shoulder conveying unit 400 is provided with a first shoulder clamp 410 and a second shoulder clamp 420. The bottle shoulder sleeve 22 includes a left shoulder sleeve 22a and a right shoulder sleeve 22b. The first shoulder clamp 410 is used to grip the left shoulder sleeve 22a, and the second shoulder clamp 420 is used to grip the right shoulder sleeve 22b. The first shoulder clamp 410 and the second shoulder clamp 420 can be brought close together to fasten the left shoulder sleeve 22a and the right shoulder sleeve 22b to the outer side of the upper half of the bottle liner 21 along the radial direction of the opposite sides (left and right sides) to complete the assembly of the bottle shoulder sleeve 22. It should be noted that the number of bottle shoulder sleeves 22 is not limited, and therefore the number of bottle shoulder clamps is also not limited. It depends on the raw material produced from the bottle sleeve. For example, in other embodiments, if the number of bottle shoulder sleeves 22 is one, then the number of bottle shoulder clamps is also one, and the bottle shoulder sleeve 22 can be fastened to the upper half of the bottle liner 21 along its axial direction. Therefore, in this application, any method that enables the bottle shoulder sleeve 22 to be fastened and assembled to the outer side of the upper half of the bottle liner should be protected.

[0046] Preferably, in conjunction with reference Figure 5 and Figure 7 In one embodiment, the first shoulder clip 410 is provided with a first contoured suction cup fixture 411, which can be attached to the outer side wall of the left shoulder sleeve 22a so that the first shoulder clip 410 can grasp the left shoulder sleeve 22a. The second shoulder clip 420 is provided with a second contoured suction cup fixture 421, which can be attached to the outer side wall of the right shoulder sleeve 22b so that the second shoulder clip 420 can grasp the right shoulder sleeve 22b. The first contoured suction cup fixture 411 and the second contoured suction cup fixture 421 can be brought close together to fasten the left shoulder sleeve 22a and the right shoulder sleeve 22b to the outer side of the upper half of the bottle liner 21 along the radial direction of the opposite sides (left and right sides). Both the first contoured suction cup fixture 411 and the second contoured suction cup fixture 421 are provided with grooves whose contours are adapted to the bottle shoulder sleeve 22. Here, the profile suction cup fixture is mainly used for high-efficiency batch processing of easily machinable materials such as aluminum plates, copper plates, plastic plates, and wood. It is suitable for high-efficiency processing of parts with blanks made of materials such as aluminum plates, copper plates, and plastic plates. In the field of high-precision machining, it is mainly used for easily deformable parts, and can ensure the form and position tolerances such as parallelism and flatness of the parts.

[0047] Preferably, in conjunction with reference Figures 8-10In one embodiment, the automation device 10 further includes a tightening mechanism 14, which includes a bottle body fastening component 510 and a bottle bottom fastening component 610. The bottle body fastening component 510 is disposed on the bottle body conveying unit 500 and is used to further securely assemble the bottle body sleeve 23 onto the bottle inner liner 21. The bottle bottom fastening component 610 is disposed on the bottle bottom conveying unit 600 and is used to further secure the bottle bottom sleeve 24 onto the bottle inner liner 21. Here, the bottle body fastening component 510 can be integrated into the robotic arm of the bottle body conveying unit 500, or it can be a separate operating unit disposed before the bottle bottom conveying unit 600; the bottle bottom fastening component 610 can be integrated into the robotic arm of the bottle bottom conveying unit 600, or it can be a separate operating unit disposed before the discharge unit 700.

[0048] The bottle body fastening assembly 510 and the bottle bottom fastening assembly 610 have the same structure. Both include a stepper motor 511, a rotating shaft 512, spring pieces 513, a sleeve 514, and a gripper 515. The axis of the rotating shaft 512 is parallel to the axis of the inner bottle liner 21, i.e., it is vertical. One end of the rotating shaft 512 is fixed to the stepper motor 511, and the other end of the rotating shaft 512 has multiple circumferentially spaced notches 516. The outer side of the rotating shaft 512 is also provided with external threads. The number of spring pieces 513 is the same as the number of notches 516. One end of the spring piece 513 is fixed to the inner wall of the notch 516, and the other end of the spring piece 513 is suspended. The spring piece 513 can move in and out of the notch 516 to undergo elastic deformation. The sleeve 514 is threaded onto the outer side of the rotating shaft 512. The gripper 515 includes multiple gripping blocks 517, the same number as the notch 516. The multiple gripping blocks 517 can approach and close each other to change the gripping space of the gripper 515, thereby gripping the bottle bottom sleeve 24 and releasing the bottle body sleeve. Each gripping block 517 is rotatably mounted in the notch 516 in a rocker-like manner. The length extension direction of the gripping block 517 is inclined to the axial direction of the rotating shaft 512. The gripping block 517 has a rotating end 5171 and a gripping end 5172. The suspended end of the spring piece 513 abuts against the outer wall of the rotating end 5171, and one end of the sleeve 514 abuts against the outer wall of the gripping end 5172.

