Edge Alignment Mechanism for Edge Polishing and Feeding of Plates

This application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2025/077982, filed on Feb. 19, 2025, which claims the benefit of priority from Chinese Patent Application No. 202420371547.1, filed on Feb. 27, 2024. The content of the aforementioned application, including any intervening amendments made thereto, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

This application relates to plate processing devices, and more particularly to an edge alignment mechanism for edge polishing and feeding of plates.

Plates refer to flat, rectangular and standard-sized building materials, which have been extensively used as components of walls, ceilings or floors in the construction industry. The rapid development of the construction industry has led to an increasing demand for plates. In the practical application, it is generally needed to process the plates in advance.

Roller conveying is a predominant way to feed plates in the prior art. However, the plates may deviate from the predetermined conveying direction to a certain extent in the roller conveying process. In addition, for the edge polishing, the side edge of the plate needs to be aligned with the edge polishing device. In the prior art, a cylinder is usually arranged on one side of the roller to lift the roller to allow the side edge of the plate to abut the other side of the roller, thereby achieving the alignment. However, the cylinder occupies a large space, which limits the stroke of the cylinder telescopic rod. As a result, the existing devices fail to adapt to plates with various sizes.

An object of the disclosure is to provide an edge alignment mechanism for edge polishing and feeding of plates, so as to solve the problem that the existing devices fails to adapt to plates with various sizes due to structural limitations.

In order to achieve the above object, the following technical solutions are adopted.

This application provides an edge alignment mechanism for edge polishing and feeding of plates, comprising:

In some embodiments, the conveyor belt assembly comprises a plurality of conveyor belt units, and the plurality of conveyor belt units are arranged side by side on the movable frame along an X-axis direction.

In some embodiments, the edge alignment mechanism further comprises an auxiliary sliding assembly;

the roller frame is arranged below the movable frame; and the plurality of roller components are arranged on the roller frame, and are each located in a gap between corresponding two adjacent conveyor belt units among the plurality of conveyor belt units; and

In some embodiments, the transmission component comprises a push rod, a linkage arm, a first linkage rod, a first transmission bent arm, a first lifting seat, a second linkage rod, a second transmission bent arm and a second lifting seat;

In some embodiments, each of the plurality of roller components comprises two roller shafts arranged side by side; each of the two roller shafts is rotatably provided with a plurality of guide rollers, and the plurality of guide rollers are spaced apart; and the two roller shafts are arranged on the roller frame.

In some embodiments, the frame assembly further comprises a leveling component; and

In some embodiments, the lifting assembly comprises a cylinder and a gas tank;

In some embodiments, the cylinder is configured to be inclined outward.

In some embodiments, the edge-abutting assembly comprises an edge-abutting plate and a plurality of edge-abutting rollers; and

In some embodiments, the fixed frame is provided with an articulated seat; the leveling component has a retracted state in response to a case that the movable frame is placed horizontally and an extended state in response to the case that the movable frame is lifted; a height of the articulated seat is the same as a length of the leveling component in the retracted state; and the bottom of the movable frame is hingedly connected to the articulated seat.

Compared to the prior art, the present disclosure has the following beneficial effects.

The edge alignment mechanism of the present disclosure has a simple structure and is easy to operate. The edge alignment operation can be achieved through the cooperation of the frame assembly, the lifting assembly and the edge-abutting assembly to ensure the conveying reference. This facilitates the subsequent edge polishing process, effectively ensuring the accuracy and reliability of plate transportation and meeting the requirements of edge polishing process.

In the drawings:-frame assembly;-conveyor belt assembly;-lifting assembly;-edge-abutting assembly; and-auxiliary sliding assembly;

-movable frame;-leveling component;-fixed frame;-conveyor belt unit;-cylinder;-gas tank;-edge-abutting plate;-edge-abutting roller;-driving component;-transmission assembly;-roller frame; and-roller component; and

-connecting seat;-leveling screw;-articulated seat;-push rod;-linkage arm;-first linkage rod;-first transmission bent arm;-first lifting seat;-second linkage rod;-second transmission bent arm;-second lifting seat;-roller shaft; and-guide roller.

The embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below, and are shown schematically in the accompanying drawings, where the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements with the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are merely illustrative for explaining the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

In the description of the embodiments, it should be understood that orientation or positional relationships related to orientation descriptions, such as “X-axis”, “Y-axis”, “up”, “down”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inside” and “outside”, are based on orientation or position relationships shown in the drawings, which are merely intended to facilitate the description of the embodiments and simplify the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that a device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, these orientation or positional relationships cannot be construed as limiting the present disclosure. In addition, terms such as “first” and “second” are only used to distinguish technical features, and are not intended to indicate or imply the relative importance or implicitly indicate the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, the feature limited by “first” or “second” may explicitly or implicitly include one or more such features.

