A utensil draining and stacking apparatus

Abstract

This utility model discloses a packaging tableware draining and palletizing equipment. Key technical features include a conveyor belt along which trays are transported. The equipment also includes, sequentially arranged along the conveyor belt: a destacking mechanism for splitting the entire pallet stack and transporting single-layer pallets sequentially to the next workstation; a turning and draining mechanism for rotating the pallets to drain water; a removal mechanism including a first robotic arm for removing products from the pallets; a placement mechanism including a second robotic arm for neatly placing the products back into the pallets; and a stacking mechanism for stacking the pallets. This utility model solves the problems of manual pallet splitting and intervention in arranging drained products in existing technologies, improving production efficiency, reducing labor costs, and meeting the demands of modern food processing production lines for efficient, hygienic, and automated continuous production.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of food processing technology, and more specifically to a packaging tableware draining and palletizing device. Background Technology

[0002] In the food processing industry, especially for products packaged using tableware (such as bowls and plates) (e.g., ready-to-eat foods like "bowl swallows"), the tableware surface needs to undergo sterilization, cleaning, and draining after packaging. To improve material transfer efficiency on the production line and reduce space occupation, the industry commonly uses pallets to carry tableware for circulation. These pallets are usually stacked together to form complete stacks for efficient transport and storage. When the pallets reach the draining process, any residual cleaning or disinfecting water on the tableware needs to be thoroughly poured off. However, this process presents two challenges:

[0003] 1. Since the draining operation requires tilting or flipping the trays to empty the accumulated water, and stacked trays cannot be used as a whole, the stacked trays must be disassembled (destacking) to make the trays into a single layer so that the draining operation can be carried out on each tray; 2. During the process of emptying the residual water, the tableware will inevitably move in the tray, causing it to become scattered. Therefore, after the draining process is completed, manual intervention is usually required to rearrange the scattered tableware neatly.

[0004] Currently, there is a lack of mature and efficient automated equipment for the series of continuous processes of automated destacking of pallets, draining water from individual pallets after destacking, and subsequent repositioning. This makes it difficult to meet the needs of modern food processing production lines for efficient, hygienic, and automated continuous production. Utility Model Content

[0005] To solve the above problems, this utility model provides the following technical solution:

[0006] A packaging tableware draining and palletizing device includes a conveyor belt along which pallets are conveyed. It also includes, sequentially arranged along the conveyor belt: a destacking mechanism for splitting a whole stack of pallets and sequentially conveying single-layer pallets to the next workstation; a flipping and draining mechanism for rotating the pallets to drain water; a removal mechanism including a first robotic arm for removing products from the pallets; a placement mechanism including a second robotic arm for neatly placing products back into the pallets; and a stacking mechanism for stacking the pallets.

[0007] The present invention is further configured such that: the destacking mechanism includes a destacking frame, a destacking conveyor belt is provided inside the destacking frame, the two ends of the destacking conveyor belt are aligned and cooperate with the conveyor belt, a lifting assembly is provided on the destacking frame, the lifting assembly includes lifting frames disposed on both sides of the destacking conveyor belt, the lifting frames move in a vertical direction, a locking member is movably disposed on the lifting frame, the lifting frame drives the pallet to rise and fall through the locking member, and grooves are provided inward on both sides of the pallet, the locking members of the lifting frames on both sides respectively pass into the grooves to drive the pallet.

[0008] The present invention is further configured such that: the snap-fit ​​component includes a bracket, the top of the bracket has a snap-fit ​​plate protruding from it, the bottom of the bracket is rotatably connected to a lifting frame, and the lifting frame is provided with a driving cylinder for driving the bracket to rotate, the driving cylinder driving the bracket to rotate toward the tray so that the snap-fit ​​plate passes into the groove.