[0049] When the stepper motor 511 is started, it drives the rotating shaft 512 to rotate circumferentially. Since the rotating shaft 512 is circumferentially threadedly connected to the sleeve 514, the rotation of the rotating shaft 512 can synchronously drive the sleeve 514 to rise and fall. When the sleeve 514 descends, the lower end of the sleeve 514 simultaneously presses against the outer walls of multiple gripping ends 5172, so that the multiple gripping ends 5172 move closer to each other to clamp the bottle bottom sleeve 24. At the same time, according to the rocker principle, the multiple rotating ends 5171 tilt outwards along the radial direction of the rotating shaft 512 and move away from each other. The suspended cups of the multiple spring pieces 513 are pressed outwards to accumulate elastic force. This elastic force can drive the clamping block 517 to reset and release the bottle body sleeve 23 or the bottle bottom sleeve 24.

[0050] Second Embodiment

[0051] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 In this embodiment, the results of the various feeding, discharging, pressing, and tightening operations of the inner bottle liner 21 for assembling the outer bottle are basically the same. The difference is that the positioning device 200 is a single-circle station. Specifically, the positioning device 200 includes a ring of positioning blocks 230. The inner bottle liner 21 is inverted and fastened to the positioning blocks 230. The assembly equipment 1 also includes a pressing mechanism 15 suspended above the rotating disk 100. The pressing mechanism 15 includes an inner bottle liner pressing unit 800 and a bottle bottom pressing unit 900. Both the inner bottle liner pressing unit 800 and the bottle bottom pressing unit 900 are installed on the operating table 11 through the support rod 101 and are suspended above the edge of the rotating disk 100. Along the circumference of the turntable 100, the bottle liner pressing unit 800 is located between the bottle liner conveying unit 300 and the bottle shoulder conveying unit 400. The bottle liner pressing unit 800 is used to further press and fasten the bottle liner 21 along its axial direction to the positioning block 230. Furthermore, the positioning block 230 is made of elastic material and can undergo elastic deformation so that the positioning block 230 and the bottle mouth of the bottle liner 21 are assembled with an interference fit. Along the circumference of the turntable 100, the bottle bottom pressing unit 900 is located between the bottle bottom conveying unit 600 and the discharge unit 700. The bottle bottom pressing unit 900 is used to further press and fasten the bottle bottom sleeve 24 to the bottom outer side of the bottle liner 21.

[0052] refer to Figure 11 In this embodiment, the bottle liner pressing unit 800 and the bottle bottom pressing unit 900 have the same structure. Both pressing units include a lifting motor 810 and a pressing platform 820. The lifting motor 810 is fixed to the side of the corresponding support rod 101 away from the operating table 11, and the pressing platform 820 is connected to the output end of the lifting motor 810. The lifting motor 810 controls the pressing platform 820 to slide up and down to achieve lifting and lowering. The pressing platform 820 can be driven down by the lifting motor 810 to further fasten the bottle liner 21 to the positioning block. The pressing platform 820 can be driven down by the lifting motor 810 to further fasten the bottle bottom sleeve 24 to the bottom of the bottle liner 21. The specific structure of the lifting and pressing can be found in patent CN219092597U. It should be noted that the bottle liner clamping unit 800 is to further improve the fastening stability of the bottle liner 21 and the positioning block 210, and may not be required in other embodiments; the bottle bottom clamping unit 900 is also to further improve the fastening stability of the bottle bottom sleeve, and may not be required in other embodiments.

