JP2012237643A - Hopper assembly of combination weighing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hopper assembly of a combination weighing device, which can sufficiently protect a driving portion for opening/closing a gate from water droplets and the like.SOLUTION: A hopper assembly of a combination weighing device 1, includes: a hopper supporting casing 10a; a weighing hopper 5; a gate 51; a magnet coupling 45; and a motor 21. The weighing hopper 5 is disposed on the outside of the hopper supporting casing 10a. The gate 51 is disposed on the outside of the hopper supporting casing 10a to open/close the weighing hopper 5. The magnet coupling 45 has a driving magnet 45a, and a driven magnet 45b. The driving magnet 45a is disposed on the inside of the hopper supporting casing 10a. The driven magnetic 45b is disposed on the outside of the hopper supporting casing 10a, and follows the driving magnet 45a. The motor is disposed on the inside of the hopper supporting casing 10a, and drives the driving magnet 45a to open/close the gate 51 through the driven magnet 45b.

Description

  The present invention relates to a hopper assembly of a combination weighing machine.

  A combination weighing device that performs combination calculation so that the total weight of articles such as confectionery and fruits falls within an allowable range is known (for example, JP 2007-198817 A). In the combination weighing machine, articles are distributed and fed into a plurality of hoppers. A gate that opens and closes the hopper is attached to the hopper. The gate is driven by a drive unit such as a motor. Conventionally, the driving force generated by the driving unit is transmitted to the gate only through a mechanical transmission mechanism.

  By the way, a hopper and a gate are parts which touch articles | goods, such as a confectionery and fruit. Therefore, the hopper and gate need to be cleaned regularly. Then, there is a possibility that water droplets or article pieces (hereinafter referred to as water droplets) attached to the hopper and the gate are scattered around the hopper and the gate. Therefore, normally, the drive part of the gate is protected inside the casing.

  However, when the driving force is transmitted only mechanically from the driving part inside the casing to the gate outside the casing, it is difficult to spatially separate the inside and outside of the casing. This is because a mechanical element that connects the inside and outside of the casing is required. If it does so, it will become difficult to fully protect a drive part from a water drop.

  The subject of this invention is providing the hopper assembly of the combination weighing machine which can fully protect the drive part which opens and closes a gate from a water drop etc. FIG.

  A hopper assembly of a combination weighing machine according to a first aspect includes a casing, a hopper, a gate, a magnet coupling, and a drive unit. The hopper is disposed outside the casing. The gate is disposed outside the casing and opens and closes the hopper. The magnet coupling has a main magnet and a driven magnet. The main magnet is disposed inside the casing. The driven magnet is disposed outside the casing and follows the main driving magnet. A drive part is arrange | positioned inside a casing and opens and closes a gate through a driven magnet by driving a main magnet.

  Here, the hopper and the gate are arranged outside the casing. A driving unit that applies a driving force for opening and closing the hopper to the gate is disposed inside the casing. A main magnet and a driven magnet, which are parts of a mechanism for transmitting a driving force from the driving unit to the gate, are respectively arranged inside and outside the casing. As a result, the hopper, the gate, and the drive unit can be spatially separated by the casing. Therefore, the drive unit that opens and closes the gate can be sufficiently protected from water droplets and the like.

  The hopper assembly of the combination weighing machine according to the second aspect is the hopper assembly according to the first aspect, and the driven magnet is disposed so as not to contact the casing.

  Here, generation of wear powder due to friction between the driven magnet and the casing is suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the wear powder from being mixed with the article.

  The hopper assembly of the combination weighing machine according to the third aspect is the hopper assembly according to the first aspect or the second aspect, and further includes a movable member. The movable member is disposed outside the casing and connected to the driven magnet and the gate. The drive unit opens and closes the gate via the driven magnet and the movable member by driving the main magnet.

  Here, the movable member that converts the driving force transmitted from the driving unit to the magnet coupling into the opening / closing force of the gate is disposed outside the casing. Therefore, maintenance of the movable member is facilitated.

  A hopper assembly of a combination weighing machine according to a fourth aspect is the hopper assembly according to the third aspect, wherein the movable member includes a first lever member, a second lever member, and an intermediate lever member. The first lever member is coupled to the driven magnet. The second lever member is connected to the gate. The intermediate lever member is swingably connected to the first lever member and the second lever member.

