JP2022108311A - Combination balance - Google Patents

Abstract

To reduce as much as possible the amount of an object to be measured remaining in a combination balance to improve a yield rate at the end of production of a day.SOLUTION: At the end of production of a day, a combination balance controls the drive of a rectilinear feeder to directly supply an object to be measured from the rectilinear feeder to a measuring hopper by changing to an individual measuring operation mode so that the weight value of the object to be measured measured in the measuring hopper falls within a predetermined weight range based on a target combination weight value, and discharges the object to be measured in the measuring hopper whose weight value has fallen within the predetermined weight range.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a combination weigher that weighs and discharges objects having a predetermined weight.

In a combination weigher, it is necessary to discharge all the items to be weighed out of the combination weigher when the production for the day is finished or when the type of the items to be weighed is changed.

In the above case, the objects to be weighed that remain in the combination weigher are usually discarded as defective products. Techniques have been proposed to improve the yield by reducing the amount.

In Patent Document 1, when an optimum combination is found by combination calculation, it is discharged as a non-defective product in a normal mode, and when an optimum combination is not found, the objects to be weighed are forcibly discharged from some weighing hoppers, and then the target combination is obtained. The difference value obtained by subtracting the weight value of the forcibly discharged object to be weighed from the weight value is used as a new target combined weight value, and the combination calculation is performed again to reduce the remaining amount. The forcibly discharged objects to be weighed are put on standby without being packed in a timing hopper (collecting hopper) or a bag of a packaging machine.

JP 2017-49145 A

In Patent Document 1, when the optimum combination cannot be found by combination calculation, after the objects to be weighed are forcibly discharged from some of the weighing hoppers, the weight value of the forcibly discharged objects to be weighed is subtracted from the target combination weight value. The value is used as a new target combination weight value and the combination calculation is performed again. Objects to be weighed remaining in the scale or in the packaging machine must be discarded as defective products, and an improvement in yield is desired.

Moreover, it is troublesome to remove the objects to be weighed remaining in the combination weigher or packaging machine.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to such a point, and at the end of production, etc., the amount of objects to be weighed remaining in the combination weigher is reduced as much as possible to improve the yield, An object of the present invention is to facilitate the work of removing objects to be weighed remaining in a combination weigher.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

(1) The present invention includes a plurality of rectilinear feeders for vibrating and conveying the supplied objects to be weighed, and a plurality of rectilinear feeders provided corresponding to each of the plurality of rectilinear feeders to temporarily transfer the objects to be weighed from the rectilinear feeders. a plurality of supply hoppers for holding and discharging the plurality of supply hoppers, and a plurality of supply hoppers provided corresponding to each of the plurality of supply hoppers to temporarily hold the objects to be weighed discharged from the respective supply hoppers and measure the weight of the objects to be weighed and an arithmetic control unit that controls the linear feeder, the supply hopper and the weighing hopper,
The calculation control unit performs a combination calculation for selecting an appropriate combination in which a combination weight value obtained by combining the weight values of the objects to be weighed weighed by the plurality of weighing hoppers is within a certain weight range based on the target combination weight value. , a combination weigher that performs a combination weighing operation mode for discharging the objects to be weighed within the predetermined weight range selected for the appropriate weight combination by the combination calculation,
Instead of the combination weighing operation mode, the arithmetic control unit directly supplies the objects to be weighed from the linear feeder to the weighing hopper without holding the objects to be weighed by the supply hopper, and weighs the objects by the weighing hopper. driving of the linear feeder is controlled so that the weight value of the objects to be weighed falls within a predetermined weight range based on the target combined weight value; It is possible to perform an individual metering operation mode that discharges.

The "constant weight range based on the target combination weight value in the combination weighing operation mode" and the "predetermined weight range based on the target combination weight value in the individual weighing operation mode" may be the same weight range. However, the upper weight limit value may be different.

According to the present invention, in the combination weighing operation mode, the combination weight value obtained by combining the weight values of the objects to be weighed weighed by a plurality of weighing hoppers selects an appropriate weight combination within a certain weight range based on the target combination weight value. The calculation is performed, and the objects to be weighed within a certain weight range selected for the proper weight combination by the combination calculation are discharged.

Alternatively, instead of the combination weighing operation mode, the weight value of the object to be weighed by the weighing hopper is obtained by directly supplying the object to be weighed from the linear feeder to the weighing hopper without holding the object to be weighed by the supply hopper. However, it is possible to perform an individual weighing operation mode for controlling the drive of the linear feeder so that the weight falls within a predetermined weight range based on the target combined weight value, and for discharging the weighing hoppers whose weight falls within the predetermined weight range. It is possible.

In this individual weighing operation mode, unlike the combination weighing operation mode, it is not necessary to temporarily hold the items to be weighed in the supply hopper and discharge them to the weighing hopper. In addition, since the objects to be weighed are supplied from the linear feeder to the individual weighing hoppers so as to fall within a predetermined weight range based on the target combined weight value, there is no need to perform combination calculations as in the combination weighing operation mode. There is no such thing as being unable to select an appropriate amount of combinations in calculations.

In this way, in the individual weighing operation mode, it is only necessary to directly feed the objects to be weighed from the straight feeder to the individual weighing hoppers so that they fall within a predetermined weight range. Can speed up processing.

As a result, when the day's production is finished or when the type of items to be weighed is changed, the individual weighing operation mode is performed instead of the combination weighing operation mode, thereby enabling the weighing items in the combination weigher to be weighed. The objects to be weighed can be quickly discharged for each object to be weighed within a predetermined weight range, and unlike the combination weighing operation mode, the combination calculation cannot be established and the proper amount combination cannot be selected. Therefore, compared to the combination weighing operation mode, the amount of the objects to be weighed remaining in the combination weigher can be reduced to improve the yield, and finally the objects to be weighed remaining in the combination weigher can be removed. Work load can be reduced.