[0053] Preferably, in conjunction with reference Figure 2 and Figure 11In one embodiment, the positioning block 230 is provided with a positioning hole 231. The bottle liner 21 is inverted so that its mouth is inserted into the positioning hole 231. Here, the positioning block 230 can elastically deform to change the size of the positioning hole 231, thereby making the inner wall of the positioning hole 231 and the outer wall of the bottle mouth of the bottle liner 21 interference fit, so as to improve the fastening stability. It should be noted that in other embodiments, the positioning hole 231 is not provided. The positioning block 230 is adapted to the bottle mouth of the bottle liner 21, and the outer wall of the positioning block 230 and the inner wall of the bottle mouth are interference fit to achieve the function of inverting and fastening the bottle liner 21 onto the positioning block 230. Therefore, in this application, any method that satisfies the requirement of inverting and fastening the bottle liner 21 onto the positioning block 230 should be protected. In addition, it should be noted that any fixing method that can install and fix the bottle liner 21 on the operating table 11 for convenient processing and assembly should be protected, such as clamping fixing, limiting fixing, and other fixing methods.

[0054] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 12 The bottle liner conveying unit 300 includes a sorting device 310, a conveying rail 320, and a robot arm 330. The outlet of the sorting device 310 is aligned and connected to the inlet of the conveying rail 320. The robot arm 330 is suspended on the operating table 11 by a support rod 101 and is located at the outlet of the conveying rail 320. The sorting device 310 is a circular sorting tray. The sorting tray uses the principle of centrifugal rotation to guide the disordered bottle liners 21 from the inner edge of the sorting tray to the conveying rail 320 in an orderly manner. The conveyor belt on the conveying rail 320 then continues to transport the bottle liners 21 in an orderly manner from the outlet of the conveying rail 320. The robot arm 330 can grasp the bottle liners 21, and the robot arm 330's movement is controlled by a program to install the bottle liners 21 onto the positioning device 200.

[0055] Specifically, in conjunction with reference Figure 4 and Figure 12 In this embodiment, the robotic arm 330 includes a horizontal axis motor 331, a vertical axis motor 332, a rotary cylinder 333, and a mechanical gripper 334. The horizontal axis motor 331 drives and controls the mechanical gripper 334 to move horizontally along the length direction of the conveyor rail 320; the vertical axis motor 332 drives and controls the mechanical gripper 334 to move up and down; the rotary cylinder 333 drives and controls the mechanical gripper 334 to swing along the axial direction of the bottle liner 21 to achieve a 180° rotation of the bottle liner 21 along its axial direction, thereby switching the bottle liner 21 between an upright state and an inverted state.

[0056] It should be noted that the mechanical gripper 334 is located directly above the exit of the conveyor rail 320 and has the ability to change its gripping space to achieve the function of gripping and releasing the bottle liner 21. The interconnection of the horizontal axis motor 331, the vertical axis motor 332, and the rotary cylinder 333 is not limited; the three work together to achieve three degrees of freedom for the robot arm 330: horizontal movement, vertical lifting and lowering, and rotation and flipping. Furthermore, in the embodiment where the positioning device 200 has a double-ring station, since the bottle liner 21 is in an upright position throughout the assembly process, the robot arm 330 does not need to use the rotary cylinder 333 to flip the bottle liner 21. The robot arm 330 only needs to perform translational movements in two degrees of freedom (up / down and left / right) to achieve the loading process of the bottle liner 21. It should be noted that in this application, each feeding unit and discharging unit has a corresponding feeder 310, conveyor rail 320, and robot arm 330. The structure of each part is basically the same as that of the bottle inner liner conveying unit 300, which is used to realize the feeding and conveying of various parts of the bottle outer sleeve and the output of products. In addition, in this application, the robot arm 330 at each position has a slide cylinder for movement. The slide cylinder is equipped with a servo motor. The servo motor can accurately and stably control the movement distance of the robot arm 330, so that the robot arm 330 can stably and accurately grasp and release the bottle inner liner 21, bottle shoulder sleeve 22, bottle body sleeve 23, bottle bottom sleeve 24, and the output product 20.

[0057] The number of positioning devices 200 in the automation device 10 of this application can correspond to one or multiple workstations. For a single-workstation positioning device 200 (positioning block 230), the feeding mechanism 12 and the discharging mechanism 13 need to control the timing of their feeding and discharging to ensure that the turntable 100 rotates to the corresponding unit for loading, assembly, and product unloading operations. This requires orderly coordination between the units. For a multi-workstation positioning device 200, one or more feeding units can be controlled to assemble on the same workstation. The time to complete an assembly process is shorter than that of a single workstation, which can improve productivity.