[0009] The present invention is further configured such that: the flipping and draining mechanism includes a draining frame, and a clamping assembly is rotatably connected to the draining frame; the clamping assembly includes a flipping conveyor belt and a movable lifting pressure plate; the two ends of the flipping conveyor belt are aligned and cooperate with the conveyor belt; when the pallet enters the flipping conveyor belt, the lifting pressure plate presses down on the pallet.

[0010] The present invention is further configured such that: a plurality of water guide strips are provided on the side of the lifting pressure plate facing the flipping conveyor belt.

[0011] The present invention is further configured such that both the extraction mechanism and the placement mechanism include a visual positioning module, and the first robotic arm and the second robotic arm are controlled by the visual positioning module respectively.

[0012] The present invention is further configured such that: a pallet transport mechanism is provided between the take-out mechanism and the placement mechanism, the pallet transport mechanism being used to transfer an empty pallet from the take-out mechanism to the placement mechanism; the pallet transport mechanism includes a transfer conveyor belt disposed between the take-out mechanism and the placement mechanism, and also includes lifting conveyor belts respectively disposed on the take-out mechanism and the placement mechanism, the lifting conveyor belt being used to lift the pallet to be flush with the transfer conveyor belt.

[0013] The present invention is further configured to include a product handling mechanism, which includes a product conveyor belt, a first alignment component and a second alignment component corresponding to the take-out mechanism and the placement mechanism, respectively. The first alignment component aligns the products taken out by the take-out mechanism and moves them into the product conveyor belt, and the second alignment component takes the products out of the product conveyor belt for the placement mechanism to grab.

[0014] The present invention is further configured such that: the first alignment component includes an alignment platform, a plurality of placement racks are slidably connected to the alignment platform, and a flipping cylinder is provided with a plurality of suction cups corresponding one-to-one with the placement racks; the taking-out mechanism grabs the product onto the placement racks; and the flipping cylinder grabs the product onto the conveyor belt through the suction cups.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has at least the following advantages:

[0016] 1. By sequentially installing a depalletizing mechanism, a turning and draining mechanism, a take-out mechanism, a placement mechanism, and a stacking mechanism along the conveyor belt, the entire process of splitting, draining, picking up and placing products, and re-stacking pallets is fully automated and continuous. This solves the problem of requiring manual pallet splitting and intervention in arranging products after draining in existing technologies, improving production efficiency, reducing labor costs, and meeting the requirements of modern food processing production lines for efficient, hygienic, and automated continuous production.

[0017] 2. When the entire pallet enters the conveyor belt inside the frame, the lifting frame moves vertically and engages with the second-to-last pallet from the bottom through a snap-fit ​​mechanism to lift the upper pallet, separating the bottom pallet from the entire pallet and conveying it separately to the next process. This process is repeated to achieve layer-by-layer destacking.

[0018] 3. The first robotic arm picks up the products from the pallet and places them on the placement rack of the first aligning component. The products on the placement rack are in groups. The flipping cylinder picks up the group of products together and places them on the conveyor belt. The placement rack can be moved to control the spacing to accommodate different products. The second aligning component can pick up the products from the conveyor belt in groups and place them on its placement rack. The second robotic arm then picks up the entire group of products from the placement rack and places them back into the pallet, thus achieving neat arrangement of the products. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is an overall schematic diagram of this embodiment;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall destacking mechanism;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the depalletizer frame;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the lifting frame;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a diagram of a tray;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the flipping and draining mechanism;

[0025] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the extraction and placement mechanisms;

[0026] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a pallet handling mechanism;

[0027] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the product handling mechanism.

