A liquid bag flipping mechanism

Abstract

This application relates to a liquid bag flipping mechanism, belonging to the technical field of dispensing machines. The liquid bag flipping mechanism includes a liquid bag storage chamber for storing liquid bags; a flipping machine for fixing the liquid bags and driving them to tilt; several flipping machines are provided, each equipped with a feedback controller and a positioning sensor for detecting whether the liquid bag is in place, the positioning sensor being electrically connected to the feedback controller; a feeding hopper for discharging the filled liquid bags; a liquid bag robot for transferring liquid bags between the liquid bag storage chamber, the feeding hopper, and the flipping machines, the liquid bag robot being electrically connected to the feedback controllers; and a base on which the liquid bag storage chamber, flipping machines, feeding hopper, and liquid bag robot are all mounted. By using a design with multiple flipping machines, the application can reduce the dwell time of the liquid bag robot, increase its effective working time, and thus improve the overall working efficiency of the dispensing machine.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of dispensing machines, and in particular to a liquid bag flipping mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] As a modern medical device, dispensing machines play a vital role in the drug preparation process. With the increasing demand for automation in medical institutions, dispensing machines are now widely used in hospitals, pharmaceutical factories, and other facilities. They reduce manual labor intensity, improve work efficiency, and minimize the risks caused by human error.

[0003] Currently, existing drug dispensing machine designs typically require multiple robotic arms to work together to complete the dispensing task. The specific working process is generally as follows: First, the vial robotic arm transfers the required vials (such as ampoules or vials) to the corresponding vial opener, which opens the vials. Second, the syringe robotic arm picks up a new syringe, draws the liquid from the vial through the syringe, mixes it, and then temporarily stores the mixed liquid back into the syringe. Next, the syringe robotic arm injects the mixed liquid into a liquid bag. Finally, the liquid bag robotic arm unloads the liquid bag containing the stored liquid.

[0004] Regarding the aforementioned technologies, during the injection of medication into the liquid bag, to ensure uniform mixing, a syringe robotic arm typically operates the syringe to repeatedly aspirate the medication from the liquid bag, thus performing secondary mixing. During this process, to ensure repeated aspiration of the medication from the liquid bag by the syringe, the liquid bag needs to maintain a specific tilted posture. This requires the liquid bag robotic arm to continuously grip the liquid bag to maintain this posture until the medication is fully mixed. This operation method results in the liquid bag robotic arm being stationary for extended periods, reducing its effective working time and consequently lowering the overall efficiency of the dispensing machine. Utility Model Content

[0005] This application provides a liquid bag flipping mechanism, the purpose of which is to reduce the dwell time of the liquid bag robot, increase the effective working time of the liquid bag robot, and thus improve the overall working efficiency of the dispensing machine.

[0006] The liquid bag flipping mechanism provided in this application adopts the following technical solution: A liquid bag flipping mechanism includes: a liquid bag storage tank for storing liquid bags; a flipping machine for fixing the liquid bags and driving them to tilt; several flipping machines are provided, each of which is equipped with a feedback controller and a positioning sensor for detecting whether the liquid bag is in place, the positioning sensor being electrically connected to the feedback controller; a hopper for discharging the liquid bags after injection; a liquid bag manipulator for transferring the liquid bags between the liquid bag storage tank, the hopper, and the flipping machines, the manipulator being electrically connected to the feedback controllers; and a base on which the liquid bag storage tank, the flipping machines, the hopper, and the manipulator are all mounted.

[0007] By adopting the above technical solution, the liquid bag robot first moves to the liquid bag storage area to grab a liquid bag. Then, the robot transfers the liquid bag and places it on a bag-turning machine. The bag-turning machine fixes the liquid bag and flips it to an inclined position, where the liquid bag is tilted for liquid injection. After injection, the bag-turning machine flips to a horizontal position and releases the liquid bag. The liquid bag robot then grabs the corresponding liquid bag and transfers it to the top of the discharge hopper for release. Finally, the liquid bag falls through the discharge hopper onto the conveyor belt located below the base, completing the discharge process.

[0008] During this process, the bag-turning machine takes over from the liquid bag robot to fix the liquid bag and adjust its posture, so that the liquid bag tilts to meet the liquid injection requirements. This means that during the liquid injection period, the liquid bag robot does not need to continuously hold the liquid bag and can perform other transfer tasks.

[0009] Based on this, since there are several bag-turning machines, each equipped with a positioning sensor, the positioning sensor can monitor in real time whether there is a liquid bag on the corresponding bag-turning machine. This allows the positioning sensor to send a signal indicating whether the bag-turning machine is idle to the feedback controller, which in turn transmits the signal to the liquid bag robot. Therefore, the liquid bag robot can obtain the idle status of each bag-turning machine in real time, enabling it to identify and prioritize feeding to idle bag-turning machines. This allows for dynamic polling operations among multiple bag-turning machines. When the liquid bag robot feeds a liquid bag to a bag-turning machine, while that machine is fixing the liquid bag and injecting liquid, the liquid bag robot can also feed other idle bag-turning machines or unload bags from bag-turning machines that have finished injecting liquid. This reduces the downtime of the liquid bag robot, increases its effective working time, and thus improves the overall working efficiency of the dispensing machine.