[0058] Secondly, refer to Figure 12 This application also provides an operating method for an automated device 10 for assembling bottle sleeves into the inner liner of a biodegradable material bottle. The operating method of the automated device 10 includes the following steps:

[0059] S10, start the control panel 11, the turntable rotates 100 degrees;

[0060] S20, the bottle liner 21 is conveyed. When the turntable 100 rotates to the alignment of the bottle liner conveying unit 300 and the positioning device 200, it starts to work, conveying the bottle liner 21 to the turntable 100 and installing it upside down on the positioning device 200, and then rotating with the turntable 100 to the next station.

[0061] S30, conveying and assembling bottle shoulder sleeve 22. When the bottle shoulder conveying unit 400 is aligned with the positioning device 200, it starts to work, conveying the bottle shoulder sleeve 22 to the turntable 100 and fastening it to the upper part of the bottle liner 21 to complete the assembly of the bottle shoulder sleeve 22, and then rotating with the turntable 100 to the next station.

[0062] S40, conveying and assembling bottle body sleeve 23. When the bottle body conveying unit 500 is aligned with the positioning device 200, it starts to work, conveying the bottle body sleeve 23 to the turntable 100 and fitting it onto the lower half of the bottle liner 21 to complete the assembly of the bottle body sleeve 23, and then rotating with the turntable 100 to the next station.

[0063] S50, conveying and assembling bottle bottom sleeve 24. When the bottle bottom conveying unit 600 is aligned with the positioning device 200, it starts to work, conveying the bottle bottom sleeve 24 to the turntable 100 and fastening it to the bottom of the bottle inner liner 21 to complete the assembly of the bottle outer sleeve, and obtaining the output product 20 (the product corresponding to the bottle inner liner 21 with all the bottle outer sleeves assembled), which rotates with the turntable 100 to the next station.

[0064] S60, output product 20, when the output unit 700 is aligned with the positioning device 200, the output product 20 with the bottle outer cover is exported from the turntable 100.

[0065] Preferably, in one embodiment, when the positioning device 200 includes an outer ring positioning groove 210 and an inner ring positioning groove 220, the bottle liner 21 is positioned in either the outer ring positioning groove 210 or the inner ring positioning groove 220 during the entire process of assembling the bottle outer sleeve. The bottle liner 21 can switch between the outer ring positioning groove 210 and the inner ring positioning groove 220 corresponding to any workstation. The outer ring positioning groove 210 is used for processing, and the inner ring positioning groove 220 is used to transfer the processed product to the next workstation. The specific steps are as follows:

[0066] In step S20, the inner liner 21 is fed through the inner liner conveying unit 100 and placed in the outer ring positioning groove 210, and is aligned with the bottle shoulder conveying unit 400 as the turntable rotates.

[0067] In step S30, the bottle shoulder conveying unit 400 feeds the bottle shoulder sleeve 22 into the outer ring positioning groove 210 and fastens it to the upper half of the bottle inner liner 21. Then, it grabs the intermediate product (the bottle inner liner 21 with the bottle shoulder sleeve 22 assembled) and switches it to the aligned inner ring positioning groove 220. As the turntable rotates, it aligns with the bottle body conveying unit 500.

[0068] In step S40, the bottle body conveying unit 500 feeds the bottle body sleeve 23 into the outer ring positioning groove 210, grabs the intermediate product (the inner bottle liner 21 with the bottle shoulder sleeve 22 assembled) in the inner ring positioning groove 220 and switches it to the outer ring positioning groove 210. At the same time, the lower half of the inner bottle liner 21 is fitted into the bottle body sleeve 23 to assemble the inner bottle liner 21 with the bottle body sleeve 23. Then, it grabs the intermediate product (the inner bottle liner 21 with the bottle shoulder sleeve 22 and the bottle body sleeve 23 assembled) and switches it to the aligned inner ring positioning groove 220. As the turntable rotates, it aligns with the bottle bottom conveying unit 600.

[0069] In step S50, the bottle bottom conveying unit 600 feeds the bottle bottom sleeve 24 into the outer ring positioning groove 210, grabs the intermediate product (the inner liner 21 with the bottle shoulder sleeve 22 and bottle body sleeve 23 installed) in the inner ring positioning groove 220 and switches it to the outer ring positioning groove 210, while simultaneously fastening the bottle bottom sleeve 24 to the bottom of the inner liner 21, thus obtaining the output product 20, which is aligned with the output unit 700 as the turntable rotates.

[0070] During the loading and assembly of the bottle shoulder sleeve 22, bottle body sleeve 23, and bottle bottom sleeve 24, the robotic arms in the three loading units need to complete their respective loading and switching of intermediate product positions to ensure that the bottle inner liner 21 is in an upright position throughout the entire process from loading, assembling the outer sleeve, to outputting the product. The upright bottle inner liner 21 and intermediate products have stronger installation stability and are less prone to shaking, resulting in more precise product assembly and thus improving the yield of assembled products.

