A dispersing device for dispersing piles of cigarette butts

Abstract

This invention provides a dispersing device for dispersing piled cigarette butts, relating to the field of cigarette butt information collection technology. The device includes a conveyor belt and two or more height-limiting members installed above the conveyor belt. The height-limiting members are arranged at intervals from the beginning to the end of the conveyor belt along its conveying direction, with the distance between the height-limiting members and the conveyor belt gradually decreasing from the beginning to the end, thus dispersing the piled cigarette butts in stages. The distance between the last height-limiting member and the conveyor belt is such that only a single cigarette butt can pass through radially, and the member works with the conveyor belt to form a cigarette butt channel. The continuous dispersion of cigarette butts is achieved through the cooperation of the conveyor belt and the height-limiting members, improving dispersion efficiency. The at least two height-limiting members, arranged at intervals along the conveyor belt with gradually decreasing distances to the conveyor belt, achieve staged dispersion of the cigarette butts, preventing deformation and accumulation of cigarette butts in front of the height-limiting members during the dispersion process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of cigarette butt information collection technology, and in particular relates to a dispersing device for dispersing piles of cigarette butts. Background Technology

[0002] To accurately obtain information about cigarette consumers' smoking habits and preferred product styles, existing technologies have developed methods for determining smoking behavior based on cigarette butt image information collection. For example, the Chinese invention patent application CN117496186A disclosed by this applicant discloses a method and apparatus for determining smoking behavior based on cigarette butt images. This method collects image information of cigarette butts after smoking and finished cigarettes, then compares the cigarette butt images with the finished cigarette images, and determines the remaining length of various types of cigarettes after smoking based on the image information comparison. It then calculates the proportion of the remaining length of the cigarette to the total length of the finished cigarette pack for that type. Based on this proportion, the smoking behavior of each brand and specification of cigarette can be determined, thus providing direction and ideas for subsequent product development and maintenance.

[0003] Another example is the method and apparatus for determining the puff capacity based on cigarette butt images disclosed in the applicant's Chinese invention patent application with publication number CN117496233A. This method is based on the discovery that there are differences in the color of cigarette butt filter cross-section images under different puff capacities. It constructs an image classification model, uses cigarette butt filter cross-section images under different puff capacities as training data to train the image classification model, and then inputs the collected cigarette butt filter cross-section image data after puffing into the trained classification model to obtain the puff capacity of the cigarette butt after puffing, providing direction and ideas for subsequent product development and maintenance.

[0004] Both methods for determining cigarette consumers' smoking behavior mentioned above require image collection of cigarette butts after smoking. This necessitates collecting cigarette butts from various public smoking areas and processing the collected batches of butts by removing impurities, dispersing, and orienting them. This process separates impurities, increases the distance between cigarette butts, and straightens their orientation to ensure they don't obstruct each other during image acquisition. This facilitates the acquisition of cross-sectional images of the cigarette butt filter rods, improving the quality of the acquired images and thus increasing the efficiency of comparing cigarette butt images with finished cigarette images. However, current technology lacks a dedicated device for dispersing cigarette butts. Manual methods are not only inefficient but may also cause deformation of the cigarette butts during dispersion due to human factors, leading to distorted images and hindering comparison with finished cigarette images. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a dispersing device for dispersing piled cigarette butts, so as to solve the technical problems of low dispersing efficiency and easy deformation of cigarette butts in existing devices.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the dispersing device for dispersing piled cigarette butts provided by this utility model is as follows:

[0007] A dispersing device for dispersing piled cigarette butts includes a conveyor belt and two or more height limiting members installed above the conveyor belt. The height limiting members are arranged at intervals from the first end to the last end along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt, and the distance between the height limiting members and the conveyor belt gradually decreases from the first end to the last end, so as to disperse the stacked cigarette butts step by step. The distance between the last height limiting member and the conveyor belt is such that only a single cigarette butt can pass through in the radial direction, and it cooperates with the conveyor belt to form a cigarette butt channel for the cigarette butts to pass through.