[0028] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0029] 100. Depalletizing mechanism; 101. Depalletizing frame; 102. Lifting frame; 103. Connecting component; 1031. Support bracket; 1032. Connecting plate; 1033. Drive cylinder; 104. Drive component; 1041. Drive sprocket; 1042. Driven sprocket; 1043. Drive chain; 1044. Driven chain; 1045. Guide rod; 105. Lifting motor; 106. Transmission rod; 107. Depalletizing conveyor belt;

[0030] 200. Tilting and draining mechanism; 201. Draining frame; 202. Tilting conveyor belt; 203. Lifting pressure plate; 204. Lifting cylinder; 205. Water guide strip;

[0031] 300. Retrieval mechanism; 301. First robotic arm; 302. Vision positioning module; 303. Conveyor chain;

[0032] 400. Pallet handling mechanism; 401. Transfer conveyor belt; 402. Lifting conveyor belt;

[0033] 500. Placement mechanism; 501. Second robotic arm;

[0034] 600. Product handling mechanism; 601. Product conveyor belt; 602. First stacking assembly; 6021. Stacking platform; 6022. Placement rack; 6023. Tilting cylinder; 6024. Suction cup; 603. Second stacking mechanism;

[0035] 700, Stacking mechanism; 800, Second stacking assembly; 900, Conveyor belt; 1000, Pallet; 1100, Product; 1200, Groove. Detailed Implementation

[0036] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this utility model clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this utility model, not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of this utility model described and shown in the accompanying drawings can typically be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0037] A type of packaging tableware draining and palletizing equipment, such as Figure 1As shown, the system includes a conveyor belt 900, along which pallets 1000 are conveyed. It also includes, sequentially arranged along the conveyor belt 900: a destacking mechanism 100 for splitting a stack of pallets 1000 and sequentially conveying single-layer pallets 1000 to the next workstation; a turning and draining mechanism 200 for rotating the pallets 1000 to drain water; a removal mechanism 300, including a first robotic arm 301 for removing products 1100 from the pallets 1000; a placement mechanism 500, including a second robotic arm 501 for neatly placing the products 1100 back into the pallets 1000; and a stacking mechanism 700 for stacking the pallets 1000.

[0038] like Figures 2 to 5 As shown, the depalletizing mechanism 100 includes a depalletizing frame 101, a depalletizing conveyor belt 107 is provided inside the depalletizing frame 101, the front and rear ends of the depalletizing conveyor belt 900 are aligned and cooperate with the conveyor belt 900, and a lifting assembly is provided on the depalletizing frame 101. The lifting assembly includes lifting frames 102 set on both sides of the depalletizing conveyor belt 107. The lifting frames 102 move in the vertical direction. A snap-fit ​​component 103 is movably provided on the lifting frame 102. The lifting frame 102 drives the pallet 1000 to rise and fall through the snap-fit ​​component 103. The pallet 1000 has grooves 1200 on both sides. The snap-fit ​​components 103 of the lifting frames 102 on both sides are inserted into the grooves 1200 respectively to drive the pallet 1000.

[0039] The snap-fit ​​component 103 includes a bracket 1031, with a snap-fit ​​plate 1032 protruding from the top of the bracket 1031. The bottom of the bracket 1031 is rotatably connected to the lifting frame 102. The lifting frame 102 is provided with a drive cylinder 1033 for driving the bracket 1031 to rotate. The drive cylinder 1033 drives the bracket 1031 to rotate toward the tray 1000 so that the snap-fit ​​plate 1032 passes into the groove 1200.

[0040] Two grooves 1200 are provided on both sides of the pallet 1000, and the two grooves 1200 are respectively close to the front and rear ends of the pallet 1000. Two snap-fit ​​pieces 103 corresponding to the grooves 1200 are provided on the lifting frame 102. By having a total of four snap-fit ​​pieces 103 on both sides cooperate with the grooves 1200 near the four corners of the pallet 1000, the pallet 1000 is prevented from tilting and shaking, and the lifting is more stable.

[0041] The output shaft of the drive cylinder 1033 is connected to the crossbar in the middle of the bracket 1031. The bottom of the drive cylinder 1033 is rotatably connected to the lifting frame 102. The rotation direction of the bottom of the drive cylinder 1033 is the same as that of the bracket 1031. When the output shaft of the drive cylinder 1033 extends, it will drive the bracket 1031 to rotate closer to the tray 1000. When the output shaft of the drive cylinder 1033 retracts, it will drive the bracket 1031 to rotate away from the tray 1000.

