Device and method for manufacturing silica gel pencil

Abstract

To disclose a device and method for manufacturing a silica gel pencil.SOLUTION: A device for producing silica gel pencils includes a conveying device, a gripping device, a silica gel injection molding machine, and a control device. The conveying device includes an unprocessed pencil conveying device and a processed pencil conveying device. The silica gel injection molding machine includes a main body. A mold and a clamping system are installed in the main body. The mold includes a front mold and a rear mold, and the mold is fixed to the clamping system included in the main body, and a pencil placement groove is installed in the middle part of the front mold chamber. The control device is configured to execute the steps of moving the unprocessed pencil conveyed by the unprocessed pencil conveying device into the pencil placement groove, performing a clamping operation, performing an injection molding operation on the front mold chamber and the rear mold chamber, performing a demolding operation, and moving the processed pencil in the pencil placement groove to the processed pencil conveying device. The silica gel pencils manufactured by the silica gel pencil manufacturing device can improve the comfort of use for users and the safety during use.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the technical field of silica gel pencil manufacturing, and in particular to an apparatus and method for manufacturing silica gel pencils. [Background technology]

[0002] A pencil is a pen for writing and sketching. Currently, the common method of manufacturing pencils is to encase a lead core in a wooden material and paint the outside of the wooden pencil.

[0003] However, the inventors have found that the above-mentioned pencil manufacturing methods often have the following technical problems.

[0004] Firstly, the wooden pencils produced are hard and calluses are likely to form on the user's hands after long-term use, which reduces the user's comfort in using them. Many of the outer paint coating layers contain harmful substances, which are likely to harm the health of children after chewing them, making them less safe to use.

[0005] Secondly, the production speed is not determined based on the characteristics of the manufacturing materials, which results in a low pass rate for the produced pencils and a large number of discarded pencils, resulting in a waste of resources.

[0006] Thirdly, no defect recognition is carried out on the front and back surfaces of the manufactured pencils, so the pencils that users ultimately receive have many defects and are uncomfortable to use, resulting in a poor user experience.

[0007] The above information disclosed in this background section is only used to enhance understanding of the background of the concept of the present invention, and therefore may include information that does not form part of the prior art known to those skilled in the art in this country. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] This section of the disclosure is intended to introduce ideas in a concise form that are further described in the Detailed Description section below. This section of the disclosure is not intended to identify key features or required features of the technical solutions for which protection is sought, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the technical solutions for which protection is sought.

[0009] Some embodiments of the present disclosure propose a silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus and method to solve one or more of the technical problems mentioned in the background section above. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] According to a first aspect, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus including a conveying device, a gripping device, a silica gel injection molding machine, and a control device, the conveying device including a raw pencil conveying device and a processed pencil conveying device, the raw pencil conveying device is configured to convey raw pencils, the processed pencil conveying device is configured to convey processed pencils, the gripping device is located between the raw pencil conveying device and the processed pencil conveying device, the silica gel injection molding machine is located on either side of the gripping device, the silica gel injection molding machine includes a main body, a mold and a clamping system are installed in the main body, the mold includes a front mold and a rear mold, the mold is fixed to the clamping system included in the main body, a front mold chamber is installed in the front mold, a rear mold chamber is installed in the rear mold, and a middle portion of the front mold chamber is provided with a clamping system. With a pencil mounting groove installed and the front and rear molds clamped together, the front mold chamber is connected to the rear mold chamber, and the conveying device, the gripping device and the silica gel injection molding machine are all communicatively connected to the control device, and the control device is configured to execute the following steps: controlling the gripping device to move unprocessed pencils conveyed by the unprocessed pencil conveying device into the pencil mounting groove; controlling a clamping system included in the silica gel injection molding machine to perform a clamping operation; controlling the silica gel injection molding machine to perform an injection molding operation on the front mold chamber and the rear mold chamber; controlling the clamping system included in the silica gel injection molding machine to perform a demolding operation; and controlling the gripping device to move the processed pencils in the pencil mounting groove to the processed pencil conveying device.

[0011] Optionally, the silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus further includes a visual detection device, the visual detection device is installed on either side of the processed pencil transporting device, the visual detection device is communicatively connected to the control device, the visual detection device includes an image collection assembly, an image processing assembly, and an image recognition assembly, the visual detection device is configured to perform the steps of: performing image collection on the processed pencil placed on the processed pencil transporting device by the image collection assembly to obtain a processed pencil image; performing image preprocessing on the processed pencil image by the image processing assembly to obtain a processed pencil image after image preprocessing; performing defect recognition processing on the processed pencil image after image preprocessing by the image recognition assembly to obtain a defect recognition result; and transmitting the defect recognition result to the control device, and the control device is further configured to control the gripping device to perform a gripping operation corresponding to the defect recognition result based on the received defect recognition result.

[0012] Optionally, the silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus further includes a waste box located on either side of the gripping device, and the control device is further configured to control the gripping device to place the defective processed pencil into the waste box in response to the received defect recognition result characterizing the processed pencil as defective.

[0013] Optionally, the depth of the pencil mounting groove is greater than the depth of the pre-mold chamber, the inner shape of the pencil mounting groove matches the outer shape of the raw pencil, the size of the pre-mold chamber is greater than the inner size of the pencil mounting groove, and the gap between the pre-mold chamber and the pencil mounting groove is used to form a silica gel layer.

[0014] Optionally, the silica gel injection molding machine further includes a supply system and a mixing system, the supply system configured to provide liquid silica gel to the body, and the mixing system configured to mix the provided liquid silica gel.

[0015] Optionally, the liquid silica gel provided by the supply system includes a first preset liquid silica gel and a second preset liquid silica gel, and the ratio of the first preset liquid silica gel to the second preset liquid silica gel is 1:1.

[0016] Optionally, the gripping device is a manipulator, a vacuum suction cup is installed on the hand of the manipulator, the shape of the vacuum suction cup is elongated, and the concave groove shape at the bottom of the vacuum suction cup matches the shape of the unprocessed pencil or the processed pencil.