[0008] This utility model is a pioneering invention, and its beneficial effects are as follows: First, the cooperation between the conveyor belt and the height limiting components enables the continuous dispersion of a large number of cigarette butts, thereby improving the dispersion efficiency. The dispersed cigarette butts can be directly transported to the next process of cigarette butt image acquisition via the conveyor belt, which helps to automate the cigarette butt image acquisition process. Second, at least two height limiting components are set along the direction from the beginning to the end of the conveyor belt, and the distance between the height limiting components and the conveyor belt gradually decreases. This allows the height limiting components arranged step by step along the direction from the beginning to the end of the conveyor belt to disperse the large number of cigarette butts step by step, avoiding deformation of the cigarette butts during the dispersion process and preventing the cigarette butts from accumulating in front of the height limiting components.

[0009] As a further improvement, at least the lower end of the foremost height-limiting component is a flexible structure to prevent the cigarette butt from deforming during the dispersion process.

[0010] As a further improvement, the rearmost height-limiting component is a rigid scraper.

[0011] As a further improvement, except for the rearmost height-limiting component which is a rigid scraper, the lower ends of the other height-limiting components are all flexible structures.

[0012] As a further improvement, the conveyor belt is tilted with its tail end facing upwards, and the head end of the conveyor belt is equipped with a baffle to prevent cigarette butts from sliding off.

[0013] As a further improvement, the conveyor belt has multiple dispersion grooves arranged at intervals along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt for cigarette butts to enter, and the width direction of the dispersion grooves is parallel to the conveying direction of the conveyor belt, so as to regulate the orientation of the cigarette butts on the conveyor belt.

[0014] As a further improvement, the width of the dispersion groove is such that only a single cigarette butt can enter in the radial direction, to prevent cigarette butts from stacking in the radial direction.

[0015] As a further improvement, the length of the dispersion groove is designed to accommodate the entry of multiple axially arranged cigarette butts.

[0016] As a further improvement, a conveyor belt is provided below the end of the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt and the conveyor belt are perpendicular to each other in the conveying direction. The cross-section of the conveyor belt is an arc shape with high ends and low middle, so as to receive the cigarette butts conveyed from the conveyor belt and output the cigarette butts one by one.

[0017] As a further improvement, the conveyor belt is connected to a vibration mechanism for driving the belt surface to vibrate, so that the cigarette butts bounce on the belt surface. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an embodiment of the dispersing device for dispersing piled cigarette butts according to the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of another embodiment of the dispersing device for dispersing piled cigarette butts according to the present invention.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the conveyor belt and conveyor belt in an embodiment of the dispersing device for dispersing piled cigarette butts according to this utility model.

[0021] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0022] 1. Cigarette butt; 2. Conveyor belt; 2-1. Support leg; 2-2. Baffle; 2-3. Dispersion trough; 3. Soft brush; 4. Scraper; 5. Drive motor; 6. Baffle; 7. Conveyor belt. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To address the technical problem of low dispersion efficiency of paired cigarette butts, the basic technical concept of this utility model is as follows: by combining a conveyor belt with a height limiting component to construct a cigarette butt channel that allows only a single cigarette butt to pass through radially, the continuous and automatic dispersion of piled cigarette butts can be achieved, thereby improving the dispersion efficiency of cigarette butts; by arranging multiple height limiting channels in front of the cigarette butt channel, the cigarette butts can be dispersed step by step to prevent deformation and accumulation in front of each level of channel.

[0024] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the embodiments.

[0025] Specific embodiments of the dispersing device for dispersing piled cigarette butts provided by this utility model:

[0026] A dispersing device for dispersing piles of cigarette butts, such as Figure 1As shown, the system includes a conveyor belt 2 for transporting batches of cigarette butts 1. Before dispersing the cigarette butts, 1 can be collected from public smoking areas such as airports and train stations, and then cleaned to obtain batches of cigarette butts 1. The conveyor belt 2 is horizontally mounted on a frame and is driven by a drive motor 5 to rotate clockwise. Its basic structure is consistent with existing technology, including an annular belt body, rollers supporting the belt body, and a transmission mechanism, which will not be described in detail here. Figure 1 The left end of the conveyor belt 2 is the starting end, and the right end is the ending end. The frame includes support legs 2-1, which are respectively located on both sides of the frame near the starting and ending ends of the conveyor belt 2. At the same time, the frame is equipped with height limiting components, namely three soft brushes 3 and one scraper 4, which are arranged at intervals along the starting and ending ends of the conveyor belt 2 above the belt surface. The scraper 4 is located behind the three soft brushes 3. The distance between the soft brushes 3 and the scraper 4 arranged at intervals along the starting and ending ends of the conveyor belt 2 and the belt surface of the conveyor belt 2 gradually decreases. The distance between the scraper 4 and the belt surface of the conveyor belt 2 is only sufficient for a single cigarette butt 1 to pass through in the radial direction, and cooperates with the belt surface of the conveyor belt 2 to form a cigarette butt channel for the cigarette butt 1 to pass through.