  Here, the maintenance of the movable member having a more complicated structure is facilitated.

  A hopper assembly of a combination weighing machine according to a fifth aspect is the hopper assembly according to the first to fourth aspects, and the hopper, the gate, and the driven magnet can be integrally attached to and detached from the casing.

  Parts arranged outside the casing are not protected by the casing and are easily contaminated. Here, the hopper, the gate, and the driven magnet disposed outside the casing can be integrally attached to and detached from the casing. Accordingly, maintenance of easily contaminated parts is facilitated.

  A hopper assembly of a combination weighing machine according to a sixth aspect is the hopper assembly according to the third aspect or the fourth aspect, wherein the hopper, the gate, the driven magnet, and the movable member are detachable integrally with the casing.

  Parts arranged outside the casing are not protected by the casing and are easily contaminated. Here, the hopper, the gate, the driven magnet, and the movable member disposed outside the casing can be integrally attached to and detached from the casing. Accordingly, maintenance of easily contaminated parts is facilitated.

  According to the invention, the hopper and the gate are arranged outside the casing. A driving unit that applies a driving force for opening and closing the hopper to the gate is disposed inside the casing. A main magnet and a driven magnet, which are parts of a mechanism for transmitting a driving force from the driving unit to the gate, are respectively arranged inside and outside the casing. As a result, the hopper, the gate, and the drive unit can be spatially separated by the casing. Therefore, the drive unit that opens and closes the gate can be sufficiently protected from water droplets and the like.

1 is a schematic side view of a combination weighing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The block block diagram of a combination weighing machine. The top view of supply feeder vicinity. The perspective view of a hopper support casing. Sectional perspective view of a hopper support casing. The perspective view of a hopper assembly in the state where the gate closed. The perspective view of a hopper assembly in the state where the gate opened. The perspective view of the pool hopper periphery of a state with the gate closed. The perspective view of the pool hopper periphery of the state where the gate opened. The perspective view of a pool hopper periphery of the state where the gate was closed seen from another angle. The perspective view around the weighing hopper in a state where the gate is closed. The perspective view around the weighing hopper with the gate open. The perspective view of the periphery of the weighing hopper with the gate closed when viewed from another angle.

  Hereinafter, a combination weighing machine 1 having a hopper assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, “upstream” and “downstream” are based on the conveyance direction of the article.

(1) Overall Configuration of Combination Weighing Machine The combination weighing machine 1 is a device that measures the weights of articles stored in a plurality of weighing hoppers 5 and performs a combination calculation based on the measured values. The combination operation is an operation for deriving a combination of measurement values such that the total is within an allowable range. The combination weighing machine 1 mainly targets foods such as potato chips, but it is also possible to target articles other than foods. The combination weighing machine 1 continuously receives articles from the supply conveyor device 80 arranged in the preceding stage. Thereafter, the combination weighing machine 1 collects articles received from the supply conveyor device 80 by a predetermined weight, and supplies a set of articles having a predetermined weight to the subsequent packaging apparatus 90.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the combination weighing machine 1 includes a distribution table 2, a plurality of supply feeders 3, a plurality of pool hoppers 4, a plurality of first gates 41, and a plurality of second gates 42. The plurality of weighing hoppers 5, the plurality of gates 51, the collective discharge chute 7, the plurality of load cells 12, the plurality of pool hopper opening / closing mechanisms 20, the plurality of weighing hopper opening / closing mechanisms 30, the body casing 10, and the plurality Support member 14, a plurality of support members 15, and a control unit 8.

