Cat litter moisture coating apparatus

Abstract

Provided is a cat litter moisture coating apparatus. A cat litter moisture coating apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention comprises: a raw material inlet; a raw material outlet; and a moisture coating module, wherein when a raw material is introduced into the moisture coating module through the raw material inlet, the cat litter moisture coating apparatus sprays water onto the introduced raw material through the moisture coating module, thereby coating the raw material with moisture, and discharges the moisture-coated raw material through the raw material outlet.

Description

Cat Litter Moisture Coating Device

[0001] Various embodiments of the present invention relate to a cat litter moisture coating device, and more specifically, to a cat litter moisture coating device capable of minimizing dust in cat litter by supplying (spraying) moisture to cat litter (e.g., bentonite) to coat the surface of the cat litter with moisture.

[0002] In the past, companion animals were bred for the purpose of sale, and were not bred indoors but were bred in cages set up outdoors in a specific location. However, in modern society, the perception of companion animals has changed, and they are now recognized as members of the family rather than just animals. In particular, companion animals are expanding in the city as a means to gain familiarity with nature and animals, to understand nature through communication, and to improve the quality of life, and the demand for companion animals is gradually increasing in various ways by animal lovers and enthusiasts.

[0003] Cats, a representative companion animal, are increasingly recognized as family members and lifelong companions, transcending the concept of mere animals. Consequently, the cat supplies market is also experiencing diverse development. Cat litter, in particular, is an essential item, playing a crucial role in maintaining a clean living environment.

[0004] Unlike other pets, cats have the characteristic of burying their urine and feces in the sand, so sand (aka cat sand) is essential for disposing of urine and feces, and without sand, cats cannot relieve themselves properly.

[0005] Cat litter is broadly classified into absorbent and coagulating types, and each type is used according to its characteristics.

[0006] Here, absorbent sand is a product that has the function of absorbing cat excrement, especially urine, and is representative of absorbent sand that uses silica (SiO2ㆍ2H2O) used as a desiccant, or paper sand or grains such as corn or soybeans, and coagulated sand is sand that is made by crushing sodium bentonite mined from mines.

[0007] Meanwhile, cat litter is only used to divide the floor and hide excrement, but it has no functionality, and if used for a long time, it crumbles due to drying, creating fine particles, and is easily blown by the wind, becoming a major cause of indoor air pollution, and also has the problem of causing significant damage due to dust.

[0008] The background technology described above is technology that the inventor possessed or acquired in the process of deriving the content of the present invention, and cannot necessarily be said to be publicly known technology disclosed to the general public prior to the present application.

[0009] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a cat litter moisture coating device capable of minimizing dust in cat litter by supplying (spraying) moisture to cat litter (e.g., bentonite) to coat the surface of the cat litter with moisture, for the purpose of solving the above-described problem.

[0010] The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention for solving the above-described problem, a cat litter moisture coating device comprises a raw material inlet, a raw material discharge outlet, and a moisture coating module; wherein, when raw material is injected into the moisture coating module through the raw material inlet, the cat litter moisture coating device can spray water onto the injected raw material through the moisture coating module to coat moisture, and discharge the moisture-coated raw material through the raw material discharge outlet.

[0012] In various embodiments, the moisture coating module may include a body part having a cylindrical shape, one side of which is connected to the raw material inlet and the other side of which is connected to the raw material discharge port, a guide part provided on an inner surface of the body part and guiding raw material introduced into the body part toward the raw material discharge port, and a water spray part inserted into the body part and spraying water on the raw material introduced into the body part.

[0013] In various embodiments, the body portion rotates in a predetermined direction, and the rotation speed of the body portion can be determined based on the amount of raw material introduced into the body portion.

[0014] In various embodiments, the guide portion includes a first guide portion provided on the inner surface of the body portion and having a spiral wing shape to form a movement path of the raw material introduced into the body portion, and the first guide portion can guide the raw material introduced into the body portion toward the raw material discharge port along the formed movement path in response to the body portion rotating in a predetermined direction.

[0015] In various embodiments, the guide portion further includes a second guide portion provided on the inner surface of the body portion and arranged on the formed movement path, the second guide portion having a shape inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the center of the body portion, and the second guide portion can guide the raw material moving along the formed movement path to be mixed in response to the body portion rotating in a predetermined direction.

