A bottle cap feeding hopper

Abstract

This utility model discloses a hopper for feeding bottle caps, relating to the field of bottle cap production technology. The hopper is enclosed by a bottom plate, a top plate, and two side plates. One end of the hopper is a feed inlet, and the other end is a discharge outlet. A first conveyor belt is installed inside the hopper, with one end located inside the feed inlet and the other end inside the discharge outlet. Several scrapers are spaced apart on the conveying surface of the first conveyor belt. A friction-reducing mechanism is installed on the side wall of any side plate within the hopper to reduce friction between the bottle cap and the side plate. By installing friction-reducing mechanisms on both side plates, when several bottle caps move on the first conveyor belt, if some bottle caps come into contact with the friction-reducing mechanisms, the presence of the friction-reducing mechanisms will significantly reduce the friction between the bottle caps and the two side plates, thereby reducing the wear rate of the bottle caps.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of bottle cap production technology, and more specifically, to a material hopper for feeding bottle caps. Background Technology

[0002] In bottle cap production lines, after a batch of bottle caps accumulates in a storage bin, they are typically conveyed in batches to a cap sorting machine via a conveyor. The sorting machine then organizes the disorderly piled caps, which are then conveyed one by one to the next machine. However, since cap sorting machines are generally quite tall, a combination of a hopper and a belt conveyor (with the belt conveyor installed inside the hopper) is usually used to transport bottle caps from the lower part of the machine in batches to the top, where they then fall into the machine for sorting.

[0003] Bottle caps are generally made of plastic. As several bottle caps move on the belt conveyor (that is, during the movement within the hopper), some bottle caps will come into contact with the inner wall of the hopper. If the bottle caps move too fast within the hopper, or if the surface roughness of the inner wall of the hopper is too high, the bottle caps in contact with the inner wall of the hopper will experience surface wear due to friction, thus affecting the quality of the bottle caps. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this utility model is to overcome the shortcomings of the existing technology and provide a material bin for feeding bottle caps.

[0005] The objective of this utility model is achieved through the following technical solution: A bottle cap feeding hopper is provided, comprising a bottom plate, a top plate, and two side plates. One end of the hopper is a feed inlet, and the other end is a discharge outlet. A first conveyor belt is provided inside the hopper, with one end of the first conveyor belt located inside the feed inlet and the other end located inside the discharge outlet. Several scrapers are spaced apart on the conveying surface of the first conveyor belt. A friction-reducing mechanism is provided on the side wall of any of the side plates inside the hopper to reduce the friction between the bottle cap and the side plate.

[0006] Furthermore, in this utility model, a plurality of first through slots are linearly arrayed on any of the aforementioned side plates, and the aforementioned friction reduction mechanism includes a plurality of rollers respectively rotatably disposed in the plurality of the aforementioned first through slots, the arrangement direction of the plurality of the aforementioned rollers being parallel to the conveying direction of the aforementioned first conveyor belt; the central axis of any of the aforementioned rollers is perpendicular to the conveying surface of the aforementioned first conveyor belt, and any of the aforementioned rollers protrudes from the side wall of the corresponding aforementioned side plate near the side plate of another aforementioned side plate.

[0007] Furthermore, in this utility model, the two side plates are connected by two first drive shafts that are parallel to each other on their central axes. Any of the first drive shafts is rotatably connected to the two side plates, and the two first drive shafts are connected by the first conveyor belt.

[0008] Furthermore, in this utility model, the aforementioned friction-reducing mechanism includes two second conveyor belts rotatably disposed on the two aforementioned side plates, wherein the conveying direction of any of the aforementioned second conveyor belts is the same as the conveying direction of the aforementioned first conveyor belt, and the conveying surface of any of the aforementioned second conveyor belts is perpendicular to the conveying surface of the aforementioned first conveyor belt; the distance between the two conveying surfaces of the two aforementioned second conveyor belts located within the aforementioned hopper is less than the distance between the two side walls of the two aforementioned side plates located within the aforementioned hopper.

[0009] Furthermore, in this utility model, two second through slots are spaced apart on any of the aforementioned side plates, and two second drive shafts are rotatably arranged in the two aforementioned second through slots, and the two aforementioned second drive shafts are connected by a corresponding aforementioned second conveyor belt.