[0017] According to a second aspect, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a silica gel pencil manufacturing method for use in the silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus described in the first aspect, wherein the conveying device includes an unprocessed pencil conveying device and a processed pencil conveying device, the silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus includes a conveying device, a gripping device, a silica gel injection molding machine, and a control device, the silica gel injection molding machine includes a main body, a mold and a clamping system are installed in the main body, a front mold chamber is installed in the front mold, a rear mold chamber is installed in the rear mold, and a pencil mounting groove is installed in the middle part of the front mold chamber, and the method includes a step of moving the unprocessed pencil conveyed by the unprocessed pencil conveying device into the pencil mounting groove by the gripping device, a step of performing a clamping operation by the clamping system included in the silica gel injection molding machine, a step of performing an injection molding operation on the front mold chamber and the rear mold chamber by the silica gel injection molding machine, a step of performing a demolding operation by the clamping system included in the silica gel injection molding machine, and a step of moving the processed pencil in the pencil mounting groove to the processed pencil conveying device by the gripping device.

[0018] Optionally, the silica gel injection molding machine further includes a heating system, a viscosity sensor, and at least one temperature sensor, and the step of performing an injection molding operation on the front mold chamber and the rear mold chamber by the silica gel injection molding machine includes the steps of: detecting the temperature of a mold and obtaining mold temperature information; generating a mold pre-heating temperature to be adjusted according to preset mold pre-heating temperature information and the mold temperature information; pre-heating the mold by the heating system according to the mold pre-heating temperature to be adjusted and a preset mold pre-heating time; detecting the temperature of liquid silica gel and obtaining silica gel temperature information that can characterize the temperature of the liquid silica gel; generating a silica gel pre-heating temperature to be adjusted according to preset silica gel temperature information and the silica gel temperature information; The method includes the steps of: heating the liquid silica gel to be injected by the heating system based on the temperature; and performing an injection molding operation corresponding to the target injection molding pressure and the target injection molding speed by an injection molding system included in the silica gel injection molding machine based on a target injection molding pressure and a target injection molding speed, wherein the target injection molding pressure and the target injection molding speed can be determined by an artificial intelligence chip based on the real-time silica gel temperature detected by the temperature sensor and the real-time silica gel viscosity detected by the viscosity sensor, and the machine learning model mounted on the artificial intelligence chip can be trained by a training sample set, and the training samples in the training sample set include a sample silica gel temperature and a sample silica gel viscosity.

[0019] Optionally, the silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus further includes a visual detection device and a rotation device, and the method includes a step of collecting an image of the processed pencil placed on the processed pencil conveying device under a first light source and an image of the processed pencil under a second light source by the visual detection device to obtain a first processed pencil image and a second processed pencil image, a step of performing a rotation operation on the processed pencil by the rotation device, a step of collecting an image of the processed pencil after rotation under the first light source and an image of the processed pencil after rotation under the second light source to obtain a first rotated pencil image and a second rotated pencil image, a step of performing a noise removal process on the first processed pencil image and the second processed pencil image to obtain a first processed pencil noise removed image and a second processed pencil noise removed image, and a step of applying noise reduction processing to the first rotated pencil image and the second rotated pencil image. the step of performing edge processing on the first processed pencil noise removed image and the second processed pencil noise removed image to obtain a first processed pencil edge image and a second processed pencil edge image; the step of performing edge processing on the first rotated pencil noise removed image and the second rotated pencil noise removed image to obtain a first rotated pencil edge image and a second rotated pencil edge image; the step of determining a defect recognition result corresponding to the processed pencil based on the first processed pencil edge image, the second processed pencil edge image, the first rotated pencil edge image, and the second rotated pencil edge image; and the step of performing a gripping operation corresponding to the defect recognition result based on the determined defect recognition result. Effect of the Invention

[0020] The above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure have the following beneficial effects: The silica gel pencils manufactured by the silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus of the embodiments of the present disclosure can improve the user's comfort of use and safety during use. Specifically, the reasons why the pencils manufactured by the related pencil manufacturing methods have poor user comfort and poor safety during use are as follows: The manufactured wooden pencils are hard and are prone to calluses on the user's hands after long-term use, which reduces the user's comfort of use; Most of the outer paint coating layers contain harmful substances, which are easily harmful to children's health after chewing, and reduce safety during use.Based on this, a silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure includes a conveying device, a gripping device, a silica gel injection molding machine, and a control device, the conveying device includes a raw pencil conveying device and a processed pencil conveying device, the raw pencil conveying device is configured to convey raw pencils, the processed pencil conveying device is configured to convey processed pencils, the gripping device is located between the raw pencil conveying device and the processed pencil conveying device, the silica gel injection molding machine is located on either side of the gripping device, the silica gel injection molding machine includes a main body, a mold and a clamping system are installed in the main body, the mold includes a front mold and a rear mold, the mold is fixed to the clamping system included in the main body, a front mold chamber is installed in the front mold, a rear mold chamber is installed in the rear mold, and a pencil is mounted in the middle part of the front mold chamber. With the front and rear dies clamped together, the front die chamber communicates with the rear die chamber, the conveying device, the gripping device and the silica gel injection molding machine are all communicatively connected to the control device, and the control device is configured to execute the following steps: control the gripping device to move the raw pencil conveyed by the raw pencil conveying device into the pencil mounting groove, control a clamping system included in the silica gel injection molding machine to perform a clamping operation, control the silica gel injection molding machine to perform an injection molding operation on the front and rear die chambers, control the clamping system included in the silica gel injection molding machine to perform a demolding operation, and control the gripping device to move the processed pencil in the pencil mounting groove to the processed pencil conveying device. By injecting silica gel onto the outside of the raw pencil, the outer layer of the pencil can be wrapped with silica gel. Silica gel is a soft material, so the pen is comfortable to hold; silica gel is more environmentally friendly and non-toxic; and it can increase the user's comfort and safety during use. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] The above and other features, advantages and aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent in conjunction with the drawings and with reference to the following detailed description. Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements. It should be understood that the drawings are schematic and that the components and elements are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0022] [Figure 1] 1A to 1C are structural schematic diagrams of several embodiments of a silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus according to the present disclosure; [Diagram 2] 1 is a flow chart of some embodiments of a method for making a silica gel pencil according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. Although the drawings show some embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be realized in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to allow the present disclosure to be understood in more detail and completely. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the present disclosure are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0024] It should be further explained that for convenience of description, only parts related to the invention are shown in the drawings. When there is no contradiction, the features of the embodiments and the embodiments in the present disclosure can be combined with each other.

