Sorting system for traditional Chinese medicinal materials

Abstract

In actual use, the sorting system for the traditional Chinese medicinal materials comprises a first storage bin, a second storage bin, an AI intelligent sorting machine and a controller, silt and impurities on raw materials are separated out through a roller screening machine, meanwhile, floating dust is absorbed by a dust removal assembly, and the dust generated in the separation process is prevented from polluting the working environment. High-cleanliness materials separated through dry cleaning of the roller screening machine are conveyed into the AI intelligent sorting machine through the second conveying belt and the first feeding conveyor, the AI intelligent sorting machine can classify and sort traditional Chinese medicinal materials, and sorting is conducted according to the size, color, maturity and other characteristics of the traditional Chinese medicinal materials; and it is ensured that the sorted traditional Chinese medicinal materials meet the market requirement, and the labor intensity and cost of manual sorting can be reduced. And finally, impurities such as hair adsorbed on the raw materials are separated through an electrostatic hair separator, so that the problems of missing detection, false detection and insufficient adaptability to complex scenes during manual medicine sorting are avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of traditional Chinese medicine processing technology, specifically to a sorting system for traditional Chinese medicine. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous development of the traditional Chinese medicine industry and people's increasing emphasis on health, medicinal herbs are increasingly entering people's daily lives. In the harvesting and processing of medicinal herbs, the main method for sorting unqualified materials, such as those containing impurities, foreign objects, uneven shapes and sizes, mold, or significant color differences, still relies on experienced personnel using sensory means such as sight, smell, and touch. However, manual sorting of medicinal herbs is inefficient, and different sorting personnel have varying levels of experience and understanding of standards, which may lead to inconsistent sorting results. This could potentially affect the quality stability and safety of medicinal herb products. Furthermore, manual sorting is limited by sensory limitations such as sight and touch, resulting in incomplete removal of impurities and high labor intensity. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this application is to provide a sorting system for Chinese medicinal materials to solve the problems of low efficiency in manual sorting of Chinese medicinal materials, inconsistency in sorting results due to differences in the experience and judgment standards of different sorters, which may affect the quality stability and safety of Chinese medicinal materials products, and the limitations of manual sorting by senses such as vision and touch, which result in incomplete removal of impurities and high labor intensity.

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a sorting system for Chinese medicinal materials, comprising a first storage bin, a second storage bin, an AI intelligent sorting machine, and a controller. A first conveyor belt is installed at the bottom of the first storage bin, and a drum screen is installed at the discharge end of the first conveyor belt. A dust removal assembly is connected to the top of the drum screen via a first dust removal pipe. A second conveyor belt is installed at the discharge end of the drum screen, and a first feeding conveyor is installed at the discharge end of the second conveyor belt. The discharge end of the first feeding conveyor is connected to the inlet of the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine. A third conveyor belt is installed at the bottom of the second storage bin, and its discharge end is connected to the second conveyor belt. A defective product bin is installed on one side of the bottom of the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine, and an electrostatic hair separator is installed on one side of the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine.

[0005] Preferably, the tops of both the first and second storage silos are connected to the dust removal assembly via a second dust removal pipe.

[0006] Preferably, the dust removal assembly is a dual-tower wet dust collector.

[0007] Preferably, the inclination angle of the conveying surface of the first feeding conveyor is less than 60 degrees.

[0008] Preferably, a return conveyor belt is also provided on one side of the bottom of the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine, and the other end of the return conveyor belt is connected to the second conveyor belt through a return material conveyor.

[0009] Preferably, a discharge hopper is provided between the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine and the electrostatic hair separator, and a second feeding conveyor is provided at the bottom discharge port of the discharge hopper, with the discharge end of the second feeding conveyor located above the inlet of the electrostatic hair separator.

[0010] Preferably, a manual sorting conveyor is installed on one side of the electrostatic hair separator.

