GB190908343A - Improvements in Machines for Weighing Tea and other Substances. - Google Patents

Abstract

8343. Clark, J. P. K. April 6. Automatic-feed weighers.-In automatic-feed weighers for tea &c. in which a mass of tea is dumped into the weighing-receptacle, the beam being held fixed and then liberated for the dribble feed, the feed hoppers are modified, and the consecutive working of the parts of the machine is effected by a system of electromagnets and switches. The main hopper 78, Fig. 1, has a baffle 81 and an extension 84 leading the tea to the dumping-hopper 10 and the dribble-hopper 37. The hopper 10 is provided with two slide valves or sluices 15, 13, the former being formed of parallel rods and the latter of a plate. These valves are connected to spring plungers 17, and are worked alter. nately by a bell-crank lever 21 operated by a rock-shaft 22, an arm 23, a connecting-rod 24, and a crank on the shaft 26. The capacity of the hopper 10 may be varied by turning a screw 35, and so varying the position of a single spring plate 33, which forms one wall of the hopper, or of two spring plates 33, Fig. 16, forming opposite walls of the hopper. In this case, the screw 35 actuates pressers 33<a>, coupled by yokes 33b. The dribble hopper 37 has avertically-adjustable end 42 placed over a trough 39, which is oscillated to and fro to feed the tea by a rock-shaft 40 operated by an arm 43 and an eccentric 45 on the shaft 46, connected by a rope and pulleys to the shaft 50, which is connected by a clutch to the constantly-rotating shaft p. This shaft is also connected by clutches ,and gearing to the shafts o and the abovementioned shaft 26. The shaft o liberates the door at the bottom of the weighing-receptacle e when the right weight is obtained. The mechanism for doing this is similar to that described in Specification 13,712/04. The weighing-beam a is held stationary during the dumping of the tea by an electro-magnet 7, and carries a contact 3, which touches the fixed contact 4 when the weighing-operation is completed. The machine is started by starting the main shaft p and pressing the push 74,. Fig. 9, so as to press the contacts 67, 69 together. A second similar pair of contacts, just behind these, is also operated so as to pass a supplementary current through the electro-magnet 60, which is thus energized to remove the brake 58 from the pulley 53, and allow, by means of a clutch described in detail in Specification 5152/10, [Class 80 (ii), Gearing. Variable-speed &c.], the shaft 50 to rotate. The dribble feed is thus started, and, in time, the weighing-beam a rises and the contacts 3, 4 meet. An electro-magnet is thus energized so as to clutch the shaft o to the shaft p. The tea is then discharged. The shaft o, by a cam, closes a switch and puts another electro-magnet into action to clutch the shaft 26 to the shaft p. This shaft 26 carries two cams, actuating switches which control respectively the magnets 7, Fig. 1, and 60, Fig. 9.