[0010] Optionally, the system also includes a marking machine for printing labels on the liquid bag, the marking machine being mounted on the base, and the liquid bag robot for transferring the liquid bag to the marking machine.

[0011] By adopting the above technical solution, with the marking machine set up, the liquid bag robot arm grabs the liquid bag from the liquid bag warehouse, first passes it through the marking machine for label printing, and then transports it to the bag flipping machine. This realizes the automated connection between the marking process and the flipping and filling process, ensuring the traceability of drug information, optimizing the liquid bag processing flow, and improving the continuous operation efficiency within the dispensing machine.

[0012] Optionally, the bag-turning machine includes a mounting frame and a tray. The mounting frame is vertically mounted on the base, and the tray is located above the mounting frame. The tray is horizontally mounted, and one end of the tray along its length is rotatably connected to the upper end of the mounting frame. A turning drive is provided between the tray and the mounting frame for driving the tray to rotate, and a clamping assembly for fixing the liquid bag is provided on the tray.

[0013] By adopting the above technical solution, under the design of the pallet and the mounting frame, when the liquid bag robot transfers the liquid bag to the pallet, the clamping component can clamp and fix the mouth of the liquid bag, so that the liquid bag is fixed to the pallet, which makes the pallet the main body for carrying the liquid bag.

[0014] Based on this, the flipping drive can drive the tray to rotate around its connection point with the mounting frame, thereby causing the liquid bag fixed on the tray to switch from a horizontal feeding posture to an inclined posture. When the liquid bag is in an inclined posture, the bag mouth faces the mounting frame and is tilted downwards, which makes it easier for the syringe robot to insert the syringe into the bag mouth for injection and repeated aspiration and mixing.

[0015] This enables the bag-turning machine to function. At the same time, because the flipping drive allows the tray to switch between two states, the position of the liquid bag can only be in two states. This makes the stability of the bag-turning machine in fixing the liquid bag better than that of the liquid bag robot holding the liquid bag in mid-air, thereby improving the accuracy of the external syringe robot in repeatedly positioning the syringe and the liquid bag.

[0016] Optionally, both the locking component and the flipping drive are electrically connected to the feedback controller.

[0017] By adopting the above technical solution, with the cooperation of the positioning sensor and the feedback controller, within a single bag-turning machine, the positioning sensor can monitor in real time whether a liquid bag is placed on the pallet. When a liquid bag is detected, the feedback controller can automatically trigger the clamping component to perform a clamping action, and then automatically control the flipping drive to drive the pallet to flip, so that the liquid bag switches to an inclined position. Since each bag-turning machine is independently controlled by a corresponding feedback controller, on the one hand, the modular design of the bag-turning machine is realized, and the entire bag-turning machine can be replaced if a single bag-turning machine fails; on the other hand, the actions of each bag-turning machine do not interfere with each other, improving the response speed of the bag-turning machine and thus improving the dispensing efficiency.

[0018] Optionally, the flipping drive includes a linear cylinder, one end of which is rotatably connected to the mounting bracket, and the other end extends obliquely upward to be rotatably connected to the pallet.

[0019] By adopting the above technical solution, the flipping drive component is converted into the rotational motion of the pallet through the telescopic motion of the linear cylinder. The linear cylinder has a simple structure and a large output torque, which can stably support the liquid bag whose weight increases after liquid injection, ensuring a smooth and reliable flipping process.

[0020] Optionally, the locking assembly includes two clamping blocks, which are spaced apart along the width direction of the tray. The clamping blocks are slidably connected to the tray along the width direction of the tray. The tray is also provided with a clamping drive member, and both clamping blocks are connected to the clamping drive member. The clamping drive member is used to drive the two clamping blocks to move towards each other or away from each other.

[0021] By adopting the above technical solution, the clamping drive unit can clamp the mouth of the liquid bag by driving the two clamping blocks to move towards each other, and to release them by moving them in opposite directions. This bidirectional opening and closing structure can accommodate the mouths of liquid bags of different sizes, and the clamping force is uniform, preventing the liquid bag from falling off during the flipping process.

[0022] Optionally, the pallet is located directly above the hopper.

[0023] By adopting the above technical solution, since the pallet is located directly above the hopper, if the liquid bag falls due to the robotic arm not placing the liquid bag stably on the pallet, it will fall into the hopper as much as possible, thus preventing interference with the equipment on the base. On the other hand, when the robotic arm picks up the liquid bag from the pallet and transfers it into the hopper for unloading, the position of the pallet can reduce the movement distance of the robotic arm during unloading, thereby improving unloading efficiency.

[0024] Optionally, the support plate includes a base plate, which is horizontally arranged. One end of the base plate is rotatably connected to the upper end of the mounting frame along its length. One end of the flipping drive is connected to the mounting frame, and the other end is connected to the base plate. An inertial plate is arranged above the base plate, with its length along the length of the base plate. The locking assembly is arranged on the inertial plate. The inertial plate is slidably arranged on the base plate, and an inertial actuator is arranged between the inertial plate and the base plate. The inertial actuator is used to drive the inertial plate to move along its own length.

