Clamping jaw and feeding mechanism

Abstract

The utility model relates to the field of feeding devices, in particular to a clamping jaw and a feeding mechanism, the clamping jaw comprises a base and two hook claw assemblies arranged at the bottom of the base at intervals in the first direction, each hook claw assembly comprises one or more hook claws arranged side by side in the second direction, and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction; the hook claw comprises a puncturing end capable of puncturing the bag body; the hook claws can turn over around the rotating axis parallel to the second direction so as to clamp and release the bag body. During clamping, the hook claw drives the puncture end to puncture the upper bag surface of the bag body through overturning, so that at least part of the hook claw enters the bag body to hook the bag body; the driving part is used for driving the claw to overturn around the claw; when the feeding mechanism comprising the clamping jaw is used for carrying materials, the manual labor amount is reduced, the carrying efficiency can be improved, and the risk that operators inhale material dust is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of feeding devices, and more particularly to a gripper and feeding mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] In some wastewater treatment processes, chemicals are often added for treatment, such as adding PAM material (hereinafter referred to as PAM material) into the PAM machine.

[0003] In related technologies, PAM materials are generally packaged in woven bags. Traditionally, PAM machines rely on manual feeding, where workers remove the woven bags containing PAM materials from the pallet, transport them to the PAM machine, and then manually cut open the bags with a cold knife to pour the material into a storage bin. This manual feeding method is not only labor-intensive, but also exposes workers to direct contact with PAM materials during handling, increasing the risk of inhaling PAM dust, which is detrimental to their health. Utility Model Content

[0004] In order to solve at least one of the technical problems mentioned in the background art, the purpose of this application is to provide a gripper and a feeding mechanism.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solution.

[0006] On one hand, this application provides a gripper for holding a bag of packaging materials, comprising:

[0007] Base;

[0008] Two sets of hook assemblies are spaced apart at the bottom of the base along a first direction. Each hook assembly includes one or more hooks arranged side-by-side along a second direction, which is perpendicular to the first direction. Each hook includes a piercing end capable of piercing the bag. Each hook is capable of rotating about a rotation axis parallel to the second direction to clamp and release the bag. During clamping, the hook drives the piercing end to pierce the upper surface of the bag by rotating, so that the hook at least partially enters the bag and hooks the bag. The hooks in the two sets of hook assemblies face opposite directions, and the hooks in the two sets of hook assemblies rotate in opposite directions.

[0009] A driving component for driving the pawl to rotate around the pawl.

[0010] As an optional embodiment of this application, the hook assembly further includes a rotating shaft rotatably connected to the base, the central axis of the rotating shaft constituting the rotation axis; the hook is fixed on the rotating shaft; the driving component drives the rotating shaft to rotate so as to cause the hook to flip.

[0011] As an optional embodiment of this application, the driving component is a linearly telescopic driving component, the driving component is hinged to the base, and a connecting rod is hinged to the end of the driving component, the connecting rod being fixed to the rotating shaft.

[0012] As an optional embodiment of this application, the hook is U-shaped, with one end rotatably connected to the base around the rotation axis, and the other end tapering to form a pointed tip to constitute the puncture end.

[0013] As an optional embodiment of this application, the gripper includes a base plate disposed at the bottom of the base, and a gap space is formed between the base and the base plate in the vertical direction; the base plate is provided with a clearance opening for avoiding the flipping of the gripper corresponding to each gripper position; in the initial state, the gripper is received in the gap space; in the clamping state, the gripper extends at least partially from the clearance opening to hook the bag.

[0014] As an optional embodiment of this application, the base plate is vertically movable relative to the base, and an elastic component is provided between the base plate and the base. The elastic component is used to provide an elastic force to drive the base plate to move vertically away from the base.

[0015] As an optional embodiment of this application, the elastic component includes a guide rod and a spring. The guide rod is vertically movably inserted through the base, and the end of the guide rod away from the base is fixed to the bottom plate. The spring is sleeved on the guide rod, and its two ends abut or are fixed to the bottom plate and the base, respectively.

[0016] As an optional embodiment of this application, in the clamping state, the inner wall of the portion of the hook extending out of the base plate is at least parallel to the base plate.

[0017] As an optional embodiment of this application, the base plate has a hollow structure.

