CN110239798B - Efficient distribution method and distribution device for discrete articles - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus for efficient dispensing of discrete articles includes driving a conveyor to convey the articles; the conveyor forms at least one individual stack of articles during a start-stop cycle; continuously taking images of an image taking area positioned at the tail section of the conveyor; processing the acquired images in real time to determine the number of the articles to be output; searching for a combined stack of articles, each combined stack of articles having the same number of articles as the target number, and dispensing a combined stack of articles to the container. The invention sets the image capturing area at the output section of the conveyer, the object is supported by the conveyer, the orientation is stable, the shape and the size of the object are conveniently detected after visual image capturing, the image capturing and the counting can be completed by utilizing the image capturing area crossing the conveyer without passing through the detection platform or the counting platform, compared with the conveyer with the detection platform or the counting platform, the invention has the advantages of reduced length, simple structure and space saving.

Description

A method and device for efficiently distributing discrete items

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the technical field of discrete object distribution, and in particular to an efficient distribution method and distribution device for discrete objects.

Background technique

It is often necessary to dispense discrete items in the form of granules, flakes, or small pieces into batches of known quantities. Examples include dispensing tablets, pills, capsules, seeds, candies, or the like into bottles, bags, or other containers.

Because the items are put into containers after being counted, any damage caused by collision during supply, foreign objects, or inherently defective items all need to be detected during the counting process.

In some dispensing tasks, a completed container must not contain less than a predetermined number of items. For example, when dispensing certain pills, a complete treatment cycle may have to be provided, so at least a predetermined number of items must be provided in each container.

On the other hand, the dispensed items may be expensive, so if too many containers contain more than a predetermined amount of the item, it increases production costs for the supplier or packaging organization of the item.

In many dispensing machines, items are transported along a conveyor and are divided into multiple single columns, which fall at the end of the conveyor and are collected in a container. During the falling process, the items in each column are counted one by one by a photoelectric sensor. When a predetermined number is reached, the items are prevented from falling into the container by physically separating the channels in each column. Such a mechanism is inherently inefficient because the items are divided into multiple single columns on the conveyor, and the number of items that can be transported within a certain conveying area must be less than that without dividing the items into single columns. At the same time, a certain distance needs to be maintained between columns to install the photoelectric sensors and physical separation mechanism mentioned above.

US Patent No. 6,659,304 to Geltser et al., entitled "Box for a System for Feeding, Counting and Dispensing Discrete Articles," discloses a high capacity box for an article counting and dispensing system including, inter alia, structure for feeding discrete articles in a single file toward an exit aperture.

An application entitled "Method and Apparatus for Distributing Articles" with publication number CN103129783A discloses operating a conveyor to convey a plurality of articles toward an imaging device, wherein the articles are arranged in a single layer and at least some of the articles are conveyed in parallel; operating the imaging device to continuously capture images of an area directly below an end of the conveyor so that articles dropped from the conveyor are recorded in the image while on track; and processing the image in real time to continuously determine the number of dropped articles.

The existing method of counting objects visually is to take images and count the objects as they fall from the conveyor. However, since the orientation of the objects is uncertain during the falling process, it is impossible to stably detect the size and shape of the objects. At the same time, since the imaging area is set during the falling process of the objects, it needs to occupy a vertical height, and the overall height of the equipment is also increased, which is inconvenient to operate.

Another method is to start imaging and counting after the items leave the conveyor. When the conveyor stops, some items will continue to fall due to inertia. The system needs to wait for a while to determine whether the items have completely stopped. In this way, the time interval between the two start-stop cycles is also required to be longer, and the production capacity of the entire system is relatively reduced.

Chinese invention patent CN201420130214.6 describes a method for synchronously counting and detecting objects in the form of a counting platform, and a method for achieving a target number by using an initial allocation amount and a compensation amount. However, because the objects often need to travel a certain distance from the conveyor to the counting platform to stabilize their movement before images can be taken, the space occupied by the mechanism is relatively large. At the same time, the objects within this distance are not monitored by the system. The random range of objects that continue to enter the counting area after the conveyor stops will also expand, and the subsequent compensation required will be more, and the efficiency of the entire system will be lower.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide a distribution method and a distribution device with higher efficiency, simpler structure, and more space saving.

Summary of the invention

The invention aims to overcome the problems existing in the prior art and provide a distribution method with higher efficiency, simpler structure and more space saving.

Another object of the present invention is to overcome the problems existing in the prior art and provide a dispensing device with higher efficiency, simpler structure and more space saving.

The technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

An efficient allocation method for discrete items, comprising

Drive the conveyor to move periodically, and convey the items to the end of the conveyor in a single layer; each time the conveyor starts and stops is a start-stop cycle;

The items output by the conveyor in a start-stop cycle form at least one separate item pile, and the number of items in each item pile is accurately counted;

Continuously capturing images of an imaging area at the end of the conveyor, wherein the imaging area is set before the end of the conveyor and across the conveying direction of the conveyor. Each object passes through the imaging area and is imaged at least once before being discharged, and the object leaves the conveyor when it leaves the imaging area;

Process the acquired images in real time to determine the number of items to be output;

Find a combination of item piles, each of which has the same number of items as the target number, and distribute the combined item piles.

By driving each conveyor in a group of parallel conveyors, the objects are moved to the end of each conveyor in a single layer and output by the conveyor, and each conveyor outputs a pile of objects in one start-stop cycle.

The start and stop cycles of each conveyor are controlled independently.

The start-stop cycle of a conveyor is different from the previous start-stop cycle of the conveyor.

The output end of the conveyor is separated to form an item output channel. In each start-stop cycle, each channel outputs an item pile, and the item piles output by adjacent channels do not interfere with each other.

Each object passing through the imaging area is completely imaged at least once.

The image of the object in the image is compared with the image of the preset object to determine the comparison result. When the comparison result is inconsistent, the object is recorded and removed.

If the image of the object in the image is different from any of the requirements of shape, color, and size of the preset image of the object, it is determined that the comparison result is inconsistent.

Each item pile is received by an independent temporary storage device, and when a combined item pile is found, the items in the combined item pile are collected and output to a container.

When a combined item pile cannot be found, a new item pile is received by an empty temporary storage device, and a combined item pile is continuously searched in the temporary storage devices of all existing items.

When a combined item pile cannot be found, a temporary storage device with existing items receives a new item pile, the number of items in the temporary storage device is the sum of the original item pile and the new item pile, and continues to search for a combined item pile in all temporary storage devices with item piles.

When a combined item pile cannot be found, all items in one temporary storage device are transferred to another temporary storage device, and the emptied temporary storage device receives a new item pile. The number of new items in the temporary storage device that receives the transferred items is the sum of the number of its original items and the number of transferred items, and a combined item pile is continued to be searched for in all temporary storage devices that have items.

When a combined item pile cannot be found, a combined item pile with a total number of items less than the target number is selected, all items in the temporary storage of the combination are released to the container, and the items with the difference from the target number are allocated to the container.

When the number of items in a buffer is greater than the target quantity, the items in the buffer are released into a container and the container is removed.

Therein, containers are continuously supplied to the dispensing station to receive the collected output articles.

Among them, when the previous container leaves the distribution station and the next container has not yet arrived at the distribution station, the collected items are temporarily stored.

Among them, an inertial output section is set at the exit section of the imaging area of each conveyor. The objects in the inertial output section will be output after the conveyor stops. When the sum of the number of objects output plus the number of objects in the inertial output section and the number of objects in one or more temporary storage devices is the same as the target number, the conveyor is stopped.

The length direction of the imaging area includes an input side boundary and an output side boundary, the input side boundary is set on the conveyor, and the output side boundary is set before the end line of the conveyor. The distance between the output side boundary and the end line of the conveyor is less than the shortest distance between the center of gravity of the object and its edge, and the distance between the input side boundary and the output side boundary is greater than the maximum length of the object. Before being output, each object passes through the imaging area and is imaged at least once, and the object leaves the conveyor when leaving the imaging area.

The length direction of the imaging area includes an input side boundary and an output side boundary. The input side boundary is set on the conveyor, and the output side boundary coincides with the end line of the conveyor. The distance between the input side boundary and the output side boundary is greater than the maximum length of the object. Before being output, each object passes through the imaging area and is imaged at least once, and the object leaves the conveyor when leaving the imaging area.

The length direction of the imaging area includes an input side boundary and an output side boundary. The input side boundary is set on the conveyor, and the output side boundary is set outside the end line of the conveyor. The distance between the input side boundary and the output side boundary is greater than the maximum length of the object. Before being output, each object passes through the imaging area and is imaged at least once, and the object leaves the conveyor when leaving the imaging area.

Another technical solution of the present invention:

A dispensing device for a method of dispensing discrete items with a compact structure,

It includes a feed silo for storing items and continuously supplying items to the conveyor;

Conveyors are used to flatten the items into a single layer for transport and form individual piles of items when output;

An imaging device, used to continuously capture images of objects passing through an imaging area of the conveyor;

The central processing and control platform is used to process the images obtained by the imaging device in real time to calculate the number of objects passing through the imaging area, and detect and judge the images of the objects.