[0025] By adopting the above technical solution, with the cooperation of the base plate, the inertial plate and the inertial actuator, the inertial plate can be driven to perform linear reciprocating motion relative to the base plate through the extension and retraction of the inertial actuator.

[0026] Therefore, when the liquid bag is being fed, the inertial actuator drives the inertial plate to move away from the mounting frame, which allows the inertial plate and the liquid bag robot to move relative to each other to improve the relative positioning speed, thereby speeding up the feeding speed of the liquid bag.

[0027] When the liquid bag is being unloaded, the inertial actuator drives the inertial plate to move away from the mounting frame. Then the inertial plate quickly retracts. At this time, the liquid bag, which is fully loaded with liquid medicine, has a large static inertia due to its large mass. This allows the liquid bag to remain suspended in its original position at the moment the inertial plate is withdrawn, and then automatically unloads into the unloading hopper. This gives the bag turning machine an automatic unloading function, which can save the time that the liquid bag robot arm spends on unloading, allowing the liquid bag robot arm to spend more time on transferring liquid bags, thereby further improving the overall working efficiency of the dispensing machine.

[0028] Optionally, the bag-turning machine further includes a negative pressure adsorption component, which includes a negative pressure device and a negative pressure suction component. The inertial plate has several negative pressure suction holes, the negative pressure device is disposed on the inertial plate, and the several negative pressure suction holes are all connected to the negative pressure device. The negative pressure device is connected to the negative pressure suction component through a pipe.

[0029] By adopting the above technical solution, when the liquid bag is placed on the inertial plate, the negative pressure adsorption component operates, and the negative pressure suction component is activated. The negative pressure suction component draws air from several negative pressure suction holes, creating a negative pressure on the inertial plate that adsorbs the liquid bag. This allows the liquid bag robot to directly adsorb and fix the liquid bag onto the inertial plate when it places it. This ensures that the liquid bag is immediately fixed after being placed on the inertial plate, allowing the robot to immediately release the liquid bag and move on to perform other transfer tasks, further reducing the robot's downtime.

[0030] Optionally, the negative pressure adsorption assembly further includes a positive pressure gas source, and the negative pressure device is connected to the positive pressure gas source through a pipeline.

[0031] By adopting the above technical solution, under the design of the positive pressure air source, when the liquid bag needs to be unloaded, the negative pressure suction component stops and the positive pressure air source works. At this time, gas is sprayed into the space between the liquid bag and the inertial plate through the negative pressure suction hole to form an air cushion, thereby reducing the static friction and adsorption force between the liquid bag and the inertial plate. This allows the liquid bag to separate smoothly from the inertial plate to achieve automatic unloading, thus improving the problem of easy adhesion of soft packaging liquid bags leading to poor unloading.

[0032] In summary, this application includes at least one of the following beneficial technical effects: 1. This application utilizes the design of a bag-turning machine, which can be used to fix liquid bags, allowing the liquid bags to be filled with liquid in an inclined position. This eliminates the need for the liquid bag robot to hold the liquid bag for a long time to maintain its inclined position. Instead, it can transfer the liquid bag to the bag-turning machine and immediately perform other liquid bag transfer tasks. This reduces the downtime of the liquid bag robot, increases its effective working time, and thus improves the overall working efficiency of the dispensing machine.

[0033] 2. This application, through the design of several bag-turning machines and the coordinated operation of positioning sensors and feedback controllers, enables the liquid bag robot to obtain the idle status of each bag-turning machine in real time. This allows the liquid bag robot to identify and prioritize feeding to idle bag-turning machines, thus achieving dynamic polling operation among multiple bag-turning machines. When the liquid bag robot feeds a liquid bag onto a bag-turning machine, while that machine is fixing the liquid bag and injecting liquid, the liquid bag robot can also feed other idle bag-turning machines or unload bags from bag-turning machines that have completed injection. This reduces the downtime of the liquid bag robot, increases its effective working time, and ultimately improves the overall working efficiency of the dispensing machine.

[0034] 3. Through the structural design of the pallet, this application enables the inertial plate to move synchronously and position itself with the liquid bag robot during the feeding stage, shortening the docking stroke and fine-tuning time of the liquid bag robot during the feeding process and improving the feeding speed. Furthermore, during the unloading stage, the pallet enables automatic unloading of liquid bags, eliminating the need for the liquid bag robot to perform unloading actions, saving the time spent on unloading, grasping, transporting, and releasing liquid bags. This shortens the cycle time of a single dispensing operation and improves the overall production efficiency of the dispensing machine.

[0035] 4. Through the design of the negative pressure adsorption component, this application enables instantaneous fixation of the liquid bag during the feeding stage. This allows the liquid bag robot arm to immediately withdraw after placing the liquid bag without waiting for the locking component to complete its action, reducing the waiting time for feeding and handover. Furthermore, during the unloading stage, the positive pressure air source forms an air cushion between the liquid bag and the tray, effectively reducing the adhesion resistance that is easily generated on the surface of the soft liquid bag. This ensures that the liquid bag can be unloaded smoothly, avoiding cycle delays caused by poor unloading, thereby ensuring continuous high-speed operation of the equipment and improving the overall production efficiency of the dispensing machine. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 This is a side view of the liquid bag flipping mechanism of Embodiment 1 of this application.