(2) In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an operation unit operated to switch the combination weighing operation mode to the individual weighing operation mode is provided, and the arithmetic control unit operates based on the switching operation of the operation unit. , the combination weighing operation mode is switched to the individual weighing operation mode.

According to this embodiment, the operator operates the operation unit according to the end of the day's production, the change of the type of the object to be weighed, or the remaining state of the object to be weighed in the combination weigher. , it is possible to switch from the combination weighing operation mode to the individual weighing operation mode.

(3) In one embodiment of the present invention, the supply hopper includes a gate that is controlled to open and close by the arithmetic control unit, and the arithmetic control unit closes the gate of the supply hopper in the combination weighing operation mode. to temporarily hold the objects to be weighed from the straight feeder, and to discharge the held objects by opening the gate. The gate is kept open to directly feed the objects to be weighed from the linear feeder to the weighing hopper.

According to this embodiment, in the combination weighing operation mode, the arithmetic control unit opens and closes the gate of the supply hopper to temporarily hold the objects to be weighed from the linear feeder and discharge them to the weighing hopper. In the operation mode, there is no need to open and close the gate of the supply hopper, and the objects to be weighed can be directly supplied from the linear feeder to the weighing hopper while the gate is kept open.

(4) In another embodiment of the present invention, the upper limit weight value of the predetermined weight range in the individual weighing operation mode is a larger value than the upper limit weight value of the constant weight range in the combination weighing operation mode. .

This upper limit weight value may be a predetermined value, or may be a value variable by the operator.

According to this embodiment, in the individual weighing operation mode, the upper limit weight value of the allowable weight range is set larger than in the combination weighing operation mode. That is, since the allowable weight range is widened, the weight value of the objects to be weighed supplied to the individual weighing hoppers is more likely to fall within the allowable predetermined weight range. can be accelerated.

Since the individual weighing operation mode is performed, for example, immediately before the end of the day's production, the production volume in the individual weighing operation mode is small, and even if the allowable predetermined weight range is widened, the yield for the total production volume is low. has almost no effect.

(5) In still another embodiment of the present invention, the arithmetic control unit controls the weight value of the objects to be weighed by the weighing hopper to be less than the target combination weight value in the individual weighing operation mode. Further, when the weight exceeds a predetermined weight value, the driving of the linear feeder that directly feeds the objects to be weighed to the weighing hopper exceeding the predetermined weight value is stopped for a predetermined period of time.

In the individual weighing operation mode, the material to be weighed from the linear feeder is fed to the weighing hopper through the feeding hopper located between the linear feeder and the weighing hopper. There is a distance in the supply route of the object to be weighed. Therefore, when the drive of the straight feeder is stopped, the objects to be weighed existing at the above distance reach the weighing hopper with a delay from the time when the straight feeder is stopped.

According to this embodiment, the weight value of the objects to be weighed in the weighing hopper is less than the target combined weight value, and When the predetermined weight value is exceeded, that is, when the target combination weight value is approached, the driving of the straight feeder is stopped for a certain period of time, and the time from when the straight feeder is stopped until the weighing hopper is reached with a delay is waited. . As a result, the weight value of the object to be weighed in the weighing hopper is suppressed from exceeding the predetermined weight range due to the object to be weighed arriving at the weighing hopper with a delay after the straight feeder is stopped, and is kept within the predetermined weight range. I'm trying

(6) In one embodiment of the present invention, when the weight value of the objects to be weighed in the weighing hopper exceeding the predetermined weight value after the lapse of the predetermined time does not reach the target combination weight value, The rectilinear feeder, which directly feeds the objects to be weighed to the weighing hopper, is driven with weakened amplitude.

According to this embodiment, the weight value of the objects to be weighed in the weighing hopper does not reach the target combination weight value even after a certain period of time has passed considering the time from when the straight feeder is stopped until it reaches the weighing hopper with a delay. If not, by driving the linear feeder with reduced amplitude strength, a small amount of the object to be weighed can be supplied from the linear feeder to the weighing hopper, so that the weight value of the object to be weighed in the weighing hopper exceeds the predetermined weight range. is suppressed, and it becomes easy to fall within a predetermined weight range.

(7) In another embodiment of the present invention, a distributed feeder conveys the supplied objects to be weighed to the peripheral portion and supplies them to the plurality of linear feeders disposed around the distributed feeder; a detection unit that detects the amount of the object to be weighed, and the arithmetic control unit determines, in the individual weighing operation mode, based on the detection output of the detection unit that the amount of the object to be weighed on the distributed feeder is: When the amount is less than the required amount, the final weighing operation is performed, and the combined weight value obtained by combining the weight values of the objects to be weighed weighed by the plurality of weighing hoppers becomes a predetermined weight range based on the target combined weight value. A combination operation for selecting an appropriate amount combination is performed, and the weighing hoppers selected as the appropriate amount combination by the combination operation are discharged from the weighing hoppers having the predetermined weight range.

According to the above requirements, in terms of the amount of material to be weighed existing on the distributed feeder, it is preferable to supply each weighing hopper of all the plurality of weighing hoppers with the material to be weighed in a predetermined weight range based on the target combined weight value. It is preferably a difficult weighing quantity.

According to this embodiment, in the individual weighing operation mode, the amount of the object to be weighed on the distributed feeder is reduced, and it is difficult to supply each weighing hopper of the plurality of weighing hoppers with the object to be weighed in a predetermined weight range. When the state is reached, the final weighing operation is started.

In this final weighing operation, a combination calculation is performed to select an appropriate weight combination in which the weight values of the objects to be weighed weighed by a plurality of weighing hoppers are within a predetermined weight range based on the target combination weight value. Even if the weight of the objects to be weighed in each of the plurality of weighing hoppers does not individually reach the predetermined weight range, if the combination calculation is established, the objects to be weighed within the predetermined weight range based on the target combined weight value can be discharged. Therefore, the amount of objects to be weighed remaining in the combination weigher can be reduced.