[0011] Compared with existing technologies, this application provides a sorting system for Chinese medicinal materials. In actual use, it includes a first storage bin, a second storage bin, an AI intelligent sorting machine, and a controller. The first storage bin contains raw Chinese medicinal materials with lower cleanliness, while the second storage bin contains raw Chinese medicinal materials with relatively higher cleanliness. A drum screener separates mud, sand, and impurities from the raw materials, and floating dust is absorbed by a dust removal component to prevent dust pollution of the working environment during the separation process. The higher-cleanliness material separated by the drum screener is then conveyed to the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine via a second conveyor belt and a first feeding conveyor. The AI ​​intelligent sorting machine can automatically classify and sort the Chinese medicinal materials based on characteristics such as size, color, and maturity, ensuring that the sorted Chinese medicinal materials meet market demands and reducing the labor intensity and cost of manual sorting. The AI ​​intelligent sorting machine has a defective product bin on one side of its bottom and an electrostatic hair separator on the other. Defective products sorted by the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine flow into the defective product bin for collection, while finished products are sent to the electrostatic hair separator. Finally, the electrostatic hair separator thoroughly separates hair and other impurities adsorbed on the raw materials, avoiding the problems of missed detections, false detections, and insufficient adaptability to complex scenarios that occur when manually picking medicines. It can efficiently and accurately complete the picking task, improving production efficiency and product quality. Attached Figure Description

[0012] To more clearly illustrate the technical solution of this application, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0013] Figure 1 A front view of a sorting system for Chinese medicinal materials provided in this application;

[0014] Figure 2 A top view of a sorting system for Chinese medicinal materials provided in this application;

[0015] In the diagram: 1. First storage bin; 2. First conveyor belt; 3. Drum screener; 4. Double-tower wet dust collector; 401. First dust removal pipe; 402. Second dust removal pipe; 5. Second conveyor belt; 6. Second storage bin; 7. Third conveyor belt; 8. First feeding conveyor; 9. AI intelligent sorting machine; 10. Defective product bin; 11. Return conveyor belt; 12. Return material conveyor; 13. Discharge bin; 14. Second feeding conveyor; 15. Electrostatic hair separator; 16. Manual sorting conveyor. Detailed Implementation

[0016] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in this application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0017] The core of this application is to provide a sorting system for Chinese medicinal materials, which solves the problems of low efficiency in manual sorting of Chinese medicinal materials, inconsistency in sorting results due to differences in the experience and judgment standards of different sorters, which may affect the quality stability and safety of Chinese medicinal materials, and the limitations of manual sorting by senses such as vision and touch, resulting in incomplete removal of impurities and high labor intensity.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a front view of a sorting system for Chinese medicinal materials provided in this application. Figure 2 A top view of a sorting system for Chinese medicinal materials provided in this application, see [link to application]. Figures 1 to 2 As shown.

[0019] A sorting system for Chinese medicinal herbs includes a first storage bin 1, a second storage bin 6, an AI intelligent sorting machine 9, and a controller. The first storage bin 1 contains raw Chinese medicinal herbs with lower cleanliness, while the second storage bin 6 contains raw Chinese medicinal herbs with relatively higher cleanliness. It should be noted that the controller can be a PLC module. The PLC module controls each component through signal interaction with its electrically connected components. The signal interaction between PLC modules is a readily apparent prior art and is not the focus of this application, therefore it will not be described in detail here. A first conveyor belt 2 is installed at the bottom of the first storage bin 1. A drum screen 3 is installed at the outlet end of the first conveyor belt 2. A dust removal component is connected to the top of the drum screen 3 through a first dust removal pipe 401. The raw Chinese medicinal herbs are conveyed into the drum screen 3 via the first conveyor belt 2. The drum screen 3 is equipped with screens of different specifications. By adjusting the size of the screens, the system can flexibly adapt to the sorting requirements of the Chinese medicinal herbs. Specifically, the structure and working principle of the drum screen 3 can be found in the prior art. The material is screened as it tumbles and rolls inside the drum screen 3, breaking down the materials that are stuck together. At the same time, the dust floating up is sucked away by the dust removal component using negative pressure, preventing dust generated during the impurity removal process from polluting the working environment.