[0037] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the liquid bag flipping mechanism in Embodiment 1 of this application.

[0038] Figure 3This is a partial structural diagram of the feeding hopper and several bag-turning machines in Embodiment 1 of this application.

[0039] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the tray in Embodiment 1 of this application.

[0040] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the tray in Embodiment 1 of this application.

[0041] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the bag-turning machine according to Embodiment 2 of this application.

[0042] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the tray with the liquid bag fixed in Embodiment 2 of this application.

[0043] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the tray in Embodiment 2 of this application.

[0044] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the bag-turning machine according to Embodiment 3 of this application.

[0045] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the tray in Embodiment 3 of this application.

[0046] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the guide plate in Embodiment 3 of this application.

[0047] In the diagram, 1. Base; 2. Liquid bag storage; 3. Marking machine; 4. Bag turning machine; 41. Mounting frame; 42. Pallet; 421. Detection hole; 422. Base plate; 423. Inertia plate; 424. Inertia actuator; 43. Tilting drive; 431. Linear cylinder; 432. Hinge seat; 44. Locking assembly; 441. Clamping block; 4411. Guide post; 442. Clamping drive; 4421. Guide plate; 4422. Guide groove; 45. Positioning sensor; 46. Negative pressure adsorption assembly; 461. Negative pressure device; 462. Negative pressure suction hole; 5. Feed hopper; 6. Liquid bag robot. Detailed Implementation

[0048] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1 - Appendix Figure 11 This application will be described in further detail below.

[0049] Example 1: A liquid bag flipping mechanism, referring to... Figure 1 and Figure 2The system includes a base 1, on which a liquid bag storage 2, a marking machine 3, a bag turning machine 4, a feeding hopper 5, and a liquid bag robot 6 are installed. The marking machine 3, the feeding hopper 5, and the liquid bag robot 6 are arranged sequentially along the length of the base 1. The liquid bag storage 2 is located directly above the marking machine 3. Several bag turning machines 4 are provided, and the bag turning machines 4 are distributed on opposite sides of the feeding hopper 5.

[0050] In the liquid bag turning mechanism, liquid bags are suspended and stored in the liquid bag storage 2 to supply liquid bags; the marking machine 3 can print labels on the liquid bags; the bag turning machine 4 can turn the liquid bags to an inclined position to facilitate liquid injection; the discharge hopper 5 can receive the liquid bags after liquid injection and guide the liquid bags to the conveyor belt below the base 1 to realize the discharge of liquid bags.

[0051] Under the operation of the liquid bag robot 6, the robot first moves to the liquid bag storage 2 to grab a liquid bag and transfers it to the marking machine 3 for marking. Then, the robot transfers the marked liquid bag to the bag turning machine 4, which fixes and tilts the bag to an inclined position, facilitating the injection and mixing of the liquid. While the corresponding liquid bag is being injected, the robot repeats the above steps to transfer other liquid bags to other empty bag turning machines 4. Once an injection is complete, the corresponding bag turning machine 4 tilts to a horizontal position and releases the liquid bag. The robot then grabs the corresponding liquid bag and transfers it to the top of the discharge hopper 5 for release. Finally, the liquid bag falls through the discharge hopper 5 onto the conveyor belt located below the base 1, completing the discharge process.

[0052] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 In this embodiment, the liquid bag storage 2 adopts a suspended slide rail shelf or hook assembly; the marking machine 3 adopts a thermal transfer coding machine or inkjet printer.

[0053] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 The bag-turning machine 4 includes a mounting frame 41, which is vertically mounted on the base 1 and positioned along the width of the base 1 on one side of the hopper 5. The lower end of the mounting frame 41 is connected to the base 1, and the upper end is provided with a support plate 42. The support plate 42 is horizontally positioned and located directly above the hopper 5. The length of the support plate 42 is along the width of the base 1, and the support plate 42 is located on the side of the mounting frame 41 facing the hopper 5. One end of the support plate 42 along its own length is rotatably connected to the upper end of the mounting frame 41. A turning drive component 43 is provided between the support plate 42 and the mounting frame 41, and a locking component 44 is also provided on the support plate 42.

[0054] Based on the structural design of the bag-turning machine 4, when the liquid bag robot 6 transfers the liquid bag to the tray 42, the clamping component 44 clamps and fixes the bag opening, thus securing the liquid bag to the tray 42. Driven by the flipping drive 43, the tray 42 rotates to an inclined state, causing the bag opening of the liquid bag to tilt downwards. This facilitates the syringe robot inserting the syringe into the bag opening for injection and mixing of the medication. After the medication injection is completed, the flipping drive 43 resets, restoring the tray 42 to a horizontal state. The clamping component 44 then releases the bag opening, allowing the liquid bag robot 6 to transfer the liquid bag.

[0055] Reference Figure 3 In this embodiment, the flipping drive 43 includes a linear cylinder 431 and two hinge seats 432. The two hinge seats 432 are respectively disposed in the mounting frame 41 and the bottom of the support plate 42. The two hinge seats 432 are spaced apart along the length direction of the support plate 42, and the linear cylinder 431 is located between the two hinge seats 432 along its own length direction. The two ends of the linear cylinder 431 are rotatably connected to the corresponding hinge seats 432.