As described above, according to the present invention, when the production for a day is finished or when the type of the items to be weighed is changed, the combination weighing operation mode for performing the combination calculation is replaced by the feed hopper. The object to be weighed is directly fed from the linear feeder to the weighing hopper without holding the object to be weighed so that the weight value of the object to be weighed by the weighing hopper is within a predetermined weight range based on the target combined weight value. , by performing an individual weighing operation mode in which the drive of the linear feeder is controlled and the objects to be weighed from the weighing hopper that have reached the predetermined weight range are discharged, the combination calculation is not established as in the combination weighing operation mode. , There is no such thing as being unable to select an appropriate amount combination. Therefore, compared to the combination weighing operation mode, the amount of the objects to be weighed remaining in the combination weigher can be reduced to improve the yield, and finally the objects to be weighed remaining in the combination weigher can be removed. Work load can be reduced.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a combination weigher according to one embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a block diagram of the combination weigher of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the combination weigher of FIG. FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the combination weigher of FIG. FIG. 5 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the combination weigher of FIG.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a combination weigher according to one embodiment of the present invention. This combination weigher is provided with a distributed feeder 2 in the center of the upper part of the device for radially dispersing and conveying the objects to be weighed, such as confectionery, dropped and fed from the feeding device 1 by vibration.

The dispersion feeder 2 has a conical top cone 3 and a vibration device 4 for driving the top cone 3 to vibrate.

Around the distributed feeder 2, a plurality of linear feeders 5 are radially arranged for linearly oscillating and conveying the objects to be weighed that have been oscillatingly conveyed to the peripheral edge of the top cone 3 further outward. The linear feeder 5 includes a trough 6 on which objects to be weighed are placed, and a vibrating device 7 for vibrating the trough 6 .

A supply hopper 8 is arranged below the outer end of each linear feeder 5 , and a weighing hopper 9 is arranged below each supply hopper 8 .

Discharge gates 8a and 9a that can be opened and closed are provided below the supply hopper 8 and the weighing hopper 9, respectively. In the combination weighing operation mode, which will be described later, the supply hopper 8 receives and temporarily holds the objects to be weighed that are transported by the straight feeder 5 and dropped and discharged from the end of the transport, and the weighing hopper 9 arranged below is emptied. Then, the discharge gate 8a is opened to drop and discharge the objects to be weighed into the weighing hopper 9. As shown in FIG. Each weighing hopper 9 is connected to a weight sensor 10 such as a load cell for detecting the weight of the object to be weighed in the hopper.

An appropriate combination, which is a combination of the weighing hoppers 9 to discharge the objects to be weighed, is selected from among the plurality of weighing hoppers 9 by a combination calculation, which will be described later, by the control device 11, and the objects to be weighed are picked up from the weighing hoppers 9 corresponding to the appropriate amount combination. is discharged. The discharged objects to be weighed are thrown into the collecting hopper 14 via the collecting chute 12 and the collecting funnel 13 and are temporarily stored. be done.

In this embodiment, the weight of the object to be weighed that is supplied from the supply device 1 onto the top cone 3 is detected by a top cone weight sensor 16 as a detection unit, and the detection output is provided to the control device 11 .

The control device 11 drives the feeding device 1 when the weight of the object to be weighed on the top cone 3 becomes less than a certain value based on the detection output of the top cone weight sensor 16 as a detection unit. The operation of supplying the object to be weighed is started, and when the value reaches or exceeds a certain value, the driving of the supply device 1 is stopped to stop the operation of supplying the object to be weighed. This constant value is set in advance by operating the operation setting display section 23 .

The control device 11 controls the operation of the supply device 1 and the overall operation of the combination weigher, and performs combination calculations. In the combination calculation, as described above, the combined weight value obtained by variously combining the weight values of the objects to be weighed in the weighing hoppers 9 is equal to the target combined weight value, or the target combined weight value is the lower limit weight value. Select one appropriate weight combination that has a weight value closest to the target combination weight value within the weight range (permissible weight range).

A setting operation for the control device 11 is performed by an operation setting display 23. This operation setting display 23 is configured using, for example, a touch panel and the like. Displays the speed, combined weighing value, etc. on the screen.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the control system of the combination weigher of this embodiment, and parts corresponding to those in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 11 includes a CPU section 17 as an arithmetic control section, a memory section 18, an A/D conversion circuit section 19, a gate drive circuit section 20, a vibration control circuit section 21, and a packaging machine 15. A connected I/O circuit section 22 is provided, and an operation setting display 23 is connected.

The CPU section 17 as an arithmetic control section performs a combination weighing operation mode for carrying out the above combination calculation, and instead of this combination weighing operation mode, an individual weighing operation mode described later is performed.

The memory unit 18, which is a storage unit, stores an operation program of the combination weigher, set operation parameters, etc., and serves as a work area for the CPU unit 17 such as calculations. The A/D conversion circuit unit 19 receives analog signals from the top cone weight sensor 16 for detecting the weight of the object to be weighed on the top cone 3 and each weight sensor 10 for detecting the weight of the object to be weighed in the weighing hopper 9. is converted into a digital signal and output to the CPU section 17 .

The gate drive circuit unit 20 controls the opening and closing of the discharge gate 8a of the supply hopper 8, the discharge gate 9a of the weighing hopper 9, and the discharge gate 14a of the collecting hopper 14 based on the control signal from the CPU unit 17. do. The vibration control circuit section 21 controls the feeding device 1 , the vibrating device 4 of the distributed feeder 2 , and each vibrating device 7 of each linear feeder 5 based on the control signal from the CPU section 17 .

The control device 11 controls the overall operation of the feeding device 1 and the combination weigher by causing the CPU portion 17 to execute the operation program stored in the memory portion 18 .