  The distribution table 2 is disposed directly below the position where the supply conveyor device 80 drops the articles. The supply feeders 3 are arranged in a circle around the distribution table 2 at equal intervals. The pool hopper 4 is disposed below the supply feeder 3. The gates 41 and 42 open and close the discharge port 4 b below the pool hopper 4. The weighing hopper 5 is disposed below the pool hopper 4. The gate 51 opens and closes the discharge port 5 b below the weighing hopper 5. The pool hopper 4 and the weighing hopper 5 are arranged in a circular shape at equal intervals. The collective discharge chute 7 is disposed below the weighing hopper 5. A packaging device 90 is disposed directly under the discharge port of the collective discharge chute 7. The load cell 12 measures the weight of articles stored in the weighing hopper 5. The pool hopper opening / closing mechanism 20 opens and closes the gates 41 and 42. The weighing hopper opening / closing mechanism 30 opens and closes the gate 51. The support member 14 fixes the pool hopper 4 to the main body casing 10. The support member 15 fixes the weighing hopper 5 to the main body casing 10.

  Articles supplied to the distribution table 2 by the supply conveyor device 80 are supplied from the distribution table 2 to the supply feeder 3, from the supply feeder 3 to the pool hopper 4, from the pool hopper 4 to the weighing hopper 5, and from the weighing hopper 5 to the collective discharge chute 7. Are sequentially conveyed from the collective discharge chute 7 to the packaging device 90.

  In this embodiment, the supply feeder 3, the pool hopper 4, the first gate 41, the second gate 42, the weighing hopper 5, the gate 51, the load cell 12, the pool hopper opening / closing mechanism 20, the weighing hopper opening / closing mechanism 30, the support member 14 and the support There are twelve members 15 each. Twelve feed feeders 3, pool hopper 4, first gate 41, second gate 42, weighing hopper 5, gate 51, load cell 12, pool hopper opening / closing mechanism 20, weighing hopper opening / closing mechanism 30, support member 14 and support member 15 correspond to each other on a one-to-one basis. Accordingly, articles discharged from a certain supply feeder 3 pass through a specific pool hopper 4 and a specific weighing hopper 5, and are weighed by a specific load cell 12, and then guided to a collective discharge chute 7. A discharge port 4b below a certain pool hopper 4 is opened / closed by driving a specific first gate 41 and a specific second gate 42 by a specific pool hopper opening / closing mechanism 20. The discharge port 5 b at the lower part of a certain weighing hopper 5 is opened and closed by driving a specific gate 51 by a specific weighing hopper opening / closing mechanism 30. A certain pool hopper 4 is supported by a specific support member 14. A certain weighing hopper 5 is supported by a specific support member 15.

(2) Details of Each Part (2-1) Dispersion Table The dispersion table 2 is disposed outside the main body casing 10. The dispersion table 2 has a conical shape. The dispersion table 2 is rotationally driven by a rotating device 2a (see FIG. 2). The rotating device 2a is controlled by the control unit 8. The article dropped on the distribution table 2 from the supply conveyor device 80 moves in the radial direction while being distributed on the distribution table 2 in the circumferential direction by rotation, and drops onto the supply feeder 3 arranged around the distribution table 2. .

(2-2) Supply Feeder The supply feeder 3 is disposed outside the main body casing 10. Each supply feeder 3 has a supply trough 13. The supply trough 13 is vibrated by the electromagnetic vibration device 3a (see FIG. 2). The electromagnetic vibration device 3a is controlled by the control unit 8. The supply trough 13 receives the articles supplied from the dispersion table 2, moves the received articles outward by vibration, and drops them into the pool hopper 4 on the downstream side.

(2-3) Pool Hopper, Gate, and Support Member The pool hopper 4 is disposed outside the main body casing 10. The pool hopper 4 is a tunnel-shaped or cylindrical member having an input port 4a at the top and a discharge port 4b at the bottom. The pool hopper 4 is supported by a support member 14 fixed to the main body casing 10. The support member 14 is disposed outside the main body casing 10. Below the pool hopper 4, gates 41 and 42 are arranged. The gates 41 and 42 are disposed outside the main body casing 10. The gates 41 and 42 open and close the discharge port 4b of the pool hopper 4 by rotating about a shaft attached near the lower portion of the pool hopper 4. The timing of opening and closing the gates 41 and 42 is controlled by the control unit 8. The gates 41 and 42 attached to the same pool hopper 4 open and close at the same timing. Articles supplied from the supply trough 13 are introduced into the pool hopper 4 through the input port 4a and temporarily pooled. Thereafter, the articles in the pool hopper 4 are discharged into the weighing hopper 5 through the discharge port 4b when the gates 41 and 42 are opened.