[0018] On the other hand, this application also provides a feeding mechanism, including the aforementioned gripper and a robotic arm, wherein the robotic arm is fixed to the base of the gripper and is used to drive the gripper to move as a whole.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, this application has the following advantages:

[0020] The gripper provided in this application can rotate on both sides and pierce the upper surface of the bag through the piercing end of the hook, so that the hook part extends into the bag to hook and hold the entire bag, thus achieving gripping and holding of the bag. This gripping structure can stably hold the bag, making it less likely to fall off when being transported.

[0021] Moreover, this gripping method only grips the upper part of the bag, leaving the lower part of the bag basically exposed and unobstructed, which makes it easier to cut open the lower part of the bag later to open the package.

[0022] Furthermore, using the feeding mechanism with the aforementioned grippers provided in this application to handle materials reduces the amount of manual labor and improves handling efficiency compared to manual handling. Moreover, operators do not need to come into contact with the bag, thereby reducing the risk of operators inhaling material dust.

[0023] It should be understood that the description in this section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this application, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this application. Other features of this application will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0024] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of exemplary embodiments of this application will become readily apparent upon reading the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. Several embodiments of this application are illustrated in the drawings by way of example and not limitation, in which:

[0025] In the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the feeding mechanism provided in Embodiment 2 of this application is shown;

[0027] Figure 2 This shows a schematic diagram of the feeding mechanism in the bag-grabbing state provided in Embodiment 2 of this application;

[0028] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the gripper structure provided in Embodiment 1 of this application is shown;

[0029] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the gripper structure provided in Embodiment 1 of this application is shown. Figure 1 (The grappling hook is in its initial state);

[0030] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the gripper structure provided in Embodiment 1 of this application is shown. Figure 2 (The hook is in a clamping state);

[0031] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the unpacking mechanism provided in this application is shown;

[0032] Figure 7 The clamping jaws of this application are shown. Figure 6 The diagram shows the structure of the unpacking mechanism in the unpacking state.

[0033] Explanation of the labels in the diagram:

[0034] M, gripper; N, bag body;

[0035] 1. Base;

[0036] 2. Hook assembly; 21. Hook; 211. Puncture end; 22. Rotary shaft;

[0037] 3. Cylinder; 31. Connecting rod;

[0038] 4. Base plate; 41. Clearance opening;

[0039] 5. Elastic component; 51. Guide rod; 52. Spring; 53. Limiting block;

[0040] 6. Robotic arm;

[0041] 7. Hopper; 71. Saw blade. Detailed Implementation

[0042] To make the objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0043] Example 1

[0044] Reference Figure 3-7 As shown, this embodiment provides a gripper that can be used to hold PAM materials (hereinafter referred to as PAM material), mainly for holding the bag body of the packaging material. This embodiment will be specifically described below using the handling of PAM material as an example. PAM material is mainly used in wastewater treatment and is generally fed into a PAM machine for use. PAM material is generally packaged in woven bags, where the woven bag can be understood as the aforementioned bag body (the bag body can be referred to...). Figure 1 (As shown in the N section), PAM material can be understood as the aforementioned material.

[0045] like Figure 3 As shown, the gripper provided in this embodiment mainly includes a base 1, a hook assembly 2, a drive component, etc. The following is a detailed description of each component.

[0046] The base 1 mainly serves as the mounting carrier for the hook assembly 2 and the drive component. Its shape is designed according to actual needs. For example, in this embodiment, the base 1 is roughly rectangular in shape.

[0047] The hook assembly 2 includes two sets, which are spaced apart at the bottom of the base 1 along a first direction. In this embodiment, as shown... Figure 3 As shown, the first direction can be understood as the length direction of the base 1. For ease of explanation, in this embodiment, the direction that is horizontal and perpendicular to the first direction is referred to as the second direction. Thus, the second direction can be understood as the width direction of the base 1.

[0048] Since the structures of the two sets of hook assemblies 2 are basically the same, in this embodiment, for ease of understanding, only one of them will be used as an example for specific explanation:

[0049] The hook assembly 2 includes one or more hooks 21 arranged side by side along the second direction, such as in this embodiment. Figure 3 The illustration shows a case where each set of hook assembly 2 uses 4 hooks 21, and the structure of each hook 21 is basically the same.