In the combination weigher, it is necessary to set a large number of operation parameters in order to perform the above operations. The setting is performed by the operator using the operation setting display 23, and the values of the set operation parameters are displayed in the CPU section. 17 and stored in the memory unit 18 . The operating parameters correspond to a target combined weight value that is a target value in combination calculation, an upper limit weight value that defines a certain weight range (permissible weight range) based on the target combined weight value, and vibration amplitude of each feeder 2,5. There are amplitude intensity, drive time, etc. to be used.

In this embodiment, at the end of a day's production or when changing the type of objects to be weighed, the following steps are taken in order to reduce the amount of objects to be weighed remaining in the combination weigher as much as possible and improve the yield. It is configured as

In other words, the combined weighing operation mode is performed during normal weighing operation before finishing the production for the day or before changing the type of objects to be weighed.

In this combination weighing operation mode, the combination weight value obtained by combining the weight values of the objects to be weighed weighed by the plurality of weighing hoppers 9 performs a combination calculation for selecting an appropriate weight combination within a certain weight range based on the target combination weight value. At the same time, the objects to be weighed within a certain weight range selected for appropriate combination by combination calculation are discharged, which is the same as the conventional combination weighing operation.

In this embodiment, at the end of the day's production or when the product type is changed, the combination weighing operation mode, which is the normal weighing operation mode, is switched to the individual weighing operation mode to perform the individual weighing operation mode. is.

In this individual weighing operation mode, the feed hopper 8 does not temporarily hold the objects to be weighed and, when the weighing hopper 9 is empty, discharges the held objects to the weighing hopper 9. The gate 8a is maintained in an open state, and the objects to be weighed are directly fed from the linear feeder 5 to the weighing hopper 9 so that the weight value of the objects to be weighed by the weighing hopper 9 falls within a predetermined weight range based on the target combined weight value. In addition to controlling the driving of the straight feeder 5, the objects to be weighed in the weighing hopper 9 that have reached a predetermined weight range are discharged at a timing that does not overlap with the objects to be weighed discharged from the other weighing hoppers 9. Throw into the collecting hopper 14 . The gathering hopper 14 temporarily holds the objects to be weighed within a predetermined weight range discharged from the weighing hopper 9 and then discharges them to the packaging machine 15 .

In this individual weighing operation mode, instead of performing a combination calculation that combines the weight values of the objects to be weighed in a plurality of weighing hoppers 9, the objects to be weighed are directly supplied from the linear feeder 5 to each individual weighing hopper 9. , the weight value of the object to be weighed for each individual weighing hopper 9 is set within a predetermined weight range.

That is, in the individual weighing operation mode, the straight feeder 5 is not intermittently driven as in the combination weighing operation mode, but continuously driven to directly supply the weighing hopper 9 with the objects to be weighed. Feedback control of the linear feeder 5 is performed based on the weight value weighed at 9 . In this embodiment, as will be described later, when the weight value of the objects to be weighed in the weighing hopper 9 approaches the target combined weight value, the drive of the linear feeder 5 is temporarily stopped.

Thus, in the individual weighing operation mode, each of the plurality of weighing hoppers 9 is used as an individual scale, and the weight value of the object to be weighed supplied to each scale is within a predetermined weight range. 5 is feedback-controlled.

The combination weighing operation mode, which is the normal weighing operation mode before the end of production for the day or before changing the type of object to be weighed, and the mode at the end of production or when changing the type of object to be weighed In the individual weighing operation mode, products of the same type are produced in each case. Therefore, the fixed weight range based on the target combined weight value in the combination weighing operation mode and the predetermined weight range based on the target combined weight value are the same. A weight range is preferred.

Since each of these weight ranges has the target combined weight value as the lower limit weight value, it is preferable to set the upper limit weight value in common so that the constant weight range and the predetermined weight range are the same.

However, if you want to quickly discharge the weighed items from the combination weigher at the end of the day's production or if you want to change the type of items to be weighed, the upper limit weight value of the predetermined weight range in the individual weighing operation mode is set to As a weight value larger than the upper limit weight value of the constant weight range in the combination weighing operation mode, the predetermined weight range is widened so that the weight values of the objects to be weighed which are supplied to the individual weighing hoppers 9 fall within the predetermined weight range. It is preferable to make it easy.

Even if the predetermined weight range in the individual weighing operation mode is widened in this way, the individual weighing operation mode is performed over a relatively short period of time, such as at the end of a day's production. Compared to the production volume produced in the weighing operation mode, the production volume produced in the individual weighing operation mode is small, and the yield has little impact on the total production volume.

The upper limit weight value in this individual weighing operation mode may be set by the operator by operating the operation setting display 23 .

Switching from the combination weighing operation mode to the individual weighing operation mode is performed by the operator by operating the operation setting display 23 as an operation unit at the end of the day's production or when changing the type of the object to be weighed. It can be done by The operator may switch to the individual weighing operation mode by a switching signal from the outside without operating the operation setting display 23 .

In the individual weighing operation mode, the objects to be weighed are directly fed from the straight feeder 5 to each individual weighing hopper 9, and the weight value of the object to be weighed for each individual weighing hopper 9 is set within a predetermined weight range. The discharge gate 8a of the supply hopper 8 located between the feeder 5 and the weighing hopper 9 is kept open and need not be opened or closed.

In the individual weighing operation mode, the objects to be weighed discharged from the conveying end of the linear feeder 5 pass through the supply hopper 8 between the linear feeder 5 and the weighing hopper 9 and are dropped and supplied to the weighing hopper 9. , there is a distance corresponding to the drop in the supply route of the object to be weighed between the linear feeder 5 and the weighing hopper 9 . Therefore, when the driving of the straight feeder 5 is stopped, the objects to be weighed existing at the above distance reach the weighing hopper 9 with a delay from the time when the straight feeder 5 is stopped.