[0042] The lifting assembly also includes two drive components 104 that drive the lifting frame 102 to rise and fall respectively. Each drive component 104 includes a drive sprocket 1041 and a driven sprocket 1042 mounted on the frame. The drive sprocket 1041 has a drive chain 1043, and the driven sprocket 1042 has a driven chain 1044. After the chain passes over the sprocket, its two sides are located on either side of the sprocket; as one side rises, the other side falls. The same side of the drive chain 1043 and the driven chain 1044 are fixed to the upper and lower ends of the lifting frame 102, respectively, while the other side is connected by a guide rod 1045. The guide rod 1045 passes through the lifting frame 102 and is slidably connected to it. Therefore, when the drive sprocket 1041 drives the drive chain 1043 to move, it will drive the lifting frame 102 to rise and fall.

[0043] The lifting assembly also includes a lifting motor 105 and a transmission rod 106 mounted on the top of the frame. The two ends of the transmission rod 106 are respectively fixed to the drive sprockets 1041 of the two drive components 104. The output shaft of the lifting motor 105 is connected to the transmission rod 106 via a chain. When the lifting motor 105 drives the transmission rod 106 to rotate, the transmission rod 106 simultaneously drives the two drive sprockets 1041 to rotate.

[0044] like Figure 1 and Figure 6 As shown, the separated individual trays 1000 enter the turning and draining mechanism 200 via the conveyor belt 900. The turning and draining mechanism 200 includes a draining frame 201, on which a clamping assembly is rotatably connected. The clamping assembly includes a turning conveyor belt 202 and a movable lifting pressure plate 203. The front and rear ends of the turning conveyor belt 202 are aligned and cooperate with the conveyor belt 900. When the tray 1000 enters the turning conveyor belt 202, the lifting pressure plate 203 presses down on the tray 1000, causing the clamping assembly to drive the tray 1000 to rotate together and pour out the water.

[0045] The left and right ends of the lifting pressure plate 203 are slidably connected to the draining frame 201 in the vertical direction. Lifting cylinders 204 are installed on the left and right sides of the draining frame 201. The piston rod of the lifting cylinder 204 is vertically downward and fixed to the lifting pressure plate 203, thereby driving the lifting pressure plate 203 to rise and fall.

[0046] A number of water guide strips 205 are provided on the side of the lifting pressure plate 203 facing the tilting conveyor belt 202. The water guide strips 205 have a certain degree of flexibility and extend along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt 900, and the water guide strips 205 are arranged in a left-right direction. While protecting the pallet 1000 and the product 1100, they also guide the water flow to enhance the draining effect.

[0047] After the tray 1000 has finished draining, the lifting cylinder 204 releases the lifting pressure plate 203, and the flipping conveyor belt 202 sends the tray 1000 out, which then enters the taking-out mechanism 300 via the conveyor belt 900. Both the taking-out mechanism 300 and the placing mechanism 500 include a vision positioning module 302, and the first robotic arm 301 and the second robotic arm 501 are controlled by the vision positioning module 302 respectively.

[0048] like Figures 7 to 9 As shown, both the take-out mechanism 300 and the placement mechanism 500 have a conveyor chain 303, and the left and right sides of the pallet 1000 are in contact with the conveyor chain 303. A pallet handling mechanism 400 is provided between the take-out mechanism 300 and the placement mechanism 500, and the pallet handling mechanism 400 is used to transfer the empty pallet 1000 from the take-out mechanism 300 to the placement mechanism 500.

[0049] The pallet handling mechanism 400 includes a transfer conveyor belt 401 disposed between the take-out mechanism 300 and the placement mechanism 500. The conveying direction of the transfer conveyor belt 401 is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor belt 900, and the pallet 1000 is square. It also includes lifting conveyor belts 402 disposed on the take-out mechanism 300 and the placement mechanism 500, respectively, for lifting the pallet 1000 to be flush with the transfer conveyor belt 401.

