A bottle-splitting device for a case packing machine

Abstract

This utility model relates to a bottle-splitting device for a case packing machine, comprising several parallel conveyor belts, a controller, sensors, and one or two bottle-splitting mechanisms. The bottle-splitting mechanism includes two parallel annular chains, a chain drive assembly, and an insert plate assembly. The insert plate assembly includes a bracket and multiple insert plates. The bracket is fixed across corresponding links of the two chains, and the insert plates are mounted on the bracket. The insert plates are configured to, when moving above the chains, correspondingly insert into the gaps between all conveyor belts and the outer sides of both conveyor belts, with their upper ends extending above the conveyor belts. Sensors are configured to detect bottles located upstream of the bottle-splitting mechanism on the conveyor belts. The controller controls the connection between the sensors and the chain drive assembly. Its advantages are: by controlling the alternating opening and closing of the dual bottle-splitting mechanisms through sensor signals, high positioning accuracy is achieved, error accumulation is avoided, precise bottle separation is possible, the bottle-splitting success rate is improved, and the bottle breakage rate is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of plastic packaging machinery technology, and in particular to a bottle-separating device for a case packing machine. Background Technology

[0002] After the bottles are filled by the filling machine, they are conveyed to the case packing machine to wait for packaging. First, the continuous bottles on the conveyor belt are separated into groups, and then the groups of bottles are packaged.

[0003] Currently, common bottle-separating mechanisms primarily use telescopic baffles to block the conveyor channels, causing bottles to gather and group. Then, telescopic pushers move the grouped bottles to other stations. Alternatively, conveyor belts or other methods can be used to move the grouped bottles away from the baffle station for subsequent grouping. Clearly, this method requires periodic production line stops during bottle separation and pushing. To improve efficiency, bottles should first be separated into several conveyor channels, then pushed in groups at predetermined intervals, and finally assembled into boxes, thus enabling continuous production.

[0004] Obviously, this grouping method requires multiple bottling, bottle pushing, and packaging production lines to work together to achieve normal production line efficiency. This not only results in high equipment costs but also a large footprint and a higher failure rate.

[0005] To avoid the aforementioned drawbacks, another bottle-separating mechanism is available on the market. Its principle involves inserting plates between the bottles as they are conveyed on a conveyor belt. These plates are driven by a mechanism and move along the conveyor belt direction, maintaining a certain speed difference with the belt. The plates prevent the bottles from continuing forward, gradually separating them and allowing them to move backward. Afterward, cardboard is inserted under the grouped bottles, which are then folded into boxes and sealed. This allows for continuous bottle separation and packaging operations using only one production line, avoiding the aforementioned defects.

[0006] However, in actual use, the aforementioned production line was found to be more suitable for common round and rigid bottles, but less suitable for square and flexible plastic bottles. This is because: when round bottles are arranged continuously, there is a natural gap between the two rows, and the insertion plate has a high tolerance for errors; while when square bottles are arranged closely, there is no such natural gap, and forced insertion can easily cause the bottles to be squeezed and broken.

[0007] Therefore, it is necessary to improve existing technologies. Utility Model Content

[0008] The purpose of this utility model embodiment is to address the shortcomings of the existing technology structure by proposing a bottle-separating device for a case packing machine, which realizes the gap positioning and separation of the bottle queue, thus solving the above-mentioned problems.

[0009] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the bottle-splitting device for a case packing machine proposed in this embodiment is implemented through the following technical solution:

[0010] A bottle-separating device for a case packing machine includes several conveyor belts arranged in parallel with gaps between them; it also includes a controller, sensors, and a two-part bottle-separating mechanism.

[0011] The bottle-separating device includes a controller, sensors, and a two-part bottle-separating mechanism;

[0012] The bottle-separating mechanism includes two sets of parallel chain units, a drive unit that drives the chains to rotate synchronously, and one or two sets of insert plate assemblies. The chain units are located below the conveyor belt and their movement path is parallel to the conveyor belt's transport path. They include sprockets and chains. The four sets of chain units of the two-part bottle-separating mechanism are arranged in parallel, with sprockets on the same side coaxially connected via a concentric drive shaft. The concentric drive shaft includes an inner shaft and an outer shaft. One drive unit is driven to drive an outer shaft, and the other drive unit is driven to drive an inner shaft.