[0027] Specifically, such as Figure 1 As shown, when a batch of cigarette butts 1 are conveyed to the conveyor belt 2, the conveyor belt 2 moves the cigarette butts 1 to the right. When the cigarette butts 1 move to contact the first soft brush 3, the conveyor belt 2 continues to move the cigarette butts 1. The stacked cigarette butts 1 are dispersed for the first time by the first soft brush 3. After passing through the gap between the first soft brush 3 and the conveyor belt 2, the cigarette butts 1 continue to move to the right with the conveyor belt 2. When the cigarette butts 1 move to contact the second soft brush 3 and the third soft brush 3 respectively, the stacked cigarette butts 1 are dispersed again by the second soft brush 3 and the third soft brush 3. Until the cigarette butts 1 move to contact the last height limiting component, i.e., the scraper 4, because the scraper 4 and the surface of the conveyor belt 2 form a cigarette butt channel that can only allow a single cigarette butt 1 to pass through in the radial direction, the cigarette butts 1 that have passed through the cigarette butt channel are completely flattened, and there is no longer any stacking in the radial direction.

[0028] The advantage of using soft brush 3 for the foremost height-limiting component is that the soft brush 3 itself has flexible bristles that will not damage the structure of the cigarette butt 1, for example, preventing the cigarette butt 1 from being flattened, and it can also be used for cigarette butts 1 of different diameters. Furthermore, the soft brush 3 is arranged in three levels, with the height of the three levels decreasing sequentially. The soft brush 3 near the beginning of the conveyor belt 2 has a larger distance from the belt surface, while the soft brush 3 near the end of the conveyor belt 2 has a smaller distance from the belt surface. Each level of soft brush 3 is designed to handle different diameters or different numbers of cigarette butts 1 stacked together, achieving gradual dispersion of the cigarette butts 1 and reducing the risk of cigarette butts 1 accumulating in front of the soft brush 3. It should be noted that, considering the different diameters of regular cigarettes, slim cigarettes, and medium-sized cigarettes, and that twice the diameter of the thinnest cigarette is greater than the diameter of the thickest cigarette, the distance between the last soft brush 3 and the conveyor belt 2 is set to be larger than the diameter of the thickest cigarette butt and smaller than twice the diameter of the thinnest cigarette, so that the last soft brush 3 can separate two overlapping cigarette butts 1.

[0029] The rearmost height-limiting component uses a scraper 4. The scraper 4 is positioned behind the three soft brushes 3, and the distance from the scraper 4 to the conveyor belt 2 is the same as the distance from the last soft brush 3 to the conveyor belt 2. Both distances are larger than the diameter of the thickest cigarette butt but smaller than twice the diameter of the thinnest cigarette butt, allowing the scraper 4 and the conveyor belt 2 to form a cigarette butt channel that radially accommodates only a single cigarette butt 1. The advantage of this design is that the scraper 4, being a rigid structure, acts as a safety measure. If stacked cigarette butts 1 are forcibly squeezed through the flexible soft brushes 3, resulting in incomplete dispersion, the scraper 4 ensures that the cigarette butts 1 passing through the cigarette butt channel are completely flattened, thus guaranteeing that the cigarette butts 1 can disperse and flow into the next process for cigarette butt photography.

[0030] It should be emphasized that in some embodiments, the height limiting device may only use a soft brush 3 with a flexible structure or a scraper 4 with a rigid structure. By simply setting multiple levels (two or more) of the soft brush 3 or scraper 4, the cigarette butt 1 can be dispersed step by step, ensuring that the cigarette butt 1 does not deform while being dispersed. Of course, regardless of the form of the height limiting device used, at the very least, there should be two height limiting devices to achieve step-by-step dispersion.