(2-4) Weighing hopper, gate and support member The weighing hopper 5 is arranged outside the main casing 10. The weighing hopper 5 is disposed directly below the gates 41 and 42. The weighing hopper 5 is a tunnel-shaped or cylindrical member having an input port 5a at an upper portion thereof and a discharge port 5b at a lower portion thereof. The weighing hopper 5 is supported by a support member 15 fixed to the main body casing 10. The support member 15 is disposed outside the main body casing 10. The articles in the weighing hopper 5 are weighed by the load cell 12. A gate 51 is disposed below the weighing hopper 5. The gate 51 is disposed outside the main body casing 10. The gate 51 opens and closes the discharge port 5 b of the weighing hopper 5 by rotating around a shaft attached near the lower portion of the weighing hopper 5. The timing of opening and closing the gate 51 is controlled by the control unit 8. Articles supplied from the pool hopper 4 are put into the weighing hopper 5 through the insertion port 5a and temporarily stored. Thereafter, the articles in the weighing hopper 5 are discharged into the collective discharge chute 7 through the discharge port 5b when the gate 51 is opened.

(2-5) Main Body Casing The main body casing 10 has twelve hopper support casings 10a (see FIG. 4) in the present embodiment. The twelve hopper support casings 10a are circularly arranged at equal intervals, and form the side surface portion of the main body casing 10. The hopper support casing 10a is screwed to other parts of the main body casing 10, and can be removed during maintenance.

  Each hopper support casing 10a has hook portions 11a to 11d. The hook portions 11a and 11b hook the notches 14a and 14b (see FIGS. 8 and 9) of the support member 14, respectively, and fix the pool hopper 4 to the hopper support casing 10a. Similarly, the hook portions 11c and 11d hook the notches 15a and 15b (see FIGS. 11 and 12) of the support member 15 to fix the weighing hopper 5 to the hopper support casing 10a. The hopper support casing 10a, the pool hopper 4, the support member 14, the weighing hopper 5 and the support member 15 correspond to each other on a one-to-one basis. Therefore, a certain hopper support casing 10 a supports a specific pool hopper 4 by a specific support member 14 and supports a specific weighing hopper 5 by a specific support member 15.

(2-6) Load Cell As shown in FIG. 5, the load cell 12 is disposed inside the hopper support casing 10a. The load cell 12 and the hopper support casing 10a correspond to each other on a one-to-one basis. Accordingly, a certain load cell 12 is accommodated in a specific hopper support casing 10a. The load cell 12 is arranged in such a manner that the load received by the hopper support casing 10a via the hook portions 11c and 11d can be measured. Therefore, the control unit 8 obtains the measurement value of the load cell 12, and calculates the weight value of the article in the weighing hopper 5 by subtracting the weight of the weighing hopper 5, the gate 51, the support member 15 and the like from the measured value. To do. The timing of measurement is controlled by the control unit 8.

(2-7) Pool hopper opening / closing mechanism The pool hopper opening / closing mechanism 20 includes an inner mechanism 20a (see FIG. 5) and an outer mechanism 20b (see FIG. 6). The inner mechanism 20a is disposed inside the hopper support casing 10a. The outer mechanism 20b is disposed outside the hopper support casing 10a. The inner mechanism 20a includes a motor 21 and a main magnet 45a. The outer mechanism 20b has a movable member 60 and a driven magnet 45b.

  The main magnet 45a and the driven magnet 45b form a non-contact magnet coupling 45. The main magnet 45a and the driven magnet 45b are permanent magnets. In this embodiment, the main magnet 45a and the driven magnet 45b are each disk-shaped and have substantially the same diameter. In each of the main driving magnet 45a and the driven magnet 45b, the S pole and the N pole are alternately arranged in a sector area divided into eight equal parts.

