Packing material box centering device and system

Abstract

The application relates to a kind of package box centering devices and systems, by setting the centering assembly that can be lifted as a whole, it can be completely stored under the support platform when standby, effectively avoid the motion interference with incoming package box, simplify the production line layout and improve the smoothness of work flow;When working, the centering claw passes through the through hole of the support platform and rises, and is driven by a synchronous driving mechanism to perform centripetal motion, which ensures the high synchronism and consistency of all centering claw actions, realizes the quick and stable centering of the package box. At the same time, the positioning is carried out by abutting and limiting the firm corner of the package box from multiple directions, which ensures the positioning accuracy while avoiding the extrusion of the soft side wall of the package box, effectively preventing the deformation or damage of the material during the centering process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of automation equipment technology, and in particular to a packaging box centering device and system. Background Technology

[0002] In the automated production and packaging process of pharmaceuticals, in order to achieve precise operation of subsequent processes such as robot gripping, labeling, coding, filling or sealing, it is usually necessary to first accurately position the materials to be processed, such as paper or plastic packaging boxes, at the standard work station.

[0003] Currently, for incoming materials pushed by push rods or conveyed by simple conveyor belts, their initial position often exhibits significant random deviations. Existing positioning mechanisms, when the centering stroke is long, may generate additional attitude deflections during the material movement process, leading to unsatisfactory final positioning accuracy. Utility Model Content

[0004] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a packaging box alignment device and system that offers high positioning accuracy and minimizes damage to the packaging box.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, in a first aspect, this application provides a packaging box centering device, comprising:

[0006] Base;

[0007] Multiple centering units are disposed on the base, each of the centering units including at least one centering claw for contacting the packaging box;

[0008] A synchronous drive mechanism is used to synchronously drive multiple centering units so that multiple centering claws synchronously perform centripetal centering motion or centrifugal release motion;

[0009] A lifting assembly is connected to the base and is used to drive the base as a whole to move up and down.

[0010] Preferably, the contact portion of the centering claw is L-shaped or V-shaped, used to abut and define the corners of the packaging box from at least two directions when performing the centripetal centering movement.

[0011] Preferably, the synchronous drive mechanism includes:

[0012] The central drive disc can rotate around its central axis;

[0013] A slider that can slide radially on the base, and the centering claw is fixed on the slider;

[0014] Multiple connecting rods, one end of each connecting rod is hinged to a non-central position of the central drive disk, and the other end is respectively hinged to one of the corresponding sliders;

[0015] The rotation of the central drive disk is converted into the synchronous radial sliding of the multiple sliders via multiple connecting rods.

[0016] Preferably, the number of sliders is four, and they are equidistantly arranged on the base along the circumference of the central drive disk; wherein each slider is provided with two centering claws.

[0017] Preferably, a cover is provided on the base, and the central drive disk, connecting rod and slider are all housed in the cover; wherein, a clearance opening is provided on the cover corresponding to the position of each centering claw, and the centering claw extends out of the cover from the corresponding clearance opening.

[0018] Preferably, the synchronous drive mechanism further includes a support, the base is fixedly installed on the top of the support, a rotatable drive shaft is coaxially inserted inside the support, the central drive disk is coaxially fixedly installed on the top of the drive shaft, and a first servo motor is provided on the support and is drivenly connected to the bottom end of the drive shaft.

[0019] Preferably, the lifting assembly includes a frame and a second servo motor. The frame is provided with a guide rail connected to the support. The second servo motor is connected to the support through a linear belt drive mechanism to drive the support to move up and down along the guide rail.

[0020] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a packaging box alignment system, comprising:

[0021] A support platform for supporting the packaging box, the support platform having through holes corresponding to the positions and movement trajectories of the plurality of centering claws; and,

[0022] The packaging box centering device according to any embodiment of the first aspect is disposed below the support platform;

[0023] When the lifting assembly drives the base to rise, the plurality of centering claws can pass through their corresponding through holes and extend above the support platform.

[0024] The packaging box centering device and system designed in this application, by setting up a centering component that can be raised and lowered as a whole, can be completely stored under the support platform when in standby mode, effectively avoiding motion interference with the incoming packaging boxes, simplifying the production line layout and improving the smoothness of the workflow. During operation, the centering claws rise through the through holes of the support platform and are driven by a synchronous drive mechanism to perform centripetal motion. This structure ensures a high degree of synchronicity and consistency of all centering claw movements, achieving rapid and stable centering of the packaging boxes. At the same time, positioning is achieved by abutting and limiting the rigid corners of the packaging boxes from multiple directions, ensuring positioning accuracy while avoiding compression of the soft sidewalls of the packaging boxes, effectively preventing deformation or damage to the materials during the centering process. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the packaging box centering device provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the synchronous drive mechanism provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0027] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Top view.

[0028] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Sectional view at point AA.

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the packaging box centering system provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0030] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the centering claw holding the packaging box provided in the embodiment of this application.