Therefore, when the weight value of the objects to be weighed supplied from the linear feeder 5 to the weighing hopper 9 approaches the target combined weight value, which is the lower limit weight value of the predetermined weight range, the drive of the linear feeder 5 is temporarily stopped. It is preferable to wait until the objects to be weighed at a distance corresponding to the drop from the end of the trough 6 of the straight feeder 5 to the weighing hopper 9 arrive at the weighing hopper 9 with a delay. When the weight value of the objects to be weighed supplied from the linear feeder 5 to the weighing hopper 9 approaches the target combination weight value, not only is the driving of the linear feeder 5 temporarily stopped, but also the discharge gate of the supply hopper 8 is opened. 8a may be temporarily closed to prevent excessive objects to be weighed from dropping into the weighing hopper 9. FIG.

Further, when the weight value of the objects to be weighed supplied from the linear feeder 5 to the weighing hopper 9 approaches the target combined weight value which is the lower limit weight value of the predetermined weight range, or
After the driving of the straight feeder 5 is temporarily stopped, the amplitude intensity of the straight feeder 5 may be weakened (reduced) to reduce the amount of material to be weighed to the weighing hopper 9 . As a result, the weight value of the objects to be weighed supplied from the linear feeder 5 to the weighing hopper 9 can be suppressed from exceeding the predetermined weight range, and can be easily kept within the predetermined weight range.

When the weight value of the objects to be weighed supplied from the linear feeder 5 to the weighing hopper 9 approaches the target combined weight value, the driving of the linear feeder 5 is stopped for a certain period of time as described above. The weight value of the object to be weighed in the weighing hopper 9 is checked again, and when the weight value of the object to be weighed in the weighing hopper 9 falls within a predetermined weight range, the discharge gate 9a of the weighing hopper 9 is opened, Items to be weighed within a predetermined weight range are discharged to the packaging machine 15 via the collection hopper 14 .

In the individual weighing operation mode, the discharge gate 8a of the supply hopper 8 is kept open, and the objects to be weighed are directly fed from the linear feeder 5 to the weighing hopper 9. As in the combination weighing operation mode, the supply hopper 8 There is no need to temporarily hold the object to be weighed by closing the discharge gate 8a, wait for the weighing hopper 8 to become empty, and then open the discharge gate 8a to supply the object to be weighed to the weighing hopper 9. .

In the individual weighing operation mode, unlike the combination weighing operation mode, it is not necessary to intermittently drive the straight feeder 5 in each operation cycle in which combination calculation is performed. It may be driven continuously until the weight falls within the predetermined weight range.

Furthermore, in the individual weighing operation mode, it is only necessary to feed the objects to be weighed from the linear feeder 5 so that the weight values of the objects to be weighed in the individual weighing hoppers 9 fall within a predetermined weight range. , there is no need to perform a combination calculation for selecting an appropriate weight combination in which the weight values of the objects to be weighed in the plurality of weighing hoppers 9 are in a certain weight range based on the target weight combination. A situation in which a combination cannot be selected and an object to be weighed within a certain weight range cannot be discharged does not occur.

Thus, in the individual weighing operation mode, unlike the combination weighing operation mode, it is not necessary to intermittently drive the straight feeder 5, open and close the discharge gate 8a of the supply hopper 8, or perform a combination operation for selecting an appropriate amount combination. Instead, the objects to be weighed may be directly fed to the individual weighing hoppers 9 by the linear feeder 5 so as to have a predetermined weight range.

Therefore, the individual weighing operation mode enables faster weighing processing than the combination weighing operation mode. It is possible to reduce the amount of objects to be weighed remaining in the combination weigher and improve the yield. In addition, since the amount of the objects to be weighed that ultimately remains in the combination weigher is reduced, the burden of removing the remaining objects to be weighed is reduced.

In the individual weighing operation mode, the amount of items to be weighed in the combination weigher becomes small, and it becomes difficult to supply each of the plurality of weighing hoppers 9 with the items to be weighed within a predetermined weight range. In such a case, for example, when there are almost no objects to be weighed on the distributed feeder 2, instead of supplying the objects to be weighed to all the weighing hoppers 9, the objects being weighed are fed to the weighing hoppers 9. The objects to be weighed may be selectively supplied from the linear feeder 5 only to limited weighing hoppers 9 supplied with many objects to be weighed, for example, to which more objects to be weighed than a threshold weight value are supplied. As a result, even if the amount of the object to be weighed is small, the limited weighing hopper 9 can keep the weight value of the object to be weighed within the predetermined weight range.

In the individual weighing operation mode, the amount of the objects to be weighed in the combination weigher becomes even smaller, and even with the limited weighing hopper 9, it becomes difficult to keep the weight value of the objects to be weighed within the predetermined weight range. Sometimes, the individual weighing operation mode may be changed to the final weighing operation.

In this final weighing operation, it is difficult to achieve a predetermined weight range with the weight values of the objects to be weighed for each of the individual weighing hoppers 9. performs a combination calculation to select an appropriate weight combination of the weighing hoppers 9 within a predetermined weight range. That is, except that the supply hopper 8 is maintained in an open state and the objects to be weighed are directly supplied from the linear feeder 5 to the weighing hopper 9, a combination calculation is performed in the same manner as in the combination weighing operation mode, and a plurality of items selected for an appropriate amount combination are selected. , the object to be weighed in the weighing hopper 9 is discharged.

In this way, in the individual weighing operation mode, when it becomes difficult to weigh the objects within the predetermined weight range with only the individual weighing hoppers 9, the weight of the objects to be weighed from the plurality of weighing hoppers 9 is combined in the final weighing operation. Since the objects to be weighed in the plurality of weighing hoppers selected for the appropriate combination can be discharged by performing the combination calculation, the amount of the objects to be weighed remaining in the combination weigher can be further reduced.

This final weighing operation is not limited to one time, and may be performed multiple times as long as the objects to be weighed remain. That is, the combinatorial operation may be repeated multiple times.