[0025] It should be noted that the concepts of "first", "second", etc. referred to in this disclosure are used only to distinguish different devices, modules or units, and are not used to limit the order or interdependence of functions performed by these devices, modules or units.

[0026] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the modifications "a" and "a plurality" referred to in the present disclosure are general rather than limiting, and should be understood as "one or more" unless the context expressly indicates otherwise.

[0027] The names of messages or information exchanged among devices in the embodiments of the present disclosure are used for illustrative purposes only and are not used to limit the scope of these messages or information.

[0028] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings and examples.

[0029] 1 is a structural schematic diagram of several embodiments of a silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus according to the present disclosure, which includes an unprocessed pencil conveying device 1, a processed pencil conveying device 2, a gripping device 3, and a silica gel injection molding machine 4.

[0030] In some embodiments, the silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus may include a conveying device, a gripping device 3, a silica gel injection molding machine 4, and a control device. The conveying device may be a device for conveying raw pencils or processed pencils. The conveying device may include a raw pencil conveying device 1 and a processed pencil conveying device 2. The raw pencil conveying device 1 may be configured to convey raw pencils. The processed pencil conveying device 2 may be configured to convey processed pencils. For example, the raw pencil conveying device 1 and the processed pencil conveying device 2 may both be conveyor belts. The gripping device 3 may be a device for gripping raw pencils or processed pencils. For example, the gripping device 3 may be a manipulator. The control device may be a device for controlling each of the other devices and machines. For example, the control device may be a single-chip computer.

[0031] In some embodiments, the gripping device may be located between the raw pencil conveying device 1 and the finished pencil conveying device 2. The silica gel injection molding machine 4 may be located on either side of the gripping device.

[0032] In some embodiments, the silica gel injection molding machine 4 may include a main body. A mold and a clamping system may be installed in the main body. The mold may include a front mold and a rear mold. The mold may be fixed to the clamping system included in the main body. A front mold chamber may be installed in the front mold. A rear mold chamber may be installed in the rear mold. A pencil mounting groove may be installed in the middle part of the front mold chamber. When the front mold and the rear mold are clamped, the front mold chamber may communicate with the rear mold chamber. The pencil mounting groove may be understood as being used to fix a pencil in the front mold chamber. The radial line of the pencil mounting groove may be parallel to the radial line of the front mold chamber. The horizontal cross-sectional size of the front mold chamber is the same as the horizontal cross-sectional size of the rear mold chamber. The height of the pencil mounting groove and the height of the front mold chamber may be smaller than the height of the raw pencil. Furthermore, the depth of the rear mold chamber may be greater than the depth of the pencil in the rear mold chamber. This allows the gripping device 3 to grip the processed pencil easily during manufacture by allowing the pencil to protrude from the front mold chamber. The silica gel protrudes from one end of the pencil, making it easy for the user to grip the pencil even when the pencil is used to a short length.

[0033] In some embodiments, the conveying device, the gripping device 3, and the silica gel injection molding machine 4 may all be communicatively connected to the control device. Here, the specific form of communication between the conveying device, the gripping device 3, and the silica gel injection molding machine 4 and the control device is not limited. For example, the specific form may be a wireless connection form and a wired connection form. The wireless connection form may include, but is not limited to, a 3G / 4G connection, a WiFi connection, a Bluetooth connection, a WiMAX connection, a Zigbee connection, a UWB (ultra wideband) connection, and any currently known or future developed wireless connection form.

[0034] In some embodiments, the controller may be configured to perform the following steps.

[0035] In a first step, the gripping device 3 is controlled to move the raw pencil conveyed by the raw pencil conveying device 1 into the pencil placement groove. In practice, first, the gripping device 3 can grip the raw pencil conveyed by the raw pencil conveying device 1. Then, the gripping device 3 can move above the pencil placement groove. After that, the gripping device 3 can rotate the orientation of the raw pencil to a vertical direction. Finally, the gripping device 3 can place the raw pencil in the pencil placement groove.

[0036] In the second step, the clamping system included in the silica gel injection molding machine 4 is controlled to perform the clamping operation. In practice, the moving template included in the clamping system can move forward to clamp the front mold and the rear mold.

[0037] In a third step, the silica gel injection molding machine 4 is controlled to perform injection molding operation on the front chamber and the rear chamber.

[0038] In the fourth step, the mold clamping system included in the silica gel injection molding machine 4 is controlled to perform a demolding operation. In practice, the moving template included in the mold clamping system can move backward to demold the front mold and the rear mold.

[0039] In a fifth step, the gripping device 3 is controlled to move the processed pencil in the pencil placement groove to the processed pencil transport device 2. In practice, first, the gripping device 3 grips the processed pencil in the pencil placement groove. Then, the gripping device 3 can move the processed pencil above the processed pencil transport device 2. After that, the gripping device 3 can rotate the orientation of the processed pencil to the horizontal direction. Finally, the gripping device 3 can place the processed pencil in the processed pencil transport device 2.

