JP4994813B2 - Combination scale - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a combination weigher, and in particular, a combination of a plurality of weighing means for measuring the weight of an article supplied with each of the articles and a combination of a plurality of weight measurement values obtained by the plurality of weighing means. A combination calculating means for selecting an optimum combination that is within a first allowable range determined based on the target weight and that is closest to the target weight, and an optimum combination component that constitutes the optimum combination is a weighing means. It is related to a combination weigher in which a new article is supplied to a weighing means which has been emptied by removal of this optimum combination component article.

  In this type of combination weigher, among the articles supplied to each weighing means, depending on their weight, it is not easily selected as an optimal combination component article, but remains in a state of being supplied to the weighing means forever. So-called staying products may occur. When such a stagnant product occurs, and the greater the number, the number of articles that can be combined (that is, that can participate in the combination place) is substantially reduced. The yield of weight deteriorates. The yield mentioned here means a deviation from the target weight of the total weight of the optimum combination, and the smaller this deviation, the better the yield.

  Therefore, when a stagnant product is generated, it is desirable to remove the stagnant product from the place of combination at an early stage. As a conventional technique for realizing this, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. According to this prior art, for each weighing hopper as the weighing means, the time after the article is supplied or the number of times the optimum combination is selected after the article is supplied is counted. Then, for any of the weighing hoppers, when the counted time reaches the stay detection time-up time, or when the counted number reaches the stay detection combination count, the article supplied to the weighing hopper becomes a staying product ( Stagnation article). When a staying product is detected, a combination including the staying product, the total weight of which is within a predetermined allowable weight range for staying and equal to or close to the target weight is optimal. Selected as a combination. On the other hand, if no accumulated product is detected, a combination in which the total weight of the combination is within the normal allowable weight range narrower than the allowable allowable weight range and is equal to or close to the target weight is the optimum combination. Selected as. When the optimum combination is selected in this way, articles constituting the optimum combination are discharged from the weighing hopper. Then, new articles are supplied to the empty weighing hopper, and the optimum combination is selected again.

  That is, according to this prior art, when a retained product is generated, the optimum combination is preferentially selected from the combinations including the retained product. In addition, the allowable range of the total weight of the optimum combination is relaxed to a larger allowable weight range for residence than the normal allowable weight range. Thereby, the staying goods are removed early from the place of combination, and the deterioration of the yield by the said staying goods arising is suppressed.

  Note that the normal allowable weight range and the allowable allowable weight range are both set with the target weight as the lower limit. Therefore, the standard optimum combination selected based on the allowable weight range for ordinary use, as well as the special optimum combination selected based on the allowable weight range for residence, is compared with the optimum combination of the standard. Only the yield is inferior, and the total weight is equal to or more than the target weight, so it is treated as a regular product (finished product).

JP-A-4-177130

  By the way, in this prior art, if the value of the stay detection time-up time or the stay detection combination count is small, for example, a stay product is likely to occur. When the retained product is likely to be generated, the special optimum combination selected based on the relaxed allowable range of the above-described allowable weight range for retention increases, that is, the number of products with low yield increases. Further, even with this relaxed allowable weight range for retention, the optimum combination may not be selected, that is, a combination whose total weight falls within the allowable allowable weight range for retention may not be found. In this case, the staying product is forcibly removed from the combination place, and instead, a new article is added to the combination place. Extra time is required and the efficiency of the entire combination weighing operation is reduced. In addition, the forcibly removed retained product is treated as a defective product that cannot be used in the product, and is therefore uneconomical. On the other hand, if the value of the stay detection time-up time or the number of times of stay detection combination is large, stagnant products are less likely to be generated, but the amount of articles remaining in the combination increases accordingly, in other words, the stagnant product is not detected as a stagnant product. The number of goods of the same quality as goods increases. As a result, the actual number of articles that can participate in the combination place is reduced, and the yield is also deteriorated. Therefore, in order to obtain a good yield and to suppress the forced removal frequency of staying articles in order to improve work efficiency and economy, the value of the stay detection time-up time or the number of stay detection combinations mentioned here, that is, staying goods It is extremely important to appropriately set a threshold, which is a criterion for determining whether or not there is.

  However, the prior art does not show any means for appropriately setting the stay detection time-up time or the stay detection combination number as the threshold value. For this reason, there is a problem that the presence / absence of the retained product cannot be properly determined, and hence a good yield cannot be obtained and the forced removal frequency of the retained product cannot be suppressed.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a combination weigher that can appropriately determine the presence or absence of the staying product in order to obtain a better yield than before and suppress the forced removal frequency of the staying product. To do.

  In order to achieve this object, the combination weigher of the present invention is provided with a plurality of weighing means for measuring the weight of an article supplied and a plurality of weight measurement values obtained by the plurality of weighing means. Combination calculating means for selecting an optimal combination that is within the first allowable range determined based on the target weight and that is closest to the target weight It is assumed that after the combination component article is removed from the weighing means, a new article is supplied to the weighing means that has become empty as a result of the removal of the optimum combination component article. Under this assumption, the first detection means for detecting the period after the article is supplied for each weighing means or the number of times the optimum combination has been selected since the article is supplied, and for each weighing means. A determination means for comparing the detection result of the first detection means with a threshold value to determine whether or not the article supplied to the weighing means is a staying article, and a first detection means for the optimal combination component article Setting means for setting the threshold based on the detection result.

  That is, in the present invention, articles as objects to be weighed are supplied to the respective weighing means. The combination calculation means variously combines the respective weight measurement values by the respective weighing means, and among them, the total weight of the combination is within the first allowable range determined based on the target weight, and The optimal combination that is closest (or equal) to the target weight is selected. When the optimum combination is selected, the optimum combination constituting article constituting the optimum combination is removed from the weighing means. With this, a series (one time) of combination weighing work is completed. Then, a new article is supplied to the weighing means that has become empty as a result of the removal of the optimum combination component article, and the optimum combination is selected again, that is, the combination weighing operation is started.

  At the same time, the first detection means detects the period after the article is supplied for each weighing means, in other words, the selection waiting period until the article is selected as the optimal combination component article. The first detection means waits for each weighing means to select the optimum combination selected by the combination calculation means after the article is supplied, in other words, until the article is selected as the optimum combination constituent article. The number of times may be detected. And the detection result by this 1st detection means is compared with a threshold value by a determination means, Based on this comparison result, it is determined whether each article | item is a stagnant item. Specifically, for any of the weighing units, when the detection result by the first detection unit reaches a threshold value, the determination unit determines that the article supplied to the weighing unit is a staying product. On the other hand, when that is not the case, it is determined that no staying product has occurred. When a staying product is generated, a special measure such as early removal of the staying product from the measuring means (so-called combination place) is performed.

  Further, the setting means sets the threshold value based on the detection result by the first detection means for the optimal combination component article, that is, based on the actual selection waiting period or the number of selection waiting times for the optimal combination component article. The set threshold value is applied to the next combination weighing operation. That is, while the combination weighing operation is being repeatedly performed, the threshold value is appropriately updated based on the actually measured value of the selection waiting period or the number of selection waiting times for the actually selected optimal combination component article.

  In the present invention, display means for displaying a detection result by the first detection means for the optimal combination component article may be further provided. In this way, the actual selection waiting period or the number of selection waiting times for the optimal combination component article can be grasped, and for example, the tendency of the selection waiting period or the selection waiting number can be grasped.

  If such a display means is provided, the setting means may include a manual setting means for setting a threshold according to a setting command input manually. That is, the threshold value may be manually set based on the actual selection waiting period or the number of selection waiting times for the optimal combination component article displayed by the display means.