[0031] The components include: centering device 100, packaging box 200, centering system 300, base 10, cover 11, clearance opening 111, centering claw 21, synchronous drive mechanism 30, central drive disk 31, slider 32, connecting rod 33, support 34, drive shaft 35, first servo motor 36, lifting assembly 40, frame 41, second servo motor 42, guide rail 43, linear belt drive mechanism 44, support platform 50, and through hole 51. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The preferred embodiments of this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the preferred embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit this application.

[0033] See Figure 1 , Figure 5As shown, this application provides a packaging box centering device 100 and a packaging box centering system 300 including the centering device 100.

[0034] First, the overall structure of the packaging box alignment system 300 in this embodiment will be described. For example... Figure 5 As shown, the system includes a horizontally positioned support platform 50 and a packaging box centering device 100 installed below the support platform 50. The support platform 50 has a flat upper surface for supporting the packaging box 200 to be positioned. To enable the components of the centering device 100 to interact with the packaging box 200, the support platform 50 has several through holes 51. The centering device 100 mainly includes a base 10, multiple centering units, a synchronous drive mechanism 30, and a lifting assembly 40.

[0035] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the base 10 is the mounting platform for the entire centering mechanism. Multiple centering units are mounted on the base 10, and each centering unit includes at least one centering claw 21 for contacting the packaging box 200. The synchronous drive mechanism 30 is used to synchronously drive the multiple centering units, so that the multiple centering claws 21 synchronously perform centripetal centering or centrifugal release movements. The lifting assembly 40 is connected to the base 10 and is used to drive the base 10 as a whole to move up and down. When the lifting assembly 40 drives the base 10 to rise, the multiple centering claws 21 can pass through their corresponding through holes 51 and extend above the support platform 50.

[0036] Using this structural design, in the initial state or after a work cycle, the lifting assembly 40 drives the base 10 and all its components to a lowered position, so that all the centering claws 21 are retracted below the support platform 50, with their tops below the upper surface of the support platform 50. At this time, the material conveying channel above the support platform 50 is completely unobstructed without any interference. When a packaging box 200 to be positioned is transferred to the support platform 50 by, for example, a push rod, it generally stops in the area surrounded by the through hole 51. In this embodiment, the lifting assembly 40 can be activated to drive the entire base 10 to move vertically upward after the packaging box 200 is detected to be in place by, for example, a photoelectric sensor (not shown). During this process, multiple centering claws 21 synchronously emerge from the corresponding through holes 51 of the support platform 50 until they are fully extended above the support platform 50. Subsequently, the synchronous drive mechanism 30 synchronously drives multiple centering units, causing multiple centering claws 21 to synchronously perform centripetal centering movements to finally abut and clamp the edge of the packaging box 200. Because all the centering claws travel in perfect unison, regardless of the initial position deviation of the packaging box 200, it will be evenly pushed to the predetermined position on the support platform 50, facilitating subsequent precise robotic grasping actions. After the operation is completed, the synchronous drive mechanism 30 reverses its direction, causing all the centering claws 21 to open centrifugally and release the packaging box 200. Subsequently, the lifting assembly 40 restarts, lowering the base 10 as a whole, allowing the centering claws 21 to retract below the support platform 50, ready to receive the next packaging box 200.

[0037] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, the contact portion of the centering jaw 21 is L-shaped or V-shaped, used to abut and define the corner of the packaging box 200 from at least two directions during the centripetal centering movement. The corner of the packaging box 200 is typically a part with relatively high structural strength and is not easily deformed. When performing the centripetal centering movement, the contact portion of the centering jaw 21 can simultaneously abut and define a corner edge of the packaging box 200 from two orthogonal directions, fundamentally avoiding pressure on the soft sidewalls of the packaging box 200, thereby ensuring positioning accuracy while protecting the packaging box 200.

[0038] In some embodiments, the synchronous drive mechanism 30 includes a central drive disk 31 rotatable about its central axis. Four sliders 32, equidistant from the central drive disk 31, are arranged on the base 10 at circumferential intervals and can slide on radial tracks. The centering claws 21 are fixed to these sliders 32. Preferably, each slider 32 has two centering claws 21, so that the entire device includes eight centering claws, thereby enabling comprehensive and stable clamping of the four corners of the rectangular packaging box.

[0039] Connecting the central drive disk 31 to each slider 32 are multiple connecting rods 33, with four connecting rods 33 corresponding to four sliders 32 in this embodiment. One end of each connecting rod 33 is hinged to the central drive disk 31 at a position off its rotation center via a pin, and the other end is hinged to its corresponding slider 32 via a pin. When an external drive source drives the central drive disk 31 to rotate by a small angle, this single rotational motion is synchronously converted into a unified centripetal or centrifugal linear motion of the four sliders 32 on the base 10 through the transmission of the four connecting rods 33, ensuring that the movement stroke and speed of all eight centering jaws 21 are consistent, resulting in high reliability and repeatability.

[0040] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, a cover 11 is provided on the base 10. This cover 11 acts as a physical barrier, completely accommodating and enclosing the core moving components of the entire synchronous drive mechanism 30, namely the central drive disk 31, multiple connecting rods 33, and slider 32, within its internal space. The cover 11 has clearance openings 111 corresponding to the positions of each centering claw 21, through which the centering claw 21 extends from the cover 11. Specifically, the size and shape of these clearance openings 111 match the position and size of each centering claw 21 to ensure that the centering claw 21 can extend smoothly without interfering with the cover 11 during its entire radial movement.