[0016] In various embodiments, the water injection unit may include a water supply unit, a valve for controlling the amount of water supplied from the water supply unit, and a nozzle for injecting water supplied from the water supply unit into the interior of the body unit.

[0017] In various embodiments, the water injection unit further includes an air supply unit, and expands the spray range of water by spraying air supplied through the air supply unit and water supplied through the water supply unit through the nozzle, and the amount of water supplied through the water supply unit and the amount of air supplied through the air supply unit can be determined based on the type and amount of raw material injected into the body unit.

[0018] In various embodiments, the water injection unit further includes an air supply unit, and when a difference between the amount of raw material injected through the raw material injection port and the amount of raw material discharged through the raw material discharge port exceeds a preset threshold value, air supplied from the air supply unit can be injected through the nozzle.

[0019] In various embodiments, the nozzle has a structure capable of adjusting the angle and can spray water in a vertical direction toward the raw material introduced into the body.

[0020] In various embodiments, the moisture coating module includes a body part having a cylindrical shape, one end of which is connected to the raw material inlet and the other end of which is connected to the raw material discharge port, and a plurality of water spraying parts inserted inside the body part and spraying water onto the raw material introduced into the body part, wherein the plurality of water spraying parts are arranged in a continuous manner intersecting each other inside the body part, thereby expanding the spraying range of the water.

[0021] Other specific details of the present invention are included in the detailed description and drawings.

[0022] According to various embodiments of the present invention, a cat litter moisture coating device capable of minimizing dust in cat litter can be provided by supplying (spraying) moisture to cat litter (e.g., bentonite) to coat the surface of the cat litter with moisture.

[0023] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

[0024] The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and, together with the detailed description of the invention, serve to further understand the technical idea of ​​the present invention, and therefore, the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to matters described in such drawings.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating a cat litter manufacturing system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating a cat litter moisture coating device included in a cat litter manufacturing system in various embodiments.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating components of a cat litter moisture coating device applicable to various embodiments.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a drawing showing the interior of a body part included in a moisture coating module of a cat litter moisture coating device in various embodiments.

[0029] FIGS. 5 to 7 are drawings illustrating guide parts included in a moisture coating module of a cat litter moisture coating device in various embodiments.

[0030] FIGS. 8 to 10 are drawings illustrating a water spray unit included in a moisture coating module of a cat litter moisture coating device in various embodiments.

[0031] FIG. 11 is a drawing illustrating a cat litter supply device included in a cat litter manufacturing system in various embodiments.

[0032] FIG. 12 is a drawing illustrating a cat litter packaging device included in a cat litter manufacturing system in various embodiments.

[0033] Figure 13 is a flowchart for explaining a cat litter moisture coating method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a computing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] The advantages and features of the present invention, and the methods for achieving them, will become clearer with reference to the embodiments described in detail below together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below and may be implemented in various different forms. These embodiments are provided solely to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the present invention, and the present invention is defined solely by the scope of the claims.

[0036] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. In this specification, singular forms also include plural forms, unless specifically stated otherwise. As used herein, the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising" do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components in addition to the components mentioned.

[0037] Throughout this specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements, and the term "and / or" includes each and every combination of the elements mentioned. Although terms such as "first," "second," etc. are used to describe various elements, these elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are merely used to distinguish one element from another. Therefore, it should be understood that a first element mentioned below may also be a second element within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0038] The term "component" or "module" as used herein refers to a software or hardware component such as an FPGA or ASIC, and the "component" or "module" performs certain functions. However, the "component" or "module" is not limited to software or hardware. The "component" or "module" may be configured to reside on an addressable storage medium and may be configured to execute one or more processors. Thus, by way of example, the "component" or "module" includes components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, as well as processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functionality provided within the components and "components" or "modules" may be combined into a smaller number of components and "components" or "modules" or further separated into additional components and "components" or "modules."

[0039] Spatially relative terms such as "below," "beneath," "lower," "above," and "upper" can be used to easily describe the relationship between one component and other components as depicted in the drawings. Spatially relative terms should be understood to include different orientations of the components during use or operation in addition to the orientations depicted in the drawings. For example, if a component depicted in the drawings were flipped over, a component described as "below" or "beneath" another component could end up "above" the other component. Thus, the exemplary term "below" can include both the above and below orientations. Components can also be oriented in other directions, and thus spatially relative terms can be interpreted accordingly.