[0040] Optionally, the silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus may further include a visual detection device. The visual detection device may be a device for detecting whether the processed pencil has a defect. The visual detection device may include an image collection assembly, an image processing assembly, and an image recognition assembly. The image collection assembly may be an assembly for collecting images of the processed pencil. For example, the image collection assembly may be a camera. The image processing assembly may be an assembly for performing image pre-processing on the collected processed pencil images. The image recognition assembly may be an assembly for recognizing whether the processed pencil corresponding to the collected processed pencil images has a defect. For example, both the image processing assembly and the image recognition assembly may be an image processing chip. The visual detection device may be installed on either side of the processed pencil transport device 2. The visual detection device may be communicatively connected to the control device. The visual detection device may be configured to perform the steps of: performing image collection on the processed pencil placed on the processed pencil transport device 2 by the image collection assembly to obtain a processed pencil image; performing image preprocessing on the processed pencil image by the image processing assembly to obtain a processed pencil image after image preprocessing; performing defect recognition processing on the processed pencil image after image preprocessing by the image recognition assembly to obtain a defect recognition result; and transmitting the defect recognition result to the control device. The control device may be further configured to control the gripping device 3 to perform a gripping operation corresponding to the defect recognition result based on the received defect recognition result. This allows the visual detection device to recognize whether or not the processed pencil has a defect.

[0041] Optionally, the silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus may further include a waste box. The waste box may be located on either side of the gripping device 3. The control device may be further configured to control the gripping device 3 to place the defective processed pencil into the waste box in response to the received defect recognition result characterizing the processed pencil as defective. This allows the defective processed pencil to be placed into the waste box, thereby improving the quality of the processed pencils that are finally transported.

[0042] Optionally, the depth of the pencil mounting groove may be greater than the depth of the pre-mold chamber. The inner shape of the pencil mounting groove may match the outer shape of the raw pencil. When the raw pencil is placed in the pencil mounting groove, it may be understood that the raw pencil may be in close contact with the inner wall of the pencil mounting groove. The size of the pre-mold chamber may be greater than the inner size of the pencil mounting groove. The gap between the pre-mold chamber and the pencil mounting groove may be used to form a silica gel layer.

[0043] Optionally, the silica gel injection molding machine 4 may further include a supply system and a mixing system. The supply system may be configured to provide liquid silica gel to the body. The mixing system may be configured to mix the provided liquid silica gel.

[0044] Optionally, the liquid silica gel provided by the supply system may include a first preset liquid silica gel and a second preset liquid silica gel. The ratio of the first preset liquid silica gel to the second preset liquid silica gel may be 1:1. Here, the specific materials of the first preset liquid silica gel and the second preset liquid silica gel are not limited. For example, the first preset liquid silica gel and the second preset liquid silica gel may be processed from materials such as polydimethylsiloxane, silicon dioxide, dimethylpolysiloxane, ethyl silicate, etc.

[0045] Alternatively, the gripping device 3 may be a manipulator. A vacuum suction cup may be installed on the hand of the manipulator. The shape of the vacuum suction cup may be elongated. The groove shape of the bottom of the vacuum suction cup may match the shape of an uncut pencil or a cut pencil. The shape of the part of the vacuum suction cup for gripping an uncut pencil may be understood to be the same as the shape of an uncut pencil or a cut pencil. This allows the vacuum suction cup to grip the pencil more quickly and makes it easier to adjust the orientation of the uncut pencil and the cut pencil.

[0046] The above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure have the following beneficial effects: The silica gel pencils manufactured by the silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus of the embodiments of the present disclosure can improve the user's comfort of use and safety during use. Specifically, the reasons why the pencils manufactured by the related pencil manufacturing methods have poor user comfort and poor safety during use are as follows: The manufactured wooden pencils are hard, and calluses are likely to form on the user's hands after long-term use, which reduces the user's comfort of use; Most of the outer paint coating layers contain harmful substances, which are likely to harm the health of children after chewing them, and reduce the safety during use.Based on this, a silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure includes a conveying device, a gripping device, a silica gel injection molding machine, and a control device, the conveying device includes a raw pencil conveying device and a processed pencil conveying device, the raw pencil conveying device is configured to convey raw pencils, the processed pencil conveying device is configured to convey processed pencils, the gripping device is located between the raw pencil conveying device and the processed pencil conveying device, the silica gel injection molding machine is located on either side of the gripping device, the silica gel injection molding machine includes a main body, a mold and a clamping system are installed in the main body, the mold includes a front mold and a rear mold, the mold is fixed to the clamping system included in the main body, a front mold chamber is installed in the front mold, a rear mold chamber is installed in the rear mold, and a pencil is mounted in the middle part of the front mold chamber. With the front and rear dies clamped together, the front die chamber communicates with the rear die chamber, the conveying device, the gripping device and the silica gel injection molding machine are all communicatively connected to the control device, and the control device is configured to execute the following steps: control the gripping device to move the raw pencil conveyed by the raw pencil conveying device into the pencil mounting groove, control a clamping system included in the silica gel injection molding machine to perform a clamping operation, control the silica gel injection molding machine to perform an injection molding operation on the front and rear die chambers, control the clamping system included in the silica gel injection molding machine to perform a demolding operation, and control the gripping device to move the processed pencil in the pencil mounting groove to the processed pencil conveying device. By injecting silica gel onto the outside of the raw pencil, the outer layer of the pencil can be wrapped with silica gel. Silica gel is a soft material, so the pen is comfortable to hold; silica gel is more environmentally friendly and non-toxic; and it can increase the user's comfort and safety during use.

[0047] 2, a flow chart 200 of some embodiments of a method for making a silica gel pencil according to the present disclosure is shown. The method for making a silica gel pencil includes the following steps:

[0048] In step 201, the uncut pencil conveyed by the uncut pencil conveying device is moved by the gripping device into the pencil placement groove.

[0049] In some embodiments, the subject of the silica gel pencil manufacturing method (for example, the silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1) can move the raw pencil conveyed by the raw pencil conveying device into the pencil placement groove by the gripping device. The conveying device may include a raw pencil conveying device and a processed pencil conveying device. The silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus may include a conveying device, a gripping device, a silica gel injection molding machine, and a control device. The silica gel injection molding machine may include a main body. A mold and a clamping system may be installed in the main body. A front mold chamber may be installed in the front mold. A rear mold chamber may be installed in the rear mold. A pencil placement groove may be installed in the middle part of the front mold chamber. In practice, first, the gripping device grips the raw pencil conveyed by the raw pencil conveying device. Then, the gripping device can move above the pencil placement groove. After that, the gripping device can rotate the orientation of the raw pencil to a vertical direction. Finally, the gripping device can place the raw pencil in the pencil placement groove.