  Here, it is assumed that an article in the present invention appears in a combination field with a probability that a predetermined physical quantity, for example, weight or volume, or external dimensions or color, is a variable. That is, depending on the physical quantity, there are articles that are likely to appear in a combination field and articles that are not. In this case, an article that is more likely to appear in the place of combination has a higher probability that the other party's article constituting the optimum combination will appear in the place of the combination in combination with this, and therefore the selection waiting period until it is selected as the optimum combination constituent article. Alternatively, the value of the number of selection waiting times is considered to be small. On the other hand, since an article that is less likely to appear in the place of combination has a lower probability that an article of the other party that constitutes the optimum combination in combination with this will appear in the place of the combination, a selection waiting period until it is selected as the optimum combination constituent article or The value of the number of waiting for selection is considered to increase. From this, it can be said that the threshold is preferably set for each physical quantity correlated with the probability of appearing in the field of the combination.

  Therefore, the setting means in the present invention may divide the above-described physical quantity into a plurality of ranks and set a threshold value for each rank. Specifically, a lower threshold is set for a rank to which a physical quantity with a high probability of appearing in a combination field belongs, and a higher threshold is set for a rank to which a physical quantity with a low probability belongs. And it further comprises a second detection means for detecting the physical quantity of the article supplied to each weighing means, and the judging means has a rank threshold value corresponding to the detection result by the second detection means for each weighing means. The determination is made by comparing the detection result by the first detection means. In this way, a threshold value suitable for the physical quantity of the articles supplied to each weighing means is set, in other words, an appropriate threshold value is set according to the ease of appearing in the field of the combination of the articles.

  For example, for an article that tends to appear in a combination place, there is a high possibility that many similar articles exist in the combination place. In order to suppress the deterioration, a lower threshold is set as described above. Even if such a low threshold is set, an article that tends to appear in the place of the combination is likely to be selected as an optimal combination constituent article, and therefore, the possibility of being determined as a staying article is substantially low, and therefore forced. The frequency of removal is low. On the other hand, for articles that are difficult to appear in the place of combination, a higher threshold value is set, so that it can exist in the place of combination for a long time. It is hard to be judged as a product. And even if such an article has existed for a long time in the combination place, it is unlikely that an article of the same type will be present in the combination place at the same time, so the yield is not greatly affected. Thus, by setting a threshold value corresponding to the probability of appearing in the combination field for each article, a good yield can be obtained, and the frequency with which the articles are forcibly removed is suppressed.

  The setting means referred to here includes a specifying means for specifying a rank corresponding to the optimal combination constituent article based on a detection result by the second detection means for the optimal combination constituent article, and a threshold for the rank specified by the specifying means. Setting execution means for setting the optimal combination component article based on the detection result by the first detection means.

  In addition, when the physical quantity is the weight of the article, the second detection unit may detect the weight as the physical quantity based on the weight measurement value by each weighing unit.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, when a staying product is generated, the staying product may be replaced with a new product.

  As another measure, when a staying product is generated, the combination calculation means is a combination including the staying product, and the total weight includes a first allowable range and is wider than the first allowable range. A combination that is within two tolerances and is closest (or equal) to the target weight may be selected as the optimal combination. In this way, when a stagnant product occurs, the optimal combination is preferentially selected from the combinations including the stagnant product, and the allowable range of the total weight of the optimal combination is wider than the first allowable range. 2 Relaxed to an acceptable range. As a result, stagnant products are removed early from the place of combination.

  In addition, when the optimal combination including a staying article is not found, any of all articles including the staying article may be replaced with a new article.

  As described above, according to the present invention, while the combination weighing operation is repeatedly performed, the actual selection waiting period or the number of selection waiting times until the articles supplied to the respective weighing means are selected as the optimum combination constituent articles. Is detected, and a threshold value serving as a criterion for determining whether or not the article is a staying item is updated as appropriate based on the detected actual selection waiting period or the number of selection waiting times. Therefore, unlike the prior art in which the value of the stay detection time-up time or the stay detection combination number corresponding to this threshold value cannot be set appropriately, it is possible to appropriately determine the presence or absence of staying articles, and thus a good yield. Can be obtained. In addition, since the frequency with which the staying product is forcibly removed is also suppressed, the extra effort of exchanging the staying product with a new product is reduced, the efficiency of the entire combination weighing operation is improved, and defective products are generated. The number is reduced and the economy is improved.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The combination weigher 10 according to the present embodiment is a so-called manual type, and is connected to one control device 30 and the control device 30 via a communication line 50 as shown in FIG. N (N; integer greater than or equal to 2) measuring instruments 70, 70,...

Among these, the control apparatus 30 is provided with the operation key 32 as a command input means, and the display 34 as a display means. More specifically, as shown in FIG.
Processing Unit) 36 is provided, and the operation key 32 and the display 34 are connected to the CPU 36 via an input / output interface circuit 38. Further, the communication line 50 is also connected to the CPU 36 via the input / output interface 50. Further, a memory circuit 40 as a storage means is connected to the CPU 36, and a control program (hereinafter referred to as a main program) for controlling the operation of the CPU 36 is stored in the memory circuit 40. . Note that the memory circuit 40 includes a generally known ROM (Read
Only Memory (RAM), Random Access Memory (RAM), EEPROM (Electronically)
It is configured by a semiconductor memory such as Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory).

  On the other hand, each weighing instrument 70 includes a weighing platform 72 on which an article (not shown) as an object to be weighed is placed manually (manual operation by an operator). As shown in FIG. 3, the weighing table 72 is coupled to a load sensor 74, and the load sensor 74 generates an analog weighing signal with a voltage corresponding to the weight Wx of the article placed on the weighing table 72. To do. For example, a strain gauge type load cell is suitable as the load sensor 74, but is not limited thereto.

  The analog weighing signal generated by the load sensor 74 is amplified by the amplifier circuit 76 and then input to the A / D conversion circuit 78. The A / D conversion circuit 78 samples the input analog weighing signal at a predetermined sampling period ΔT and converts it into a digital weighing signal. The sampling period ΔT by the A / D conversion circuit 78 is suitably about 1 [ms], for example, but is not limited thereto. Further, at a stage before the analog measurement signal is input to the A / D conversion circuit 78, for example, at the input side or the output side of the amplification circuit 76, a relatively high frequency noise component included in the analog measurement signal, for example, 100 An appropriate analog filter circuit may be provided in order to remove noise components mainly due to electrical factors above [Hz].

  The digital weighing signal converted by the A / D conversion circuit 78 is input to the CPU 82 via the input / output interface circuit 80. In order to remove a relatively low frequency noise component included in the input digital weighing signal, for example, a noise component mainly due to mechanical factors of 100 [Hz] or less, the CPU 82 is adapted to the digital weighing signal. A filtering process such as a moving average process is performed. Then, the weight Wx of the article is obtained based on the digital weighing signal after the moving average processing, that is, the weight measurement value Wx ′ (≈Wx) is calculated.

  The weight measurement value Wx ′ calculated by the CPU 82 is transmitted to the control device 30 (CPU 36). For this reason, the CPU 82 is connected to the communication line 50 described above via the input / output interface circuit 80. The CPU 82 is also connected with two lamps 86 and 88 to be described later via the input / output interface circuit 80. Further, a memory circuit 84 constituted by a semiconductor memory is connected to the CPU 82, and a control program (hereinafter referred to as a subprogram) for controlling the operation of the CPU 82 is stored in the memory circuit 84. ing.