[0040] As used herein, the expressions “first,” “second,” or “first,” “second,” etc., unless the context indicates otherwise, are used to refer to multiple similar objects and to distinguish one object from another, and do not limit the order or importance among the objects.

[0041] As used herein, the expressions "A, B, and C," "A, B, or C," "A, B, and / or C," or "at least one of A, B, and C," "at least one of A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B, and / or C," "at least one selected from A, B, and C," "at least one selected from A, B, or C," "at least one selected from A, B, and / or C," and the like can mean each listed item or all possible combinations of the listed items. For example, "at least one selected from A and B" can refer to (1) A, (2) at least one of A, (3) B, (4) at least one of B, (5) at least one of A and at least one of B, (6) at least one of A and B, (7) at least one of B and A, and (8) both A and B.

[0042] The expression "based on" as used herein is used to describe one or more factors that influence a decision, act of judgment, or action described in a phrase or sentence containing the expression, and this expression does not exclude additional factors that influence the decision, act of judgment, or action.

[0043] As used herein, the expression that a component (e.g., a first component) is “connected” or “connected” to another component (e.g., a second component) may mean that the component is directly connected or connected to the other component, as well as connected or connected via a new other component (e.g., a third component).

[0044] The expression "configured to" used herein may have the meanings of "set to", "having the ability to", "modified to", "made to", "capable of", etc., depending on the context. The expression is not limited to the meaning of "specifically designed in hardware", and for example, a processor configured to perform a specific operation may mean a generic-purpose processor that can perform the specific operation by executing software.

[0045] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein may be used in their common sense to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Furthermore, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not to be interpreted ideally or excessively unless explicitly and specifically defined otherwise.

[0046] In this specification, the term "computer" refers to any type of hardware device including at least one processor, and may also be understood to encompass software components operating on the hardware device, depending on the embodiment. For example, the term "computer" may be understood to encompass, but is not limited to, smartphones, tablet PCs, desktops, laptops, and all user clients and applications running on each device.

[0047] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0048] Although each step described in this specification is described as being performed by a computer, the subject of each step is not limited thereto, and at least some of each step may be performed by different devices depending on the embodiment.

[0049]

[0050] FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating a cat litter manufacturing system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 1, a cat litter manufacturing system (1000) according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a cat litter moisture coating device (100), a cat litter supply device (200), and a cat litter packaging device (300).

[0052] Here, the cat litter manufacturing system (1000) illustrated in FIG. 1 is according to one embodiment, and its components are not limited to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, and may be added, changed, or deleted as needed. For example, the cat litter manufacturing system (1000) illustrated in FIG. 1 is illustrated as having a cat litter moisture coating device (100) and a cat litter supply device (200) as individual and independent devices, but in some cases, the cat litter moisture coating device (100) and the cat litter supply device (200) may be implemented as a single cat litter moisture coating device.

[0053] In one embodiment, the cat litter moisture coating device (100) can perform moisture coating on raw materials. To this end, the cat litter moisture coating device (100) may include a raw material inlet (110), a moisture coating module (120), and a raw material discharge port (130), as illustrated in FIG. 3 . However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0054] Here, the raw material may be, but is not limited to, bentonite used as cat litter.

[0055] First, as shown in FIG. 11, the raw material inlet (110) can be connected to the cat litter supply device (200), and can receive raw materials supplied from the cat litter supply device (200) and inject the raw materials into the interior of the moisture coating module (120).

[0056] At this time, the raw material inlet (110) can perform a pre-sedimentation operation to filter the raw material supplied from the cat litter supply device (200) N times, and can primarily filter out foreign substances (waste) contained in the raw material through the pre-sedimentation operation.

[0057] Next, the moisture coating module (120) can be connected to the raw material inlet (110) on one side and to the raw material discharge port (130) on the other side. When the raw material is injected into the interior through the raw material inlet (110), the moisture coating module (120) can coat the raw material with moisture by spraying moisture onto the raw material injected into the interior, and can deliver the moisture-coated raw material to the raw material discharge port (130) so that it can be injected to the outside. To this end, the moisture coating module (120) can include, but is not limited to, a body portion (121), a guide portion (122), and a water spray portion (123).