  The main magnet 45a and the driven magnet 45b are arranged to face each other with the hopper support casing 10a interposed therebetween. Neither the main magnet 45a nor the driven magnet 45b are in contact with the hopper support casing 10a and are spaced apart from each other. Therefore, even if the main magnet 45a and the driven magnet 45b rotate, wear powder due to friction between the magnets 45a and 45b and the hopper support casing 10a is not generated, and it is possible to prevent the wear powder from being mixed into the article. In addition, quietness is maintained. Moreover, in this embodiment, since the main magnet 45a and the driven magnet 45b are non-contact, the movable shaft which connects both is abbreviate | omitted. Therefore, the conventional problem that the parts rub against each other due to the movement of the movable shaft such as rotation and sliding and wear powder is eliminated. Furthermore, since the movable shaft is omitted, resin products such as oil seals and V rings used around the movable shaft are also omitted. As a result, the conventional problem that the resin product falls off due to deterioration and foreign matters are mixed into the article is also solved.

  When the motor 21 is driven, the driving force (torque) is transmitted to the main magnet 45a through mechanical parts (not shown) such as gears and cams. As a result, the main magnet 45a is rotationally driven. The drive of the motor 21 is controlled by the control unit 8. When the main magnet 45a rotates, the driven magnet 45b also rotates following the main magnet 45a by the magnetic force acting between the main magnet 45a and the driven magnet 45b.

  A movable member 60 is coupled to the driven magnet 45b on the opposite side of the hopper support casing 10a. The movable member 60 includes a first lever member 61, a second lever member 62, a third lever member 67, a fourth lever member 66, a fifth lever member 68, an intermediate lever member 63, a first protruding shaft 64, and a second protruding shaft. 65.

  The first protruding shaft 64 extends so as to extend the central axis of the driven magnet 45b in a direction from the inside to the outside of the hopper support casing 10a (hereinafter, “inside / outside direction”). The second protruding shaft 65 protrudes inward and outward from the support member 14. The outer end of the first protrusion shaft 64 and the outer end of the second protrusion shaft 65 are connected by a fourth lever member 66. However, the first protruding shaft 64 is rotatably connected to the fourth lever member 66, but the second protruding shaft 65 is connected to the fourth lever member 66 so as not to rotate. The driven magnet 45b and the first protruding shaft 64 are non-movable with respect to each other. The fourth lever member 66, the second protruding shaft 65, and the support member 14 are non-movable with respect to each other. As a result, the rotation of the driven magnet 45 b is transmitted to the first projecting shaft 64, but not transmitted to the fourth lever member 66, the second projecting shaft 65, and the support member 14. Further, the fourth lever member 66 allows the first projecting shaft 64 to rotate, but does not allow other operations. Therefore, while the support member 14 is fixed to the hopper support casing 10a, the driven magnet 45b can rotate, but the positional relationship with the hopper support casing 10a is constant. As a result, the driven magnet 45b stably faces the main driving magnet 45a.

  The first lever member 61 is connected to the driven magnet 45 b via the first protruding shaft 64. The first lever member 61 and the first protruding shaft 64 are non-movable with respect to each other. Accordingly, when the driven magnet 45 b rotates, the first lever member 61 also rotates with the first protruding shaft 64.

  The second lever member 62 is connected to the gate 41. The third lever member 67 is connected to the gate 42. The intermediate lever member 63 is swingably connected to the first lever member 61 and the second lever member 62. The fifth lever member 68 is swingably connected to the second lever member 62 and the third lever member 67.

  As a result, when the driven magnet 45b rotates and the first lever member 61 rotates, the rotational force is changed from the first lever member 61 to the intermediate lever member 63, from the intermediate lever member 63 to the second lever member 62, and to the second lever member 62. It is transmitted from the lever member 62 to the gate 41 and converted into an opening / closing force of the gate 41. The force transmitted to the second lever member 62 is transmitted from the second lever member 62 to the fifth lever member 68, from the fifth lever member 68 to the third lever member 67, and from the third lever member 67 to the gate 42. , The opening / closing force of the gate 42 is converted. Accordingly, the motor 21 simultaneously applies the driving force for opening and closing the weighing hopper 5 to the two gates 41 and 42. In other words, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 10, the motor 21 opens and closes the gates 41 and 42 via the driven magnet 45 b and the movable member 60 by driving the main magnet 45 a.