  Each weighing instrument 70, 70,... Is assigned an individual identification number n (n = 1 to N). Further, although not shown in the drawing, the control device 30, the communication line 50, and each of the measuring instruments 70, 70,... Are accommodated in one housing and are so-called integrated.

  According to the combination weigher 10 configured as described above, the combination weighing operation is performed in the following procedure.

  That is, first, the articles are manually placed on all the weighing devices 70, 70,... (The weighing tables 72, 72,...). The articles referred to here are, for example, agricultural products such as apples and mandarin oranges, and are placed one by one for each measuring instrument 70.

  Each weighing instrument 70 (CPU 82) calculates the weight measurement value Wx ′ of the article placed on it in the manner described above. Then, the calculated weight measurement value Wx ′ is transmitted to the control device 30.

  The control device 30 (CPU 36) variously combines the N weight measurement values Wx ′ transmitted from the respective weighing devices 70, 70,..., And the total weight Wy of the combination is the target weight Wt as shown in FIG. Is selected within the predetermined standard allowable range A with the lower limit being the lower limit and the closest combination (or equal) to the target weight Wt. Note that the upper limit Wt ′ of the standard allowable range A is appropriately a value obtained by adding the number [%] of the target weight Wt to the target weight Wt. For example, if the target weight Wt is 300 [g]. The upper limit Wt ′ of the standard allowable range A is suitably about 310 [g]. Of course, it is not limited to this value.

  When the optimum combination is selected, the control device 30 sends one of the above-mentioned two lamps 86 and 88 to each measuring instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination, specifically “La” in FIGS. 1 and 3. An instruction is sent to turn on the lamp 86 to which the reference numeral is attached (hereinafter, this lamp 86 is referred to as an optimal combination lamp La). Thereby, the optimal combination lamp La of each measuring instrument 70 which comprises an optimal combination lights. In addition, the control device 30 displays on the display 34 information indicating which measuring instrument 70 constitutes the optimum combination, for example, the identification number n of each measuring instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination.

  Thus, the optimum combination lamp La of each weighing instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination is turned on, and the identification number n of the weighing instrument 70 is displayed on the display 34, so that the operator has selected the optimum combination. And which measuring instrument 70 constitutes the optimum combination. In response to this, the operator manually removes the article, that is, the optimum combination component article, from each weighing instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination. With this, a series (one time) of combination weighing work is completed.

  In addition, the removed optimal combination component articles are collected into one as a product (finished product) and packaged, for example. Then, after the optimum combination component is removed, the control device 30 sends an instruction to turn off the optimum combination lamp La that has been lit up to each of the empty measuring instruments 70. Thereby, the optimum combination lamp La is turned off. At the same time, the control device 30 returns the display on the display 34 to the original state. When a new article is placed on each emptied measuring instrument 70, the combination weighing operation is started again.

  By the way, also in this embodiment, the above-mentioned staying goods may arise. Then, the following measures are taken as countermeasures against the stagnant product.

  That is, for each weighing instrument 70, the number of times the optimum combination is selected after the articles are supplied, in other words, the number of selection waiting times C until the article is selected as the optimum combination constituent article is counted by the control device 30. Is done. For this reason, the control device 30 includes a selection waiting number counter as shown in FIG. 5, and strictly speaking, the selection waiting number counter is formed according to the main program described above.

  Furthermore, the control device 30 compares the selection waiting count C counted for each weighing instrument 70 with the staying article determination count D as a threshold value. Then, when the selection waiting number C of any of the measuring instruments 70 reaches the staying article determination count D, it is determined that the article placed on the measuring instrument 70 is a staying article. In addition, when the number of selection waiting times C does not reach the number of staying goods determination D for all the measuring instruments 70, 70,..., It is determined that no staying goods are generated.

  When the staying product is generated, the control device 30 gives a lamp 88 (labeled “Lb” different from the above-described optimum combination lamp La to the measuring device 70 on which the staying product is placed. Hereinafter, this lamp 88 is referred to as a staying goods lamp Lb). As a result, the staying product lamp Lb of the measuring instrument 70 on which the staying product is placed is turned on. At the same time, the control device 30 displays information on the measuring instrument 70 on which the staying product is placed, for example, the identification number n of the measuring instrument 70 on the display 34.

  In this way, the staying product lamp Lb of the measuring instrument 70 on which the staying product is placed is turned on, and the identification number n of the measuring device 70 is displayed on the display 34 of the control device 30, whereby the operator can It is possible to recognize that the product has been generated and in which weighing instrument 70 the retained product is placed.

  Note that the emission color of the staying product lamp Lb is different from the emission color of the optimum combination lamp La. For example, the emission color of the optimum combination lamp La is green or blue, whereas the staying product lamp Lb has the emission color of the staying product lamp Lb. The emission color is red or yellow. Further, the display colors of the display 34 when the optimal combination is selected and when the stayed product is generated are different from each other. For example, when the optimal combination is selected, each measuring instrument constituting the optimal combination is selected. While the identification number n of 70 is displayed in green or blue, when a staying product is generated, the identification number n of the measuring instrument 70 on which the staying product is placed is displayed in red or yellow. .

  Then, the control device 30 is a combination including a stagnant product, and the total weight Wy is within a special allowable range B wider than the standard allowable range A as shown in FIG. The closest (or equal) combination is selected as the optimal combination. The special permissible range B is several times the standard permissible range A, for example, about 2 to 3 times, and is set to include the standard permissible range A. Specifically, the lower limit of the special allowable range B is set to the target weight Wt, similarly to the lower limit of the standard allowable range A. The upper limit Wy "of the special permissible range B is a value obtained by adding about 10% of the target weight Wt to the target weight Wt. For example, the target weight Wt is 300 [g] described above. Then, the upper limit Wy ″ is about 330 [g]. Of course, it is not limited to this value.

  When the optimum combination including the retained product is selected, the control device 30 sends an instruction to turn on the optimum combination lamp La to each measuring instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination in the same manner as described above. Information indicating whether the weighing instrument 70 constitutes the optimum combination is displayed on the display 34. In response to this, the operator removes the optimum combination constituent articles including the staying items from the respective weighing devices 70 constituting the optimum combination, and the combination weighing operation is completed.

  Then, after the optimum combination component article including the staying goods is removed, the control device 30 instructs each of the empty measuring instruments 70 to turn off the optimum combination lamp La that has been turned on until then. Send. At the same time, an instruction is sent to the measuring instrument 70 that has turned on the staying goods lamp Lb so that the staying goods lamp Lb is also turned off. Furthermore, the control device 30 returns the display on the display 34 to the original state. When a new article is placed on each emptied measuring instrument 70, the combination weighing operation is started again.

  That is, when a staying product is generated, the optimum combination is preferentially selected from the combinations including the staying product. Moreover, the allowable range of the total weight Wy of the optimum combination is relaxed to a special allowable range B wider than the standard allowable range A. Thereby, the staying goods are removed early from the place of combination, and the deterioration of the yield due to the staying goods is suppressed.

  It should be noted that the optimal combination including the staying product is preferentially selected based on the relaxed special permissible range B, and the optimal combination is selected based on the combination calculation in the special mode and the standard permissible range A described above. In other words, when comparing the combination operation in the standard mode with a focus on the yield, the combination operation in the special mode is naturally inferior to the combination operation in the standard mode. However, even if the yield is poor, the total weight Wy of the optimum combination selected by the combination calculation in the special mode is equal to or greater than the target weight Wt, as is the case with the optimum combination selected by the combination calculation in the standard mode. Therefore, the optimum combination selected by the combination operation in the special mode is also handled as a regular product, as is the case with the optimum combination selected by the combination operation in the standard mode.