[0058] The body (121) has a cylindrical shape, and one side may be connected to the raw material inlet (110), and the other side may be connected to the raw material discharge port (130). For example, the body (121) may have a cylindrical shape with a length of 5 m and a radius of 1.8 m. As another example, the body (121) may have a cylindrical shape with a radius of 900 pi in order to apply moisture coating to 3 tons of raw materials per hour. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0059] The body part (121) can rotate in a predetermined direction. To this end, the moisture coating module (120) may further include a rotation member (e.g., a motor, etc.) for rotating the body part (121) in a predetermined direction.

[0060] Here, the rotation speed of the body part (121) may be a preset value, but is not limited thereto, and in some cases may be determined based on the amount of raw material injected into the body part (121), i.e., the amount of cat litter to be coated with moisture.

[0061] The inner surface of the body (121) may be coated with a separate material (e.g., Teflon (PTFE), silicone, ceramic, epoxy, etc.) for the purpose of preventing the raw material and / or moisture-coated raw material from sticking, but is not limited thereto.

[0062] The guide part (122) is provided on the inner surface of the body part (121) and can guide the movement of the raw material so that the raw material fed into the body part (121) can smoothly move from the raw material input port (110) toward the raw material discharge port (130). To this end, the guide part (122) can include a first guide part (122A) and a second guide part (122B).

[0063] The first guide part (122A) is provided on the inner surface of the body part (121), and as it has a spiral wing shape, it can form a movement path of the raw material introduced into the body part (121).

[0064] Here, the movement path of the raw material is generated by the first guide part (122A), and may refer to a path along which the raw material moves in response to the rotation of the body part (121). For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, since the first guide part (122A) is provided in a screw-like shape, the screw groove area formed by the screw thread may be the movement path of the raw material, but is not limited thereto.

[0065] That is, the first guide part (122A) can guide the raw material introduced into the body part (121) to move toward the raw material discharge port (130) along the raw material movement path in response to the body part (121) rotating in a predetermined direction.

[0066] The second guide part (122B) is provided on the inner surface of the body part (121) and can be positioned on the movement path formed by the first guide part (122A). For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the second guide part (122B) is positioned on the movement path formed by the first guide part (122A), but can have a shape that is inclined at a predetermined angle (e.g., 45 degrees) with respect to the center of the body part (121).

[0067] Since the second guide part (122B) has a shape inclined at a predetermined angle, as the body part (121) rotates, the upper part (①) of the raw material coated with moisture moves first, and accordingly, the lower part (②) of the raw material is exposed to the water spray part (123), so that the raw material can be coated with moisture throughout.

[0068] That is, by having a shape in which the second guide portion (122B) is inclined at a predetermined angle, a vortex can be created in a direction opposite to the main flow moving in a predetermined direction, thereby allowing the moisture-coated raw material and the non-moisture-coated raw material to be naturally mixed.

[0069] The water injection unit (123) is inserted into the body part (121) and can spray water onto the raw material introduced into the body part (121). To this end, the water injection unit (123) may include, but is not limited to, a water supply unit (123A), an air supply unit (123B), a valve (123C), and a nozzle (123D), as illustrated in FIGS. 8 to 10 .

[0070] The water supply unit (123A) is connected to an external water supply device (e.g., a water tank) and can supply water supplied from the external water supply device to the nozzle (123D).

[0071] The air supply unit (123B) is connected to an external air supply device (e.g., an air compressor) and can supply air supplied from the external air supply device to the nozzle (123D).

[0072] The valve (123C) is connected to the water supply unit (123A) and can control the amount of water supplied from the water supply unit (123A). In addition, the valve (123C) is connected to the air supply unit (123A) and can control the amount of air supplied from the air supply unit (123B).

[0073] At this time, the amount of water supply and / or air supply controlled by the valve (123C) may be determined based on the type and amount of raw material introduced into the body part (121), but is not limited thereto.

[0074] The nozzle (123D) can spray water supplied from the water supply unit (123A) and / or air supplied from the air supply unit (123A) into the body portion (121). For example, the nozzle (123D) can spray only water supplied from the water supply unit (123A) onto the raw material, but is not limited thereto. By spraying both water supplied from the water supply unit (123A) and air supplied from the air supply unit (123A), the spray range of water can be expanded, allowing water to be sprayed over a wider range within the body portion (121).

[0075] The nozzle (123D) may be a mist nozzle, which can supply moisture by finely splitting water particles and spraying them onto the cat litter.