  The first lever member 61, the intermediate lever member 63, and the second lever member 62 form a toggle mechanism. During the operation of the combination weighing machine 1, a force in the direction of opening the gates 41, 42 is applied to the gates 41, 42 due to the collision of articles falling from above. However, this force is canceled by the movable member 60. More specifically, the first lever member 61 is caught by the second protruding shaft 65 in the direction of the force, and the first lever member 61, the intermediate lever member 63, and the second lever member 62 do not move. Therefore, the gates 41 and 42 are prevented from being opened unexpectedly.

(2-8) Weighing hopper opening / closing mechanism The weighing hopper opening / closing mechanism 30 includes an inner mechanism 30a (see FIG. 5) and an outer mechanism 30b (see FIG. 6). The inner mechanism 30a is disposed inside the hopper support casing 10a. The outer mechanism 30b is disposed outside the hopper support casing 10a. The inner mechanism 30a includes a motor 31 and a main magnet 55a. The outer mechanism 30b has a movable member 60 and a driven magnet 55b.

  The main driving magnet 55a and the driven magnet 55b form a non-contact magnet coupling 55. The main magnet 55a and the driven magnet 55b are permanent magnets. In the present embodiment, the main magnet 55a and the driven magnet 55b are each disk-shaped and have substantially the same diameter. In each of the main driving magnet 55a and the driven magnet 55b, the S pole and the N pole are alternately arranged in a sector area divided into eight equal parts.

  The main magnet 55a and the driven magnet 55b are arranged to face each other with the hopper support casing 10a interposed therebetween. Neither the main magnet 55a nor the driven magnet 55b are in contact with the hopper support casing 10a and are spaced apart from each other. Therefore, even if the main magnet 55a and the driven magnet 55b rotate, the wear powder due to the friction between the magnets 55a, 55b and the hopper support casing 10a is not generated, and it is possible to prevent the wear powder from being mixed into the article. In addition, quietness is maintained.

  When the motor 31 is driven, the driving force (torque) is transmitted to the main magnet 55a via mechanical parts (not shown) such as gears and cams. As a result, the main magnet 55a is rotationally driven. The drive of the motor 31 is controlled by the control unit 8. When the main magnet 55a rotates, the driven magnet 55b also rotates following the main magnet 55a by the magnetic force acting between the main magnet 55a and the driven magnet 55b.

  A movable member 70 is coupled to the driven magnet 55b on the opposite side of the hopper support casing 10a. The movable member 70 includes a first lever member 71, a second lever member 72, a fourth lever member 76, an intermediate lever member 73, a first protruding shaft 74 and a second protruding shaft 75.

  The first protruding shaft 74 extends so as to extend the central axis of the driven magnet 55b in the inner and outer directions. The second protruding shaft 75 protrudes inward and outward from the support member 15. The outer end of the first protruding shaft 74 and the outer end of the second protruding shaft 75 are connected by a fourth lever member 76. However, the first protruding shaft 74 is rotatably connected to the fourth lever member 76, but the second protruding shaft 75 is connected to the fourth lever member 76 so as not to rotate. The driven magnet 55b and the first protruding shaft 74 are not movable with respect to each other. The fourth lever member 76, the second protruding shaft 75, and the support member 15 are non-movable with respect to each other. As a result, the rotation of the driven magnet 55 b is transmitted to the first projecting shaft 74, but not transmitted to the fourth lever member 76, the second projecting shaft 75, and the support member 15. Further, the fourth lever member 76 allows the first projecting shaft 74 to rotate, but does not allow other operations. Therefore, while the support member 15 is fixed to the hopper support casing 10a, the driven magnet 55b can rotate, but the positional relationship with the hopper support casing 10a is constant. As a result, the driven magnet 55b stably faces the main driving magnet 55a.

  The first lever member 71 is connected to the driven magnet 55b via the first protruding shaft 74. The first lever member 71 and the first protruding shaft 74 are non-movable with respect to each other. Accordingly, when the driven magnet 55 b rotates, the first lever member 71 also rotates together with the first protruding shaft 74.

  The second lever member 72 is connected to the gate 51. The intermediate lever member 73 is swingably connected to the first lever member 71 and the second lever member 72.