[0031] Furthermore, in some embodiments, such as Figure 3As shown, the conveyor belt 2 has multiple dispersing grooves 2-3 arranged at intervals along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt 2. For example, multiple protrusions arranged at intervals can be provided on the conveyor belt 2, and the space between two adjacent protrusions constitutes the dispersing groove 2-3. Specifically, the dispersing groove 2-3 is used to hold the conveyed cigarette butts 1, and the width direction of the dispersing groove 2-3 is parallel to the conveying direction of the conveyor belt 2, thereby correcting the orientation of the cigarette butts 1 on the conveyor belt 2, which facilitates subsequent photography of the cigarette butts 1. At this time, the distance from the height limiter to the conveyor belt 2 refers to the distance between the height limiter and the bottom of the dispersing groove 2-3. If there is a stacking of cigarette butts 1 or they fail to enter the dispersing groove 2-3, the stacked cigarette butts 1 are dispersed by the soft brush 3 and the scraper 4 and allowed to enter the dispersing groove 2-3 to correct the orientation of the cigarette butts 1 on the conveyor belt 2. The advantage of setting up the dispersion trough 2-3 is that the dispersion trough 2-3 not only keeps the cigarette butt 1 in a dispersed state, but the setting direction of the dispersion trough 2-3 also determines the placement angle of the cigarette butt 1 on the conveyor belt 2, so that the cigarette butt 1 can be distributed on the conveyor belt 2 at a specified position and angle, so that it can flow into the next process of taking pictures of the cigarette butt 1 in a specified direction.

[0032] Furthermore, the width of the dispersion groove 2-3 is greater than the diameter of the thickest cigarette butt and less than twice the diameter of the thinnest cigarette butt. In other words, the width of the dispersion groove 2-3 in the radial direction of the cigarette butt 1 allows only one cigarette butt to enter, so as to prevent the cigarette butts 1 from stacking in the radial direction and avoid too many cigarette butts 1 entering the subsequent image acquisition area at the same time.

[0033] Furthermore, the length of the dispersion groove 2-3 is twice the length of a conventional cigarette, allowing multiple axially arranged cigarette butts 1 to enter. In this case, multiple axially arranged cigarette butts 1 can enter the same dispersion groove 2-3 along the length direction, thereby achieving synchronous dispersion of multiple cigarette butts 1 and improving dispersion efficiency.

[0034] Furthermore, such as Figure 3As shown, a conveyor belt 7 is located below the end of conveyor belt 2, and the conveying directions of conveyor belt 2 and conveyor belt 7 are perpendicular to each other. The cross-section of the conveyor belt 7 is arc-shaped, with high ends and a low middle, to receive cigarette butts 1 conveyed from conveyor belt 2 and output them one by one. The basic structure of conveyor belt 7 is the same as that of conveyor belt 2. For ease of understanding, conveyor belt 2 is defined as the primary conveyor belt and conveyor belt 7 as the secondary conveyor belt. Specifically, when cigarette butts 1 move with the primary conveyor belt to the end located above the secondary conveyor belt, cigarette butts 1 fall from the dispersion trough 2-3 and then flow to the surface of the secondary conveyor belt, where they are neatly arranged in a row. When cigarette butts 1 move with the secondary conveyor belt to the end of the secondary conveyor belt, each cigarette butt 1 falls vertically from the secondary conveyor belt one by one so that the image acquisition device can record the image of the cigarette butt 1. The secondary conveyor belt actually disperses the cigarette butts 1 a second time, transforming the cigarette butts 1 output in a row into individual outputs for image acquisition.

[0035] Furthermore, the conveyor belt 2 is connected to a vibration mechanism, which can drive the belt surface of the conveyor belt 2 to vibrate, causing the cigarette butts 1 on the conveyor belt 2 to bounce, thus assisting the cigarette butts 1 into the dispersion trough 2-3. Specifically, the vibration mechanism can be a vibrator with a reciprocating motion structure, as is available in the prior art. The power source can be a motor, hydraulic cylinder, air cylinder, hydraulic motor, etc., making the conveyor belt 2 a vibrating conveyor. The advantage of increasing vibration is that the vibration transmission of the conveyor belt 2 can keep the cigarette butts 1 vibrating during transmission, thus making it easier for the cigarette butts 1 to automatically enter the dispersion trough 2-3 during the transmission process. This can improve the dispersion efficiency of the cigarette butts 1 and reduce the risk of the cigarette butts 1 accumulating in front of the height limiter.