The imaging area is set before the end of the conveyor and across the conveying direction of the conveyor. The length and width of the imaging area are set so that each passing object is imaged at least once. When each object completely leaves the imaging area, it also leaves the conveyor.

Container for receiving items output by the conveyor.

It also includes a temporary storage and a collector connected to the temporary storage. Each temporary storage receives a pile of objects. When a combined pile of objects is found, the pile of objects is transported to the container through the collector.

Wherein, a gate is provided at the output end of the collector to open or close the collector to output items.

Wherein, a gate is provided at the output end of the temporary storage device to control the output or temporary storage of the pile of objects in the temporary storage device.

There are multiple conveyors, which are arranged side by side, and each conveyor is individually controlled to start and stop cycles.

Wherein, a partition is provided at the output end of the conveyor, which divides the output end of the conveyor into a plurality of independent conveying channels that do not interfere with each other. In each start and stop cycle of the conveyor, each channel outputs a pile of objects.

The spacings between the partitions are different, that is, the widths of the multiple conveying channels are different.

Among them, a container conveying line is provided for continuously conveying containers to the output end of the collector, and a diversion swing gate is provided at the outlet of the collecting channel to divert two consecutive released piles of items into two different containers.

The conveying surface of the conveyor is provided with a plurality of channels parallel to the conveying direction.

Wherein, the cross section of the channel is V-shaped.

Beneficial effects:

An efficient allocation method for discrete items, comprising

The conveyor is driven to move periodically to convey the objects in a single layer to the end of the conveyor; each time the conveyor is started and stopped is a start-stop cycle; the objects output by the conveyor in a start-stop cycle form at least one separate object pile, and the number of objects in each object pile is accurately counted; a photographing area located at the end of the conveyor is continuously imaged, and the imaging area is set before the end of the conveyor and across the conveying direction of the conveyor. Before being output, each object passes through the imaging area and is imaged at least once, and the object leaves the conveyor when leaving the imaging area; the image obtained is processed in real time to determine the number of objects output; a combined object pile is found, and the number of objects in each combined object pile is the same as the target number, and a combined object pile is distributed to a container.

(1) The present invention sets the imaging area at the output section of the conveyor. The objects are supported by the conveyor and have a stable orientation, which facilitates the detection of the shape and size of the objects after visual imaging. By using the imaging area across the conveyor, imaging and counting can be completed without passing through a detection platform or a counting platform. Compared with conveyors with detection platforms or counting platforms, the length is reduced, the structure is simple, and space is saved.

(2) Since it is not necessary to take images when the items fall, the image taking area does not occupy vertical height, the height of the entire device will be reduced, and the operation will be more convenient. At the same time, the drop from the item leaving the conveyor to the container will also be reduced, the impact of the items will be reduced, and the time to gather the items into the container will be accelerated, thus improving the distribution efficiency.

(3) The moving speed of the objects on the conveyor is slow and stable, so the length of the imaging area required to capture a complete image of an object can be shorter. Compared with setting the imaging area after the object leaves the conveyor, due to the gravity acceleration of the object during the falling period, the object moves faster and faster, and the imaging area required to capture a complete image of the object for counting or shape detection will be longer. The central control system will also need to process more image information, and the overall efficiency will be reduced. The method of the present invention can effectively speed up the image processing time, thereby improving the allocation efficiency.

(4) Before the items leave the conveyor, they are monitored by video. When the conveyor stops, although the items will continue to move and be output due to inertia, the system is aware of the movement and stop status of the items at the conveyor exit in real time. The system can determine the stop output of the items more quickly. In this way, the time interval between the two start and stop cycles will be shorter, and the efficiency of the entire system will be improved accordingly.

(5) Since the items are monitored before they leave the conveyor, the system can pre-estimate the number of items that will be output due to inertia after the conveyor stops, thereby more accurately controlling the size of the item pile to increase the chances of successfully finding a combined item pile.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a distribution device with a diversion swing gate according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of another viewing angle state of a dispensing device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a side-by-side conveyor of a distribution device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a two-level temporary storage space of a distribution device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the distribution structure of a side-by-side conveyor of a distribution device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a channel conveyor of a distribution device of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a channel conveyor of a distribution device of the present invention from another perspective.

FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a channel conveyor of a distribution device of the present invention from another perspective.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of a lane dividing mechanism of a distribution device of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of distribution of a lane dividing mechanism of a distribution device of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a lane dividing mechanism of a distribution device of the present invention from another perspective.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of an imaging area of a method for efficiently allocating discrete objects according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a second imaging area of a method for efficiently allocating discrete objects of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a third imaging area of a method for efficiently allocating discrete objects of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of an inertial output region of a method for efficiently dispensing discrete items according to the present invention.