  As a result, when the driven magnet 55b rotates and the first lever member 71 rotates, the rotational force is transferred from the first lever member 71 to the intermediate lever member 73, from the intermediate lever member 73 to the second lever member 72, and to the second lever member 72. It is transmitted from the lever member 72 to the gate 51 and converted into an opening / closing force of the gate 51. Accordingly, the motor 31 applies a driving force for opening and closing the weighing hopper 5 to the gate 51. In other words, as shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 11 to 13, the motor 31 opens and closes the gate 51 via the driven magnet 55 b and the movable member 70 by driving the main magnet 55 a.

  The first lever member 71, the intermediate lever member 73, and the second lever member 72 form a toggle mechanism. During the operation of the combination weighing machine 1, a force in the direction of opening the gate 51 is applied to the gate 51 due to the collision of an article falling from above. However, this force is canceled out by the movable member 70. More specifically, the first lever member 71 is caught on the second protruding shaft 75 in the direction of the force, and the first lever member 71, the intermediate lever member 73, and the second lever member 72 do not move. Therefore, the gate 51 is prevented from being opened unexpectedly.

(2-9) Collective Discharge Chute The collective discharge chute 7 collects articles input from the weighing hopper 5 and then drops them toward the subsequent packaging device 90.

(2-10) Control Unit As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 8 includes a CPU 81, a ROM 82, a RAM 83, and an HDD 84. The CPU 81 controls the operation of the combination weighing machine 1 by reading and executing a control program stored in the ROM 82 and the HDD 84 in cooperation with the RAM 83. The HDD 84 stores the results of various arithmetic processes in the control unit 8 as necessary. The control unit 8 is connected to the rotating device 2a, the electromagnetic vibration device 3a, the motors 21 and 31, and the load cell 12.

(3) Operation of Combination Weighing Machine Next, the operation of the combination weighing machine 1 will be described.

  First, an appropriate amount of articles is sequentially fed from the supply conveyor device 80 above the combination weighing machine 1 onto the dispersion table 2.

  The article put on the dispersion table 2 moves on the dispersion table 2 by the rotation of the dispersion table 2 and falls on the supply trough 13 around the dispersion table 2. The article dropped on the supply trough 13 moves on the supply trough 13 due to the vibration of the supply trough 13 and falls into the pool hopper 4 around the supply trough 13. At this time, the gates 41 and 42 are in a closed state. Accordingly, the articles are pooled in the pool hopper 4.

  The gates 41 and 42 are opened by the control unit 8 when no articles are stored in the weighing hopper 5 below the gates 41 and 42. As a result, the articles pooled in the pool hopper 4 are discharged into the weighing hopper 5 below. At this time, the gate 51 is in a closed state. Accordingly, the article is stored in the weighing hopper 5. The load cell 12 performs measurement at a timing when the article is stored in the weighing hopper 5 and transmits the measurement result to the control unit 8.

  The control unit 8 performs a combination calculation based on the weight values of the articles respectively associated with the weighing hoppers 5. As a result of the combination calculation, several weighing hoppers 5 are selected from the twelve weighing hoppers 5 by the control unit 8. When several weighing hoppers 5 are selected, the gates 51 below the weighing hoppers 5 are opened by the control unit 8, and articles stored in the weighing hoppers 5 are moved into the collective discharge chute 7. Discharged. In the weighing hopper 5 emptied by the discharge of the articles, new articles are sequentially replenished from the pool hopper 4 thereabove.

  As described above, articles having a predetermined weight are collected in the collective discharge chute 7. The articles assembled while sliding down in the collective discharge chute 7 are conveyed to the packaging device 90 at the rear stage of the combination weighing machine 1.

(4) Features (4-1)
In the said embodiment, the hoppers 4 and 5 and the gates 41, 42, and 51 are arrange | positioned on the outer side of the hopper support casing 10a. Motors 21 and 31 that apply driving force for opening and closing the hoppers 4 and 5 to the gates 41, 42, and 51 are arranged inside the hopper support casing 10a. Main driving magnets 45a and 55a and driven magnets 45b and 55b, which are parts of a mechanism for transmitting a driving force from the motors 21 and 31 to the gates 41, 42 and 51, are arranged inside and outside the hopper support casing 10a, respectively. As a result, the hoppers 4, 5 and the gates 41, 42, 51 and the motors 21, 31 can be spatially separated by the hopper support casing 10a. Therefore, the motors 21 and 31 that open and close the gates 41, 42, and 51 can be sufficiently protected from water drops and the like.