[0076] In various embodiments, a single water supply unit (123A) may include multiple nozzles (123D) (e.g., 30 nozzles), each nozzle (123D) capable of spraying up to 5 liters of water per hour. Here, the multiple nozzles (123D) may be installed in a zigzag pattern at different locations on the body unit (121) to maximize the spray angle of water and increase the wet range and wet coverage.

[0077] In addition, if it is determined that the raw material is not moving smoothly within the body part (121), the nozzle (123D) can spray only the air supplied from the air supply part (123A) to prevent the raw material from sticking to the inner surface of the body part (121) and preventing it from moving, thereby hindering the smooth movement flow of the raw material.

[0078] The nozzle (123D) may have a structure (e.g., a hinge structure) that allows for angle and / or direction adjustment, and the angle and / or direction of the nozzle (123D) may be adjusted so that water is sprayed in the vertical direction of the raw material introduced into the body (121).

[0079] Here, the nozzle (123D) may mean one nozzle or may mean multiple nozzles arranged in an array format.

[0080] Here, in FIG. 3, the water coating module (120) is illustrated as including one water spray unit (123), but this is not limited thereto, and the water coating module (120) may include multiple water spray units (123), and multiple water spray units (123) may be arranged in a continuous manner (e.g., arranged in a zigzag shape) while intersecting each other inside the body portion (121) to expand the water spray range.

[0081] Next, the raw material discharge port (130) can be connected to the cat litter packing device (300), as shown in FIG. 12, and can receive the moisture-coated raw material through the moisture coating module (120) and supply it to the cat litter packing device (300).

[0082] At this time, if the difference between the amount of raw material injected through the raw material injection port (110) and the amount of raw material discharged through the raw material discharge port (130) exceeds a preset threshold value, air supplied from the air supply unit (123B) can be sprayed through the nozzle (123D).

[0083] In addition, the raw material discharge port (130) can perform a post-sedimentation operation of filtering the raw material coated with moisture through the moisture coating module (120) N times, and can secondarily filter out foreign substances (waste) contained in the raw material through the post-sedimentation operation.

[0084] In one embodiment, the cat litter supply device (200) is connected to the cat litter moisture coating device (100) to supply raw materials to be moisture-coated to the cat litter moisture coating device (100). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the cat litter supply device (200) may include, but is not limited to, a first raw material input hopper into which raw materials to be moisture-coated are input, a bucket elevator that elevates raw materials input into the raw material input hopper, a second raw material input hopper into which raw materials transported through the bucket elevator are input and which supplies raw materials to the raw material input port (110) of the cat litter moisture coating device (100), and a rotary valve that controls the supply amount of raw materials supplied from the second raw material input hopper.

[0085] In one embodiment, the cat litter packaging device (300) is connected to the cat litter moisture coating device (100) to package and commercialize the moisture-coated raw material through the cat litter moisture coating device (100). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the cat litter packaging device (300) may include, but is not limited to, a bucket elevator that is connected to the raw material discharge port (130) to receive and elevate the raw material discharged from the raw material discharge port, a packaging hopper into which the raw material transported through the bucket elevator is input, a rotary valve that controls the supply amount of the raw material supplied through the packaging hopper, and a packaging module that packages the raw material supplied through the packaging hopper.

[0086] In various embodiments, the cat litter manufacturing system (1000) may further include a computing device (e.g., 400 of FIG. 14) that controls the operation of the cat litter moisture coating device (100), the cat litter supply device (200), and the cat litter packing device (300).

[0087] For example, the computing device (400) can control the operation of the raw material inlet (110) of the cat litter moisture coating device (100) to inject the raw material into the moisture coating module (120), control the operation of the moisture coating module (120) to moisture coat the raw material, and control the operation of the raw material discharge port (130) to discharge the moisture-coated raw material to the outside. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 13, a method for moisture coating cat litter using the cat litter moisture coating device (100) will be described.

[0088]

[0089] Figure 13 is a flowchart for explaining a cat litter moisture coating method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0090] The cat litter moisture coating method to be described with reference to FIG. 13 is performed through a cat litter moisture coating device (100), and the cat litter moisture coating device (100) can perform the cat litter moisture coating method by performing various operations according to control commands obtained from the computing device (400) illustrated in FIG. 14.

[0091] Here, the computing device (400) may be a component provided outside the cat litter moisture coating device (100) to control operations from outside the cat litter moisture coating device (100), i.e., a server that operates the cat litter manufacturing system. However, the computing device (400) is not limited thereto, and may be a component provided inside the cat litter moisture coating device (100) to control various operations inside the cat litter moisture coating device (100).