  However, even with the combination calculation in the special mode, the optimum combination may not be selected depending on the weight of the staying product, that is, the combination in which the total weight Wy falls within the special allowable range B may not be found. In such a case, any article other than the retained article is replaced with a new article. Then, the combination calculation in the special mode is performed again.

  Still, when the optimum combination is not selected, a staying product forced removal key (not shown) constituting the operation key 32 of the control device 30 is pressed. Then, the control device 30 sends an instruction to turn on the optimum combination lamp La to the measuring instrument 70 on which the staying product is placed. In addition, information indicating that the measuring instrument 70 on which the staying product is placed constitutes the optimum combination is displayed on the display 34. As a result, the same state as if the optimum combination including the staying product was selected was formed in a pseudo manner. In response to this, the operator forcibly removes the staying product from the measuring instrument 70 on which the staying product is placed. Thus, the same state as when one combination weighing operation is completed is obtained.

  Then, the control device 30 sends an instruction to extinguish the optimum combination lamp La to the measuring instrument 70 that has been emptied by forcibly removing the staying product. At the same time, for the empty measuring instrument 70, the staying goods lamp Lb is also lit, so the control device 30 sends an instruction to turn off the staying goods lamp Lb. Furthermore, the control device 30 returns the display on the display 34 to the original state. Then, a new article is placed on the empty measuring instrument 70, and the combination weighing operation is started again.

  The staying product that has been forcibly removed is supplied to the empty measuring instrument 70 as a new article at another opportunity (for example, after a certain period of time), that is, is subjected to a combination calculation. And even if this new combination calculation or the new combination calculation is repeatedly performed over a predetermined number of times, the staying product that is not selected as the optimal combination component article is handled as a defective product that cannot be adopted for the product, For example, it is disposed of.

Now, as described above, in view of the fact that the article in this embodiment is an agricultural product such as an apple or a tangerine, the probability that this article actually exists, in other words, the probability that the article will appear in the combination field is the weight Wx. Is a normal distribution as shown in FIG. According to the distribution of FIG. 6, an article having a weight Wx close to the average weight Wa has a higher existence probability, and thus has a higher probability of appearing in a combination field. On the other hand, an article having a weight Wx far from the average weight Wx has a lower probability of existence and a lower probability of appearing in a combination field . In other words, depending on the weight Wx of the article, there are those that are likely to appear in the combination field and those that are not. The more likely an item to appear in the combination field is, the higher the probability that the other party's article constituting the optimal combination will appear in the combination field. Therefore, the above-mentioned selection wait until the optimal combination component article is selected. The number of times C is considered to be small. On the other hand, it is considered that the number of waiting times for selection C is higher because an article that is less likely to appear in the combination field has a lower probability that the other party's article constituting the optimum combination will appear in the combination field.

  Specifically, for an article having a high existence probability (probability of appearing in a combination field), for example, as shown in FIG. On the other hand, as the presence probability is lower, the selection waiting frequency C tends to increase. In an extreme case, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, the selection waiting frequency C is about 6 to 7 on average. Sometimes.

  Focusing on the property of the combination weigher 10 in which the number of selection waits C varies depending on the weight Wx of the article in this way, when determining whether each article participating in the combination place is a staying article, It can be said that it is not appropriate to uniformly set the above-mentioned retained article determination count D, which is a determination criterion, for all articles (all measuring instruments 70, 70,...). In other words, if the number D of staying goods determination is set according to the weight Wx for each article participating in the combination place, it is appropriately determined whether each article is a staying article. As a result, it is expected that a better yield can be obtained for the combination weigher 10 as a whole. Furthermore, if the number of staying goods determination D is updated based on the actual selection waiting time C for each article, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of staying goods in a manner according to the actual situation, and further yield. Improvement is expected.

  Therefore, in order to realize this expectation, in the present embodiment, the following measures are further taken.

  That is, first, on the distribution shown in FIG. 6, the weight Wx of the article is divided into five weight ranks R1 to R5 as shown in FIG. Of these, the central weight rank R3 is defined to include the average weight Wa. The two weight ranks R2 and R4 adjacent to the central weight rank R3 are defined approximately symmetrically with the central weight rank R3 interposed therebetween. Furthermore, a weight rank R1 is defined in a region where the weight Wx is smaller than the weight rank R2, and a weight rank R5 is defined in a region greater than the weight rank R4.

  Note that the boundary values W1 to W4 between the weight ranks R1 to R5 are set at substantially equal intervals, for example, at intervals of 5 [g] to 10 [g], based on the average weight Wa. Instead, the boundary values W1 to W4 may be set at a certain standard deviation, for example, a standard deviation of 0.5 to 1.0. In addition to the boundary values W1 to W4, a minimum reference value W0 described later, which is smaller than the minimum boundary value W1 and slightly larger than zero (0 [g]), is set.

  After the five weight ranks R1 to R5 are defined in this way, the control device 30 adds the number of selection wait times as shown in FIG. 10 in order to accumulate the number of selection wait times C for each of the weight ranks R1 to R5. It has a register. That is, when the optimum combination is selected, strictly speaking, when the optimum combination is selected by the combination operation in the standard mode, the control device 30 determines the weight measurement value Wx ′ of each weighing instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination. The weight rank Rm (m; 1 to 5) to which the meter belongs is specified for each measuring instrument 70. Then, for the specified weight rank Rm, the selection waiting number C of the weighing device 70 corresponding to the weight rank Rm is added to calculate the selection waiting number addition value ΣC. Further, for each weight rank Rm, the number E of the selection waiting times C added is counted.

  When the number of additions E reaches a predetermined number Eb for any weight rank Rm, the control device 30 divides the selection waiting number addition value ΣC of the weight rank Rm by the number of additions E (that is, the predetermined number of times Eb). . Thereby, the average waiting time Ca about the said weight rank Rm is calculated | required. The obtained average waiting time Ca is stored in the average waiting time register shown in FIG. The average waiting number register is also provided in the control device 30.

  When the average waiting time Ca is obtained for any weight rank Rm in this way, the control device 30 further multiplies the average waiting time Ca by a predetermined coefficient α, for example α = 2, to thereby determine the weight rank. The above-mentioned retained product determination number D for Rm is obtained. At this time, the numerical value after the decimal point is rounded down, for example, so that the staying product determination count D is an integer. Note that rounding up or rounding may be employed instead of rounding down. Then, the obtained retained product determination count D is stored in the retained product determination count register shown in FIG. The staying product determination number register is also provided in the control device 30.

  When the number of staying goods determination D for any weight rank Rm is obtained in this way, the control device 30 adds the selection waiting number addition value ΣC in the selection waiting number addition register (FIG. 10) for the weight rank Rm. And the addition number E is cleared. With respect to the cleared weight rank Rm, the calculation (integration) of the selection waiting number addition value ΣC and the counting of the addition number E are started again. At the same time, the selection waiting number C for each measuring instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination is cleared, that is, the above-described selection waiting number counter (FIG. 5) corresponding to the measuring instrument 70 is reset. With respect to the reset selection waiting time counter, counting of the selection waiting time C is started when a new article is supplied to the corresponding measuring instrument 70.

  And the control apparatus 30 is the articles | goods currently mounted in each measuring device 70 based on the retained article determination frequency D for each weight rank Rm memorize | stored in the above-mentioned retained article determination frequency register (FIG. 12). It is determined whether or not is a stagnant product. That is, the weight rank Rm to which the weight measurement value Wx ′ belongs is specified for each weighing instrument 70. Then, the number of staying goods determination D for the specified weight rank Rm is recognized from the staying goods judgment number register, the recognized staying goods judgment number D, and the number of selection waiting times C of the measuring instrument 70 corresponding thereto, Is compared, it is determined whether or not the article placed on the measuring instrument 70 is a staying article.