[0056] Based on the positional arrangement of the two hinge seats 432, one end of the linear cylinder 431 is rotatably connected to the mounting bracket 41, and the other end extends upward at an angle to be rotatably connected to the tray 42. This allows the linear cylinder 431 to push the tray 42 to rotate upward around its connection point with the mounting bracket 41 when it extends, thereby rotating the tray 42 from a horizontal feeding state to an inclined state, so that the liquid bag posture meets the liquid injection requirements.

[0057] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 In this embodiment, the clamping assembly 44 includes two clamping blocks 441, which are spaced apart along the width direction of the tray 42 and are slidably connected to the tray 42 along the width direction of the tray 42. A clamping drive member 442 is provided on the lower side of the tray 42. The clamping drive member 442 is a bidirectional pneumatic finger cylinder or an electric gripper, and both clamping blocks 441 are connected to the clamping drive member 442.

[0058] With the cooperation of the clamping drive 442 and the two clamping blocks 441, the two clamping blocks 441 can move inward synchronously to fasten and lock the mouth of the liquid bag located on the tray 42, or move outward synchronously to loosen the mouth of the liquid bag.

[0059] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5In this embodiment, the bag-turning machine 4 also includes a feedback controller. A positioning sensor 45 is disposed below the tray 42. The positioning sensor 45 is a photoelectric sensor or a laser sensor. A detection hole 421 is provided through the tray 42. The detection end of the positioning sensor 45 is positioned directly opposite the detection hole 421. The liquid bag manipulator 6, the clamping drive 442, and the flipping drive 43 are all electrically connected to the feedback controller. Specifically, the feedback controller is a PLC, a microcontroller, or an integrated circuit board.

[0060] Based on the positioning sensor 45, when the liquid bag robot 6 places the liquid bag on the tray 42 and blocks the detection hole 421, the positioning sensor 45 generates a sensing signal and sends it to the feedback controller. After receiving the signal, the feedback controller controls the clamping drive 442 to move, realizing automated sensing and clamping of the liquid bag without manual intervention. At the same time, the feedback controller also transmits the sensing signal to the liquid bag robot 6, specifically to the controller of the liquid bag robot 6, so that the liquid bag robot 6 can promptly detect the empty tray 42 and transport the liquid bag to the tray 42. This allows the liquid bag robot 6 to promptly identify the empty bag turning machine 4, thereby reducing the downtime of the liquid bag robot 6.

[0061] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 In this embodiment, four bag-turning machines 4 are provided, and the four bag-turning machines 4 are arranged in groups of two. The two bag-turning machines 4 are spaced apart along the width direction of the base 1, and the hopper 5 is located between the two groups of bag-turning machines 4. The two bag-turning machines 4 in the same group are arranged sequentially along the length direction of the base 1.

[0062] This symmetrical and multi-station design allows the liquid bag robot 6 to be positioned between two sets of bag-turning machines 4. Thus, when one of the bag-turning machines 4 is in the liquid-filling state, the liquid bag robot 6 does not need to wait and can immediately turn to other bag-turning machines 4 to perform operations. This achieves multi-station polling, thereby reducing the downtime of the liquid bag robot 6 and improving the efficiency of drug dispensing.

[0063] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 The hopper 5 is a funnel-shaped structure with a larger opening at the top and a smaller opening at the bottom. A discharge port is provided through the base 1, and the hopper 5 is connected to the discharge port. The support plate 42 is located directly above the hopper 5. This structural design can effectively buffer the impact of the liquid bag falling and guide the liquid bag to accurately pass through the base 1 and fall onto the conveyor belt below, preventing the liquid bag from getting stuck or flying out.

[0064] Reference Figure 2The liquid bag robotic arm 6 employs a combination of a multi-axis robotic arm and a negative pressure suction cup. The multi-axis robotic arm is mounted on the base 1, and the negative pressure suction cup is located at the end of the multi-axis robotic arm. The liquid bag robotic arm 6 controls the suction and inflation of the negative pressure suction cup through a pneumatic system, thereby achieving non-destructive gripping and rapid release of the liquid bag. The multi-axis robotic arm provides a flexible motion trajectory, ensuring that the liquid bag can be accurately transferred between various workstations.

[0065] The implementation principle of this embodiment is as follows: During the drug dispensing process, the liquid bag robot 6 grabs a liquid bag from the liquid bag storage 2, marks it, and places it on the pallet 42. Upon detecting the liquid bag, the positioning sensor 45 triggers the clamping drive 442, automatically securing the liquid bag. Subsequently, the liquid bag robot 6 retracts, and the linear cylinder 431 operates, driving the pallet 42 to an inclined position. At this time, the liquid bag is simultaneously in an inclined position, and then liquid is injected into the liquid bag. After the injection is completed, the linear cylinder 431 resets, thereby restoring the pallet 42 to a horizontal state, and the clamping drive 442 releases the liquid bag. Finally, the liquid bag robot 6 grabs the liquid bag from the pallet 42 and transfers it to the top of the hopper 5 for release. The liquid bag falls through the hopper 5 onto the conveyor belt at the bottom of the base 1.

