GB2075695A

GB2075695A - Weighing and labelling

Info

Publication number: GB2075695A
Application number: GB8109920A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd
Current assignee: Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd
Priority date: 1980-05-06
Filing date: 1981-03-30
Publication date: 1981-11-18

Abstract

A computerised weighing and labelling machine enables a product, for example a bale of staple fibre, emanating from one of a number of product lines to be automatically weighed and provided with a printed label bearing not only the weight of the product but also information specific to the product and product line from which the product has emanated. Products are transferred from product lines A, B, C by a transfer hoist 1 to a conveyor 2 and thence to a weighing station 3 and a labelling station 4. Information is fed to labelling devices 10A, 10B, 10C from an electronic controller 6 which is linked to the weighing station 3 and to the hoist 1, optionally via a programmable logic controller 11. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Automatic weighing and labelling machine This invention relates to an automatic weighing and labelling machine for weighing a bale of a product emanating from one of two or more different production lines.

Though the term "bale" is used herein to describe the physical form of the product to be weighed and labelled, it should be understood that we have used this term merely for convenience and the product could equally well have a different physical form, for example some other self-supporting form such as a block or slab, or alternatively the product could be a solid or liquid which in the production line is packaged in a sack, bag, box, carton or bottle.

According to the invention we provide an automatic weighing and labelling machine comprising, in operative combination, means for transferring a bale of product from one of a number of product lines to a conveyor adapted to convey the bale to a first station, where the bale is weighed, and then to a second station, where a label is printed and attached to the bale, an electronic controller capable of (1) through a link to the transferring means, of identifying the product line from which the bale has emanated and other information relevant to the product and then storing such identification and information, (2) through a link to the first station, or receiving and storing the weight measurement of the bale when it arrives at the first station, (3) through links to a number of printing and labelling devices, each corresponding to a particular product line and each being located in the second station, of selecting the printing and labelling device corresponding to the product line from which the bale has emanamed and transferring the previously stored product information and weight of the bale to the selected device so that it prints a label carrying such product information and bale weight and attaches same to the bale when it arrives at the second station. The electronic controller can be a computer, intelligent programmable logic controller or equivalent device or two or more of these.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 shows a schematic layout of a typical machine in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 shows a schematic layout of a machine similar to that shown in Fig. 1 but including a number of modifications, any or all of which may be incorporated in the machine of the invention.

In Figs. 1 and 2, a transfer hoist 1, serves to transfer a bale of staple fibre emanating from one of three staple fibre production lines, designed A, B and C, to a gravity roller conveyor 2 which serves to convey the bale to a first station 3 and then to a second station 4 and then to a warehousing facility.

Whiie at the first station 3, the bale is weighed by means of weighing machine 5.

While at the second station 4 a label is attached to the bale.

Included in the machine is an electronic controller 6 and, optionally, a programmable logic controller (PLC) 11. Through the PLC the logic controller is linked by link 7 to the transfer hoist.

Through link 8, the electronic controller is linked to the weighing machine.

Through link 9, and links 9A, 9B and 9C, the electronic controller is linked to printing and labelling devices 10A, lOB and 10C, which are located in the second station. Printing and labelling device 1 0A serves to print and attach labels to the bales emanating from product line A. Similarly device lOB serves to print and attach labels to bales emanating from product line B and I OC serves to print and attach labels to bales emanating from product line C.

The machine operates as follows: Bales of staple fibre are transported from one of product lines A, B and C by transfer hoist 1 which is controlled automatically by the PLC 11. The origin and time of manufacture of the bale is communicated to controller 6 through link 7. The communication between the controller 6 and the PLC 11 meets recognised industrial standards for asynchronous, full-duplex, serial communication.

Once on the conveyor, bales are conveyed in turn to the weighing machine. When at the weighing machine, a bale is detected as being present and is automatically positioned on the weighing load cells. Provision is made to ensure that no other bales can reach this section of the conveyor while a bale is being weighed.

The weighing system desirably incorporates auto zero stability, auto span techniques permitting measuring accuracy and special filtering circuits rejecting undesired load vibrations and a digital tare facility resulting in a reliable high performance weighing system.

During the weighing operation or prior to it one of the printing and labelling devices 1 OA, lOB and 1 OC will be selected by the controller 6. The controller will select the printing/labelling device which contains the fixed data relative to the staple fibre in a particular bale ie its merge, decitex, length, type, classification, product/merge and colour.