  This determination result is stored in the staying item table shown in FIG. Specifically, a sign “1” is stored in the measuring instrument 70 on which an article determined to be a stagnant item is placed, and a sign “0” is stored in the measuring instrument 70 that is not. Is done. Then, the control device 30 refers to the staying product table to determine whether or not the staying product is generated, and if so, in which measuring instrument 70 the staying product is placed. And, as a result, the above-mentioned staying goods lamp Lb is turned on. This staying item table is also provided in the control device 30.

  In addition to the retained product table, the control device 30 is also provided with an optimum combination table shown in FIG. In this optimum combination table, which weighing instrument 70 constitutes the optimum combination is stored. Specifically, the weighing instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination stores a code “1”. The sign “0” is stored in the measuring device 70 that is not. Then, the control device 30 refers to the optimum combination table to determine whether or not the optimum combination is selected. When the optimum combination is selected, any measuring instrument 70 configures the optimum combination. And the above-described optimum combination line La is turned on.

  Further, the control device 30 is also provided with a reception register shown in FIG. This reception register is for temporarily storing the weight measurement value Wx ′ sent from each weighing instrument 70, 70,. In addition, information on the weight rank Rm determined based on the respective measured weight values Wx ′ is also sent from each of the weighing instruments 70, 70,. Information about the weight rank Rm is also stored in the reception register.

  In addition to this reception register, the control device 30 is also provided with a memory register shown in FIG. Then, the storage contents of the reception register are copied as they are to the memory register, and the control device 30 performs a combination operation or the like based on the contents copied to the memory register. However, the contents stored in the reception register are copied to the memory register only when the previous combination weighing operation is finished and the next combination weighing operation is started. For this reason, the control device 30 compares the stored contents of the receiving register with the stored contents of the memory register at any time, there is a mismatch between the two, and all the weight measurement values stored in the receiving register. Only when Wx ′ is not zero (Wx ′ = 0), the stored contents of the reception register are copied to the memory register.

  As described above, the combination calculation includes the standard mode and the special mode. However, only when the optimum combination is selected by the combination calculation in the standard mode, each measuring instrument 70, 70,. The number of selection waiting times C for is counted. This is because when the combination calculation is performed in the special mode, it is a kind of abnormal state. Therefore, when the optimum combination is selected in such an abnormal state, the selection waiting number C is counted, and as a result The reason why the number of staying goods determination D is updated based on the counted selection waiting number C is not appropriate.

  In order to realize the above operation, the CPU 82 of each weighing instrument 70 executes the weighing task shown in the flowchart of FIG. 17 according to the above-described subprogram.

  That is, the CPU 82 proceeds to step S 1 in accordance with the sampling period ΔT of the A / D conversion circuit 78, and acquires a digital measurement signal from the A / D conversion circuit 78. In step S3, it is determined whether or not the digital weighing signal is stable. Specifically, the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of a plurality of consecutive digital weighing signals (sampling values) including the digital weighing signal acquired this time in step S1 is obtained, and this difference is determined from a predetermined value. Is smaller, it is determined that the digital weighing signal is stable. Otherwise, it is determined that it is unstable. Based on the determination result, the next course is determined in the next step S5.

  In this step S5, for example, when the digital weighing signal is stable, the CPU 82 proceeds to step S7, and calculates the weight measurement value Wx ′ based on the digital weighing signal after the moving average processing as described above. In step S9, the weight measurement value Wx 'is compared with the above-described minimum reference value W0.

  In this step S9, for example, when the weight measurement value Wx ′ is equal to or greater than the minimum reference value W0, the CPU 82 recognizes that an article is placed on the weighing table 72, and proceeds to step S11. In step S11, the weight measurement value Wx 'is stored in a transmission register (not shown) included in the weight measurement value, and the process proceeds to step S13.

  On the other hand, when the weight measurement value Wx ′ is smaller than the minimum reference value W0 in step S9, the CPU 82 recognizes that no article is placed on the weighing table 72, and proceeds to step S15. In step S15, the weight measurement value Wx ′ is stored in the transmission register as Wx ′ = 0, and the process proceeds to step S13.

  In step S <b> 13, the CPU 82 determines the weight rank Rm to which the article placed on the weighing table 72 belongs. Specifically, when the weight measurement value Wx ′ stored in the transmission register is less than the boundary value W1 in FIG. 9 (Wx ′ <W1), the CPU 82 belongs to the weight rank R1. . When the weight measurement value Wx ′ is not less than the boundary value W1 and less than the boundary value W2 (W1 ≦ Wx ′ <W2), it is determined that the article belongs to the weight rank R2, and the weight measurement value Wx ′ is the boundary value W2. When the value is less than the boundary value W3 (W2 ≦ Wx ′ <W3), it is determined that the weight belongs to the weight rank R3. Further, when the weight measurement value Wx ′ is not less than the boundary value W3 and less than the boundary value W4 (W3 ≦ Wx ′ <W4), it is determined that the article belongs to the weight rank R4, and the weight measurement value Wx ′ is the boundary value W4. When it is above (Wx ′ ≧ W4), it is determined that it belongs to the weight rank R5.

  After determining the weight rank Rm in step S13, the CPU 82 proceeds to step S17, and stores the determination result in step S13 in the transmission register. Then, with the execution of step S17, a series of weighing tasks is completed. Even when the digital weighing signal is unstable in step S5 described above, the CPU 82 ends the weighing task as it is.

  In contrast, the CPU 36 of the control device 30 executes the combination weighing task shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 18 to 22 in accordance with the main program described above. Note that when the combination weigher 10 is started, a relatively large number, for example, 10 is set as the initial value in the retained product determination times D for all the weight ranks R1 to R5 in the retained product determination frequency register shown in FIG. The number of times from about 20 times to about 20 times is set uniformly.

  First, referring to FIG. 18, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S <b> 101, and acquires the respective weight measurement values Wx ′ and weight ranks Rm from the respective weighing instruments 70, 70,. Strictly speaking, the CPU 36 sends an acquisition command for the weight measurement value Wx ′ and the weight rank Rm to each weighing instrument 70, 70,... 70,..., The weight measurement value Wx ′ and the weight rank Rm stored in the respective transmission registers are sent. Therefore, although not shown in the figure, each weighing instrument 70 receives the weight measurement value Wx ′ and the weight rank Rm stored in its own transmission register when receiving this acquisition command from the CPU 36. The task to send is executed. Then, when the CPU 38 acquires the respective weight measurement values Wx ′ and the weight rank Rm from the respective weighing instruments 70, 70,..., The received weight measurement values Wx ′ and the weight rank Rm are received as shown in FIG. Store in register.

  Subsequently, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S103 to determine whether or not “0” is set in the predetermined flag Fa. This flag Fa is an index indicating whether or not the optimum combination has been selected by the combination calculation in the standard mode. When the optimum combination is selected by the combination calculation in the standard mode, the flag Fa is set to “1”. Is set, otherwise, “0” is set in the flag Fa. For example, when “0” is set in the flag Fa, that is, when the optimum combination is not selected by the combination calculation in the standard mode, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S105.

  In step S105, the CPU 36 determines whether or not “0” is set in a flag Fb different from the above. This flag Fb is an index indicating whether or not the optimum combination is selected by the combination operation in the special mode. When the optimum combination is selected by the combination operation in the special mode, “1” is set in the flag Fb. Is set, otherwise, “0” is set in the flag Fb. In this step S105, for example, when “0” is set in the flag Fb, that is, when the optimum combination is not selected by the combination calculation in the special mode, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S107.