[0066] In this process, since there are four bag-turning machines 4, the liquid bag robot 6 adopts a polling operation mode. When one bag-turning machine 4 has a liquid bag fixed on it and is being injected, the liquid bag robot 6 uses this time to perform liquid bag loading or unloading operations on other bag-turning machines 4. This multi-station alternating parallel working mode reduces the downtime of the liquid bag robot 6, thereby improving the overall production efficiency of liquid bag dispensing.

[0067] Example 2: A liquid bag flipping mechanism, referring to... Figure 6 and Figure 7 The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 1 is that the support plate 42 includes a base plate 422, which is horizontally arranged and its length direction is along the width direction of the base 1. One end of the base plate 422 is rotatably connected to the upper end of the mounting bracket 41, and the hinge seat 432 at the upper end of the linear cylinder 431 is arranged at the bottom of the base plate 422, so that the linear cylinder 431 is rotatably connected to the base plate 422.

[0068] Reference Figure 7 and Figure 8 The support plate 42 also includes an inertia plate 423, which is located above the base plate 422. The inertia plate 423 is horizontally arranged and its length direction is along the length direction of the base plate 422. The inertia plate 423 is slidably connected to the base plate 422 along its own length direction. An inertia actuator 424 is provided on the base plate 422. The inertia actuator 424 is a double-rod cylinder. The driving direction of the inertia actuator 424 is along the length direction of the base plate 422. The driving end of the inertia actuator 424 is connected to the inertia plate 423. The locking assembly 44 is provided on the inertia plate 423.

[0069] Reference Figure 6 and Figure 7 Through the extension and retraction of the inertial actuator 424, the inertial plate 423 can be driven to perform linear reciprocating motion relative to the base plate 422. Based on this design, it has the following functions: Reference Figure 1 and Figure 6 When the liquid bag is transferred to the pallet 42, the inertial plate 423 can slide along the bottom plate 422 towards the side closer to the liquid bag manipulator 6. At this time, the inertial plate 423 and the liquid bag manipulator 6 can move relative to each other to improve the relative positioning speed, thereby shortening the time for the liquid bag manipulator 6 to transfer the liquid bag to the pallet 42.

[0070] Reference Figure 6 When the liquid bag is placed on the inertia plate 423 and fixed by the clamping component 44, the inertia plate 423 is driven to reset. At this time, since the mouth of the liquid bag has been fixed by the clamping component 44 and the body of the liquid bag is soft, the airflow resistance and slight inertia generated by the retraction help to eliminate the wrinkles on the surface of the liquid bag.

[0071] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 6 After the liquid injection is completed, the inertial plate 423 moves outward again to above the discharge hopper 5. Then the inertial plate 423 quickly retracts. At this time, the liquid bag fully loaded with liquid has a large static inertia due to its large mass, causing the liquid bag to fall directly vertically into the discharge hopper 5 below, thus realizing automatic discharge of the liquid bag.

[0072] Reference Figure 6 and Figure 7 In this embodiment, in the clamping assembly 44, two clamping blocks 441 are slidably disposed on the inertia plate 423, and the clamping blocks 441 are located at the end of the inertia plate 423 facing the mounting bracket 41. The clamping drive member 442 is fixedly disposed at the bottom of the inertia plate 423, and the clamping drive member 442 is spaced apart from the base plate 422.

[0073] Reference Figure 7 and Figure 8 In this embodiment, the positioning sensor 45 is installed at the bottom of the inertial plate 423, and the detection hole 421 is opened on the inertial plate 423.

[0074] Reference Figure 7 and Figure 8The tray 42 also includes a negative pressure adsorption component 46, which includes a negative pressure device 461 and a negative pressure suction component. The negative pressure device 461 is mounted on the inertial plate 423. Several negative pressure suction holes 462 are opened on the upper side of the inertial plate 423. The negative pressure suction holes 462 are connected to the negative pressure device 461, and the negative pressure device 461 is connected to the negative pressure suction component through a pipe. This makes all the negative pressure suction holes 462 connected to the negative pressure suction component. The negative pressure suction component can be a vacuum generator or a vacuum pump.

[0075] When the negative pressure suction component is working, it draws air from several negative pressure suction holes 462, thereby generating negative pressure to adsorb and fix the liquid bag on the surface of the inertial plate 423, so that the liquid bag can remain relatively stable during the movement of the inertial plate 423.

[0076] Reference Figure 7 The negative pressure adsorption component 46 also includes a positive pressure air source. The negative pressure unit 461 is connected to the positive pressure air source through a pipeline. The positive pressure air source can be an air compressor or a high-pressure air tank.

[0077] When the positive pressure air source is working, air can be blown out through the negative pressure suction hole 462 to form an air cushion between the liquid bag and the inertial plate 423, thereby facilitating the discharge of the liquid bag.

[0078] In this embodiment, the inertial actuator 424, the negative pressure suction assembly, the positive pressure air source, the clamping drive 442, and the flipping drive 43 are all electrically connected to the feedback controller, thereby enabling each bag-turning machine 4 to be independently controlled by its corresponding feedback controller. On the one hand, this achieves a modular design for the bag-turning machine 4, facilitating its disassembly and replacement; on the other hand, it increases the operating speed of the bag-turning machine 4, thereby improving the efficiency of drug dispensing.