It should be noted that the final weighing operation in the individual weighing operation mode is not necessarily required and may be omitted.

In the individual weighing operation mode, when there are almost no objects to be weighed in the combination weigher and the weight values of the objects to be weighed in any of the weighing hoppers 9 do not change even if the linear feeders 5 are driven for a certain period of time, the weighing hoppers 9 Assuming that there is no object to be weighed that can be supplied, the individual weighing operation mode may be automatically stopped, and the operation setting display 23 may display and notify that effect.

Next, an example of specific control of this embodiment will be described in further detail based on a flowchart.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of this embodiment.

First, when the power is turned on and the weighing operation is started (step S1), it is determined whether or not the individual weighing operation mode flag indicating the individual weighing operation mode is ON (step S2). When the operation mode flag is not ON, the process proceeds to step S3 to determine whether or not the operator has performed a switching operation to the individual weighing operation mode.

When it is determined in step S3 that the switching operation to the individual weighing operation mode has not been performed, the combination weighing operation mode, which is the normal weighing operation mode, is performed (step S4), and the process proceeds to step S5. This combination weighing operation mode is the same as the conventional combination weighing operation in which combination calculation is performed.

In step S5, it is determined whether or not the weighing operation in the combination weighing operation mode has been stopped.

In step S3, when the operator switches to the individual weighing operation mode, the individual weighing operation mode is switched to, for example, to end production for the day or to change the product type to be weighed. , the individual weighing operation mode is entered, so the individual weighing operation mode flag indicating the individual weighing operation mode is turned ON, and the process returns to step S2 (step S6).

In step S2, when the individual weighing operation mode flag is ON, that is, when the individual weighing operation mode is set, it is determined whether or not there is an object to be weighed on the top cone 3 of the distributed feeder 2 (step S7). This determination is made based on the detected weight of the object to be weighed on the top cone 3 detected by the top cone weight sensor 16 .

When it is determined in step S7 that there is no object to be weighed on the top cone 3 of the distributed feeder 2, the weight values of the objects to be weighed in all the weighing hoppers 9 are summed up (step S8), and the total weight of the objects to be weighed is calculated. It is determined whether or not the total weight value is greater than the target combined weight value (step S9).

When it is determined that the total weight value of the objects to be weighed, which is the sum of the weights of the objects to be weighed in all of the weighing hoppers 9, is not greater than the target combined weight value, the amount of the objects to be weighed remaining in the combination weigher is reduced. , the sum of the weights of the objects to be weighed in all the weighing hoppers 9 does not reach the target combined weight value, that is, the weight value of the objects to be weighed for one pack of products is not reached. However, it is notified by displaying, for example, on the operation setting display 23 (step S10), and the process proceeds to step S11.

In step S11, it is determined whether or not the worker who has learned that the amount of the objects to be weighed has decreased has stopped the weighing operation, that is, the individual weighing operation mode. (step S12), the final weighing operation start flag in the individual weighing operation mode, which will be described later, is turned off, and the process returns to step S1 (step S13). If the operator does not stop the individual weighing operation mode in step S11, the process returns to step S2.

When it is determined in step S7 that there are objects to be weighed in the distributed feeder 2, or in step S9 above, the total weight value of the objects to be weighed obtained by summing the weights of the objects to be weighed in all the weighing hoppers 9 However, when it is determined that the combined weight value is greater than the target combined weight value, the objects to be weighed still remain in the combination weigher and the individual weighing operation mode can be performed, and the process proceeds to step S14.

In step S14, the upper limit weight value (permissible upper limit value) of the predetermined weight range based on the target combined weight value in the individual weighing operation mode is changed, and the process proceeds to step S15. In this step S14, the upper limit weight value (permissible upper limit value) is increased to widen the predetermined weight range. This makes it easier for the weight value of the object to be weighed supplied to each weighing hopper 9 to fall within a predetermined weight range. In this embodiment, when the combination weighing operation mode is changed to the individual weighing operation mode, the upper limit weight value (permissible upper limit value) of the predetermined weight range is changed only once at the beginning. In the range, the metering operation is performed until the individual metering operation mode is terminated.

In step S15, the individual weighing operation mode is performed, and the process returns to step S2.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of this embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows the processing when the individual weighing operation mode is performed and the amount of the objects to be weighed in the combination weigher becomes low and the final weighing operation is started.

In the individual weighing operation mode, it is determined whether or not the final weighing operation start flag indicating that the final weighing operation should be started in the individual weighing operation mode is ON (step S100). If not, the weights of the objects to be weighed in all the weighing hoppers 9 are added (step S101), and the total weight of the objects to be weighed is P times the target combined weight value, for example, several times the target combined weight value. It is determined whether or not it is larger (step S102).

In step S102, when it is determined that the total weight value of the objects to be weighed, which is the sum of the weights of the objects to be weighed in all the weighing hoppers 9, is larger than P times the target combined weight value, the individual weighing unit is placed in the combination weigher. Assuming that there are still objects to be weighed for which the operation mode can be performed, the process proceeds to step S104 to continue the individual weighing operation mode without transitioning to the final weighing operation.

When it is determined in step S102 that the total weight value of the objects to be weighed is not larger than P times the target combined weight, the process proceeds to step S103, where the objects to be weighed having the required weight or more are present on the top cone 3 of the distributed feeder 2. decide whether to This determination is made based on the detected weight of the object to be weighed on the top cone 3 detected by the top cone weight sensor 16 . This required weight is the amount of objects to be weighed existing on the top cone 3 of the distributed feeder 2. For each of the plurality of weighing hoppers 9, each of the plurality of weighing hoppers 9 has a predetermined weight range based on the target combined weight value. It is the weight of the object to be weighed that is judged to be difficult to feed.

When it is determined in step S103 that there are objects weighing more than the required weight on the top cone 3 of the distributed feeder 2, it is assumed that there are enough objects left in the combination weigher to continue the individual weighing operation mode. , the process proceeds to step S104 to continue the individual weighing operation mode without shifting to the final weighing operation.