[0071] Preferably, refer to Figure 14 In one embodiment, before the finished product is output after the bottle bottom assembly is completed, that is, before step S60, the assembled finished product (output product 20) needs to be tested for inflation leakage. The specific method is as follows: inflate the bottle liner 21 with air for 2 seconds, hold the pressure for 1 second, and check if the air pressure is equal to or higher than 0.5MPa. If so, it is normal and OK, which means it is a qualified output product 20, and the finished product is discharged through the discharge unit 700; if the air pressure is lower than 0.5MPa, it is abnormal and NG, which means it is a defective product, and it is discharged through another conveyor rail.

[0072] In addition, in the second embodiment, the positioning device 200 uses a positioning block 230, which is a single-circle station. In step S20, after the inner bottle liner 21 is conveyed, the inner bottle liner 21 is further pressed onto the positioning block 230 by the inner bottle liner pressing unit 800; in step S50, after the bottle bottom sleeve 24 is conveyed and assembled, the bottle bottom pressing unit 900 and the bottle bottom sleeve simulation positioning fastening assembly fixture are used. Figure 15 (As shown) Further press the bottle bottom sleeve 24 tightly and fasten it to the bottom of the bottle inner liner 21.

[0073] This utility model embodiment provides an automated device 10 for assembling bottle sleeves for biodegradable bottle liners and its operating method. The automated device 10 includes an operating table 11, a feeding mechanism 12, and a discharging mechanism 13. A positioning device 200 is provided on the turntable 100 of the operating table 11 for installing bottle liners 21 for transfer processing. The feeding mechanism 12 includes a bottle liner conveying unit 300, a bottle shoulder conveying unit 400, a bottle body conveying unit 500, and a bottle bottom conveying unit 600 surrounding the operating table 11. Through automated program control, each corresponding conveying unit in the feeding mechanism 12 respectively conveys the bottle liner 21, bottle shoulder sleeve 22, bottle body sleeve 23, and bottle bottom sleeve 24 to the positioning device 200 and the bottle bottom sleeve simulation positioning and fastening assembly fixture on the turntable 100 for processing and assembly, resulting in the output product 20, that is, the bottle liner 21 with the bottle sleeve assembled. The assembled finished product inflation and leakage detection mechanism and discharge mechanism 13 include a discharge unit 700 for discharging the product 20 from the turntable 100. Furthermore, the operation method of the automated device 10 provided in this application can systematically fasten the outer casings of various parts on the bottle liner 21, providing the bottle liner 21 with an environmentally friendly "outer casing" made of biodegradable materials such as PBS, thus contributing to environmental friendliness. On the other hand, compared to traditional cooling processes, the bottle outer casing processing and fastening process provided in this application has lower equipment requirements and requires less energy during assembly, significantly reducing process costs.

[0074] Although the present invention has been described with reference to several typical embodiments, it should be understood that the terminology used is descriptive and exemplary, and not restrictive. Since the present invention can be embodied in many forms without departing from the spirit or essence of the invention, it should be understood that the above embodiments are not limited to any of the foregoing details, but should be interpreted broadly within the spirit and scope defined by the appended claims. Therefore, all variations and modifications falling within the scope of the claims or their equivalents should be covered by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An automated device for assembling bottle sleeves for biodegradable material bottle liners, characterized in that, include: The operating table is equipped with a rotatable turntable. The upper surface of the turntable is provided with multiple spaced positioning devices along its circumference. The rotation of the turntable drives the positioning devices to rotate synchronously to different processing positions. The feeding mechanism includes a bottle liner conveying unit, a bottle shoulder conveying unit, a bottle body conveying unit, and a bottle bottom conveying unit arranged at intervals along the side periphery of the turntable; the bottle liner conveying unit is used to convey the bottle liner to the turntable and install it on the positioning device; the bottle shoulder conveying unit is used to convey the bottle shoulder sleeve to the turntable and fasten it to the upper half of the bottle liner; the bottle body conveying unit is used to convey the bottle body sleeve to the turntable and fit it onto the lower half of the bottle liner; and the bottle bottom conveying unit is used to convey the bottle bottom sleeve to the turntable and fasten it to the bottom of the bottle liner. The discharging mechanism includes a discharging unit located on the side periphery of the turntable and between the bottle bottom conveying unit and the bottle inner liner conveying unit. The discharging unit is used to eject the bottle inner liner with the bottle outer sleeve assembled from the turntable.