(4-2)
In the said embodiment, the follower magnets 45b and 55b are arrange | positioned so that it may not contact with the hopper support casing 10a. As a result, generation of wear powder due to friction between the driven magnets 45b and 55b and the hopper support casing 10a is suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the wear powder from being mixed with the article.

(4-3)
In the said embodiment, the movable members 60 and 70 are arrange | positioned on the outer side of the hopper support casing 10a. Accordingly, maintenance of the movable members 60 and 70 having a complicated structure is facilitated.

(4-4)
Parts arranged outside the hopper support casing 10a are not protected by the hopper support casing 10a and are easily contaminated. In the above embodiment, the hopper 4, the gates 41 and 42, the support member 14, the driven magnet 45b, and the movable member 60 disposed outside the hopper support casing 10a can be integrally attached to and detached from the hopper support casing 10a. In addition, the hopper 5, the gate 51, the support member 15, the driven magnet 55b, and the movable member 70 disposed outside the hopper support casing 10a are detachable integrally with the hopper support casing 10a. Therefore, maintenance (mainly cleaning) of easily contaminated parts is facilitated.

(4-5)
In the above embodiment, the main magnet 45a and the driven magnet 45b are not in contact with each other. Therefore, the movable shaft which connects both is omitted. As a result, in the combination weighing machine 1, parts (conventional movable shafts) that can be an obstacle during daily cleaning of the casing 10 are omitted.

(5) Modifications One embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the following changes can be considered.

(5-1)
The structure of the movable members 60 and 70 is not limited to the above. Any structure can be adopted as long as the rotation of the driven magnets 45b, 55b can be transmitted to the gates 41, 42, 51.

(5-2)
When the combination weighing machine 1 has a booster hopper, the present invention can be applied to an opening / closing mechanism of the booster hopper.

(5-3)
It is not necessary to use the magnetic coupling for all the opening / closing mechanisms of the pool hopper 4 and the weighing hopper 5. For example, the magnetic coupling may be used only for the pool hopper 4 or for the opening / closing mechanism of only the weighing hopper 5.

1 Combination weighing machine 4 Pool hopper (hopper)
5 Weighing hopper (hopper)
10 Main body casing 10a Hopper support casing (casing)
20 Pool hopper opening / closing mechanism 21 Motor (drive unit)
30 Weighing hopper opening / closing mechanism 31 Motor (drive unit)
41, 42 Gate 45 Magnet coupling 45a Main drive magnet 45b Driven magnet 51 Gate 55 Magnet coupling 55a Main drive magnet 55b Driven magnet 60 Movable member 61 First lever member 62 Second lever member 63 Intermediate lever member

JP 2007-198817 A

Claims (6)

A casing,
A hopper disposed outside the casing;
A gate disposed outside the casing and opening and closing the hopper;
A magnet coupling having a main magnet disposed inside the casing and a driven magnet disposed outside the casing and following the main magnet;
A drive unit that is disposed inside the casing and opens and closes the gate via the driven magnet by driving the main magnet;
Comprising
Combination weigher hopper assembly. The driven magnet is disposed so as not to contact the casing.
The hopper assembly of the combination weighing machine according to claim 1. A movable member disposed outside the casing and connected to the driven magnet and the gate;
Further comprising
The driving unit opens and closes the gate via the driven magnet and the movable member by driving the main magnet.
The hopper assembly of the combination weighing machine according to claim 1 or 2. The movable member includes a first lever member coupled to the driven magnet, a second lever member coupled to the gate, and an intermediate pivotably coupled to the first lever member and the second lever member. A lever member,
The hopper assembly of the combination weighing machine according to claim 3. The hopper, the gate, and the driven magnet are detachable integrally with the casing.
The hopper assembly of the combination weighing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The hopper, the gate, the driven magnet and the movable member are detachable integrally with the casing.
The hopper assembly of the combination weighing machine according to any one of claims 3 and 4.

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