In step S103, when it is determined that there is no object weighing more than the required weight on the top cone 3 of the distributed feeder 2, all the weighing hoppers 9 of the plurality of weighing hoppers 9 are loaded with objects within a predetermined weight range. Since it is difficult to supply, the process moves to step S105, turns on the final weighing operation start flag indicating the start of the final weighing operation, moves to step S106, maintains the discharge gate 8a of the supply hopper 8 in an open state, and steps Move to S107.

In step S107, as in the combination weighing operation mode, the straight feeder is driven for a predetermined period of time. It is determined whether or not there is an appropriate combination of the weighing hoppers 9 in which the weight of the combined combination is within a predetermined weight range (step S110), and when there is an appropriate combination, the objects to be weighed are discharged from the weighing hoppers 9 of the appropriate combination. Emission control is performed (step S111), and if there is no appropriate combination in step S110, the process returns.

Thus, in this embodiment, the amount of material to be weighed present on the top cone 3 of the distributed feeder 2 is a predetermined amount based on the target combined weight value for each of all the weighing hoppers 9 of the plurality of weighing hoppers 9 . When it is judged that it is difficult to supply the objects to be weighed within the weight range, the operation is shifted to the final weighing operation and the combination calculation is performed.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of this embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows the processing of the individual weighing operation mode other than the final weighing operation.

In the individual weighing operation mode other than the final weighing operation, the number i for specifying the first weighing hopper 9 of the plurality of weighing hoppers 9 is set to the initial value "1" (step S200), and the straight feeder feeder is set to the weighing hopper i. It is determined whether or not the charging flag indicating that the object to be weighed is being charged from i is ON (step S201). It is determined whether or not the weight value is greater than or equal to a predetermined weight (step S202). In this embodiment, in the individual weighing operation mode when the amount of the objects to be weighed in the combination weigher is small, instead of supplying the objects to be weighed to all the weighing hoppers 9 of the plurality of weighing hoppers 9, the objects to be weighed of a predetermined weight or more are fed to the weighing hoppers 9 . The object to be weighed is supplied to the weighing hopper 9 to which the object is supplied. This predetermined weight may be, for example, about 1/3 of the target combined weight value. The objects to be weighed may be supplied to all the weighing hoppers 9 instead of supplying the objects to be weighed to the weighing hoppers 9 whose weight value is equal to or greater than a predetermined weight.

In step S202, when the weight value of the object to be weighed in the weighing hopper i is equal to or greater than the predetermined weight, a charging flag indicating that the object to be weighed is being charged into the weighing hopper i is turned on (step S203), The discharge gate of the supply hopper i corresponding to the weighing hopper i is opened (step S204), the driving of the straight feeder i corresponding to the weighing hopper i is started (step S205), and the process proceeds to step S206.

In step S206, the number i for specifying the weighing hopper 9 is incremented, and whether or not i becomes n+1 (step S207), that is, whether the processing for all the weighing hoppers 9 of the plurality of weighing hoppers 9 is completed. It is determined whether or not, and if not finished, the process returns to step S201.

When it is determined in step S201 that the charging flag indicating that the object to be weighed is being charged into the weighing hopper i is ON, the process proceeds to step S208, and the operation of charging the object to be weighed into the weighing hopper i is started. It is determined whether or not a temporary stop flag indicating that the feeder is temporarily stopped is ON. When it is being driven, the process moves to step S209.

In step S209, it is determined whether the weight value of the objects to be weighed in the weighing hopper i is greater than a predetermined weight value obtained by subtracting a certain weight (α) from the target combination weight value. It is determined whether or not the weight value of the object has approached the target combined weight value.

As described above, in the individual weighing operation mode, the objects to be weighed discharged from the conveying end of the straight feeder 5 pass through the supply hopper 8 between the straight feeder 5 and the weighing hopper 9 to the weighing hopper 9. Since the materials are dropped and fed, the supply route of the materials to be weighed between the straight feeder 5 and the weighing hopper 9 has a distance corresponding to the drop. Therefore, when the drive of the straight feeder 5 is stopped, the objects to be weighed existing at the above distance reach the weighing hopper 9 with a delay from the time when the drive of the straight feeder 5 is stopped. The constant weight (α) is the weight of the object to be weighed existing at a distance corresponding to the drop between the linear feeder 5 and the weighing hopper 9, i. It is preferable to set the weight to correspond to the weight of the object to be weighed that reaches .

In step S209, when it is determined that the weight value of the objects to be weighed in the weighing hopper i is greater than the predetermined weight value obtained by subtracting the constant weight (α) from the target combined weight value, the objects to be weighed in the weighing hopper i has approached the target combination weight value, a suspension flag indicating that the operation of loading the objects to be weighed into the weighing hopper i is suspended is turned ON (step S210), and the weighing hopper i The drive of the corresponding straight feeder i is temporarily stopped (step S211), the timer for the temporary stop of feeding of the weighing hopper i is set, measurement of the stop period is started, and the process proceeds to step S206 (step S212).

If it is determined in step S208 that the pause flag indicating that the operation of loading the objects to be weighed into the weighing hopper i has been suspended is ON, the timer for the suspending of the weighing hopper i is set. It is determined whether or not time is up (step S213). It is preferable that the timer time measured by the input temporary stop timer is the time required for the objects to be weighed to reach the weighing hopper 9 with a delay from the time when the drive of the straight feeder 5 is stopped.