In the description of the embodiments, “a plurality of” means two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, terms such as “mount”, “communicate”, “connect” and “fix” should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integrated connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be an internal connection of two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to specific circumstances.

Referring to, an edge alignment mechanism for edge polishing and feeding of plates is provided, including a frame assembly, a conveyor belt assembly, a lifting assemblyand an edge-abutting assembly.

The frame assemblyincludes a movable frame, a leveling componentand a fixed frame. The movable frameis located above the fixed frame. A top of the fixed frameis hingedly connected to a bottom of the movable frame. A first end of the leveling componentis connected to an end of the movable frame. A second end of the leveling componentis connected to an end of the fixed frame.

The conveyor belt assemblyis arranged on the movable frame, and is configured to convey a plate.

The lifting assemblyis arranged between the movable frameand the fixed frame, and is configured to drive the movable frameto rotate with a hinge between the fixed frameand the movable frameas a rotation axis.

The edge-abutting assemblyis arranged at a top end of the movable frameclose to the hinged connection between the fixed frameand the movable frame, and is configured to abut against a side edge of the plate in response to a case that the movable frameis lifted.

The edge alignment mechanism includes the conveyor belt assembly, the lifting assemblyand the edge-abutting assembly. The plates are conveyed into and subsequently sent out of the edge alignment mechanism by the conveyor belt assembly. The lifting assemblyis configured to lift the movable frame, so that the movable framerotates with the hinge between the fixed frameand the movable frameas the rotation axis, and then the movable frameis tilted, thereby driving the plates to move toward the edge-abutting assembly. Subsequently, the side edges of the plates abut against the edge-abutting assembly, so that the position of each plate is relatively fixed. The edge alignment mechanism can deliver the plates that has completed edge alignment through the conveyor belt assemblyfor subsequent edge polishing operation on the plates.

When performing edge alignment, the plate is conveyed to the edge alignment mechanism by the conveyor belt assembly, the movable frameis lifted by the lifting assembly, and the movable framerotates with the hinged connection between the fixed frameand the movable frameas the rotation axis. At the same time, the leveling componentextends upward, so that an angle appears between the movable frameand the fixed frame. The plate on the conveyor belt assemblyis driven to slide toward the edge-abutting assembly, so that the side edge of the plate abuts against the edge-abutting assembly. Then, the movable frameis driven by the lifting assemblyto reset, so that the movable frameis parallel to a horizontal plane, the leveling componentretracts downward, and the aligned plate is then delivered by the conveyor belt assembly. The leveling componentis configured to maintain the structural stability between the movable frameand the fixed frame, and to limit a rotation range of the movable frame, thereby preventing the plate from falling off the conveyor belt assemblydue to excessive rotation angle.

The edge alignment mechanism has a simple structure and is easy to operate. The edge alignment operation is achieved through the cooperation of the frame assembly, the lifting assemblyand the edge-abutting assemblyto ensure the conveying reference. This is conducive to the next step of edge polishing, effectively ensuring the accuracy and reliability of plate transportation and meeting the requirements of edge polishing.

Specifically, the conveyor belt assemblyincludes a plurality of conveyor belt units, and the plurality of conveyor belt unitsare arranged side by side on the movable framealong an X-axis direction. The X-axis direction is a width direction of the movable frame.

The plurality of conveyor belt unitscan refer to the structure of the existing conveyor belt. The plurality of conveyor belt unitsare configured to convey the plate, effectively ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the plate conveying.

Specifically, the edge alignment mechanism further includes an auxiliary sliding assembly. The auxiliary sliding assemblyincludes a driving component, a transmission component, a roller frameand a plurality of roller components.

The roller frameis arranged below the movable frame. The plurality of roller componentsare arranged on the roller frame, and are each located in a gap between corresponding two adjacent conveyor belt units among the plurality of conveyor belt units.

The driving componentis fixed to the movable frame. The transmission componentis in transmission connection with the driving component, and the transmission componentis hingedly connected to the movable frame. The driving componentis configured to drive the plurality of roller componentsto extend or retract relative to the plurality of conveyor belt units.

The driving componentdrives the roller frameto move upward or downward through the transmission component, thereby driving the plurality of roller componentson the roller frameto extend from or retract into the gaps between the plurality of conveyor belt units, respectively.

Regarding the above structure, the plurality of roller componentsare respectively provided between the plurality of conveyor belt units. When performing edge alignment, the plurality of roller componentsare driven by the driving componentto extend from the gap between each two adjacent conveyor belt unitsto raise the plate, so that the plate is more prone to slide toward the edge-abutting assembly. This prevents the plate from being unable to slide toward the edge-abutting assemblydue to excessive friction between the plate and the plurality of conveyor belt units, resulting in the plate being unable to be aligned. During the plate conveying process, the plurality of roller componentsare driven by the driving componentto retract from the gap between each two adjacent conveyor belt units, thereby preventing the plurality of conveyor belt unitsfrom being unable to convey the plate due to the fact that the plurality of roller componentsraise the plate.