The reference numerals are as follows:

1- conveyor, 101- channel, 102- channel separation mechanism;

2-imaging device, 201-imaging area;

3-Items,

4--scratchpad, 401-scratchpad gate, 402-first-level scratchpad, 403-second-level scratchpad;

5-collector, 501-collector gate;

6 - Container,

7——diverter device, 701——diverter plate.

Detailed ways

In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

Example 1

An efficient allocation method for discrete items, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 15, includes:

Drive the conveyor to move periodically, and convey the items to the end of the conveyor in a single layer; each time the conveyor starts and stops is a start-stop cycle;

The items output by the conveyor in a start-stop cycle form at least one separate item pile, and the number of items in each item pile is accurately counted;

Continuously capturing images of an imaging area at the end of the conveyor, wherein the imaging area is set before the end of the conveyor and across the conveying direction of the conveyor. Each object passes through the imaging area and is imaged at least once before being discharged, and the object leaves the conveyor when it leaves the imaging area;

The acquired images are processed in real time to determine the number of items to be output.

Find a combination of item piles, each with the same number of items as the target number, and distribute the combination of item piles to containers.

The periodic motion of the conveyor of the present invention means that the conveyor uses two actions of conveyor start and conveyor stop as one cycle to drive the conveyor to transport articles. The article flow can be divided through the periodic motion to form an article pile.

In the imaging counting method of the present invention, when each object passes through the imaging area, its image appears in the acquired image, and the position of the object in each frame of the continuously acquired image is tracked. When the image of the object disappears in the acquired image, the count is increased by one. Assuming that the length of the object is L, the length of the imaging area is W, the imaging frequency is f, and the speed of the object is V, the condition for the object to be imaged at least once when passing through the imaging area is,

W>V/f

The condition for an object to be completely imaged at least once is,

W>(V/f)+L

For an object that has completely left the imaging area, if the distance between the exit end of the imaging area and the exit end of the conveyor is small enough (less than the minimum distance between the center of gravity of the object and the edge of the object), the center of gravity of the object will leave the conveyor surface, and gravity will cause the object to automatically leave the conveyor. Therefore, regardless of whether the conveyor is in a driving or stopped state, the number of objects that have completely left the imaging area is equal to the number of objects output by the conveyor.

When the conveyor outputs the pile of items, it is not necessary to precisely control the number of items output, but only to accurately count them, so that the output efficiency can be faster. The number of items in the pile is random. By finding a combined pile of items, the randomness can be offset and a combined pile of items with the total number of items equal to the target number can be found. In the process of finding a combined pile of items, the more piles of items with known numbers of items, the greater the probability of obtaining a combination.

During the conveying process, the objects are always moved in a single-layer flat state. The conveyor outputs at least one pile of objects in each cycle. When more than one pile of objects needs to be output, the following method is used to achieve it:

As shown in Figures 5 to 8, (a) multiple conveyors are used to transport items in parallel, each conveyor corresponds to a group of temporary storage devices, and the items output by each conveyor in each start-stop cycle are received by one of the corresponding temporary storage devices. Each temporary storage device containing items will be marked with the number of items, that is, the number of items in the pile of items stored therein. The controller finds one or more temporary storage devices that just meet the target number of items according to the target number of items, and releases the pile of items in the temporary storage device and collects them into the container through the collector to complete the distribution work. The number of items in the temporary storage device that releases the pile of items is reset to zero, and it continues to receive new piles of items.

Multiple conveyors arranged side by side independently control the start and stop cycle of each conveyor, and the start and stop cycle of a conveyor is different from the previous start and stop cycle of the conveyor. Each time a conveyor is driven, the size range of the output object pile is roughly controlled by changing the length of the start time of the conveyor. According to the size distribution of the number of objects in all temporary storages at that time, the size range of the newly output object pile can be complementary controlled, thereby increasing the probability of finding a combination and improving the allocation efficiency.

Under the condition that the number of buffers corresponding to each conveyor is limited, a buffer with a pile of items can continue to receive new piles of items to improve conveying efficiency and the probability of finding a combined pile of items. After a buffer with existing items receives a new pile of items, the number of items marked in it is the sum of the number of items marked before and the number of items in the newly received pile of items. When the number of marked items is greater than the target number, the buffer is considered to have overflowed and needs to be eliminated. Overflow is a loss in the allocation efficiency of the entire system. When the start and stop of conveyors can be controlled independently, a conveyor can be paused to output items until there is an empty buffer in its corresponding group of buffers to avoid overflow.

As shown in Figures 9 to 11, 2). Separate the output section of the conveyor to form an item output channel. Each channel outputs an item pile in each start-stop cycle, and the item piles output by adjacent channels do not interfere with each other. Each output channel corresponds to a group of temporary registers. The item pile output by each channel in each start-stop cycle is received by one of the corresponding temporary registers. By separating the item output channels on a conveyor, multiple item piles can be output, thereby improving the efficiency of finding combinations.