2. The automated device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The positioning device includes a plurality of equal numbers of outer ring positioning grooves and inner ring positioning grooves. At each workstation corresponding to the positioning device, one outer ring positioning groove and one inner ring positioning groove are aligned radially along the turntable. The plurality of outer ring positioning grooves are used to upright the bottle liner and are respectively used to process and assemble various parts of the bottle outer sleeve. The inner ring positioning groove is used to upright the bottle liner and to switch the processed products of different workstations to the next workstation as the turntable rotates.

3. The automated device according to claim 2, characterized in that, Both the outer ring positioning groove and the inner ring positioning groove include a base, a first clamp, and a second clamp. The base is fixed to the turntable, and the first clamp and the second clamp are both fixed on the base and enclose to form an installation groove. The radial dimension of the installation groove is not less than the radial dimension of the bottle body sleeve, and the depth of the installation groove is not greater than the height dimension of the lower half of the bottle liner.

4. The automated device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottle shoulder conveying unit is equipped with a first shoulder clamp and a second shoulder clamp. The first shoulder clamp is used to grab the left shoulder sleeve, and the second shoulder clamp is used to grab the right shoulder sleeve. The first shoulder clamp and the second shoulder clamp can approach each other to fasten the left shoulder sleeve and the right shoulder sleeve to the outside of the upper half of the bottle liner.

5. The automated device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first shoulder clip is equipped with a first contour suction cup fixture, which can be attached to the outer side wall of the left shoulder clip so that the first shoulder clip can grasp the left shoulder clip; the second shoulder clip is equipped with a second contour suction cup fixture, which can be attached to the outer side wall of the right shoulder clip so that the second shoulder clip can grasp the right shoulder clip.

6. The automated device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automated device also includes a tightening mechanism, which includes a bottle body fastening component and a bottle bottom fastening component. The bottle body fastening component is used to further securely install the bottle body sleeve onto the bottle liner, and the bottle bottom fastening component is used to further secure the bottle bottom sleeve onto the bottle liner. Both the bottle body fastening assembly and the bottle bottom fastening assembly include a stepper motor, a rotating shaft, spring pieces, a sleeve, and grippers. The axis of the rotating shaft is parallel to the axis of the inner liner of the bottle. One end of the rotating shaft is fixed to the stepper motor, and the other end of the rotating shaft has multiple circumferentially spaced notches. The outer side of the rotating shaft has external threads. The number of spring pieces is the same as the number of notches, and one end of each spring piece is fixedly installed on the inner sidewall of the notch, while the other end of the spring piece is suspended. The sleeve is threaded onto the outer side of the rotating shaft. The grippers include multiple clamping blocks, the same number as the notches. Each clamping block is rotatably installed in the notch in a rocker-like manner. The length extension direction of the clamping block is inclined to the axis of the rotating shaft. Each clamping block has a rotating end and a gripping end. The suspended end of the spring piece abuts against the outer sidewall of the rotating end, and one end of the sleeve abuts against the outer sidewall of the gripping end. When the stepper motor is started, the rotating shaft rotates and drives the sleeve to rise and fall. When the sleeve descends, one end of the sleeve simultaneously presses against the outer walls of multiple gripping ends, so that the multiple gripping ends move closer together. The gripping ends tilt outward along the radial direction of the rotating shaft, and the spring pieces tilt outward synchronously to accumulate elastic force.

7. The automated device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The positioning device includes a positioning block, and the bottle liner is inverted and fastened to the positioning block. The automation device also includes a bottle liner pressing unit and a bottle bottom sleeve pressing unit suspended above the turntable. Along the circumference of the turntable, the bottle liner pressing unit is located between the bottle liner conveying unit and the bottle shoulder conveying unit. The bottle liner pressing unit is used to further press and fasten the bottle liner to the positioning block along its axial direction. Along the circumference of the turntable, the bottle bottom sleeve pressing unit is located between the bottle bottom conveying unit and the discharge mechanism. The bottle bottom sleeve pressing unit is used to further press and fasten the bottle bottom sleeve to the bottom of the bottle liner.

8. The automated device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The positioning block can be elastically deformed to allow it to be interference-fitted with the bottle mouth of the inner liner. The positioning block is provided with a positioning hole for the bottle mouth of the inner liner to be inserted upside down.

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