[0050] The lifting conveyor belt 402 is located between the conveyor chains 303 on both sides. The lifting conveyor belt 402 is driven by the lifting cylinder located below. When the pallet 1000 enters the take-out mechanism 300, the lifting cylinder lifts the lifting conveyor belt 402, thereby separating the pallet 1000 from the conveyor chain 303. At this time, the pallet 1000 is flush with the transfer conveyor belt 401 and is sent into the placement mechanism 500 by the transfer conveyor belt 401.

[0051] The palletizing equipment also includes a product handling mechanism 600, which includes a product conveyor belt 601. The conveying direction of the product conveyor belt 601 is the same as that of the transfer conveyor belt 401. It also includes a first aligning component 602 and a second aligning component 800, which correspond to the take-out mechanism 300 and the placement mechanism 500, respectively. The first aligning component 602 aligns the products 1100 taken out by the take-out mechanism 300 and moves them into the product conveyor belt 601. The second aligning component 800 takes the products 1100 out of the product conveyor belt 601 and makes them available for the placement mechanism 500 to grab and put back into the pallet 1000.

[0052] Specifically, the first alignment component 602 includes an alignment platform 6021, on which several placement racks 6022 are slidably connected. The placement racks 6022 are horizontally positioned and can be used to place products 1100. In this embodiment, four placement racks 6022 are specifically provided, and the placement racks 6022 move along the conveying direction of the product conveyor belt 601. It also includes a flipping cylinder 6023, which is equipped with several suction cups 6024 corresponding one-to-one with the placement racks 6022. The extraction mechanism 300 picks up the products 1100 and places them onto the placement racks 6022. The placement racks 6022 move and come together, forming a group of four products 1100. The flipping cylinder 6023 then uses the suction cups 6024 to pick up the group of products 1100 onto the product conveyor belt 601. In this embodiment, the suction cups 6024 pick up the products 1100 from the bottom of the placement racks 6022, flip them once, and place them on the product conveyor belt 601.

[0053] The structure of the second alignment component 800 is the same as that of the first alignment component 602. When the product 1100 conveyor belt 601 transports the product 1100 to the second alignment component 800, the flipping cylinder 6023 uses suction cups 6024 to pick up a group of products 1100 from the product 1100 conveyor belt 601 and place them on the placement rack 6022. The placement mechanism 500 then clamps the products 1100 and places them in the tray 1000. In this embodiment, the second robotic arm 501 is equipped with a row of suction cups 6024 arranged in a straight line, which can pick up the entire group corresponding to the placement rack 6022.

[0054] The stacking mechanism 700 has the same structure as the destacking mechanism 100. When the pallet 1000 enters the stacking mechanism 700, the lifting frame 102 lifts the pallet 1000. When the next pallet 1000 enters, the lifting frame 102 lowers and places the pallet 1000 on the next pallet 1000. Then, the two pallets 1000 are lifted to wait for the subsequent pallet 1000 to enter, and the stacking is repeated in sequence.

[0055] The working process of this utility model is as follows:

[0056] The pallet 1000 is conveyed by the conveyor belt 900 into the destacking mechanism 100. The destacking mechanism 100 separates the pallets 1000 and sends them sequentially to the turning and draining mechanism 200. The pallets 1000 are fixed by the clamping components and turned to drain the surface water. Then the pallets 1000 enter the removal mechanism 300. The first robotic arm 301 uses the vision positioning module 302 to grab the products 1100 from the pallet 1000 and place them into the first stacking component 602. The first stacking component 602 places the products 1100 into groups of four on the product 1100 conveyor belt 60. In step 1, the second aligning component 800 picks up product 1100 from the product 1100 conveyor belt 601 and places it onto the placement rack 6022. The second robotic arm 501 places the entire group of products 1100 on the placement rack 6022 back into the pallet 1000 (at this time, the pallet 1000 is the same as the previous batch of pallets 1000. After the pallet 1000 is full, the pallets 1000 in the removal mechanism 300 are almost all removed and transferred to the placement mechanism 500 through the pallet handling mechanism 400). The pallets 1000 with the products 1100 rearranged neatly enter the stacking mechanism 700 for re-stacking.