The present invention can further make the object output channel an output channel for single-row objects, which can conveniently make the objects stand out in the image and improve the accuracy of recognition and detection.

Imaging area: Every object passing through the imaging area is completely imaged at least once.

The image of the object in the image is compared with the image of the preset object to determine the comparison result. When the comparison result is inconsistent, the object is recorded and removed.

The object rejection of the present invention can be achieved by directly rejecting the unqualified object, or by using a rejection channel to reject the object when the conveyor outputs the object, or by rejecting the entire container into which the object pile to which the object belongs is finally collected.

If the image of the object in the image is different from the preset image of the object in terms of shape, color, or size, the comparison result is determined to be inconsistent.

Each pile of items is received by an independent temporary storage device. When a combined pile of items is found, the items in the combined pile of items are collected and output to a container, and the container is continuously supplied to the distribution station to receive the collected output items. When the previous container leaves the distribution station and the next container has not yet arrived at the distribution station, the collected items are temporarily stored.

Continuous containers may appear in the conveying process, and the distribution has been completed, but the container has not yet reached the output position. At this time, the temporary storage function can be used to temporarily store the collected items. That is, when the container has not yet reached the output position, the system continues to distribute the next target number of items, avoiding the time wasted due to waiting until the container is in place to distribute.

The present invention also has different allocation methods when no combination can be found, specifically:

1. When a combined item pile cannot be found, an empty temporary storage receives a new item pile and continues to search for a combined item pile in all the temporary storages of existing items. By increasing the number of item piles, the probability of finding a combined item pile is increased.

2. When a combined item pile cannot be found, a temporary storage device with existing items receives a new item pile. The number of items in the temporary storage device is the sum of the original items and the new item pile. The device continues to search for a combined item pile in all temporary storage devices that contain items. The number of items in the item pile in the temporary storage device is obtained by using the superposition number, and then a new combination is obtained.

3. When a combined item pile cannot be found, all items in one temporary register are transferred to another temporary register. The emptied temporary register receives a new item pile. The number of new items in the temporary register that receives the transferred items is the sum of the number of its original items and the number of transferred items. Continue to search for a combined item pile in all temporary registers containing items.

4. When a combined item pile cannot be found, select a combined item pile whose total number of items is less than the target number, release all items in the temporary register of the combination to the container, and allocate the difference of the target number of items to the container.

The difference between the total number of selected items and the target number is between 1% and 10% of the target number, although other proportions are also possible, generally between 1 and 10 items.

When the number of items that differs from the target number in the combined item pile is found, the allocation of the items that differ from the target number to the container is achieved by the following two methods:

1. Set up a compensation conveyor, which can output individual items to make up for the difference in items.

2. Set the difference in the number of items as the new target number, which is the original target number minus the number of items that have been allocated. Based on the new target number, look for a combined item pile in the temporary storage of existing items. When a combined item pile is found, allocate the combined item pile. When a combined item pile cannot be found, set the difference in the number of items as the new target number, and continue to look for combinations until the original target number of items is allocated to the container.

As shown in Figure 12, the imaging area of the present invention includes the following method to achieve counting; the length direction of the imaging area includes an input side boundary and an output side boundary, the input side boundary is set on the conveyor, and the output side boundary is set before the end line of the conveyor. The distance between the output side boundary and the end line of the conveyor is less than the distance between the center of gravity of the object and its shortest outer diameter, and the distance between the input side boundary and the output side boundary is greater than the maximum length of the object. Before being output, each object passes through the imaging area and is imaged at least once, and the object leaves the conveyor when leaving the imaging area.

The imaging area is located on the conveyor surface, which can fully realize the counting function, and the image detection is convenient with high recognition rate.

As shown in FIG. 13 , the imaging area of the present invention can also be designed such that the input side boundary is set on the conveyor, the output side boundary coincides with the end line of the conveyor, and the distance between the input side boundary and the output side boundary is greater than the maximum length of the object. Before being output, each object passes through the imaging area and is imaged at least once, and the object leaves the conveyor when leaving the imaging area.

As shown in Figure 14, the imaging area of the present invention can also be designed as an input side boundary set on the conveyor, and the output side boundary is set outside the end line of the conveyor. The distance between the input side boundary and the output side boundary is greater than the maximum length of the object. Before being output, each object passes through the imaging area and is imaged at least once, and the object leaves the conveyor when leaving the imaging area.