[0013] The insert plate assembly includes a bracket and multiple insert plates; the bracket is fixed across corresponding links of two chains, and the insert plates are mounted on the bracket, with one more insert plate than the number of conveyor belts; the insert plates are configured to be inserted into the gaps between all conveyor belts and the outer sides of both conveyor belts as they move above the chains, with their upper ends extending above the conveyor belts.

[0014] The sensor is configured to detect the position of the bottle on the conveyor belt upstream of the bottle separating mechanism and generate a signal; the controller controls the drive unit according to the sensor signal to raise the insert plate at a set position to separate the bottles.

[0015] More preferably, the bracket is connected between the chains of the two outer chain units or between the chains of the two inner chain units.

[0016] More preferably, the bracket includes two support arms and a crossbar; the lower ends of the support arms are symmetrically fixed to corresponding links of the two chains, and the crossbar is connected between the two support arms; the insert plate is fixed to the crossbar.

[0017] More preferably, the crossbar is provided with a guide rail, a slider is slidably disposed on the guide rail, and the insert plate is fixed on the slider.

[0018] More preferably, when the insert plate moves above the annular chain, the top of the insert plate has a rounded chamfer on the side facing the direction from which the bottle is coming on the conveyor belt.

[0019] More preferably, the sensor is a photoelectric sensor or a vision sensor.

[0020] The beneficial effects of this utility model are:

[0021] 1. The dual bottle-separating mechanism is controlled by sensor signals to alternately open and close, which has high positioning accuracy, avoids error accumulation, enables precise bottle separation, improves the success rate of bottle separation, and reduces the bottle breakage rate.

[0022] 2. The chain drives the plate to rise and fall, allowing the bottles to be placed accurately and grouped at even intervals, without adding extra sorting time.

[0023] 3. Enhanced adaptability: The spacing between the insert plates is adjustable, making it compatible with bottles of various widths. Attached Figure Description

[0024] The above features and advantages of the present invention will become clearer and easier to understand from the following description of exemplary embodiments thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a front view schematic diagram of the bottle-splitting device of the packing machine according to Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a top view of the bottle-splitting device of the packing machine in Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a side view of the bottle-splitting device of the packing machine in Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the outer bottle-separating mechanism in Embodiment 2 of this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of this utility model. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this utility model from the content disclosed in this specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this utility model. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of this utility model.

[0030] The terms "front," "rear," "left," "right," "inner," and "outer" used in this specification are merely for clarity of description and are not intended to limit the scope of implementation of this utility model. Any changes or adjustments to their relative relationships, without substantially altering the technical content, shall also be considered within the scope of implementation of this utility model.

[0031] In the description of the following embodiments, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the term "connection" and other such terms should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; it can be a mechanical connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.

[0032] Example 1:

[0033] See Figure 1-3 As shown in the figure, this utility model embodiment proposes a bottle-separating device for a case packing machine, including four parallel conveyor belts 1 for continuously conveying the filled beverage bottles side by side.

[0034] These conveyor belts 1 share a common drive mechanism. Four pulleys are fixed on the drive shafts on both sides, and belts 11 are wound between the pairs of pulleys. A support platform 12 is set below the belts. The four conveyor belts 1 are driven synchronously by a motor to rotate the drive shaft. Since the above structure is a common technical means in the industry, the drive mechanism is omitted in the attached drawings, and only the belts 11 and the support platforms 12 are shown.

[0035] The width of the belt 11 is slightly smaller than that of the bottle 13 being conveyed on it. The smaller the belt width, the better, while ensuring that the bottle 13 can be conveyed smoothly on it. Correspondingly, gaps are provided between the belts 11, and when the bottle 13 is placed on the belt, its sides will extend over the gaps.

[0036] In addition, the bottle-splitting device also includes an inner bottle-splitting mechanism, an outer bottle-splitting mechanism, and a control system.

[0037] The inner and outer bottle-separating mechanisms have the same structure, both including two sets of parallel chain units, a drive unit that drives the chains to rotate synchronously, and a set of insert plate assemblies.

[0038] The chain units are all located below the conveyor belt, and their movement path lies in a vertical plane, parallel to the conveying path of conveyor belt 1. Each chain unit includes a sprocket and a drive chain. The drive chain consists of multiple links connected together by connecting pins.