[0057] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the design concept of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0058] In the description of this utility model, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly 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 utility model based on the specific circumstances.

Claims

1. A packaging tableware draining and palletizing device, characterized in that: Includes a conveyor belt, along which pallets are conveyed, and further includes, sequentially arranged along the conveyor belt: The destacking mechanism is used to split the entire stack of pallets and transport the single-layer pallets to the next work station in sequence; The flip-over draining mechanism is used to rotate the tray to drain the water; The retrieval mechanism includes a first robotic arm for retrieving products from a tray. The placement mechanism includes a second robotic arm, which is used to neatly place the products back into the tray; Stacking mechanism, used to stack pallets.

2. The packaging tableware draining and palletizing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The depalletizing mechanism includes a depalletizing frame, a depalletizing conveyor belt inside the depalletizing frame, both ends of the depalletizing conveyor belt being aligned and engaged with the conveyor belt, and a lifting assembly on the depalletizing frame. The lifting assembly includes lifting frames disposed on both sides of the depalletizing conveyor belt, the lifting frames being movable in the vertical direction, and locking components being movably disposed on the lifting frames. The lifting frames drive the pallet to rise and fall through the locking components. Grooves are provided inward on both sides of the pallet, and the locking components of the lifting frames on both sides are respectively inserted into the grooves to drive the pallet.

3. The packaging tableware draining and palletizing equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The snap-fit ​​component includes a bracket with a snap-fit ​​plate protruding from the top of the bracket. The bottom of the bracket is rotatably connected to a lifting frame. The lifting frame is equipped with a drive cylinder for driving the bracket to rotate. The drive cylinder drives the bracket to rotate toward the tray so that the snap-fit ​​plate passes into the groove.

4. The packaging tableware draining and palletizing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flipping and draining mechanism includes a draining frame, on which a clamping assembly is rotatably connected. The clamping assembly includes a flipping conveyor belt and a movable lifting pressure plate. The two ends of the flipping conveyor belt are aligned and cooperate with the conveyor belt. When the pallet enters the flipping conveyor belt, the lifting pressure plate presses down on the pallet.

5. The packaging tableware draining and palletizing equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The lifting pressure plate is provided with several water guide strips on the side facing the flipping conveyor belt.

6. The packaging tableware draining and palletizing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both the extraction mechanism and the placement mechanism include a vision positioning module, and the first robotic arm and the second robotic arm are controlled by the vision positioning module respectively.

7. The packaging tableware draining and palletizing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: A pallet handling mechanism is provided between the taking-out mechanism and the placing mechanism. The pallet handling mechanism is used to transfer empty pallets from the taking-out mechanism to the placing mechanism. The pallet handling mechanism includes a transfer conveyor belt disposed between the take-out mechanism and the placement mechanism, and also includes lifting conveyor belts disposed on the take-out mechanism and the placement mechanism respectively. The lifting conveyor belt is used to lift the pallet and make it level with the transfer conveyor belt.

8. The packaging tableware draining and palletizing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a product handling mechanism, which includes a product conveyor belt, and a first alignment component and a second alignment component corresponding to the take-out mechanism and the placement mechanism, respectively. The first alignment component moves the products taken out by the take-out mechanism into the product conveyor belt after aligning them, and the second alignment component takes the products out of the product conveyor belt for the placement mechanism to grab.

9. A packaging tableware draining and palletizing device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The first alignment component includes an alignment platform with several placement racks slidably connected to it, and a flipping cylinder with several suction cups corresponding to the placement racks. The taking-out mechanism picks up the product and places it on the placement rack, while the flipping cylinder picks up the product on the conveyor belt using the suction cups.

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