By adopting the above method, the setting process of setting the imaging area can be greatly simplified and the interference during machine operation can be reduced. The distance between the input side boundary and the end line of the conveyor of the present invention is greater than the maximum length of the object, so as to distinguish two consecutive passing object images and allow a complete object image to be presented, so as to realize the detection of the shape and size of the object.

The present invention also provides a method for improving distribution efficiency by utilizing the inertial output section:

An inertial output section is provided at the exit section of the imaging area of each conveyor. The objects in the inertial output section will be output after the conveyor stops. When the sum of the number of objects output plus the number of objects in the inertial output section and the number of objects in one or more temporary storage devices is the same as the target number, the conveyor stops.

The inertial output section is a part of the imaging area, namely the inertial output area, which refers to the area where the items in the conveyor imaging area will continue to be output due to the inertia of movement when the conveyor is stopped in each start-stop cycle. By real-time counting the number of items in the inertial output section and adding it to the number of items that have been output, the number of items that will be output after the conveyor is stopped can be predicted in real time. By matching this predicted number with the number of items in the temporary register in real time, a combined pile of items can be generated, which can increase the probability of finding a combined pile of items.

Stopping the conveyor actually means stopping the driving of the conveyor. After stopping the driving of the conveyor, there are still two inertias, one is the inertia of the conveyor itself, and the other is the inertia of the object itself. The objects in the inertial output section of the present application include objects output under the influence of the above two inertias. All objects in this inertial output area will be inertially output, which greatly reduces the number of random outputs.

Example 2

A dispensing device for the method of dispensing discrete items 3 of the compact structure,

It includes a feed bin for storing objects 3 and continuously supplying objects 3 to the conveyor 1;

The conveyor 1 is used to flatten the articles 3 into a single layer for conveyance, and to form the articles 3 into separate piles when outputting;

An imaging device 2, used for continuously capturing images of objects 3 passing through an imaging area 201 of the conveyor 1;

The central processing and control platform is used to process the images obtained by the imaging device 2 in real time to calculate the number of all objects 3 passing through the imaging area 201, and detect and judge the images of the objects 3;

An imaging area 201, which is arranged before the end of the conveyor 1 and across the conveying direction of the conveyor 1. The length and width of the imaging area 201 are arranged so that each object 3 passing through is imaged at least once, and each object 3 leaves the conveyor 1 when it completely leaves the imaging area 201;

The container 6 is used to receive the articles 3 output by the conveyor 1 .

The present invention can complete detection, counting and allocation by using different positions of the imaging area 201, thereby eliminating the need for a traditional counting platform, thereby achieving high efficiency and requiring little space.

It also includes a temporary storage 4 and a collector 5 connected to the temporary storage 4. Each temporary storage 4 receives a pile of objects. When a combined pile of objects is found, the pile of objects is transported to the container 6 through the collector 5.

The output end of the collector 5 is provided with a collector gate 501, which is opened or closed to output the articles 3 from the collector 5. The collector gate 501 is connected to the central processing and control platform by electrical signals.

The collector gate 501 can be used to temporarily store the items 3 of the combined item pile. When the container 6 has not yet reached the distribution station (the output end of the collector 5), the items 3 can be distributed and output, thereby improving the distribution efficiency of the entire machine.

The output end of the temporary storage 4 is provided with a gate to control the output or temporary storage of the pile of items in the temporary storage 4. The temporary storage 4 includes a primary temporary storage 402 and a secondary temporary storage 403. Each temporary storage 4 corresponds to a conveyor 1 or a conveying channel to receive items 3. The output of the items 3 in the primary temporary storage 402 and the secondary temporary storage 403 can be controlled by using the temporary storage gate 401. The temporary storage gate 401 is connected to the central processing and control platform by electrical signals. The central processing and control platform controls the temporary storage gate 401 to open or close, and switches between the output and temporary storage modes. In addition, it can also control the pile of items in the primary temporary storage 402 to enter the secondary temporary storage 403.

The conveyors 1 are provided in plurality, and the plurality of conveyors 1 are arranged side by side, and the start and stop cycles of each conveyor 1 are individually controlled.

Each of the multiple conveyors 1 is equipped with a driving mechanism, which is electrically connected to the central processing and control platform. The central processing and control platform controls the start and stop time of the conveyor 1. The existing driving form is usually an electromagnetically driven vibration plate, which controls the movement state of the motor through the central processing and control platform and thus controls the start and stop cycle.

The output end of the conveyor 1 is provided with a partition, which divides the output end of the conveyor 1 into a plurality of independent conveying channels that do not interfere with each other. In each start and stop cycle of the conveyor 1, each channel outputs a pile of objects.

The lane dividing mechanism 102 includes a partition and a partition fixing mechanism, and the partition fixing mechanism fixes the partition at the output end of the conveyor 1.