Specifically, the transmission componentincludes a push rod, a linkage arm, a first linkage rod, a first transmission bent arm, a first lifting seat, a second linkage rod, a second transmission bent armand a second lifting seat.

A first end of the push rodis connected to the driving component. A second end of the push rodis hingedly connected to a first end of the linkage arm. The first linkage rodis rotatably mounted to a first bottom portion of the movable frameaway from the edge-abutting assemblyalong a Y-axis direction. The Y-axis direction is a length direction of the movable frame, which is parallel to a conveying direction of the plate. A second end of the linkage armis connected to the first linkage rod. The first lifting seatis arranged at a first side of the roller frame, and the second lifting seatis arranged at a second side of the roller frame. The driving componentis located between the first lifting seatand the second lifting seat. A first end of the first transmission bent armis hingedly connected to the first lifting seat. A second end of the first transmission bent armis connected to the first linkage rod.

The second linkage rodis rotatably mounted to a second bottom portion of the movable frameclose to the edge-abutting assemblyalong the Y-axis direction. A first end of the second transmission bent armis hingedly connected to the second lifting seat. A second end of the second transmission bent armis connected to the second linkage rod.

Referring to, the driving componentis a driving motor. When the plurality of roller componentsneed to be lifted, the push rodis driven by the driving componentto extend outward, so that the linkage armis driven by the push rodto rotate clockwise with a central axis of the first linkage rodas the rotation axis, and the first linkage rodis driven to rotate clockwise. In this way, the first transmission bent armis driven by the first linkage rodto rotate clockwise, and then the first lifting seatis lifted by the first transmission bent armto raise the roller frame. The roller framemoves upward and drives each of the plurality of roller componentsto extend out from the gap between the corresponding two adjacent conveyor belt units. At the same time, the second lifting seatis driven by the roller frameto move upward, thereby driving the second transmission bent armto rotate clockwise with the central axis of the first linkage rodas the rotation axis, so that the movable frameis in a lifted state. The second lifting seatand the second transmission bent armare linked with the first transmission bent armand the first lifting seatthrough the roller frame, resulting in a uniform force applied to the roller frame. This ensures that the roller framemoves upward as a whole and prevents the roller framefrom tilting to one side, which would affect the guiding effect on the plate.

When it is necessary to retract the plurality of roller components, the push rodis driven by the driving componentto retract backward, so that the linkage armis driven by the push rodto rotate counterclockwise with the central axis of the first linkage rodas the rotation axis, and the first linkage rodis driven to rotate counterclockwise. In this way, the first transmission bent armis driven by the first linkage rodto rotate counterclockwise, and then the first lifting seatis lowered by the first transmission bent arm. The roller frameis driven by the first lifting seatto retract, and the plurality of roller componentsrespectively retract from the gaps between the plurality of conveyor belt units, so that the movable frameis in a horizontal placement state.

Specifically, each of the plurality of roller componentsincludes two roller shaftsarranged side by side. Each of the two roller shaftsis rotatably mounted with a plurality of guide rollersthat are arranged spaced apart. The two roller shaftsare arranged on the roller frame.

In an embodiment, each of the plurality of roller componentsincludes two roller shaftsarranged side by side, and each of the two roller shaftsis coaxially provided with a plurality of guide rollers. The plurality of guide rollersare rotatable along a central axis of a corresponding roller shaft, such that when the movable frameis lifted, the plate can abut against the edge-abutting assemblyalong a tilting angle of the movable frame.

In an embodiment, the leveling componentincludes a connecting seatand a leveling screw. A top of the connecting seatis provided with a threaded hole. A first end of the leveling screwis rotatably connected to a bottom end of the movable frameaway from the edge-abutting assembly, and a second end of the leveling screwis threadedly connected to the threaded hole. A bottom of the connecting seatis fixed to an end of the fixed frame. The leveling componentcan refer to the existing adjusting screw. The tilting angle of the movable framecan be adjusted by controlling the length of the leveling screwextending from the threaded hole to achieve the horizontal placement state, thereby realizing leveling. When the movable frameis in the horizontal placement state, the leveling componentplay an auxiliary supporting role for the movable frame.

Furthermore, the lifting assemblyincludes a cylinderand a gas tank. The cylinderhas a fixed end and a driving end. The fixed end is arranged on the fixed frame. The driving end is hingedly connected to the bottom end of the movable frameaway from the edge-abutting assembly. The gas tankis communicated with the cylinder, and is configured to provide compressed gas to the cylinder.