[0039] The inner bottle-separating mechanism and the outer bottle-separating mechanism have a total of four chain units. These four chain units are arranged in parallel and are referred to as follows: the first outer chain unit 2, which includes a first outer sprocket 21, a second outer sprocket 22 and an outer transmission chain 23 meshing between the two sprockets;

[0040] The second outer chain unit 3 includes a first outer sprocket 31, a second outer sprocket 32, and an outer transmission chain 33 meshing between the two sprockets;

[0041] The first inner chain unit 4 includes a first inner sprocket 41, a second inner sprocket 42, and an inner transmission chain 43 meshing between the two sprockets;

[0042] The second inner chain unit 5 includes a first inner sprocket 51, a second inner sprocket 52, and an inner drive chain 53 meshing between the two sprockets.

[0043] Correspondingly, the eight sprockets in the above four chain units are coaxially connected on the same side via a concentric drive shaft. The concentric drive shaft includes an inner shaft and an outer shaft. One drive unit is connected to the outer shaft, and the other drive unit is connected to the inner shaft, specifically:

[0044] The first concentric drive shaft 6 includes a first outer shaft 61 and a first inner shaft 62 coaxially mounted, and the first outer shaft 61 and the first inner shaft 62 are the drive shafts.

[0045] The second concentric drive shaft 7 includes a second outer shaft 71 and a second inner shaft 72 coaxially mounted, wherein the second inner shaft 72 and the second outer shaft 71 are driven shafts.

[0046] in:

[0047] The first outer sprocket 21, the first outer sprocket 31 and the first inner shaft 62 are fixedly connected and rotate synchronously with them; one end of the first inner shaft 62 extends out of the first outer sprocket 31 and is connected to the output shaft of the first drive unit 63.

[0048] The first inner sprocket 41, the first inner sprocket 51 and the first outer shaft 61 are fixedly connected and rotate synchronously with them; the middle part of the first outer shaft 61 is fitted with a gear 611, and is connected to the output shaft of the second drive unit 64 through a gear set.

[0049] The second outer sprocket 22, the second outer sprocket 32, and the second inner shaft 72 are fixedly connected and rotate synchronously with them;

[0050] The second inner sprocket 42, the second inner sprocket 52, and the second outer shaft 71 are fixedly connected and rotate synchronously with them.

[0051] The second drive unit 64 drives the first outer shaft 61 to rotate, thereby driving the chain unit of the inner bottle-splitting mechanism to rotate.

[0052] The first drive unit 63 drives the first inner shaft 62 to rotate, thereby driving the chain unit of the outer bottle-separating mechanism to rotate.

[0053] With the above structure, the position of the conveyor belt 1 when the insert plate of the two-component bottle mechanism is raised, the position of the conveyor belt 1 when it is lowered, and the maximum height of the rise are all the same.

[0054] The insert assembly 8 includes a bracket and multiple inserts 81.

[0055] The bracket is fixed across corresponding links of two synchronously driven chains. Each bracket includes two support arms 82 and a crossbar 83. The lower ends of the support arms 82 are symmetrically fixed to corresponding links of the two chains, and the crossbar 83 connects the two support arms 82. To ensure structural stability, in this embodiment, the support arms 82 are composed of two connecting rods. One end of each connecting rod is fixed to two connecting pins of a chain link, and the other end is fixed to the crossbar 83.

[0056] With this structure, the crossbar 83 can move with the chain links, always surrounding the chain unit in a manner parallel to the axis of the concentric drive shaft. In this way, the inner chain unit will not interfere with the movement of the crossbar 83 of the outer bottle-separating mechanism.

[0057] Insert plates 81 are fixed to crossbars 83, and their number is one more than the number of conveyor belts 1, that is, five in this embodiment 1. The insert plates 81 are configured such that when they move above the chain, they can be inserted into the gaps between all the conveyor belts 1 and the outer sides of the two conveyor belts 1. The side of the insert plate 81 facing the direction from which the conveyor belt bottle comes is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor belt, and the upper end of the insert plate 81 extends above the conveyor belt 1.

[0058] With this structure, when the insert plate 81 rises in a swinging manner, its top end first tilts and inserts between the front and rear bottles, and then continues to rise until it is completely vertical and blocks both sides of the rear bottle to constrain its movement speed.