The spacings between the partitions are different, that is, the width of each conveying channel is different. The different widths of the conveying channels, that is, the quantity ranges of the outputted articles 3 are different, and the quantity diversity of the outputted article piles is increased as much as possible.

A container 6 conveying line is provided for continuously conveying containers 6 to the output end of the collector 5. A diversion swing gate is provided at the outlet of the collecting channel to divert two consecutive released article pile combinations to two different containers 6.

The diverter device 7 is arranged between the output end of the collector 5 and the container 6, and is used to transfer the items collected by the collector 5 to two different containers 6 respectively. The container 6 can be arranged in a single row front to back or in a double row left to right. A diverter plate 701 is arranged in the diverter device 7. Through the swing of the diverter plate 701, the distributed item pile flows into different distribution channels and is then transported to different containers.

The conveying surface of the conveyor 1 is provided with a plurality of channels 101 parallel to the conveying direction. The channels 101 can form the articles 3 into a single row of articles 3, and when passing through the imaging area 201, they can be clearly identified by the imaging device 2, thereby improving the identification efficiency. This is because some special-shaped articles 3 are easy to be staggered to form a piece of article 3 during the transmission process. After the imaging loading and imaging, the central processing and control platform can easily identify it as one article 3 when processing the image. The channels 101 can effectively distinguish the boundaries between the articles 3 and improve the accuracy of identification.

The cross section of the channel 101 is V-shaped. The channel 101 of this shape makes it easier to separate the objects into a single row and the conveyor effect is more stable.

The above is only a preferred specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (28)

1. A method for efficient dispensing of discrete articles, characterized by: comprising

Driving the conveyor to periodically move, and conveying the articles to the tail end of the conveyor in a single-layer state; each time the conveyor is started and stopped, the conveyor is stopped for a start-stop period;

the conveyor forms at least one independent article pile in the articles output in a start-stop period, and the article quantity of each article pile is accurately counted;

continuously taking images of an image taking area positioned at the tail section of the conveyor, wherein the image taking area spans the conveying direction of the conveyor, when the articles leave the image taking area, the articles leave the conveyor, and when each article leaves the conveyor, the articles pass through the image taking area and are taken at least once;

the length direction of the image capturing area comprises an input side boundary and an output side boundary, the input side boundary and the output side boundary are arranged on the conveyor,

Processing the acquired images in real time to determine the number of the articles to be output;

Searching a combined article pile, wherein the number of articles of each combined article pile is the same as the target number, and distributing the combined article pile;

the output side boundary is arranged before the end line of the conveyor, the distance between the output side boundary and the end line of the conveyor is smaller than the shortest distance between the gravity center of the article and the edge of the article, and the distance between the input side boundary and the output side boundary is larger than the maximum length of the article.

2. A method for efficient dispensing of discrete articles, characterized by: comprising

Driving the conveyor to periodically move, and conveying the articles to the tail end of the conveyor in a single-layer state; each time the conveyor is started and stopped, the conveyor is stopped for a start-stop period;

the conveyor forms at least one independent article pile in the articles output in a start-stop period, and the article quantity of each article pile is accurately counted;

continuously taking images of an image taking area positioned at the tail section of the conveyor, wherein the image taking area spans the conveying direction of the conveyor, when the articles leave the image taking area, the articles leave the conveyor, and when each article leaves the conveyor, the articles pass through the image taking area and are taken at least once;

the length direction of the image capturing area comprises an input side boundary and an output side boundary, the input side boundary and the output side boundary are arranged on the conveyor,

Processing the acquired images in real time to determine the number of the articles to be output;

Searching a combined article pile, wherein the number of articles of each combined article pile is the same as the target number, and distributing the combined article pile;

the output side boundary coincides with the conveyor end line, and the distance between the input side boundary and the output side boundary is greater than the maximum length of the article.

3. A method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: by driving each conveyor in a set of side-by-side conveyors, articles are moved in a single layer over each conveyor toward the end of the conveyor and are output by the conveyor, each conveyor outputting at least one stack of articles during a start-stop cycle.

4. A method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles as claimed in claim 3, wherein: the start-stop period of each conveyor is independently controlled.

5. A method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles as recited in claim 4, wherein: the start-stop period of a conveyor is different from the last start-stop period of the conveyor.

6. A method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles as claimed in claim 3, wherein: the output sections of the conveyor are separated to form a plurality of article output channels, each channel outputs an article stack in each start-stop period, and the article stacks output by adjacent channels do not interfere with each other.

7. A method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles according to claim 1 or2, characterized in that: each article passing through the imaging zone is imaged at least once in its entirety while on the conveyor.