  In step S107, the CPU 36 determines whether or not the condition (preparation) for starting the combination calculation is satisfied, in other words, whether or not it is immediately after the previous combination weighing operation is finished and the next combination weighing operation is started. judge. The so-called combination calculation start availability determination process in step S107 will be described in detail later.

  Then, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S109 and determines a further course based on the determination result in step S107. For example, when the determination result in step S107 indicates that the condition for starting the combination calculation is not satisfied, the combination weighing task is ended as it is. On the other hand, if the condition for starting the combination operation is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S111.

  In step S111, the CPU 36 determines whether or not “0” is set in another flag Fc different from the above. This flag Fc is an index indicating whether or not it is designated to perform a combination operation in the special mode, in other words, whether or not a staying product is currently participating in the combination place. . Specifically, when combination calculation in the special mode is specified, that is, when a staying product is currently participating in the combination field, “1” is set to this flag Fc. This flag Fc is set to “0”. Here, for example, when “0” is set in the flag Fb, that is, when the combination calculation in the special mode is not designated, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S113.

  In step S113, the CPU 36 performs a combination operation in the standard mode. The combination calculation in step S113 is performed based on the stored contents of the memory register shown in FIG. Then, in the next step S115, it is determined whether or not the optimum combination has been selected by the combination calculation in step S113.

  In this step S115, for example, if it is determined that the optimal combination has not been selected (not found), the CPU 36 ends this combination weighing task as it is. On the other hand, if it is determined that the optimum combination has been selected, the process proceeds to step S117, and each measuring instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination is specified. That is, in the optimum combination table shown in FIG. 14, “1” is set for each measuring instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination, and “0” is set for the other measuring instruments 70.

  Then, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S119, and sends an instruction to the measuring instrument 70 so that the optimum combination lamp La of each measuring instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination is turned on according to the above-described optimum combination table. Although not shown in the figure, each weighing instrument 70 executes a task for turning on its optimum combination lamp La when receiving this instruction. At the same time, the CPU 36 displays the identification number n of each measuring instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination on the display 34.

  Further, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S121 to set “1” to the flag Fa described above, that is, the optimum combination is selected by the combination calculation in the standard mode. And after execution of this step S121, CPU36 complete | finishes this combination measurement task, and it will once exit.

  Then, when entering the combination weighing task again, the CPU 36 confirms the content of the flag Fa in step S103 described above. That is, in step S103, when it is confirmed that “1” is set in the flag Fa, that is, when it is confirmed that the optimum combination is selected by the combination calculation in the standard mode, the CPU 36 performs step S123 in FIG. Proceed to

  In step S123, the CPU 36 determines whether or not the combination weighing work is completed, that is, whether or not the optimum combination component is removed from each weighing instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination. This determination is made by referring to (matching) the optimum combination table shown in FIG. 14 and the reception register shown in FIG. Then, based on the determination result in step S123, the next course is determined in next step S125.

  In step S125, for example, when the combination weighing work is not yet completed, the CPU 36 ends the combination weighing task as it is. On the other hand, when the combination weighing work is completed, the process proceeds to step S127, and “0” is set to the flag Fa described above. Then, the process proceeds to step S129.

  In step S129, the CPU 36 now measures each weighing instrument 70 in which the optimum combination lamp La is lit, that is, each weighing set to “1” in the optimum combination table of FIG. An instruction is sent to the device 70 to turn off the optimum combination lamp La. Although not shown in the drawing, each weighing instrument 70 executes a task for turning off its own optimum combination lamp La when receiving this instruction. At this time, since the display 34 is in a state where the identification number n of each weighing instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination is displayed, the CPU 36 returns the display 34 to the original state. .

  Then, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S131, and increments the selection waiting frequency C for all the weighing devices 70, 70,... In the selection waiting frequency counter shown in FIG. That is, when the optimum combination is configured by the combination calculation in the standard mode, the selection waiting times C of all the weighing instruments 70, 70,... Are incremented by “1”.

  After counting up the selection waiting number C, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S133, and the selection waiting number C after the count-up of each measuring instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination is added to the selection waiting number addition register shown in FIG. To reflect. That is, the weight rank Rm to which the weight measurement value Wx ′ of each weighing instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination belongs is specified, and the selection waiting number of the weighing instrument 70 is further added to the selection waiting time addition value ΣC of the specified weight rank Rm. Add C. At the same time, the number E of the selection waiting times C is counted for each weight rank Rm.

  Then, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S135 to check whether or not the number E of additions has reached the above-mentioned predetermined number Eb for each weight rank Rm, and determines the course ahead in step S137. In this step S137, for example, when there is a weight rank Rm in which the number of additions E has reached the predetermined number of times Eb, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S139 and sets the selection waiting number addition value ΣC of the corresponding weight rank Rm to the number of additions E By dividing by (that is, the predetermined number of times Eb), the average waiting time number Ca is calculated. The calculated average waiting time Ca is stored in the average waiting time register shown in FIG.

  Further, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S141, and calculates the staying article determination count D for the weight rank Rm by multiplying the average waiting count Ca of the corresponding weight rank Rm by a predetermined coefficient α. Then, the calculated stayed product determination count D is stored in the stayed product determination count register shown in FIG.

  Further, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S143, clears the selection waiting number addition value ΣC and the addition number E for the corresponding weight rank Rm, and then proceeds to step S145 of FIG. In step S137 described above, if there is no weight rank Rm in which the number E of additions reaches the predetermined number Eb, the process proceeds directly to step S145.

  In step S145, the CPU 36 clears the selection waiting number C of each measuring instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination from the selection waiting number counter shown in FIG. And it progresses to step S147 and it is determined whether the articles | goods mounted in each measuring instrument 70 are a staying goods, referring the staying goods determination frequency register | resistor of FIG. Based on the determination result, the next course is determined in the next step S149.

  In this step S149, for example, when there is no staying product, the CPU 36 ends this combination weighing task as it is. On the other hand, when there is a staying product, the process proceeds to step S151, and the measuring instrument 70 on which the staying product is placed is specified. That is, in the staying product table shown in FIG. 13, “1” is set for the measuring device 70 on which the staying product is placed, and “0” is set for the measuring device 70 that is not.

  Then, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S153, and sends an instruction to the measuring instrument 70 so that the staying goods lamp Lb of the measuring instrument 70 on which the staying goods are placed is turned on according to the above-described staying goods table. Although not shown in the figure, each weighing instrument 70 executes a task for turning on its own retained product lamp Lb when receiving this instruction. In addition, the CPU 36 displays the identification number n of the measuring instrument 70 on which the staying product is placed on the display 34.

  Further, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S155, sets “1” to the flag Fc described above, that is, instructs the combination calculation in the special mode. And after execution of this step S155, CPU36 complete | finishes this combination measurement task.

  Returning to FIG. 18, the content of the flag Fc is confirmed in step S111. Then, when the CPU 36 confirms that the flag Fc is set to “1” in this step S111, that is, confirms that the combination calculation in the special mode is designated, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S157 in FIG. .

  In step S157, the CPU 36 performs a combination operation in the special mode. Note that the combination calculation in step S157 is also performed based on the stored contents of the memory register shown in FIG. 16, as in step S113 described above. Then, in the next step S159, it is determined whether or not the optimum combination including the staying product has been selected by the combination calculation in step S157.