[0059] See Figure 1 As shown in the figure:

[0060] The outer bottle-separating mechanism has four insert plates: I, II, III, and IV. The solid line of insert plate I shows the current position of the outer bottle-separating mechanism insert plate; the dashed lines of insert plates II and III show the attitude and position of the insert plate during the rising phase; and the dashed line of insert plate IV shows the attitude and position of the insert plate during the falling phase.

[0061] The insert plate of the inner bottle-splitting mechanism is I', which shows the position of the insert plate of the inner bottle-splitting mechanism in the current state.

[0062] The top of the insert plate 81 has a rounded chamfer on the side facing the bottle on the conveyor belt 1. When the insert plate 81 rises, it first contacts the bottle with the rounded chamfer at its top. As the insert plate 81 rises, the rounded chamfer rises synchronously and always blocks the bottle, thus ensuring that the part in contact with the bottle is always a rounded surface, until the insert plate 81 is completely vertical and blocking the bottle. By setting the rounded chamfer, scratches on the bottle can be avoided.

[0063] In a preferred embodiment, a guide rail is provided on the crossbar 83, and a slider is slidably arranged on the guide rail. The insert plate 81 is detachably fixed to the slider, and the slider is fixed to different positions on the guide rail by bolts, thereby realizing the replacement of insert plates of different widths and the adjustable spacing between insert plates, which is compatible with bottles of various widths.

[0064] The control system 9 mainly includes a controller 91 and a sensor 92. The sensor 92 is a photoelectric sensor or a vision sensor, configured to detect bottles on the conveyor belt located upstream of the bottle-separating mechanism. The controller 91 controls the sensor 92, the second drive unit 64, and the first drive unit 63.

[0065] Based on the above device structure, its working principle is explained below:

[0066] The chain conveyor speed of the bottle-separating mechanism is set to be lower than the conveyor belt speed.

[0067] The insert plates of both bottle-separating mechanisms are initially in the starting position, which is the position where the insert plate will protrude from the conveyor belt 1 but not protrude.

[0068] External bottle-separating mechanism:

[0069] Bottles on conveyor belt 1 move forward side by side, and sensor 9 continuously detects the gaps between the bottles. When the controller determines that the required number of bottles to be separated has been reached, it controls the outer bottle separating mechanism to start.

[0070] The insert plate 81 of the outer bottle separating mechanism swings and rises as the chain moves. When the insert plate 81 is inserted into the gap between the bottles, it begins to block the movement of the bottle behind the insert plate 81 and controls the conveying speed of the chain to be lower than the conveying speed of the conveyor belt. In this way, the bottle in front of the insert plate 81 is not affected and continues to move quickly with the conveyor belt, thereby widening the gap between the bottles.

[0071] Driven by the conveyor belt 1, the bottles are completely attached to the insert plate 81. As the conveyor belt 1 and the outer bottle-separating mechanism chain move, the insert plate 81 begins to descend after moving to the sprocket on the front side of the chain, until it is lower than the working surface of the conveyor belt 1 that carries the bottles, making way for the bottles to move forward. The bottles move quickly with the conveyor belt 1 at a speed higher than that of the chain.

[0072] The outer bottle-separating mechanism continues to operate until the insert plate 81 moves to the starting position and then stops, waiting for the next start.

[0073] Inner bottle-separating mechanism:

[0074] During the operation of the outer bottle-splitting mechanism, when the controller determines that the number of bottles to be dispensed for the next batch has been reached, it controls the inner bottle-splitting mechanism to start, and the action is the same as that of the outer mechanism.

[0075] Once the sensor detects a subsequent bottle-separating gap, the outer bottle-separating mechanism is activated again, and this process is repeated alternately.

[0076] Example 2:

[0077] The main difference between Embodiment 2 and Embodiment 1 is that both the inner and outer bottle-separating mechanisms are equipped with two sets of insert plate assemblies. These two sets of insert plate assemblies have the same number of chain links spaced forward and backward on the annular chain, and the forward and backward spacing is also the same. The two sets of insert plate assemblies in the same bottle-separating mechanism are denoted as insert plate assembly a and insert plate assembly b, respectively. Then, as... Figure 4 As shown in the figure (only the outer bottle-separating mechanism is shown, and the insert plate of the inner bottle-separating mechanism is hidden), the insert plate components a and b of each bottle-separating mechanism are rotationally symmetrical about the center point o between the two sprockets.