[0050] In step 202, a clamping operation is performed by a clamping system included in the silica gel injection molding machine.

[0051] In some embodiments, the executing entity can perform a clamping operation by a clamping system included in the silica gel injection molding machine, and in fact, a moving template included in the clamping system can move forward to clamp the front mold and the rear mold.

[0052] In step 203, the silica gel injection molding machine performs an injection molding operation on the front and rear chambers.

[0053] In some embodiments, the executing entity can perform an injection molding operation on the front mold chamber and the rear mold chamber by the silica gel injection molding machine.

[0054] Optionally, the silica gel injection molding machine may further include a heating system, a viscosity sensor, and at least one temperature sensor. The heating system may be used to heat the liquid silica gel and preheat the mold. The temperature sensor may be used to detect the temperature of the mold and the temperature of the liquid silica gel. The at least one temperature sensor includes a temperature sensor installed in the mold and a temperature sensor installed in the liquid silica gel portion. The viscosity sensor may be used to detect the viscosity of the liquid silica gel.

[0055] In some alternative implementation forms of some embodiments, the executing entity can perform an injection molding operation on the front mold chamber and the rear mold chamber by the silica gel injection molding machine by performing the following steps:

[0056] In the first step, the temperature of the mold is detected to obtain mold temperature information. The mold temperature information can characterize the temperature of the mold. In practice, the execution subject can detect the temperature of the mold by a temperature sensor installed in the mold, and the detected temperature can be used as the mold temperature information.

[0057] In a second step, a mold preheat temperature to be adjusted is generated based on the preset mold preheat temperature information and the mold temperature information. The preset mold preheat temperature information can characterize a preheat temperature that is set in advance and needs to be set during mold manufacturing. The mold preheat temperature to be adjusted can be a temperature to which a heating system needs to heat the mold. In practice, the execution subject can input the preset mold preheat temperature information and the mold temperature information into a pre-trained mold preheat temperature generation model to be adjusted to obtain the mold preheat temperature to be adjusted. The mold preheat temperature generation model to be adjusted can be a neural network model that takes the preset mold preheat temperature information and mold temperature information as inputs and outputs the mold preheat temperature to be adjusted. For example, the mold preheat temperature generation model to be adjusted can be a convolutional neural network model.

[0058] In a third step, the heating system preheats the mold based on the adjusted mold preheat temperature and a preset mold preheat time. The preset mold preheat time may be a preset time length for which the mold needs to be preheated. In practice, the execution entity may heat the mold at the adjusted mold preheat temperature for the preset mold preheat time by the heating system. As can be seen, the adjusted mold preheat temperature may be updated according to the detected mold temperature information.

[0059] In the fourth step, the temperature of the liquid silica gel is detected to obtain the silica gel temperature information. The above-mentioned silica gel temperature information can characterize the temperature of the liquid silica gel. In practice, the above-mentioned execution body can detect the temperature of the liquid silica gel by a temperature sensor installed in the liquid silica gel part, and the detected temperature can be the silica gel temperature information.

[0060] In the fifth step, a silica gel preheating temperature to be adjusted is generated according to the preset silica gel temperature information and the silica gel temperature information. The preset mold preheating temperature information can characterize the preheating temperature to be set for the liquid silica gel, which is preset. The silica gel preheating temperature to be adjusted can be the temperature to which the heating system needs to heat the liquid silica gel. In practice, the execution subject can input the preset silica gel preheating temperature information and the silica gel temperature information into a pre-trained silica gel preheating temperature generation model to be adjusted to obtain the silica gel preheating temperature to be adjusted. The silica gel preheating temperature generation model to be adjusted can be a neural network model that takes the preset silica gel preheating temperature information and silica gel temperature information as inputs and outputs the silica gel preheating temperature to be adjusted. For example, the silica gel preheating temperature generation model to be adjusted can be a convolutional neural network model.

[0061] In the sixth step, the liquid silica gel to be injected is heated by the heating system according to the adjusted silica gel pre-heating temperature. In practice, the execution entity can heat the liquid silica gel at the adjusted silica gel pre-heating temperature by the heating system. As can be understood, the adjusted silica gel pre-heating temperature can be updated according to the detected silica gel temperature information.

[0062] In the seventh step, based on the target injection molding pressure and the target injection molding speed, an injection molding operation corresponding to the target injection molding pressure and the target injection molding speed is performed by an injection molding system included in the silica gel injection molding machine. The target injection molding pressure and the target injection molding speed may be determined by an artificial intelligence chip based on the real-time silica gel temperature detected by the temperature sensor and the real-time silica gel viscosity detected by the viscosity sensor. The machine learning model mounted on the artificial intelligence chip may be obtained by training with a training sample set. The training samples in the training sample set include a sample silica gel temperature and a sample silica gel viscosity. Specifically, the machine learning model mounted on the artificial intelligence chip is obtained by training with the real-time silica gel temperature and the real-time silica gel viscosity as inputs and the target injection molding pressure and the target injection molding speed as desired outputs. For example, the machine learning model may be a convolutional neural network model.