8. A method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles as recited in claim 7, wherein: comparing the object image in the image with the image of the preset object, judging the comparison result, and recording the object and eliminating when the comparison result is inconsistent.

9. A method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles as recited in claim 8, wherein: and when the image of the object in the image is different from any one of the preset image of the object in the shape, color and size, judging that the comparison result is inconsistent.

10. A method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: each stack is received by a separate register, and when a combined stack is found, all of the articles in the register in which the combined stack is located are pooled and output to a container.

11. A method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles as recited in claim 10, wherein: when a register item is greater than the target number, releasing the register item to a container and rejecting the container.

12. A method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles as recited in claim 10, wherein: the containers are continuously supplied to the dispensing station to receive the pooled output items.

13. A method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles as recited in claim 12, wherein: the pooled items are temporarily stored when the previous container leaves the dispensing station and the next container has not yet arrived at the dispensing station.

14. A method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles as recited in claim 10, wherein: when a combined stack is not found, a new stack is received by an empty register and a combined stack is continuously found in all of the article-carrying registers.

15. A method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles as recited in claim 10, wherein: when a combined stack is not found, a register with articles receives a new stack, the number of articles in the register is the sum of the original articles and the new stack, and the register with articles continues to find a combined stack.

16. A method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles as recited in claim 10, wherein: when a combined article stack cannot be found, all the articles in one temporary storage are transferred to the other temporary storage, the emptied temporary storage receives a new article stack, the number of the new articles in the temporary storage receiving the transferred articles is the sum of the number of the original articles and the number of the transferred articles, and the combined article stack is continuously found in all the temporary storage carrying the articles.

17. A method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles as recited in claim 10, wherein: when a combined article stack cannot be found, a combined article stack with the total number of articles smaller than the target number is selected, all articles in a temporary storage where the combined article stack is located are released to a container, and the container is allocated articles with the difference from the target number.

18. A method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: and an inertia output section is arranged at the outlet section of the image capturing area of each conveyor, the articles in the inertia output section are output after the conveyors are stopped, and the conveyors are stopped when the sum of the number of the output articles plus the number of the articles in the inertia output section and the number of the articles in one or more temporary storage devices is the same as the target number.

19. A dispensing device using the method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles of any one of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that:

comprises a feed bin for storing articles and continuously supplying articles to a conveyor;

a conveyor for laying the articles in a single layer for delivery, the articles being formed into individual stacks during delivery;

the image capturing device is used for continuously capturing images of the articles passing through the image capturing area of the conveyor;

The central processing and control platform is used for processing the images acquired by the image acquisition device in real time to calculate the quantity of all articles passing through the image acquisition area, detecting and judging the images of the articles,

An image capturing area arranged in front of the end of the conveyor and crossing the conveying direction of the conveyor, wherein the length and width of the image capturing area are set so that each passing article is captured at least once and each article leaves the conveyor when completely leaving the image capturing area

A container for receiving the articles output by the conveyor.

20. A dispensing apparatus for a method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles as recited in claim 19, wherein: the system also includes registers and collectors in communication with the registers, each register receiving a stack of articles, the stack of articles being transferred to the container via the collectors when a combined stack of articles is found.

21. A dispensing apparatus for a method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles as recited in claim 20, wherein: the output end of the collector is provided with a collector gate, and the collector is opened or closed to output articles.

22. A dispensing apparatus for a method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles as recited in claim 20, wherein: the output end of the temporary storage is provided with a temporary storage gate for controlling the output or temporary storage of the object stack in the temporary storage.

23. A dispensing apparatus for a method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles as recited in claim 19, wherein: the conveyors are arranged in a plurality, the conveyors are arranged side by side, and each conveyor is independently controlled to start and stop.

24. A dispensing apparatus for a method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles as recited in claim 19, wherein: the output end of the conveyor is provided with a partition plate, the partition plate divides the output end of the conveyor into a plurality of independent and mutually noninterfere conveying channels, each starting and stopping period of the conveyor is carried out, and each channel outputs an article pile.

25. A dispensing apparatus for a method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles as recited in claim 24, wherein: the distance between the separation plates is different, namely the width of the plurality of conveying channels is different.

26. A dispensing apparatus for a method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles as recited in claim 20, wherein: the container conveying line is used for continuously conveying containers to the output end of the collector, and the outlet of the collecting channel is provided with a diversion swing gate for diverting two continuous released article pile combinations to two different containers.

27. A dispensing apparatus for a method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles as recited in claim 19, wherein: the conveying surface of the conveyor is provided with a plurality of channels parallel to the conveying direction.

28. A dispensing apparatus for a method of efficient dispensing of discrete articles as recited in claim 27, wherein: the cross section of the channel is V-shaped.