The controller assigns the printer by sending a code number down link 9 to the printers microprocessor card which evaluates the code and sends acknowledge or nacknowledge followed by a checksum back to the computer.

When the correct printing device has received and confirmed the exchange of data between printing device and controller, the bale will be released from the weighing machine and gravity fed by rollers to the second station. The printing/labelling device will detect the bale, print the variable information onto the label ie its project number, bale reference, time of manufacture and bale weight. The device then discharges the completed label to an automatic applicator which removes the backing paper from the label and feeds the label to adispense flap which in turn adheres the label to the moving bale.

After a bale has been labelled it is conveyed to a warehousing facility.

Referring to Fig. 2, the machine of the invention may include a number of modifications as follows: 1. Packaging means located within a separate station 1 2 through which the conveyor 2 passes. In the case of bales of staple fibre this constitutes a machine 1 3 for wrapping the bale in, for example, polyethylene film and a heating zone 14 in which the film is shrunk onto the bale.

2. The weighing machine may include a visual scale in the form of a digital display head.

3. The weighing machine may be provided with a ticket printer 1 5 in order that the machine might comply with board of trade requirements.

4. The controller may be linked to other printing devices 1 6 and 1 7 which serve to provide printed records and statistical information of each and all of the bales passing through the second station.

5. A storage area 18 which provides temporary accommodation for bales emanating from product lines A, B and C when there is a breakdown in the conveyor 2 or any of the equipment associated with the first station 3, the second station 4 or the packaging means 13, 14. In such circumstances the transfer hoist 1 transfers the bales to a location where they can be collected by a storage hoist 1 9 (which is controlled automatically by the PLC 11 via link 20) and conveyed into the storage area where they are stored until the breakdown in the conveyor line 2 has been rectified. The storage hoist then moves in turn to a location where they are picked up by transfer hoist and transferred to the gravity conveyor 2.

Information relating to those bales entering the storage area is retained within the PLC 11 until such bales are retrieved from the storage area whence the sequence of events will be the same as if the bales had been transferred directly from the product lines to the conveyor ie the information relating to a particular bale is transferred to the controller when the bale is taken out of storage.

6. A label sensor 21 which establishes if a label has been printed and attached to a bale.

In the event of a bale not having been la- belled correctly it will be manually fed back along route 22 to the gravity conveyor 2 where it will be re-wrapped, weighed and again automatically labelled.

The label sensor 21 is linked through link 23 to the PLC 11. In the event of no label being detected the PLC 11 adopts its storage mode until the fault in Station 4 is rectified.

Claims

1. An automatic weighing and labelling machine comprising, in operative combination, means for transferring a bale of product from one of a number of product lines to a conveyor adapted to convey the bale to a first station, where the bale is weighed, and then to a second station, where a label is printed and attached to the bale, an electronic controller capable of (1) through a link to the transferring means, of identifying the product line from which the bale has emanated and other information relevant to the product and then storing such identification and information, (2) through a link to the first station, of receiving and storing the weight measurement of the bale when it arrives at the first station, (3), through links to a number of printing and labelling devices, each corresponding to a particular product line and each being located in the second station, of selecting the printing and labelling device corresponding to the product line from which the bale has emanated and transferring the previously stored product information and weight of the bale to the selected device so that it prints a label carrying such product information and bale weight and attaches same to the bale when it arrives at the second station.

2. An automatic weighing and labelling machine as claimed in Claim 1 including a packaging means located within a separate station through which the conveyor passes.

3. An automatic weighing and labelling machine as claimed in either Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which the weighing means includes a visual scale in the form of a digital display head.

4. An automatic weighing and labelling machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the weighing machine is provided with a ticket printer which serves to provide a permanent weight record.

5. An automatic weighing and labelling machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the controller is linked to one or more printing devices.

6. An automatic weighing and labelling machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims provided with a storage area which provides temporary accommodation for bales emanating from the product lines when there is a breakdown in the conveyor or any of the equipment associated with the first station, the second station or the packaging means.

7. An automatic weighing and labelling machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims provided with a label sensor which establishes if a label has been printed and attached to a bale.

8. An automatic weighing and labelling machine as claimed in Claim 1 and substantially as described herein with reference to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings.

9. An automatic weighing and labelling machine as claimed in Claim 1 and substantially as described herein with reference to Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.