[0010] The beneficial effects of this utility model are: This utility model provides a hopper for feeding bottle caps. By installing a friction-reducing mechanism on both side plates, when several bottle caps move on the first conveyor belt, if some bottle caps come into contact with the friction-reducing mechanism, the presence of the friction-reducing mechanism will significantly reduce the friction between the bottle caps and the two side plates, thereby reducing the wear rate of the bottle caps. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the silo structure according to Embodiment 1 of this utility model; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the silo in use according to Embodiment 1 of this utility model; Figure 3 for Figure 2 A sectional view; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the silo structure in Embodiment 2 of this utility model.

[0012] In the diagram: 101-hopper; 1011-bottom plate; 1012-top plate; 1013-side plate; 1014-feed inlet; 1015-discharge outlet; 201-first conveyor belt; 301-scraper; 401-roller; 501-first drive shaft; 601-second conveyor belt; 701-storage bin; 801-frame; 901-lid sorting machine. Detailed Implementation

[0013] The technical solution of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this utility model, and not all embodiments. 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.

[0014] Example 1 Please see Figure 1-3 This embodiment provides a technical solution: A hopper for feeding bottle caps is provided. The hopper 101 is formed by a bottom plate 1011, a top plate 1012, and two side plates 1013. One end of the hopper 101 is a feed inlet 1014, and the other end is a discharge outlet 1015. A first conveyor belt 201 (which is the conveyor belt in a common belt conveyor mechanism) is provided inside the hopper 101. One end of the first conveyor belt 201 is located inside the feed inlet 1014, and the other end is located inside the discharge outlet 1015. Several scrapers 301 are arranged at intervals on the conveying surface of the first conveyor belt 201. A friction-reducing mechanism that can reduce the friction between the bottle cap and the side plate 1013 is installed on the side wall of any side plate 1013 inside the hopper 101.

[0015] Preferably, in this embodiment, a plurality of first through slots are linearly arrayed on any side plate 1013, and the friction reduction mechanism includes a plurality of rollers 401 respectively rotatably disposed in the plurality of first through slots. The arrangement direction of the plurality of rollers 401 is parallel to the conveying direction of the first conveyor belt 201. The central axis of any roller 401 is perpendicular to the conveying surface of the first conveyor belt 201, and any roller 401 protrudes from the corresponding side plate 1013 and is close to the side wall of the other side plate 1013.

[0016] To facilitate the installation of the first conveyor belt 201, in this embodiment, the two side plates 1013 are connected by two first drive shafts 501 that are parallel to each other on the central axis. Any one of the first drive shafts 501 is rotatably connected to the two side plates 1013. The two first drive shafts 501 are connected by transmission through the first conveyor belt 201. The two first drive shafts 501 keep the first conveyor belt 201 in a taut state, and one end of one of the first drive shafts 501 is connected to a motor (not shown in the figure).

[0017] Working principle: like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, during use, the hopper 101 is installed at an angle on the frame 801. The inlet 1014 of the hopper 101 is located inside the storage box 701, and the outlet 1015 of the hopper 101 is located above the lid sorting machine 901.

[0018] Several bottle caps, manufactured by the corresponding equipment, are first stored in the storage bin 701. When a bottle cap is needed, the motor driving the first conveyor belt 201 is started, and the cap is then transported from the storage bin. Figure 3 From the perspective of the motor, the motor causes the first conveyor belt 201 to rotate clockwise. Several scrapers 301 on the first conveyor belt 201 can scrape several bottle caps in the storage box 701 onto the first conveyor belt 201 in batches, and then transport them to the top of the cap sorting machine 901, and finally drop them into the cap sorting machine 901.

[0019] As several bottle caps move on the first conveyor belt 201, some caps, if in contact with the side plate 1013, will first contact several rollers 401 one by one before contacting the side plate 1013. Since the rollers 401 are rotatably connected to the side plate 1013, the rollers 401 will rotate under the action of friction when the bottle caps contact the rollers 401. The friction between the bottle caps and the rollers 401 is rolling friction. Compared to when there are no rollers 401 on the side plate 1013, the friction between the bottle caps and the side plate 1013 is sliding friction. Under the same conditions, this will result in a smaller frictional force on the corresponding bottle caps (because under the same conditions, rolling friction is significantly smaller than sliding friction, which is determined by the essential difference in the coefficient of friction; the coefficient of rolling friction is usually 10-100 times smaller than the coefficient of sliding friction), thereby reducing the wear rate of the bottle caps.