In step S213, when it is determined that the timer has timed out, it is assumed that the time required for the objects to be weighed to reach the weighing hopper 9 has elapsed after the driving of the straight feeder 5 was stopped, and the weighing is performed. It is determined whether or not the weight value of the objects to be weighed in the hopper i is greater than the target combined weight value (step S214). In this step S214, when the weight value of the objects to be weighed in the weighing hopper i is not greater than the target combined weight value, the weight value of the objects to be weighed in the weighing hopper i has not reached the predetermined weight range. The amplitude intensity of the straight feeder i corresponding to i is temporarily reduced (step S215), the charging flag indicating that the object to be weighed is being charged to the weighing hopper i is turned off (step S216), and the weighing hopper i is turned off (step S217), and the process proceeds to step S206. In this case, in the next processing cycle, straight feeder i will be driven with a reduced amplitude intensity.

When it is determined in step S214 that the weight value of the objects to be weighed in the weighing hopper i is greater than the target combined weight value, the process proceeds to step S218, where the weight value of the objects to be weighed in the weighing hopper i is within the predetermined weight range. If it is within the predetermined weight range, discharge control of the weighing hopper i for discharging the weighing object within the predetermined weight range is performed, and the process proceeds to step S206 (step S219). In step S218, when the weight of the object to be weighed in the weighing hopper i is not within the predetermined weight range, the weight of the object to be weighed in the weighing hopper i exceeds the predetermined weight range and is displayed on the operation setting display 23, for example. is notified (step S220), and the process proceeds to step S206.

In step S213, when the timer for suspending the loading of the weighing hopper i has not timed out, the timer for suspending the loading of the weighing hopper i is decremented, and the process proceeds to step S206.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the production for the day is finished or when the type of the object to be weighed is changed, the mode is shifted to the individual weighing operation mode, and the object to be weighed by the supply hopper 8 is changed. directly feeds the objects to be weighed from the linear feeder 5 to the weighing hopper 9 without temporarily holding the As described above, the drive of the linear feeder 5 is controlled, and the weighing objects in the weighing hopper 9 that have reached a predetermined weight range are discharged. Each object to be weighed in the weight range can be quickly discharged.

In addition, in the individual weighing operation mode, there is no need to perform combination calculations except for the final weighing operation, so unlike the combination weighing operation mode, the combination calculation does not hold and the proper amount combination cannot be selected. Therefore, compared to the combination weighing operation mode, the amount of the objects to be weighed remaining in the combination weigher can be reduced to improve the yield, and finally the objects to be weighed remaining in the combination weigher can be removed. Work load can be reduced.

2 distributed feeder 5 straight feeder 8 supply hopper 9 weighing hopper 15 packaging machine 16 top cone weight sensor 17 CPU unit 23 operation setting display

Claims (7)

a plurality of rectilinear feeders for vibrating and conveying the supplied objects to be weighed; a supply hopper, a plurality of weighing hoppers provided corresponding to each of the plurality of supply hoppers for temporarily holding an object to be weighed discharged from each of the supply hoppers and measuring the weight of the object to be weighed; A feeder, an arithmetic control unit that controls the supply hopper and the weighing hopper,
The calculation control unit performs a combination calculation for selecting an appropriate combination in which a combination weight value obtained by combining the weight values of the objects to be weighed weighed by the plurality of weighing hoppers is within a certain weight range based on the target combination weight value. , a combination weigher that performs a combination weighing operation mode for discharging the objects to be weighed within the predetermined weight range selected for the appropriate weight combination by the combination calculation,
Instead of the combination weighing operation mode, the arithmetic control unit directly supplies the objects to be weighed from the linear feeder to the weighing hopper without holding the objects to be weighed by the supply hopper, and weighs the objects by the weighing hopper. driving of the linear feeder is controlled so that the weight value of the objects to be weighed falls within a predetermined weight range based on the target combined weight value; It is possible to perform an individual weighing operation mode to discharge,
A combination weigher characterized by: An operation unit operated to switch the combination weighing operation mode to the individual weighing operation mode,
The arithmetic control unit switches the combination weighing operation mode to the individual weighing operation mode based on a switching operation of the operation unit.
The combination weigher according to claim 1. The supply hopper includes a gate that is controlled to open and close by the arithmetic control unit,
In the combination weighing operation mode, the arithmetic control unit closes the gate of the supply hopper to temporarily hold the objects to be weighed from the linear feeder, and opens the gate to discharge the held objects to be weighed. is a
In the individual weighing operation mode, the arithmetic control unit maintains the gate of the supply hopper in an open state to directly supply the objects to be weighed from the linear feeder to the weighing hopper.
The combination weigher according to claim 1 or 2. The upper limit weight value of the predetermined weight range in the individual weighing operation mode is a larger value than the upper limit weight value of the constant weight range in the combination weighing operation mode.
The combination weigher according to any one of claims 1 to 3. In the individual weighing operation mode, when the weight value of the objects to be weighed by the weighing hopper is less than the target combined weight value and exceeds a predetermined weight value, Stopping the driving of the linear feeder for directly supplying the weighing hopper with the weighing hopper exceeding the predetermined weight value for a certain period of time;
The combination weigher according to any one of claims 1 to 4. When the weight value of the objects to be weighed in the weighing hopper exceeding the predetermined weight value after the lapse of the predetermined time does not reach the target combined weight value, the objects to be weighed are directly supplied to the weighing hopper. Driving by weakening the amplitude intensity of the straight feeder,
The combination weigher according to claim 5. a distributed feeder that conveys the supplied objects to be weighed to a peripheral portion and supplies them to the plurality of rectilinear feeders disposed around the distributed feeder; and a detection unit that detects the amount of the objects to be weighed on the distributed feeders. with
In the individual weighing operation mode, the arithmetic control unit shifts to the final weighing operation when the amount of the objects to be weighed on the distributed feeder becomes less than the required amount based on the detection output of the detection unit. performing a combination calculation for selecting an appropriate weight combination in which the weight values of the objects to be weighed weighed by the plurality of weighing hoppers are within a predetermined weight range based on the target combination weight value; discharging the objects to be weighed within the predetermined weight range from the weighing hoppers selected for the appropriate amount combination;
The combination weigher according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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