[0092] At step S110, raw materials are fed into the cat litter moisture coating device (100).

[0093] In various embodiments, the computing device (400) may control the operation of the cat litter supply device (200) to supply raw materials, thereby causing raw materials to be introduced into the cat litter moisture coating device (100) through the raw material inlet (110) of the cat litter moisture coating device (100), but is not limited thereto.

[0094] At step S120, moisture coating is performed on the raw material introduced into the cat litter moisture coating device (100).

[0095] In various embodiments, when raw material is fed into the moisture coating module (120) of the cat litter moisture coating device (100) through the raw material input port (110) of the cat litter moisture coating device (100), the computing device (400) controls the operation of the moisture coating module (120), thereby causing the body part (121) included in the moisture coating module (120) to rotate in a predetermined direction and simultaneously spray water onto the raw material fed into the body part (121) through the water spray part (123) included in the moisture coating module (120).

[0096] At this time, the computing device (400) can determine the rotation speed of the body part (121) based on the amount of raw material injected into the body part (121), and can rotate the body part (121) in a predetermined direction according to the determined rotation speed. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the computing device (400) can determine the rotation speed within a range in which the hourly discharge amount of raw material discharged through the raw material discharge port (130) of the cat litter moisture coating device (200) does not exceed the preset standard discharge amount.

[0097] Here, the rotation speed of the body part (121) may be determined based on data values ​​obtained based on the results of a test performed using equipment that is relatively smaller than the cat litter moisture coating device (100), but is not limited thereto.

[0098] In various embodiments, when the raw material injected into the body portion (121) of the moisture coating module (120) exceeds a standard injection amount, the computing device (400) may repeatedly perform an operation of rotating the body portion (121) in a first direction by a first size and then rotating it in a second direction opposite to the first direction by a second size, thereby enabling moisture coating to be precisely performed on a large amount of raw material.

[0099] At this time, the computing device (400) may set the first size to be larger than the second size so that the raw material inside the body (121) can move toward the raw material discharge port (130), but is not limited thereto.

[0100] In various embodiments, the computing device (400) can guide the raw material introduced into the body (121) to move toward the raw material discharge port (130) through the guide portion (122) provided on the inner surface of the body (121) by rotating the body portion (121) in a predetermined direction.

[0101] For example, the computing device (400) can guide the raw material introduced into the body (121) to move along a movement path formed by the first guide (122A) by rotating the body (121) in a predetermined direction.

[0102] As another example, the computing device (400) can guide the raw material moving along the movement path formed by the first guide part (122A) by rotating the body part (121) in a predetermined direction so that the raw material can be appropriately mixed by the second guide part (122B), that is, so that the moisture-coated raw material and the non-moisture-coated raw material can be naturally mixed.

[0103] In various embodiments, the computing device (400) can spray water supplied from a water supply unit (123A) included in a water spray unit (123) into the interior of the body unit (121) through a nozzle (123D).

[0104] In various embodiments, the computing device (400) can expand the spray range of water by spraying water supplied from the water supply unit (123A) included in the water spray unit (123) and air supplied from the air supply unit (123B) together through the nozzle (123D). At this time, the computing device (400) can determine the amount of water supplied from the water supply unit (123A) and the amount of air supplied from the air supply unit (123B) based on the type and amount of raw materials injected into the body unit (121), but is not limited thereto.

[0105] In various embodiments, the computing device (400) can adjust the angle of the nozzle (123D) so that water is sprayed in the vertical direction of the raw material introduced into the body (121).

[0106] At step S130, the moisture-coated raw material is discharged to the outside through the cat litter moisture coating device (100).

[0107] In various embodiments, the computing device (400) can determine that there is raw material remaining in the body (121) by comparing the amount of raw material input through the raw material input port (110) with the amount of raw material discharged through the raw material discharge port (130), and accordingly, can spray air supplied from the air supply unit (123B) through the nozzle (123D) so that the raw material existing in the body (121) can be smoothly discharged.

[0108] More specifically, first, the computing device (400) can calculate an expected discharge amount (e.g., the expected weight of the raw material when moisture coating on the raw material is properly performed) based on the amount of raw material fed through the raw material input port (110).