[0063] The above related content, as one inventive feature of the embodiment of the present disclosure, solves the second technical problem mentioned in the Background Art, which is that "the manufacturing speed is not determined based on the characteristics of the manufacturing materials, resulting in a low pass rate for the manufactured pencils and a large number of discarded pencils, which leads to a waste of resources." The causes of the waste of resources are as follows. The manufacturing speed is not determined based on the characteristics of the manufacturing materials, resulting in a low pass rate for the manufactured pencils and a large number of discarded pencils. If this problem is solved, the waste of resources can be reduced. In order to achieve this effect, the silica gel injection molding machine included in the silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus of the present disclosure further includes a heating system, a viscosity sensor, and at least one temperature sensor, and the above-mentioned step of performing injection molding operation on the front mold chamber and the rear mold chamber by the silica gel injection molding machine includes the steps of: detecting the temperature of the mold and obtaining mold temperature information; generating a mold preheating temperature to be adjusted based on preset mold preheating temperature information and the mold temperature information; preheating the mold by the heating system based on the mold preheating temperature to be adjusted and the preset mold preheating time; detecting the temperature of liquid silica gel and obtaining silica gel temperature information that can characterize the temperature of the liquid silica gel; and generating a silica gel preheating temperature to be adjusted based on preset silica gel temperature information and the silica gel temperature information. The method includes the steps of: heating the liquid silica gel to be injected by the heating system based on the silica gel pre-heating temperature to be adjusted; and performing an injection molding operation corresponding to the target injection molding pressure and the target injection molding speed by an injection molding system included in the silica gel injection molding machine based on a target injection molding pressure and a target injection molding speed, where the target injection molding pressure and the target injection molding speed can be determined by an artificial intelligence chip based on the real-time silica gel temperature detected by the temperature sensor and the real-time silica gel viscosity detected by the viscosity sensor, and the machine learning model mounted on the artificial intelligence chip can be trained by a training sample set, where the training sample in the training sample set includes a sample silica gel temperature and a sample silica gel viscosity.The temperature of the mold or liquid silica gel preheating can be determined based on the real-time temperature, so that the mold or liquid silica gel can be preheated at a more accurate temperature. The injection molding pressure and injection molding speed can be determined based on the temperature and viscosity of the liquid silica gel, so that the injection molding can be performed at a more accurate injection molding pressure and injection molding speed, thereby reducing the generation of bubbles, increasing the pass rate of the produced silica gel pencils, reducing the probability of discarding silica gel pencils, and further reducing the waste of resources.

[0064] In step 204, a demolding operation is carried out by a clamping system included in the silica gel injection molding machine.

[0065] In some embodiments, the executing entity can perform a demolding operation by a clamping system included in the silica gel injection molding machine, and in practice, a moving template included in the clamping system can move backward to demold the front mold and the rear mold.

[0066] In step 205, the gripping device moves the processed pencil in the pencil placement groove to the processed pencil transport device. In practice, the gripping device first grips the processed pencil in the pencil placement groove. Then, the gripping device can move above the processed pencil transport device. After that, the gripping device can rotate the orientation of the processed pencil to the horizontal direction. Finally, the gripping device can place the processed pencil in the processed pencil transport device.

[0067] In some embodiments, the executing entity can move the processed pencil in the pencil placement groove to the processed pencil transport device using the gripping device.

[0068] Optionally, the silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus may further include a visual detection device and a rotating device. The rotating device may be a device for rotating the processed pencil. For example, the rotating device may be a 180° inversion device. For another example, the rotating device may be a manipulator.

[0069] Optionally, the execution body may further execute the following steps.

[0070] In a first step, an image of the processed pencil placed on the processed pencil transport device under a first light source and an image of the processed pencil under a second light source are collected by a visual detection device to obtain a first processed pencil image and a second processed pencil image. Both the first light source and the second light source may be lighting devices. For example, both the first light source and the second light source may be flash lamps. The first light source and the second light source may be installed at different positions.

[0071] In a second step, the rotating device performs a rotation operation on the processed pencil. For example, the rotating device can grip the processed pencil so as to rotate it 180 degrees.

[0072] In a third step, an image of the processed pencil after rotation under a first light source and an image of the processed pencil after rotation under a second light source are collected to obtain a first rotated pencil image and a second rotated pencil image.

[0073] In a fourth step, the first processed pencil image and the second processed pencil image are subjected to a noise removal process to obtain a first processed pencil noise removed image and a second processed pencil noise removed image. In practice, the execution subject can perform a noise removal process on the first processed pencil image and the second processed pencil image by various noise removal processing methods to obtain a first processed pencil noise removed image and a second processed pencil noise removed image. For example, the various noise removal processing methods may include at least one of an average filtering method, a median filtering method, and a Gaussian filtering method, but are not limited thereto.

[0074] In a fifth step, a noise removal process is performed on the first rotated pencil image and the second rotated pencil image to obtain a first rotated pencil noise-removed image and a second rotated pencil noise-removed image. In practice, the execution subject can perform a noise removal process on the first rotated pencil image and the second rotated pencil image by various noise removal processing methods to obtain a first rotated pencil noise-removed image and a second rotated pencil noise-removed image.

[0075] In a sixth step, the first processed pencil noise removed image and the second processed pencil noise removed image are subjected to edge processing to obtain a first processed pencil edge image and a second processed pencil edge image. In practice, the execution subject can perform edge processing on the first processed pencil image and the second processed pencil image by various edge processing methods to obtain a first processed pencil edge image and a second processed pencil edge image. For example, the edge processing method may include at least one of a canny operator, a Roberts operator, a Prewitt operator, and a Sobel operator, but is not limited thereto.

[0076] In a seventh step, edge processing is performed on the first rotated pencil noise removed image and the second rotated pencil noise removed image to obtain a first rotated pencil edge image and a second rotated pencil edge image. In practice, the executing subject can perform edge processing on the first rotated pencil image and the second rotated pencil image through various edge processing methods to obtain a first rotated pencil edge image and a second rotated pencil edge image.

[0077] In an eighth step, a defect recognition result corresponding to the processed pencil is determined based on the first processed pencil edge image, the second processed pencil edge image, the first rotated pencil edge image, and the second rotated pencil edge image. In practice, the executing entity can determine the defect recognition result corresponding to the processed pencil by executing the following steps.

[0078] In a first sub-step, at least one first defect area of ​​the first processed pencil edge image is determined. The first defect area may be a set of coordinates that characterize a defective position in the pencil. The defect may be at least one of a break, a stain, and a crack. In practice, for each first processed pencil edge image pixel in the first processed pencil edge image, a similarity between the first processed pencil edge image pixel and a pixel corresponding to the first processed pencil edge image pixel in the target corrosion protection cover image is determined as a first similarity. For example, the execution subject can determine the similarity between the first processed pencil edge image pixel and a pixel corresponding to the first processed pencil edge image pixel in the target corrosion protection cover image by each similarity algorithm. For example, the various similarity algorithms include an RGB similar color approximation algorithm, a color histogram GLCM (Gray-level Co-occurrence Matrix), and LBP (Local Binary Pattern). Then, the execution body can determine, as a first defective region, each of the first processed pencil-edge image pixels whose corresponding first similarity is equal to or less than a preset similarity threshold value.