  In this step S159, for example, when the optimum combination is not selected, the CPU 36 ends the combination weighing task as it is. On the other hand, when the optimum combination is selected, the process proceeds to step S161, where each measuring instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination is specified, that is, the contents of the optimum combination table shown in FIG. 14 are updated.

  Then, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S163, and sends an instruction to the measuring instrument 70 so that the optimum combination lamp La of each measuring instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination is turned on according to the optimum combination table updated in step S161. . At the same time, the CPU 36 displays the identification number n of each measuring instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination on the display 34.

  Further, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S165 to set “1” to the flag Fb described above, that is, indicates that the optimum combination is selected by the combination calculation in the special mode. Further, the process proceeds to step S167, where “0” is set to the flag Fb described above, and then the combination weighing task is ended.

  Returning to FIG. 18 again, the contents of the flag Fb are confirmed in step S105. Then, the CPU 36 confirms that the flag Fb is set to “1” in this step S105, that is, confirms that the optimum combination has been selected by the combination operation in the special mode, step S169 in FIG. Proceed to

  In step S169, the CPU 36 determines whether or not the combination weighing operation is completed, that is, whether or not the optimum combination component article including the staying product has been removed from each weighing instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination. Based on this determination result, the next course is determined in the next step S171.

  In step S171, for example, when the combination weighing work is not yet completed, the CPU 36 ends the combination weighing task as it is. On the other hand, when the combination weighing work is completed, the process proceeds to step S173, and “0” is set to the flag Fb. Then, the process proceeds to step S175.

  In step S175, the CPU 36 refers to the optimum combination table in FIG. 14 and turns off the optimum combination lamp La for each measuring instrument 70 in which the optimum combination lamp La is currently lit. To send instructions. At this time, since the display 34 is in a state where the identification number n of each measuring instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination is displayed, the CPU 36 restores the display on the display 34 to its original state.

  Further, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S177, and clears the selection waiting number C for each measuring instrument 70 constituting the optimum combination in the selection waiting number counter of FIG. Then, the process proceeds to step S179, and the staying goods lamp Lb is turned off with respect to the measuring instrument 70 in which the staying goods lamp Lb is currently lit while referring to the staying goods table of FIG. Send instructions. Although not shown in the drawing, each weighing instrument 70 executes a task for turning off its own retained product lamp Lb when receiving this instruction. After executing step S179, the CPU 36 ends the combination weighing lamp.

  Next, the combination calculation start availability determination process in step S107 in FIG. 18 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  That is, in this combination calculation start availability determination process, the CPU 36 first proceeds to step S201, and refers to the contents stored in the reception register shown in FIG. In the subsequent step S203, whether or not the weight measurement value Wx ′ of all the weighing instruments 70, 70,... In the reception register is not zero, that is, the articles are placed on all the weighing instruments 70, 70,. It is determined whether or not.

  In this step S203, for example, when the weight measurement values Wx ′ of all the weighing instruments 70, 70,... Are not zero, that is, when the articles are placed on all the weighing instruments 70, 70,. Advances to step S205. In step S205, after referring to the stored contents of the memory register shown in FIG. 16, the process proceeds to step S207.

  In step S207, the CPU 36 compares the storage contents of the reception register with the storage contents of the memory register. Then, in the subsequent step S209, it is determined whether or not there is an inconsistent portion between them, that is, whether or not an article different from the previous combination weighing operation is newly participating in the combination place.

  In this step S209, for example, when there is a discrepancy between the storage contents of the reception register and the storage contents of the memory register, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S211. In step S211, it is determined that “start is possible”, and more specifically, it is determined that the condition for starting the combination calculation is satisfied. Then, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S213, copies the stored contents of the reception register to the memory register as they are, and ends the combination calculation start availability determination processing.

  In step S203 described above, if the weight measurement value Wx ′ of any weighing instrument 70 is zero, that is, if there is a weighing instrument 70 on which no article is placed, the CPU 36 proceeds to step S215. In step S215, it is determined that “start is impossible”, and more specifically, it is determined that the condition for starting the combination calculation is not satisfied. Then, with the execution of step S215, the combination calculation start availability determination process is terminated. Also, in step S209, when the storage contents of the reception register match the storage contents of the memory register, the combination calculation start availability determination process is ended through step S215.

  Furthermore, with reference to FIG. 24, the operation of the CPU 36 when the above-described stayed product forced removal key is pressed will be described.

  That is, when the staying product forced removal key is pressed, the CPU 36 executes the staying product forced removal task shown in the flowchart of FIG. 24 in accordance with the main program described above. First, in step S301, the staying product is placed. The measuring instrument 70 is identified in a pseudo manner as constituting the optimum combination. Specifically, in the optimum combination table shown in FIG. 14, “1” is set to the measuring instrument 70 on which the staying product is placed, and “0” is set to each of the other measuring instruments 70. .

  Then, in step S303, an instruction is sent to the weighing instrument 70 that is artificially specified to constitute the optimum combination so that the optimum combination lamp La is turned on, and the identification number n of the weighing instrument 70 is also sent. Is displayed on the display 34. Further, in step S305, “1” is set to the flag Fb indicating that the optimum combination has been selected by the combination operation in the special mode, and then in step S307, the flag Fc designated for the combination operation in the special mode is set. “0” is set, and with this, the staying product forced removal task is completed.

  Note that Steps S303 to S307 in this stayed product forced removal task are the same as Steps S163 to S167 in FIG. 21 described above, and as a result, the same state as if the optimum combination including the stayed product was selected. It is formed. Therefore, when the staying product is removed from the weighing instrument 70 on which the staying product is placed, the same state as when one combination weighing operation is completed is obtained.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, for each article participating in the combination place, an appropriate number of staying goods determination D corresponding to the weight Wx correlating with each existence probability is set. For example, for an article with a high probability of existence according to the weight Wx, there is a high possibility that many articles of the same type are present in the combination place, so the yield due to such articles remaining in the combination place more than necessary. In order to suppress the deterioration of the number of times, a lower staying product determination number D is set. Even if the lower staying item determination count D is set in this way, an article having a high existence probability is easily selected as an optimal combination component article, and therefore, the possibility of being determined as a staying article is substantially low. The frequency of forced removal is low. On the other hand, for articles with a low probability of existence, a higher staying item determination count D is set, so that it is possible to exist in the place of combination for a long time, and accordingly, there are many opportunities to be combined, Moreover, it is difficult to determine as a staying product. And even if such an article has existed for a long time in the combination place, it is unlikely that an article of the same type will be present in the combination place at the same time, so the yield is not greatly affected. Therefore, unlike the above-described prior art in which the value of the stay detection time-up time or the stay detection combination count corresponding to the stayed product determination count D referred to here cannot be appropriately set, the presence / absence of the stayed product is appropriately determined. And as a result, good yield can be obtained. In addition, since the frequency with which the staying product is forcibly removed is also suppressed, the trouble of exchanging the staying product with a new product is reduced, and the number of defective products is also reduced.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, while the combination weighing operation is repeatedly performed, the staying article determination count D is appropriately updated based on the actual selection waiting count C for the optimal combination component article. Therefore, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of a staying product in a manner that matches the actual situation, and further improvement in yield and suppression of the forced removal frequency of staying product are expected.

  In addition, in this embodiment, although agricultural products, such as an apple and a tangerine, were mentioned as an example as articles | goods, it is not restricted to this. For example, it may be marine products such as octopus and a number of offspring, or livestock products such as livestock meat and eggs. That is, if it is a solid thing, it will not specifically limit. In addition, in the case of an article such as a small piece of confectionery or granular beans, for example, a piece of rose, not one article placed on each weighing instrument 70, that is, an individual article, one weighing is performed. A plurality (schematic amount) of the container 70 may be placed.