[0079] The implementation principle of this application embodiment is as follows: during the liquid bag feeding stage, the inertial actuator 424 drives the inertial plate 423 to extend outward, actively shortening the docking distance with the liquid bag robot 6.

[0080] After the liquid bag is placed on the inertial plate 423, the locking assembly 44 secures the bag opening, while the negative pressure suction assembly works to absorb and fix the liquid bag, and the inertial actuator 424 retracts. Subsequently, the tilting drive 43 actuates, tilting the tray 42 to an inclined position for liquid injection. After injection is completed, the tilting drive 43 resets to return the tray 42 to a horizontal position.

[0081] During the liquid bag unloading stage, the inertial actuator 424 again drives the inertial plate 423 to extend above the unloading hopper 5. At this time, the locking component 44 is released, the negative pressure suction component stops, and the positive pressure air source works, forming an air cushion between the liquid bag and the inertial plate 423. Afterward, the inertial actuator 424 drives the inertial plate 423 to quickly retract and be withdrawn. At this time, the liquid bag fully loaded with liquid remains suspended in place under the action of inertia, and then falls vertically into the unloading hopper 5, thus realizing automatic unloading of liquid bags without the participation of the liquid bag robot 6.

[0082] It should be noted that although this embodiment achieves automatic feeding through inertia, the liquid bag robot 6 is still configured to transfer liquid bags between the pallet 42 and the hopper 5. This is because, under certain operating conditions (e.g., when inertial feeding fails, or when specific liquid bags need to be sampled and transferred), the liquid bag robot 6 can still perform the feeding action, grabbing the liquid bags on the pallet 42 and transferring them to the hopper 5. That is, while inertial automatic feeding in this embodiment is a preferred working mode for improving efficiency, it does not negate the liquid bag robot 6's ability to transfer liquid bags between the bag-turning machine 4 and the hopper 5.

[0083] Example 3: A liquid bag flipping mechanism, referring to... Figure 9 and Figure 10 The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 2 is that the clamping block 441 is slidably connected to the inertial plate 423 along the width direction of the inertial plate 423.

[0084] Reference Figure 10 In this embodiment, two clamping grooves are formed through the inertial plate 423. The length direction of the clamping grooves is set along the width direction of the guide plate 4421. The two clamping grooves are spaced apart along the width direction of the guide plate 4421. The clamping grooves and clamping blocks 441 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence. The clamping blocks 441 are inserted into the corresponding clamping grooves and are slidably connected to the inner sidewall of the corresponding clamping groove along the width direction of the guide plate 4421.

[0085] Reference Figure 10 and Figure 11 The clamping drive component 442 includes a guide plate 4421, which is located between the base plate 422 and the inertia plate 423, and is connected to the base plate 422. The guide plate 4421 is arranged along the length direction of the base plate 422.

[0086] Reference Figure 10 and Figure 11Two guide slots 4422 are provided on the guide plate 4421. The two ends of the guide slots 4422 pass through both sides of the guide plate 4421 along its own length direction. The two guide slots 4422 are spaced apart along the width direction of the base plate 422. The end of the guide slot 4422 away from the corresponding mounting bracket 41 along the length direction of the guide plate 4421 is inclined and extends away from the other guide slot 4422.

[0087] Reference Figure 10 and Figure 11 A guide post 4411 is provided below the clamping block 441. The guide post 4411 is vertically arranged, and its upper end is fixedly connected to the corresponding clamping block 441. The guide post 4411 is provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the guide groove 4422, and the lower end of the guide post 4411 is inserted into the corresponding guide groove 4422. The guide post 4411 is slidably connected to the inner wall of the corresponding guide groove 4422 along the length direction of the corresponding guide groove 4422.

[0088] The implementation principle of this application embodiment is as follows: During the movement of the inertial plate 423 driven by the inertial actuator 424, the guide post 4411 at the bottom of each clamping block 441 slides along the corresponding guide groove 4422. When the inertial plate 423 slides away from the corresponding mounting frame 41, the two clamping blocks 441 gradually move away from each other under the guidance of the two guide grooves 4422, thus achieving automatic opening; conversely, when the inertial plate 423 slides towards the corresponding mounting frame 41, the two clamping blocks 441 gradually move closer to each other under the guidance of the two guide grooves 4422, thus achieving automatic clamping.

[0089] Therefore, under this coordinated design, the linear sliding motion of the inertial plate 423 along the base plate 422 is transformed into the opening and closing motion of the two clamping blocks 441. Specifically, the inward retraction of the inertial plate 423 synchronously drives the two clamping blocks 441 to move towards each other to lock the liquid bag, realizing the synchronous resetting of the inertial plate 423 and the clamping of the liquid bag. This design eliminates the waiting time and control signal interaction time required for the independent clamping drive component 442, allowing the inertial plate 423 to lock the liquid bag as soon as it retracts into place, thereby immediately connecting the action of the flipping drive component 43, effectively shortening the cycle of a single operation and improving the overall production efficiency of liquid bag dispensing.