[0078] Taking the outer bottle-separating mechanism as an example: when the insert plate of its insert plate assembly a rises and protrudes from the conveyor belt 1, the insert plate of the insert plate assembly b must be located below the conveyor belt 1; when the insert plate of the insert plate assembly a begins to fall to clear the conveyor channel, the insert plate of the insert plate assembly b will begin to rise to the starting position.

[0079] Therefore, the working principle and operating logic of Embodiment 2 are exactly the same as those of Embodiment 1, with the only difference being:

[0080] In Example 1, for any group of bottle-making mechanisms, after the insert plate of its only insert plate assembly falls, the chain continues to run for more than half a revolution until the insert plate of the insert plate assembly reaches the starting position.

[0081] In Embodiment 2, for any one of the bottle-forming mechanisms, when the insert plate of insert plate assembly a falls, the insert plate of insert plate assembly b is located at the sprocket on the other side and is about to rise. Therefore, the chain continues to run a short distance, and the insert plate of insert plate assembly b can reach the starting position.

[0082] This structure significantly reduces the runtime of the drive unit in each work cycle, thus saving more energy.

[0083] The beneficial effects of this utility model are:

[0084] 1. The dual bottle-separating mechanism is controlled by sensor signals to alternately open and close, which has high positioning accuracy, avoids error accumulation, enables precise bottle separation, improves the success rate of bottle separation, and reduces the bottle breakage rate.

[0085] 2. The chain drives the plate to rise and fall, allowing the bottles to be placed accurately and grouped at even intervals, without adding extra sorting time.

[0086] 3. Enhanced adaptability: The spacing between the insert plates is adjustable, making it compatible with bottles of various widths.

[0087] The present invention has been described in detail above through embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the above embodiments are only one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention. Due to space limitations, not all embodiments can be listed here. Any implementation that can embody the technical solution of the claims of the present invention is within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0088] It should be noted that the above content is a further detailed description of the present utility model in conjunction with specific embodiments, and it should not be considered that the specific embodiments of the present utility model are limited to this. Under the guidance of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications based on the above embodiments, and these improvements or modifications fall within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A case packer bottle separating device comprising a plurality of conveyor belts arranged in parallel with gaps between the belts; characterised in that: The bottle-separating device includes a controller, sensors, and a two-part bottle-separating mechanism; The bottle-separating mechanism includes two sets of parallel chain units, a drive unit that drives the chains to rotate synchronously, and one or two sets of insert plate assemblies. The chain units are located below the conveyor belt and their movement path is parallel to the conveyor belt's transport path. They include sprockets and chains. The four sets of chain units of the two-part bottle-separating mechanism are arranged in parallel, with sprockets on the same side coaxially connected via a concentric drive shaft. The concentric drive shaft includes an inner shaft and an outer shaft. One drive unit is driven to drive an outer shaft, and the other drive unit is driven to drive an inner shaft. The insert plate assembly includes a bracket and multiple insert plates; the bracket is fixed across corresponding links of two chains, and the insert plates are mounted on the bracket, with one more insert plate than the number of conveyor belts; the insert plates are configured to be inserted into the gaps between all conveyor belts and the outer sides of both conveyor belts as they move above the chains, with their upper ends extending above the conveyor belts. The sensor is configured to detect the position of the bottle on the conveyor belt upstream of the bottle-separating mechanism and generate a signal; The controller controls the drive unit based on sensor signals, causing the insert plate to rise at a set position to separate the bottles.

2. The bottle-splitting device for a case packing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bracket is connected between the chains of the two outer chain units or between the chains of the two inner chain units.

3. The bottle-splitting device for a case packing machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bracket includes two support arms and a crossbar; the lower ends of the support arms are symmetrically fixed to corresponding links of two chains, and the crossbar is connected between the two support arms; the insert plate is fixed to the crossbar.

4. The bottle-splitting device for a case packing machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: The crossbar is provided with a guide rail, and a slider is slidably mounted on the guide rail. The insert plate is fixed on the slider.

5. A bottle-splitting device for a case packing machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The top of the insert plate has a rounded chamfer on the side facing the direction from which the bottle is coming on the conveyor belt.

6. The bottle-splitting device for a case packing machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: The sensor is a photoelectric sensor or a vision sensor.

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