[0020] Example 2 like Figure 4 As shown, the difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that: in this embodiment, the friction reduction mechanism includes two second conveyor belts 601 that are rotatably mounted on two side plates 1013 respectively. The conveying direction of any second conveyor belt 601 is the same as the conveying direction of the first conveyor belt 201, and the conveying surface of any second conveyor belt 601 is perpendicular to the conveying surface of the first conveyor belt 201; the distance between the two conveying surfaces of the two second conveyor belts 601 located in the hopper 101 is less than the distance between the two side walls of the two side plates 1013 located in the hopper 101.

[0021] Preferably, in order to facilitate the installation of the second conveyor belt 601, in this embodiment, two second through slots are provided at intervals on any side plate 1013, and two second drive shafts are rotatably arranged in the two second through slots respectively. The two second drive shafts are connected by transmission through the corresponding second conveyor belt 601, and one of the second drive shafts is connected by transmission to a motor (not shown in the figure), which is used to drive the second drive shaft to rotate.

[0022] Working principle: When conveying bottle caps, both the motor driving one of the first drive shafts 501 and the motor driving one of the second drive shafts can be operated, so that the conveying speed of the first conveyor belt 201 and the second conveyor belt 601 is the same. In this way, when several bottle caps move on the first conveyor belt 201, if some bottle caps come into contact with the second conveyor belt 601, since the second conveyor belt 601 is also running, the bottle caps in contact with the second conveyor belt 601 will not be worn or the wear will be very small, thereby reducing the wear rate of the bottle caps.

[0023] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this utility model. It should be understood that this utility model is not limited to the forms disclosed herein and should not be construed as excluding other embodiments. It can be used in various other combinations, modifications, and environments, and can be altered within the scope of the concept described herein through the above teachings or related technologies or knowledge. Modifications and variations made by those skilled in the art that do not depart from the spirit and scope of this utility model should be protected within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A material hopper for feeding bottle caps, characterized in that: The hopper (101) is formed by a bottom plate (1011), a top plate (1012) and two side plates (1013). One end of the hopper (101) is a feed inlet (1014) and the other end is a discharge outlet (1015). A first conveyor belt (201) is provided inside the hopper (101). One end of the first conveyor belt (201) is located inside the feed inlet (1014) and the other end is located inside the discharge outlet (1015). Several scrapers (301) are arranged at intervals on the conveying surface of the first conveyor belt (201). Any of the side plates (1013) is provided with a friction-reducing mechanism on the side wall inside the hopper (101) to reduce the friction between the bottle cap and the side plate (1013).

2. The bottle cap feeding hopper according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of first through slots are linearly arranged on any of the side plates (1013). The friction reduction mechanism includes a plurality of rollers (401) respectively rotatably disposed in the plurality of first through slots. The arrangement direction of the plurality of rollers (401) is parallel to the conveying direction of the first conveyor belt (201). The central axis of any roller (401) is perpendicular to the conveying surface of the first conveyor belt (201). Any roller (401) protrudes from the corresponding side plate (1013) and is close to the side wall of another side plate (1013).

3. A hopper for feeding bottle caps according to claim 2, characterized in that: The two side plates (1013) are connected by two first drive shafts (501) that are parallel to each other on the central axis. Any one of the first drive shafts (501) is rotatably connected to the two side plates (1013), and the two first drive shafts (501) are connected by the first conveyor belt (201).

4. The bottle cap feeding hopper according to claim 1, characterized in that: The friction reduction mechanism includes two second conveyor belts (601) respectively rotatably mounted on the two side plates (1013). The conveying direction of any second conveyor belt (601) is the same as that of the first conveyor belt (201), and the conveying surface of any second conveyor belt (601) is perpendicular to the conveying surface of the first conveyor belt (201). The distance between the two conveying surfaces of the two second conveyor belts (601) located in the hopper (101) is less than the distance between the two side walls of the two side plates (1013) located in the hopper (101).

5. A bottle cap feeding hopper according to claim 4, characterized in that: Two second through slots are provided at intervals on any of the side plates (1013), and two second drive shafts are rotatably arranged in the two second through slots respectively. The two second drive shafts are connected by transmission through the corresponding second conveyor belts (601).

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