[0079] In a second sub-step, at least one second defect area of ​​the second processed pencil edge image is determined. In practice, for each second processed pencil edge image pixel in the second processed pencil edge image, the similarity between the second processed pencil edge image pixel and the pixel corresponding to the second processed pencil edge image pixel in the target corrosion protection cover image is determined as the second similarity. For example, the execution subject can determine the similarity between the second processed pencil edge image pixel and the pixel corresponding to the second processed pencil edge image pixel in the target corrosion protection cover image by each similarity algorithm. Then, the execution subject can determine each second processed pencil edge image pixel whose corresponding second similarity is equal to or less than a similarity threshold value set in advance as a second defect area.

[0080] In a third sub-step, for each first defect area of ​​the at least one first defect area, a similarity between the first defect area and a corresponding area in the at least one second defect area is determined as a forward similarity. In practice, the execution entity can determine a similarity between the first defect area and a corresponding area in the at least one second defect area by using a respective similarity algorithm.

[0081] In a fourth sub-step, a first defect area whose corresponding forward similarity is equal to or greater than a preset similarity threshold is determined as a common defect area.

[0082] In a fifth sub-step, a ratio value between the area of ​​each common defect region and the area of ​​the first processed pencil-edge image is determined as a forward defect ratio value.

[0083] In a sixth sub-step, at least one first rotation defect region of the first rotated pencil edge image is determined. In practice, for each first rotated pencil edge image pixel in the first rotated pencil edge image, a similarity between the first rotated pencil edge image pixel and a pixel corresponding to the first rotated pencil edge image pixel in the target anticorrosive cover image is determined to obtain a first rotation similarity. Here, determining the first rotation similarity is similar to the step of determining the first similarity, and will not be further described here.

[0084] In a seventh sub-step, determine at least one second rotation defect region of the second rotated pencil edge image, where determining the second rotation similarity is similar to determining the second similarity, and will not be described further herein.

[0085] In an eighth sub-step, for each first rotation defect region of the at least one first rotation defect region, a similarity between the first rotation defect region and a region corresponding to the first rotation defect region in the at least one second rotation defect region is determined as a rotation similarity, where the step of determining the rotation similarity is similar to the step of determining the forward similarity, and will not be described further herein.

[0086] In a ninth sub-step, a first rotation defect region whose corresponding rotation similarity is equal to or greater than a preset similarity threshold is determined as a common rotation defect region.

[0087] In a tenth sub-step, a ratio value between the area of ​​each common rotation defect region and the area of ​​the first rotation pencil edge image is determined as a rotation defect ratio value.

[0088] In an eleventh sub-step, a defect recognition result corresponding to the processed pencil is determined based on the forward defect ratio value and the rotation defect ratio value. For example, in response to determining that the forward defect ratio value and / or the rotation defect ratio value is equal to or greater than a preset rotation defect ratio value threshold, it is determined that the processed pencil has a defect as the defect recognition result corresponding to the processed pencil. In response to determining that the forward defect ratio value and / or the rotation defect ratio value is smaller than a preset rotation defect ratio value threshold, it is determined that the processed pencil has no defect as the defect recognition result corresponding to the processed pencil. This makes it possible to screen out pencils with large defects.

[0089] In a ninth step, based on the determined defect recognition result, a gripping operation corresponding to the defect recognition result is performed.

[0090] The above related content, as one of the inventive features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, can solve the third technical problem mentioned in the Background Art, which is that "defect recognition is not performed on the front and back surfaces of the manufactured pencils, and the pencils that users ultimately obtain have many defects and a poor usability, resulting in a poor user experience." The causes of the poor user experience are as follows. Defect recognition is not performed on the front and back surfaces of the manufactured pencils, and the pencils that users ultimately obtain have many defects and a poor usability. By solving this problem, the user experience can be improved. In order to achieve this effect, the silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus of the present disclosure further includes a visual detection device and a rotation device, and the method includes a step of collecting an image of the processed pencil placed on the processed pencil conveying device under a first light source and an image of the processed pencil under a second light source by the visual detection device, and obtaining a first processed pencil image and a second processed pencil image; a step of performing a rotation operation on the processed pencil by the rotation device; a step of collecting an image of the processed pencil after rotation under the first light source and an image of the processed pencil after rotation under the second light source, and obtaining a first processed pencil image and a second processed pencil image; a step of performing a noise removal process on the first processed pencil image and the second processed pencil image, and obtaining a first processed pencil noise removed image and a second processed pencil noise removed image; The method further includes the steps of: performing a noise removal process on the brush image to obtain a first rotated pencil noise removed image and a second rotated pencil noise removed image; performing edge processing on the first rotated pencil noise removed image and the second rotated pencil noise removed image to obtain a first rotated pencil edge image and a second rotated pencil edge image; performing edge processing on the first rotated pencil noise removed image and the second rotated pencil noise removed image to obtain a first rotated pencil edge image and a second rotated pencil edge image; determining a defect recognition result corresponding to the processed pencil based on the first rotated pencil edge image, the second rotated pencil edge image, the first rotated pencil edge image, and the second rotated pencil edge image; and performing a gripping operation corresponding to the defect recognition result based on the determined defect recognition result.Images of the same processed pencil are collected under different illuminations to determine whether there is a defect, so that it is possible to accurately recognize whether the processed pencil has a defect. For the pencil after rotation, images of the same processed pencil are collected to determine whether there is a defect, so that it is possible to more completely recognize whether the processed pencil has a defect, so that the processed pencil with major defects can be put into the waste box, and the quality of the final processed pencil can be improved, the user's experience can be improved, and the user's experience can be improved.