[0041] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 , Figure 4 As shown, the synchronous drive mechanism 30 also includes a support 34. The base 10 is fixedly installed on the top of the support 34. The support 34 is hollow inside, and a rotatable drive shaft 35 is coaxially inserted inside it. The top of the drive shaft 35 extends out of the support 34 and is coaxially fixedly installed with the central drive disk 31. A first servo motor 36 is provided on the support 34 and is drivenly connected to the bottom of the drive shaft 35, so that the rotation of the drive shaft 35 can be directly transmitted to the central drive disk 31, and finally achieve precise control of the centripetal or centrifugal motion of all centering claws 21.

[0042] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 , Figure 4As shown, the lifting assembly 40 includes a frame 41 fixedly mounted on the equipment body and a second servo motor 42. A guide rail 43 is vertically mounted on the frame 41, and the support 34 is slidably mounted on the guide rail 43 to prevent swaying or deflection during lifting. To drive the support 34 to lift, the second servo motor 42 is fixed to the frame 41, and its output shaft drives a drive wheel to rotate. A driven wheel is also provided at the other end of the frame 41. A synchronous belt is wound between the drive wheel and the driven wheel. The support 34 is fixed to a section of the synchronous belt by a connector. When the second servo motor 42 rotates, the synchronous belt circulates accordingly, thereby driving the support 34 fixed on it to rise or fall smoothly along the guide rail 43. By precisely controlling the number of rotations of the second servo motor 42, precise control of the lifting position of the entire centering device can be achieved. This transmission method has the advantages of simple structure, smooth transmission, and fast response speed.

[0043] The packaging box centering device and system provided in this application embodiment, by setting up a centering component that can be raised and lowered as a whole, can be completely stored under the support platform when in standby mode, effectively avoiding motion interference with the incoming packaging box, simplifying the production line layout and improving the smoothness of the workflow. During operation, the centering claws rise through the through holes of the support platform and are driven by a synchronous drive mechanism to perform centripetal motion. This structure ensures a high degree of synchronicity and consistency of all centering claw movements, achieving rapid and stable centering of the packaging box. At the same time, positioning is achieved by abutting and limiting the rigid corners of the packaging box from multiple directions, ensuring positioning accuracy while avoiding compression of the soft sidewalls of the packaging box, effectively preventing deformation or damage to the material during the centering process.

[0044] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "vertical", "up", "down", "horizontal", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0045] In the description of this application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "set," "install," "connect," and "link" 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 according to the specific circumstances.

[0046] Finally, it should be noted that the above descriptions are merely preferred embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A packaging box centering device, characterized in that, include: Base; Multiple centering units are disposed on the base, each of the centering units including at least one centering claw for contacting the packaging box; A synchronous drive mechanism is used to synchronously drive multiple centering units so that multiple centering claws synchronously perform centripetal centering motion or centrifugal release motion; A lifting assembly is connected to the base and is used to drive the base as a whole to move up and down.

2. The packaging box centering device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The contact portion of the centering claw is L-shaped or V-shaped, used to abut and define the corners of the packaging box from at least two directions during the centripetal centering movement.

3. The packaging box centering device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The synchronous drive mechanism includes: The central drive disc can rotate around its central axis; A slider that can slide radially on the base, and the centering claw is fixed on the slider; Multiple connecting rods, one end of each connecting rod is hinged to a non-central position of the central drive disk, and the other end is respectively hinged to one of the corresponding sliders; The rotation of the central drive disk is converted into the synchronous radial sliding of the multiple sliders via multiple connecting rods.

4. The packaging box centering device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The number of sliders is four, and they are equidistantly arranged on the base along the circumference of the central drive disk; wherein each slider is provided with two centering claws.

5. The packaging box centering device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The base is provided with a cover, and the central drive disk, connecting rod and slider are all housed in the cover; wherein, the cover has a clearance opening corresponding to the position of each centering claw, and the centering claw extends out of the cover from the corresponding clearance opening.

6. The packaging box centering device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The synchronous drive mechanism also includes a support, the base is fixedly installed on the top of the support, a rotatable drive shaft is coaxially inserted inside the support, the central drive disk is coaxially fixedly installed on the top of the drive shaft, and a first servo motor is provided on the support and is drivenly connected to the bottom end of the drive shaft.

7. The packaging box centering device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The lifting assembly includes a frame and a second servo motor. The frame is provided with a guide rail connected to the support. The second servo motor is connected to the support through a linear belt drive mechanism to drive the support to move up and down along the guide rail.

8. A packaging box alignment system, characterized in that, include: A support platform is provided for supporting the packaging box, and the support platform has through holes corresponding to the positions and movement trajectories of the plurality of centering claws; as well as, The packaging box centering device as described in any one of claims 1 to 7 is disposed below the support platform; When the lifting assembly drives the base to rise, the plurality of centering claws can pass through their corresponding through holes and extend above the support platform.

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