[0050] Furthermore, the hooks 21 in the two sets of hook assemblies 2 face opposite directions. For example, in this embodiment, the two sets of hook assemblies 2 are basically symmetrically arranged in the first direction.

[0051] The hook 21 includes a piercing end 211 capable of piercing the bag body, for example, in this embodiment, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the hook 21 is basically U-shaped, with one end tapering to form a pointed tip to constitute the piercing end 211. During the process of clamping the bag, it mainly relies on the tip of the hook 21 to pierce the upper surface of the bag.

[0052] Furthermore, all of the hooks 21 are capable of rotating around a rotation axis parallel to the second direction to achieve clamping and releasing of the bag. In some embodiments, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the hook assembly 2 also includes a rotating shaft 22 rotatably connected to the base 1. The rotating shaft 22 extends along the second direction, and the central axis of the rotating shaft 22 forms the rotation axis. All hooks 21 in the same hook assembly 2 are fixed on the same rotating shaft 22. The rotating shaft 22 drives all hooks 21 to rotate synchronously. Specifically, the end of the hook 21 away from the puncture end 211 is fixed on the rotating shaft 22.

[0053] During clamping, the entire gripper moves to the upper side of the bag body, and then the hook 21 flips. During the flipping process, the piercing end 211 of the hook 21 gradually pierces the upper surface of the bag body. As the flipping continues, a portion of the hook 21 gradually inserts into the bag body, hooking the bag body from inside the bag. At this point, it is equivalent to the hook 21 supporting and hanging the upper surface of the bag body from inside the bag body (see reference). Figure 2 (The state shown).

[0054] Furthermore, in this embodiment, during operation, the hooks 21 in the two sets of hook assemblies 2 rotate in opposite directions, that is, the two rotating shafts 22 rotate in opposite directions. In this way, the two sets of hook assemblies 2 cooperate with each other to hook the entire bag body. Since the hooks 21 on both sides face opposite directions, the bag body is not easy to fall off after being hooked.

[0055] The driving component is mainly used to drive the rotating shaft 22 to rotate so as to cause the hook 21 to flip. In some embodiments, each hook assembly 2 is provided with a corresponding driving component.

[0056] In some embodiments, the driving component may be a linearly telescopic driving component, such as a pneumatic cylinder, hydraulic cylinder, or electric cylinder; this embodiment, for example... Figure 3 As shown, taking cylinder 3 as an example: the cylinder body of cylinder 3 is hinged to the base 1 around an axis parallel to the second direction. A connecting rod 31 is provided at the end of cylinder 3. One end of the connecting rod 31 is fixed to the rotating shaft 22, and the other end is hinged to the end of cylinder 3 around an axis parallel to the second direction. Thus, by the extension and retraction of cylinder 3, the connecting rod 31 can be pushed to flip, and then the connecting rod 31 drives the rotating shaft 22 to rotate, thereby realizing the flipping of the hook 21 and thus realizing the clamping of the bag.

[0057] As can be seen, the gripper provided in this embodiment grips the upper part of the bag body, leaving the lower part of the bag body basically exposed and unobstructed. This makes it easier to cut open the lower part of the bag body later to open the package. Opening the package can be understood as opening the bag body to take out the material inside the bag.

[0058] For example, in some embodiments, the specific unpacking process may involve using grippers to lift the bag and using a knife to cut open the lower surface of the bag, so that the material inside the bag will flow out under the action of gravity, thereby achieving unpacking.

[0059] Of course, in some other embodiments, the unpacking process can also be provided as follows: Figure 6 The unpacking mechanism shown includes a hopper 7 and two saw blades 71 arranged in an X-shape within the hopper 7, with the saw teeth of the two saw blades 71 facing upwards; during unpacking, as... Figure 7 As shown, the bag containing the material is clamped onto the saw blade 71 by the gripper M, and then downward pressure is applied to the bag. Under this pressure, the saw teeth of the saw blade 71 will pierce the lower surface of the bag. Since the two saw blades 71 are arranged in an X shape, the lower surface of the bag will be cut open in an X shape. In this way, the entire lower surface of the bag will be completely broken open, and the material inside the bag will flow out and fall into the hopper 7.