[0109] Thereafter, the computing device (400) can determine whether or not there is any raw material remaining in the body (121) by comparing the calculated expected discharge amount with the actual discharge amount discharged through the raw material discharge port (130). For example, the computing device (400) can determine that there is any raw material remaining in the body (121) if the difference between the expected discharge amount and the actual discharge amount is outside a preset error range, but is not limited thereto.

[0110] Thereafter, if it is determined that raw materials remain in the body (121), the computing device (400) can spray air supplied from the air supply unit (123B) through the nozzle (123D) to remove the raw materials remaining in the body (121).

[0111] Here, the computing device (400) injects only air supplied from the air supply unit (123B) through the nozzle (123D) into the body unit (121) for a predetermined period of time, and then compares the expected discharge amount with the actual discharge amount discharged through the raw material discharge port (130). If the difference between the expected discharge amount and the actual discharge amount again deviates from the preset error range, it is determined that moisture coating on the raw material has not been properly performed, and accordingly, moisture coating on the raw material discharged through the raw material discharge port (130) can be performed again.

[0112] To this end, the cat litter moisture coating device (100) connects a raw material discharge port (130) and a raw material input port (110), and may further include a moving member (e.g., conveyor) that transports raw material discharged from the raw material discharge port (130) to the raw material input port (110) and re-introduces the raw material into the moisture coating module (120), but is not limited thereto.

[0113]

[0114] The aforementioned cat litter moisture coating method has been described with reference to the flowchart illustrated in the drawings. For the sake of simplicity, the cat litter moisture coating method has been described by illustrating it as a series of blocks. However, the present invention is not limited to the order of the blocks, and some blocks may be performed in a different order or simultaneously than those illustrated and described herein. In addition, new blocks not described in the present specification and drawings may be added, or some blocks may be deleted or changed. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 14, a hardware configuration of a computing device (400) that performs the cat litter moisture coating method will be described. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 14, a hardware configuration of a computing device (400) that performs the cat litter moisture coating method will be described.

[0115]

[0116] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a computing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0117] Referring to FIG. 14, in various embodiments, a computing device (400) may include one or more processors (410), a memory (420) for loading a computer program (451) executed by the processor (410), a bus (430), a communication interface (440), and storage (450) for storing the computer program (451). Here, only components related to the embodiment of the present invention are illustrated in FIG. 14. Therefore, a person skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may recognize that other general components may be included in addition to the components illustrated in FIG. 14.

[0118] The processor (410) controls the overall operation of each component of the computing device (400). The processor (410) may be configured to include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), an MCU (Micro Controller Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or any other type of processor well known in the art of the present invention.

[0119] Additionally, the processor (410) may perform operations for at least one application or program for executing a method according to embodiments of the present invention, and the computing device (400) may have one or more processors.

[0120] In various embodiments, the processor (410) may further include a Random Access Memory (RAM) (not shown) and a Read-Only Memory (ROM) (not shown) that temporarily and / or permanently store signals (or data) processed within the processor (410). In addition, the processor (410) may be implemented in the form of a System on Chip (SoC) that includes at least one of a graphics processing unit, RAM, and ROM.

[0121] The memory (420) stores various data, commands, and / or information. The memory (420) can load a computer program (451) from the storage (450) to execute methods / operations according to various embodiments of the present invention. When the computer program (451) is loaded into the memory (420), the processor (410) can perform the method / operation by executing one or more instructions constituting the computer program (451). The memory (420) may be implemented as a volatile memory such as RAM, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0122] The bus (430) provides communication between components of the computing device (400). The bus (430) may be implemented as various types of buses, such as an address bus, a data bus, and a control bus.

[0123] The communication interface (440) supports wired and wireless Internet communication of the computing device (400). Furthermore, the communication interface (440) may support various communication methods other than Internet communication. To this end, the communication interface (440) may be configured to include a communication module well known in the art of the present invention. In some embodiments, the communication interface (440) may be omitted.

[0124] The storage (450) can non-temporarily store a computer program (451). When performing a cat litter moisture coating process through a computing device (400), the storage (450) can store various information necessary to provide the cat litter moisture coating process.

[0125] Storage (450) may be configured to include non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), flash memory, a hard disk, a removable disk, or any form of computer-readable recording medium well known in the art to which the present invention pertains.

[0126] The computer program (451) may include one or more instructions that, when loaded into the memory (420), cause the processor (410) to perform a method / operation according to various embodiments of the present invention. That is, the processor (410) may perform the method / operation according to various embodiments of the present invention by executing the one or more instructions.