[0090] Additionally, it's important to note that the guide groove 4422 is designed so that the distance between the two clamping blocks 441 is sufficient to grip the mouth of the liquid bag when the inertial plate 423 retracts to the middle or end of its corresponding stroke. In other words, during the initial stage of the rapid retraction of the inertial plate 423, although the two clamping blocks 441 initially tend to close towards each other, the distance between them is still far from sufficient to grip the mouth. Therefore, at the instant the inertial plate 423 drives the clamping blocks 441 backward past the mouth of the liquid bag, the opening width between the two clamping blocks 441 is still greater than the width of the liquid bag's mouth. This allows the inertial plate 423 to separate from the liquid bag, enabling automatic liquid bag discharge.

[0091] Similarly, while achieving automatic opening and closing and automatic material unloading, this mechanical linkage structure also retains the complete transfer capability between the liquid bag storage 2, the bag turning machine 4, and the unloading hopper 5. The automatic material unloading function provided in this embodiment is to free up the computing power and time of the liquid bag robot 6 during normal production cycles, allowing it to focus on the material loading and transfer from the liquid bag storage 2 to the bag turning machine 4, thereby realizing the coordinated or selective use of the two methods of material transfer and automatic material unloading by the liquid bag robot 6.

[0092] The embodiments described in this specific implementation are preferred embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Identical components are represented by the same reference numerals. Therefore, all equivalent changes made to the structure, shape, and principle of this application should be covered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A liquid bag flipping mechanism, characterized in that, include: Liquid bag storage (2), used for storing liquid bags; Bag turning machine (4) is used to fix the liquid bag and drive the liquid bag to tilt. The bag turning machine (4) is provided in several units. Each bag turning machine (4) is provided with a feedback controller and a positioning sensor (45) for detecting whether the liquid bag is in place. The positioning sensor (45) is electrically connected to the feedback controller. The feeding hopper (5) is used to discharge the liquid bag after it has been injected with liquid. A liquid bag manipulator (6) is used to transfer liquid bags between the liquid bag storage (2), the feeding hopper (5) and several of the bag turning machines (4), and the liquid bag manipulator (6) is electrically connected to several of the feedback controllers; The base (1), the liquid bag storage (2), the bag turning machine (4), the feeding hopper (5) and the liquid bag robot (6) are all mounted on the base (1).

2. The liquid bag flipping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a marking machine (3) for printing labels on liquid bags, the marking machine (3) being mounted on the base (1), and the liquid bag manipulator (6) for transferring liquid bags to the marking machine (3).

3. The liquid bag flipping mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bag-turning machine (4) includes a mounting frame (41) and a tray (42). The mounting frame (41) is vertically mounted on the base (1). The tray (42) is located above the mounting frame (41) and is horizontally mounted. One end of the tray (42) along its own length direction is rotatably connected to the upper end of the mounting frame (41). A turning drive (43) for driving the tray (42) to rotate is provided between the tray (42) and the mounting frame (41). A clamping assembly (44) for fixing the liquid bag is provided on the tray (42).

4. The liquid bag flipping mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, Both the locking assembly (44) and the flipping drive (43) are electrically connected to the feedback controller.

5. The liquid bag flipping mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, The flipping drive (43) includes a linear cylinder (431), one end of which is rotatably connected to the mounting bracket (41), and the other end extends obliquely upward to be rotatably connected to the tray (42).

6. The liquid bag flipping mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, The clamping assembly (44) includes two clamping blocks (441), which are spaced apart along the width direction of the tray (42). The clamping blocks (441) are slidably connected to the tray (42) along the width direction of the tray (42). The tray (42) is also provided with a clamping drive member (442), and both clamping blocks (441) are connected to the clamping drive member (442). The clamping drive member (442) is used to drive the two clamping blocks (441) to move towards each other or backwards.

7. The liquid bag flipping mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, The pallet (42) is located directly above the hopper (5).

8. A liquid bag flipping mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that, The pallet (42) includes a base plate (422), which is horizontally arranged. One end of the base plate (422) is rotatably connected to the upper end of the mounting frame (41) along its length. One end of the flipping drive (43) is connected to the mounting frame (41), and the other end is connected to the base plate (422). An inertial plate (423) is provided above the base plate (422), and the length direction of the inertial plate (423) is arranged along the length direction of the base plate (422). The locking component (44) is provided on the inertial plate (423). The inertial plate (423) is slidably arranged on the base plate (422). An inertial actuator (424) is provided between the inertial plate (423) and the base plate (422). The inertial actuator (424) is used to drive the inertial plate (423) to move along its own length direction.

9. A liquid bag flipping mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that, The bag turning machine (4) also includes a negative pressure adsorption component (46), which includes a negative pressure device (461) and a negative pressure suction component. The inertial plate (423) is provided with a plurality of negative pressure suction holes (462). The negative pressure device (461) is disposed on the inertial plate (423). The plurality of negative pressure suction holes (462) are all connected to the negative pressure device (461). The negative pressure device (461) is connected to the negative pressure suction component through a pipe.

10. A liquid bag flipping mechanism according to claim 9, characterized in that, The negative pressure adsorption component (46) also includes a positive pressure gas source, and the negative pressure device (461) is connected to the positive pressure gas source through a pipeline.

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