[0060] Since the empty bag remains hooked on the hook 21 even after unpacking, the bag is unlikely to fall off the hook 21 even if it rotates in the opposite direction. Based on this, in some embodiments:

[0061] like Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the gripper also includes a base plate 4 disposed at the bottom of the base 1, and the base plate 4 is disposed parallel to the base 1; in the vertical direction, a gap space is formed between the base 1 and the base plate 4 to serve as the installation space for the hook assembly 2.

[0062] In addition, such as Figure 4 As shown, the bottom plate 4 is provided with a clearance opening 41 for each hook 21 position to avoid the flipping of the hook 21. In this embodiment, the clearance opening 41 is basically a strip-shaped hole structure extending along the first direction. By setting the clearance opening 41, when the hook 21 is flipped, its piercing end 211 can pass through the clearance opening 41 to pass through the bottom plate 4 to hook the bag.

[0063] In the initial state, such as Figure 4 As shown, the hook 21 is housed within the space, meaning the hook 21 does not extend beyond the base plate 4 when clamped; in the clamping state, as... Figure 5 As shown, the hook 21 extends at least partially from the relief opening 41 to hook the bag body.

[0064] In actual use, the entire gripper moves vertically downward. As the gripper moves downward, the base plate 4 will first contact the bag surface. As the gripper continues to move downward, the base plate 4 will press down on the upper bag surface of the bag, thereby flattening and unfolding the upper bag surface of the bag. When the gripper moves down to the set position, it drives the hook 21 to flip. The hook 21 will then turn out through the clearance opening 41 and then pierce into the bag to achieve gripping of the bag.

[0065] After the bag is unpacked, when it is necessary to remove the empty bag from the hook 21, the hook 21 rotates in the opposite direction and gradually returns to its initial state. During this process, the bottom plate 4 forms a block on the upper side of the bag to prevent the bag from moving with the hook 21. In this way, the hook 21 can be continuously pulled out of the bag, and the empty bag will fall down automatically.

[0066] In order to enable the bottom plate 4 to better press down on the bag containing the material, in some embodiments, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the base plate 4 is vertically movable relative to the base 1. An elastic component 5 is provided between the base plate 4 and the base 1. The elastic component 5 is used to provide an elastic force to drive the base plate 4 to move vertically away from the base 1.

[0067] Specifically, the elastic component 5 includes a guide rod 51, a spring 52, and a limiting block 53. The guide rod 51 is vertically movably inserted into the base 1, and the end of the guide rod 51 away from the base 1 is fixed to the base plate 4. The spring 52 is sleeved on the guide rod 51. The two ends of the spring 52 abut against the base plate 4 and the base 1, respectively. Of course, in some other embodiments, the two ends of the spring 52 can also be fixed to the base plate 4 and the base 1, respectively.

[0068] The limiting block 53 is fixed to the end of the guide rod 51 away from the base plate 4 to limit the guide rod 51. In its natural state, such as Figure 4 As shown, under the push of the spring 52, the limiting block 53 abuts against the base 1 to restrict the bottom plate 4 from moving further away from the base 1 in the vertical direction.

[0069] As the gripper moves downward, when the bottom plate 4 contacts the upper surface of the bag, the bottom plate 4, guided by the guide rod 51, will gradually overcome the elastic force of the spring 52 and compress the spring 52. In turn, the spring 52 will exert a pushing force on the bottom plate 4, pushing the pressure plate downward to press the upper surface of the bag, so as to flatten the upper surface of the bag.

[0070] In order to ensure that the hook 21 can stably hold the bag body when hooking it, in some embodiments, the hook 21 is specifically constructed such that, in the clamping state, as... Figure 4 As shown, the hook 21 extends out of the inner wall of the base plate 4 (i.e., Figure 5 The portion shown in section A is at least parallel to the base plate 4, meaning the inner wall of the portion of the hook 21 located outside the base plate 4 is parallel to the base plate 4. At this time, the piercing end 211 of the hook 21 is basically horizontal. The reason for this arrangement is that, in the clamping state, the bag body is equivalent to the hook being below the hook 21. If the piercing end 211 of the hook 21 is tilted upwards, the bag body will be pulled down under the weight of the material inside the bag, making it easy for the tilted piercing end 211 to pierce the upper surface of the bag body again from inside the bag body. Consequently, the bag body below the hook 21 is likely to fall down. Conversely, if the piercing end 211 of the hook 21 is tilted downwards, the bag body is likely to slip off the hook 21, which is also not conducive to the stable clamping of the bag body.