[0091] The above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure have the following beneficial effects. The silica gel pencils manufactured by the silica gel pencil manufacturing methods of the embodiments of the present disclosure can improve the user's comfort and safety during use. Specifically, the reasons why the pencils manufactured by the related pencil manufacturing methods have poor comfort and safety during use are as follows: The manufactured wooden pencils are hard and are prone to calluses on the user's hands after long-term use. Most of the outer paint coating layers contain harmful substances and are prone to harm health after children bite them. Based on this, the silica gel pencil manufacturing method of the embodiments of the present disclosure includes the steps of: moving the raw pencils conveyed by the raw pencil conveying device into the pencil placement groove by the gripping device; performing a clamping operation by a clamping system included in the silica gel injection molding machine; performing an injection molding operation on the front mold chamber and the rear mold chamber by the silica gel injection molding machine; performing a demolding operation by a clamping system included in the silica gel injection molding machine; and moving the processed pencils in the pencil placement groove to the processed pencil conveying device by the gripping device. By injection molding silica gel on the outside of the raw pencil, the outer layer of the pencil can be wrapped with silica gel. The silica gel is soft in material, so the pen is more comfortable to hold, and the silica gel is more environmentally friendly and non-toxic, and furthermore, it can increase the user's comfort and safety during use.

[0092] The above description is merely a description of some preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and the technical principles used. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the scope of the invention according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is not limited to the technical solution of the specific combination of the above-mentioned technical features, and should also include other technical solutions formed by any combination of the above-mentioned technical features or their equivalent features without departing from the concept of the above-mentioned invention. For example, the above-mentioned features are formed by replacing each other with technical features having similar functions disclosed in the embodiments of the present disclosure (but not limited to these).

Claims

1. A silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus including a conveying device, a gripping device, a silica gel injection molding machine, and a control device, the conveying device includes an uncut pencil conveying device and a finished pencil conveying device, the uncut pencil conveying device being configured to convey uncut pencils, and the finished pencil conveying device being configured to convey finished pencils; The gripping device is located between the raw pencil conveying device and the processed pencil conveying device, and the silica gel injection molding machine is located on either side of the gripping device; The silica gel injection molding machine includes a main body, a mold and a clamping system are installed in the main body, the mold includes a front mold and a rear mold, the mold is fixed to the clamping system included in the main body, a front mold chamber is installed in the front mold, a rear mold chamber is installed in the rear mold, a pencil placement groove is installed in the middle part of the front mold chamber, and when the front mold and the rear mold are clamped, the front mold chamber communicates with the rear mold chamber; The conveying device, the gripping device and the silica gel injection molding machine are all connected to the control device for communication; The control device includes: controlling the gripping device to move the raw pencils conveyed by the raw pencil conveying device into the pencil placement groove; Controlling a clamping system included in the silica gel injection molding machine to perform a clamping operation; controlling the silica gel injection molding machine to perform an injection molding operation on the front mold chamber and the rear mold chamber; Controlling a clamping system included in the silica gel injection molding machine to perform a demolding operation; A silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus configured to execute a step of controlling the gripping device so as to move the processed pencil in the pencil placement groove to the processed pencil transport device.

2. The silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus further includes a visual detection device, the visual detection device is installed on either side of the processed pencil conveying apparatus, the visual detection device is communicatively connected to the control device, the visual detection device includes an image acquisition assembly, an image processing assembly, and an image recognition assembly; The visual detection device includes: performing image acquisition on the processed pencil placed on the processed pencil transport device by the image acquisition assembly to obtain a processed pencil image; performing image pre-processing on the enhanced pencil image by the image processing assembly to obtain an image pre-processed enhanced pencil image; performing defect recognition processing on the processed pencil image after image pre-processing by the image recognition assembly to obtain a defect recognition result; transmitting the defect recognition result to the control device; The silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control device is further configured to control the gripping device to perform a gripping operation corresponding to the defect recognition result based on the received defect recognition result.

3. The silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus further includes a waste box located on either side of the gripping device; 3. The silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the control device is further configured to control the gripping device to place a defective processed pencil in the waste box in response to the received defect recognition result characterizing the processed pencil as defective.

4. The depth of the pencil placement groove is greater than the depth of the front mold chamber; The silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inner shape of the pencil mounting groove matches the outer shape of the raw pencil, the size of the pre-mold chamber is larger than the inner size of the pencil mounting groove, and the gap between the pre-mold chamber and the pencil mounting groove is used to form a silica gel layer.

5. 2. The silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the silica gel injection molding machine further includes a supply system and a mixing system, the supply system being configured to provide liquid silica gel to the body, and the mixing system being configured to mix the provided liquid silica gel.

6. 6. The silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the liquid silica gel provided by the supply system comprises a first preset liquid silica gel and a second preset liquid silica gel, and the ratio of the first preset liquid silica gel to the second preset liquid silica gel is 1:

1.

7. The silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gripping device is a manipulator, a vacuum suction cup is installed in the hand of the manipulator, the shape of the vacuum suction cup is elongated, and the shape of the groove at the bottom of the vacuum suction cup matches the shape of an unprocessed pencil or a processed pencil.

8. A method for manufacturing silica gel pencils, which is used in the silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the conveying device includes an unprocessed pencil conveying device and a processed pencil conveying device, the silica gel pencil manufacturing apparatus includes a conveying device, a gripping device, a silica gel injection molding machine, and a control device, the silica gel injection molding machine includes a main body, a mold and a clamping system are installed in the main body, a front mold chamber is installed in the front mold, a rear mold chamber is installed in the rear mold, and a pencil placement groove is installed in the middle part of the front mold chamber, and the method includes: a step of moving the uncut pencils conveyed by the uncut pencil conveying device into the pencil placement groove by the gripping device; performing a clamping operation by a clamping system included in the silica gel injection molding machine; performing an injection molding operation on the front mold chamber and the rear mold chamber by the silica gel injection molding machine; performing a demolding operation by a clamping system included in the silica gel injection molding machine; and a step of moving the processed pencil in the pencil placement groove to the processed pencil transport device by the gripping device.

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