[0020] A second conveyor belt 5 is installed at the discharge end of the drum screen 3, and a first feeding conveyor 8 is installed at the discharge end of the second conveyor belt 5. The discharge end of the first feeding conveyor 8 is connected to the inlet of the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine 9. The material that has been initially cleaned by the drum screen 3 is conveyed to the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine 9 via the second conveyor belt 5 and the first feeding conveyor 8. A third conveyor belt 7 is installed at the bottom of the second storage bin 6, and the discharge end of the third conveyor belt 7 is connected to the second conveyor belt 5. The second storage bin 6 contains materials with relatively high cleanliness, which are directly conveyed to the third conveyor belt 7 via the second conveyor belt 5, and then lifted to the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine 9 by the first feeding conveyor 8 for further sorting. The AI ​​intelligent sorting machine 9 realizes automatic identification, classification and picking of Chinese medicinal materials by integrating machine vision, deep learning algorithms and automated equipment. Specifically, the system captures images of Chinese medicinal herbs using a camera, then uses deep learning algorithms to analyze and process the images, identifying the herbs' type, size, shape, and other characteristics, and classifying and selecting them according to preset rules. The specific structure and working principle of the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine 9 can be found in existing technologies.

[0021] A defective product bin 10 is located on one side of the bottom of the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine 9, and an electrostatic hair separator 15 is located on one side of the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine 9. The sorting system of the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine 9 is the main actuator of the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine. It plays a sorting role when the equipment is running. When the system identifies a material as defective, the spray valve sprays gas to remove the material. The defective products and finished products removed by the spray valve are separated by the discharge hopper. The discharge hopper is divided into front, middle and rear chambers to receive finished products, defective products and return grain, respectively. The defective products are finally collected into the defective product bin 10, and the finished grain is transported to the next stage for processing. To prevent material waste, preferably, a return conveyor belt 11 is also provided on one side of the bottom of the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine 9. The other end of the return conveyor belt 11 is connected to the second conveyor belt 5 through the return material conveyor 12. The returned grain separated in the rear cavity falls onto the return conveyor belt 11, and the return conveyor belt 11 and the return material conveyor 12 are used to send the returned grain back to the second conveyor belt 5. Then, it is transported again to the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine 9 for sorting by the first feeding conveyor 8. The sorted finished product finally enters the electrostatic hair separator 15. The electrostatic hair separator 15 uses the principle of electrostatics. Through a high-voltage electrostatic system, non-conductive substances such as hair and fibers in the material are adsorbed, while conductive substances are separated by the action of an electric field. Through multi-stage processing, the material is ensured to be separated efficiently and accurately.

[0022] In this embodiment, preferably, the tops of both the first storage silo 1 and the second storage silo 6 are connected to the dust removal assembly via a second dust removal pipe 402. The dust in the first storage silo 1 and the second storage silo 6 is sucked away by the dust removal assembly using negative pressure, thus preventing dust generated during the dust removal process from polluting the working environment. Furthermore, the dust removal assembly is a dual-tower wet dust collector 4, which is installed on top of the first storage silo 1, the second storage silo 6, and the drum screen 3. Through the negative pressure of the fan rotation, the dust in the material is removed by the interaction of water, dust, and gas, through processes such as wetting, coagulation, diffusion, and sedimentation.

[0023] Preferably, the inclination angle of the conveying surface of the first feeding conveyor 8 is less than 60 degrees. The first feeding conveyor 8 is a conveying device that transports materials from a low place to a high place. The inclination angle of the conveying surface is generally not greater than 60 degrees. The variable frequency motor can be steplessly adjusted within the speed regulation range so as to match or select the speed of the equipment connected to its two ends.

[0024] In the above embodiment, a discharge hopper 13 is also provided between the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine 9 and the electrostatic hair separator 15. The finished products sorted by the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine 9 first enter the discharge hopper 13. A second feeding conveyor 14 is provided at the bottom discharge port of the discharge hopper 13. The discharge end of the second feeding conveyor 14 is located above the inlet of the electrostatic hair separator 15. The second feeding conveyor 14 slowly conveys the Chinese medicinal materials into the electrostatic hair separator 15 to remove hair and other impurities adsorbed on the materials. In order to further improve the product quality of the Chinese medicinal materials, a manual sorting conveyor 16 is installed on one side of the electrostatic hair separator 15. The materials after multi-stage sorting are finally confirmed by humans.