[0071] Furthermore, in order to reduce the weight of the base plate 4, the base plate 4 has a hollow structure, that is, as shown in the figure. Figure 4 As shown, several through holes are made on the base plate 4 to reduce the weight of the base plate 4 by material reduction; in addition, the through holes can reduce the adsorption force of the base plate on the bag surface, making the bag easier to detach later.

[0072] Example 2

[0073] Combination Figure 1-7 As shown, this embodiment further provides a feeding mechanism based on embodiment 1. The feeding mechanism includes a robotic arm 6 and the gripper provided in embodiment 1. The gripper can be referred to... Figure 1 As shown in section M.

[0074] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the robotic arm 6 is fixed to the upper part of the base 1 of the gripper M. The robotic arm 6 drives the gripper M to move. For example, the robotic arm first moves the gripper to the area where bags containing packaged materials are stacked, and the gripper holds the bag. Then, the robotic arm moves the gripper and the held bag as a whole to the next workstation (e.g., the unpacking station) for the next operation. Such multi-directional robotic arms are extensively described in existing technology, so they will not be elaborated upon here.

[0075] It should be understood that the various forms of processes shown above can be used to rearrange, add, or delete steps. For example, the steps described in this application can be executed in parallel, sequentially, or in different orders, as long as the desired result of the technical solution disclosed in this application can be achieved, and this is not limited herein.

[0076] 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 at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0077] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A gripper for gripping a bag of packaging materials, characterized in that, include: Base; Two sets of hook assemblies are spaced apart at the bottom of the base along a first direction. Each hook assembly includes one or more hooks arranged side-by-side along a second direction, which is perpendicular to the first direction. Each hook includes a piercing end capable of piercing the bag. Each hook is capable of rotating about a rotation axis parallel to the second direction to clamp and release the bag. During clamping, the hook drives the piercing end to pierce the upper surface of the bag by rotating, so that the hook at least partially enters the bag and hooks the bag. The hooks in the two sets of hook assemblies face opposite directions, and the hooks in the two sets of hook assemblies rotate in opposite directions. A driving component for driving the hook to rotate around the hook; The gripper includes a base plate at the bottom of the base, and a gap space is formed between the base and the base plate in the vertical direction; the base plate is provided with a clearance opening for each gripper position to avoid flipping the gripper; in the initial state, the gripper is received in the gap space; In the clamping state, the hooks at least partially extend from the relief opening to hook the bag body; The base plate is vertically movable relative to the base, and an elastic component is provided between the base plate and the base. The elastic component is used to provide an elastic force to drive the base plate to move vertically away from the base.

2. A jaw according to claim 1, wherein The hook assembly also includes a rotating shaft rotatably connected to the base, the central axis of the rotating shaft forming the rotation axis; the hook is fixed on the rotating shaft; the driving component drives the rotating shaft to rotate so as to cause the hook to flip.

3. A jaw according to claim 2, wherein, The driving component is a linearly telescopic driving component. The driving component is hinged to the base, and a connecting rod is hinged to the end of the driving component. The connecting rod is fixed to the rotating shaft.

4. The clamp jaw of claim 1, wherein The hook claw is U-shaped, with one end rotatably connected to the base around the rotation axis, and the other end tapering to form a pointed tip to constitute the puncture end.

5. The clamp jaw of claim 1, wherein The elastic component includes a guide rod and a spring. The guide rod is vertically movably inserted through the base, and the end of the guide rod away from the base is fixed to the bottom plate. The spring is sleeved on the guide rod, and its two ends are respectively abutted or fixed to the bottom plate and the base.

6. The jaw of claim 1 wherein, In the clamping state, the inner wall of the portion of the hook extending out of the base plate is at least parallel to the base plate.

7. The clamp jaw of claim 1, wherein The base plate has a hollow structure.

8. The feeding mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that It includes a gripper as described in any one of claims 1-7, and a robotic arm, wherein the robotic arm is fixed to the base of the gripper and is used to drive the gripper to move as a whole.

Images