[0127] In one embodiment, the computer program (451) may include one or more instructions for performing a cat litter moisture coating method, including a step of inputting raw material through a raw material input port included in a cat litter moisture coating device, a step of coating moisture by spraying water on the input raw material through a moisture coating module included in the cat litter moisture coating device, and a step of discharging the moisture-coated raw material through a raw material discharge port included in the cat litter moisture coating device.

[0128] The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented directly in hardware, implemented as a software module executed by hardware, or implemented by a combination thereof. The software module may reside in a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a flash memory, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of computer-readable recording medium well known in the art to which the present invention pertains.

[0129] The components of the present invention may be implemented as programs (or applications) and stored on a medium to be executed in conjunction with a computer, which is hardware. The components of the present invention may be implemented as software programs or software elements. Similarly, the embodiments may be implemented in a programming or scripting language such as C, C++, Java, or an assembler, including various algorithms implemented as a combination of data structures, processes, routines, or other programming components. Functional aspects may be implemented as algorithms that are executed on one or more processors.

[0130]

[0131] While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the attached drawings, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without altering the technical concept or essential features thereof. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive.

Claims

1. Raw material input port; Raw material discharge port; and In a cat litter moisture coating device including a moisture coating module; The above cat litter moisture coating device, When the raw material is fed into the moisture coating module through the raw material inlet, water is sprayed onto the fed raw material through the moisture coating module to coat the moisture, and the moisture-coated raw material is discharged through the raw material discharge port. Cat litter moisture coating device.

2. In paragraph 1, The above moisture coating module, A body having a cylindrical shape, one end of which is connected to the raw material inlet, and the other end of which is connected to the raw material discharge port; A guide part provided on the inner surface of the body part and guiding the raw material injected into the body part toward the raw material discharge port; and A water spraying unit inserted into the body part and spraying water onto the raw material injected into the body part; Cat litter moisture coating device.

3. In paragraph 2, The above body part, Rotates in a predetermined direction, characterized in that the rotation speed of the body part is determined based on the amount of raw material injected into the body part. Cat litter moisture coating device.

4. In paragraph 2, The above guide section, It includes a first guide part which is provided on the inner surface of the body part and forms a movement path of the raw material injected into the body part by having a spiral wing shape; The above first guide section, It is characterized in that the raw material injected into the body part is guided toward the raw material discharge port along the formed movement path in response to the body part rotating in a predetermined direction. Cat litter moisture coating device.

5. In paragraph 4, The above guide section, It further includes a second guide part which is provided on the inner surface of the above body part and is arranged on the formed movement path, but has a shape inclined at a predetermined angle based on the center of the above body part; The above second guide section, It is characterized in that the raw material moving along the formed movement path is guided to be mixed in response to the rotation of the above body part in a predetermined direction. Cat litter moisture coating device.

6. In paragraph 2, The above water injection part, water supply department; A valve for controlling the water supply amount of the above water supply unit; and A nozzle for spraying water supplied from the water supply unit into the interior of the body unit; Cat litter moisture coating device.

7. In paragraph 6, The above water injection part, further comprising an air supply unit; By spraying air supplied through the air supply unit and water supplied through the water supply unit through the nozzle, the spray range of water is expanded. The amount of water supplied through the water supply unit and the amount of air supplied through the air supply unit are determined based on the type and amount of raw material injected into the body unit. Cat litter moisture coating device.

8. In paragraph 6, The above water injection part, further comprising an air supply unit; When the difference between the amount of raw material fed through the raw material inlet and the amount of raw material discharged through the raw material discharge port exceeds a preset threshold value, the air supplied from the air supply unit is sprayed through the nozzle. Cat litter moisture coating device.

9. In paragraph 6, The above nozzle, It has a structure that allows for angle adjustment and is characterized by spraying water in the vertical direction of the raw material injected into the body part. Cat litter moisture coating device.

10. In paragraph 1, The above moisture coating module, A body part having a cylindrical shape, one side of which is connected to the raw material inlet, and the other side of which is connected to the raw material discharge port; and It includes a plurality of water spraying parts that are inserted inside the body part and spray water on the raw material introduced into the body part; The above multiple water injection units, Characterized in that the water spray range is expanded by being arranged continuously and intersecting each other inside the above body part. Cat litter moisture coating device.

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