[0025] The sorting system for Chinese medicinal materials provided in this application operates as follows: Raw materials with lower cleanliness levels from the first storage bin 1 are conveyed via a first conveyor belt 2 to a drum screen 3. The materials are screened and separated as they tumble and roll within the drum screen 3, while floating dust is removed by a dual-tower wet dust collector 4 using negative pressure. The materials initially cleaned by the drum screen 3 are then conveyed via a second conveyor belt 5 and a first feeding conveyor 8 to an AI intelligent sorting machine 9. Materials with relatively higher cleanliness levels are placed in the second storage bin 6 and directly conveyed via the second conveyor belt 5 to the third conveyor belt 7, and then lifted by the first feeding conveyor 8 to the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine 9 for further sorting. The AI ​​intelligent sorting machine 9 integrates machine vision, deep learning algorithms, and automated equipment to achieve automatic identification, classification, and sorting of Chinese medicinal materials. After sorting, the finished products finally enter the electrostatic hair separator 15. The electrostatic hair separator 15 uses the principle of electrostatics to adsorb non-conductive substances such as hair and fibers in the material through a high-voltage electrostatic system, while conductive substances are separated by the action of an electric field. Through multi-stage processing, the material is ensured to be separated efficiently and accurately. The material after multi-stage sorting is finally confirmed by a person.

[0026] Other embodiments of this application will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the application disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this application that follow the general principles of this application and incorporate common knowledge or customary techniques in the art disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope of this application is indicated by the claims.

[0027] It should be understood that this application is not limited to the precise structure described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The embodiments of this application described above do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A sorting system for Chinese medicinal materials, characterized in that, include The system comprises a first storage bin (1), a second storage bin (6), an AI intelligent sorting machine (9), and a controller. The bottom of the first storage bin (1) is provided with a first conveyor belt (2). The discharge end of the first conveyor belt (2) is provided with a drum screen (3). The top of the drum screen (3) is connected to a dust removal component via a first dust removal pipe (401). The discharge end of the drum screen (3) is provided with a second conveyor belt (5). The discharge end of the second conveyor belt (5) is provided with a first feeding conveyor (8). The discharge end of the first feeding conveyor (8) is connected to the inlet of the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine (9). The bottom of the second storage bin (6) is provided with a third conveyor belt (7). The discharge end of the third conveyor belt (7) is connected to the second conveyor belt (5). A defective product bin (10) is provided on one side of the bottom of the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine (9). An electrostatic hair separator (15) is provided on one side of the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine (9).

2. The sorting system for traditional Chinese medicinal materials according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tops of the first storage bin (1) and the second storage bin (6) are both connected to the dust removal assembly via a second dust removal pipe (402).

3. The sorting system for traditional Chinese medicinal materials according to claim 2, characterized in that, The dust removal assembly is a dual-tower wet dust collector (4).

4. The sorting system for traditional Chinese medicinal materials according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inclination angle of the conveying surface of the first feeding conveyor (8) is less than 60 degrees.

5. The sorting system for traditional Chinese medicinal materials according to claim 4, characterized in that, The AI ​​intelligent sorting machine (9) is also provided with a return conveyor belt (11) on one side of its bottom. The other end of the return conveyor belt (11) is connected to the second conveyor belt (5) through the return material conveyor (12).

6. The sorting system for traditional Chinese medicinal materials according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, A discharge hopper (13) is also provided between the AI ​​intelligent sorting machine (9) and the electrostatic hair separator (15). A second feeding conveyor (14) is provided at the bottom discharge port of the discharge hopper (13). The discharge end of the second feeding conveyor (14) is located above the feed port of the electrostatic hair separator (15).

7. The sorting system for traditional Chinese medicinal materials according to claim 6, characterized in that, A manual sorting conveyor (16) is installed on one side of the electrostatic hair separator (15).

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