[0036] Furthermore, baffles 2-2 are provided on both sides of the conveyor belt 2. Specifically, the baffles 2-2 are installed on the frame and are fitted with the sides of the conveyor belt 2 with a clearance, so as to prevent cigarette butts 1 on the conveyor belt 2 from falling off from both sides of the conveyor belt 2 without affecting the normal operation of the conveyor belt 2.

[0037] In other embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, the conveyor belt 2 can also be inclined, with its tail end facing upwards, and its head end equipped with a baffle 6 to prevent cigarette butts 1 from sliding off. Specifically, the inclined conveyor belt 2 with its tail end facing upwards utilizes the weight of the cigarette butts 1 and the height-limiting component to disperse the stacked cigarette butts 1. The baffle 6 is used to stop the cigarette butts 1 being conveyed onto the conveyor belt 2, preventing them from falling off the head end of the conveyor belt 2. In this embodiment, the arrangement of the height-limiting component can be the same as in the above embodiment.

[0038] In other embodiments, it is possible that the height limiter is mounted on the frame to restrict its movement. In this case, the height limiter can move up and down in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the conveyor belt 2 to adjust the distance from the surface of the conveyor belt 2, thereby dispersing cigarette butts 1 stacked to different degrees and preventing cigarette butts 1 from accumulating in front of the height limiter.

[0039] In other embodiments, it is not excluded that the support leg 2-1 can be raised or lowered. By adjusting the height of the support leg 2-1 near the tail end of the conveyor belt 2, the horizontal and inclined states of the conveyor belt 2 can be switched.

[0040] Finally, it should be noted that the above description is only a preferred embodiment of this utility model and is not intended to limit this utility model. Although this utility model has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still make modifications to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments without creative effort, or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A dispensing device for dispensing bunched cigarette butts, characterized in that, It includes a conveyor belt and two or more height limiting components installed above the conveyor belt. The height limiting components are arranged at intervals from the first end to the last end along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt, and the distance from the height limiting components to the conveyor belt gradually decreases from the first end to the last end, so as to disperse the stacked cigarette butts step by step. The distance from the last height limiting component to the conveyor belt is such that only a single cigarette butt can pass through in the radial direction, and it cooperates with the conveyor belt to form a cigarette butt channel for the cigarette butts to pass through.

2. A dispensing device for dispersing a pile of cigarette butts according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least the lower end of the foremost height-limiting component is a flexible structure to prevent the cigarette butt from deforming during the dispersion process.

3. The dispersing device for dispersing piled cigarette butts according to claim 2, characterized in that, The rearmost height-limiting component is a rigid scraper.

4. The dispersing device for dispersing piled cigarette butts according to claim 3, characterized in that, Except for the rearmost height-limiting component, which is a rigid scraper, the lower ends of the other height-limiting components are all flexible structures.

5. The dispersing device for dispersing piled cigarette butts according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The conveyor belt is tilted with its tail end facing upwards, and the head end of the conveyor belt is equipped with a baffle to prevent cigarette butts from sliding off.

6. The dispersing device for dispersing piled cigarette butts according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The conveyor belt has multiple dispersion grooves arranged at intervals along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt for cigarette butts to enter, and the width of the dispersion grooves is parallel to the conveying direction of the conveyor belt, so as to regulate the orientation of the cigarette butts on the conveyor belt.

7. The dispersing device for dispersing piled cigarette butts according to claim 6, characterized in that, The width of the dispersion groove is such that only a single cigarette butt can enter in the radial direction to prevent cigarette butts from stacking in the radial direction.

8. The dispersing device for dispersing piled cigarette butts according to claim 7, characterized in that, The length of the dispersion groove is sufficient for multiple axially arranged cigarette butts to enter.

9. The dispersing device for dispersing piled cigarette butts according to claim 8, characterized in that the conveyor belt... A conveyor belt is installed below the end of the device. The conveyor belt and the transmission belt are perpendicular to each other in the direction of transport. The cross-section of the conveyor belt is an arc shape with high ends and low middle, so as to receive the cigarette butts transported from the transmission belt and output the cigarette butts one by one.

10. The dispersing device for dispersing piled cigarette butts according to claim 6, characterized in that, The conveyor belt is connected to a vibration mechanism that drives the belt surface to vibrate, so that the cigarette butts bounce on the belt surface.

Images