  In this embodiment, five weight ranks Rm R1 to R5 are defined to classify the weight Wx of the article, but other numbers of weight ranks Rm may be defined. Each weight rank Rm does not have to be a constant width, and may be set as appropriate according to the distribution of articles.

  Furthermore, although the uniform retained product determination count D is set for all the weight ranks Rm as the initial value stored in the retained product determination count register shown in FIG. 12, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an initial value corresponding to the distribution of articles may be set for each weight rank Rm, or in the extreme, the initial value may be set according to a random number. The initial value may be set manually based on so-called experience and intuition. Of course, also in this manual setting, an appropriate initial value may be set for each weight rank Rm.

  Further, the contents of the average waiting number register shown in FIG. 11 are displayed on the display 34, and based on the display contents of the display 34, the number of staying goods determination D can be manually set for each weight rank Rm, In other words, the contents of the retained product determination number register shown in FIG. 12 may be arbitrarily changed manually. In this way, it is expected that the staying item determination count D can be set more appropriately with the experience and intuition of the operator.

  Further, in the present embodiment, for each article participating in the combination place, each selection waiting number C is counted, and by comparing the counted selection waiting number C with the staying goods determination number D, Although it is determined whether or not each article is a staying article, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, for each article participating in the combination place, measure the time since joining the combination place, and compare the so-called selection waiting time with the so-called staying article determination period as a threshold. The determination may be made by Of course, in this case as well, it is important to set the staying product determination period for each weight rank Rm.

  In this case, from the viewpoint of maintaining the so-called freshness, a uniform upper limit period is provided separately from the staying article determination period, and the articles whose selection waiting period has reached this upper limit period are determined to be staying articles without exception. May be.

  Furthermore, two threshold values are set for the stayed product determination period and the stayed product determination count D described in the present embodiment, and for any of the articles, the selection waiting period reaches the stayed product determination period, or the selection wait count C May be determined that the article is a stagnant product when the dwelling product determination count D is reached or both of these are satisfied.

  In the present embodiment, based on the weight Wx of the articles participating in the combination place (strictly, the weight measurement value Wx ′), the articles are sorted according to a plurality of weight ranks Rm. In other words, the existence probability of each article is estimated, and the threshold value for each article is set based on the estimated existence probability. However, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the existence probability of an article may correlate with a physical quantity other than the weight Wx, for example, a volume, an external dimension, a color, a shape, and the like. Therefore, a separate detection means for detecting these physical quantities is provided, and ranking is performed based on the physical quantities detected by this separate detection means, and the thresholds for each article (the number of staying goods determination times) according to this ranking. D or the staying product determination period) may be set.

  In addition, when a stagnant product occurs, the optimum combination is preferentially selected from the combinations including the stagnant product while applying the special tolerance B, and if the optimum combination is still not found, The staying product is forcibly removed, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when a staying product is generated, the staying product may be forcibly removed immediately.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the manual combination weigher 10 has been described as an example, but it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to other types of combination weighers called memory type, semi-automatic type, and automatic type. Yes.

  For reference, the memory type combination weigher includes a plurality of containers (hoppers) for storing a plurality of articles after weight measurement is performed by the plurality of weighing instruments, in addition to the plurality of weighing instruments. And based on the result of the weight measurement performed previously among the plurality of articles accommodated in the plurality of containers, in other words, based on the weight measurement value stored in the weight measurement (memory). In this method, a combination operation is performed.

  The semi-automatic combination weigher means that when an article is placed on each weighing instrument, the article is placed manually, and when the optimum combination is selected, the weighing instrument that constitutes the optimum combination automatically In this method, the optimal combination component is removed.

  The automatic combination weigher is a system in which the placement (supply) of articles to each weighing instrument and the removal of the optimum combination constituent articles from the weighing instruments constituting the optimum combination are all performed automatically. .

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the detail of the control apparatus in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the detail of each measuring device in FIG. It is an illustration figure which shows each tolerance | permissible_range of the combination calculation in the standard mode in the same embodiment, and the combination calculation in a special mode. It is an illustration figure which shows notionally the receiving register comprised by CPU in FIG. It is an illustration figure which shows the distribution of the said goods when the weight of the goods in the embodiment is made into a random variable. It is an illustration figure which shows the tendency of the number of selection waiting about the articles | goods whose existence probability is comparatively high in FIG. It is an illustration figure which shows the tendency of the selection waiting frequency about the articles | goods whose existence probability is comparatively low in FIG. It is an illustration figure which shows an example of the weight rank prescribed | regulated in order to classify | categorize the weight of articles | goods in the embodiment. FIG. 3 is an illustrative view conceptually showing a selection waiting number addition register constituted by a CPU in FIG. 2. It is an illustration figure which shows notionally the average waiting frequency register comprised by the CPU. It is an illustration figure which shows notionally the retained article determination frequency register comprised by the CPU notionally. It is an illustration figure which shows notionally the retained goods table comprised by the CPU. It is an illustration figure which shows notionally the optimal combination table comprised by the CPU. It is an illustration figure which shows notionally the receiving register comprised by the CPU. It is an illustration figure which shows notionally the memory register comprised by the CPU. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the measurement task performed by CPU in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the combination measurement task performed by CPU in FIG. It is a flowchart following FIG. It is a flowchart following FIG. It is another flowchart following FIG. FIG. 19 is still another flowchart following FIG. 18. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the combination calculation start availability determination process in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the staying article forced removal task performed by CPU in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10 Combination Weigher 30 Controller 36 CPU
40 memory 70 scale

Claims (10)

A plurality of weighing means each for measuring the weight of the supplied article and the supplied article;
Various combinations of a plurality of weight measurement values obtained by the plurality of weighing means, and a combination calculation for selecting an optimum combination that is within a first allowable range determined based on the target weight and that is closest to the target weight. Means,
Comprising
In a combination weigher in which, after the optimum combination component article constituting the optimum combination is removed from the weighing means, the new weighing article is supplied to the empty weighing means.
First detection means for detecting a period after the article is supplied for each weighing means or the number of times the optimum combination is selected after the article is supplied;
A determination unit that compares the detection result of the first detection unit with a threshold value for each weighing unit to determine whether or not the article supplied to the weighing unit is a stagnant item that does not easily form the optimum combination. When,
Setting means for setting the threshold above article is based on the detection result by the first detecting means for the optimal combination arrangement article to be selected as the optimal combination structure article,
A combination weigher further comprising:   The combination weigher according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying a detection result by the first detection means for the optimal combination component article.   The combination weigher according to claim 2, wherein the setting means includes a manual setting means for setting the threshold value in accordance with a manually input setting command. The article is supplied to each of the plurality of weighing means with a probability having a predetermined physical quantity as a variable,
The setting means divides the physical quantity into a plurality of ranks and sets the threshold value for each rank,
A second detection means for detecting the physical quantity of the article supplied to each of the weighing means;
The determination means makes a determination by comparing the threshold value for the rank corresponding to the detection result by the second detection means and the detection result by the first detection means for each weighing means.
The combination weigher according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The physical quantity is the weight of the article,
The second detection means performs detection based on the weight measurement value by each of the weighing means.
The combination weigher according to claim 4.   6. The combination weigher according to claim 4, wherein the setting means sets the threshold value lower for the rank to which the physical quantity having the higher probability belongs.   The setting means includes a specifying means for specifying the rank corresponding to the optimal combination constituent article based on a detection result by the second detection means for the optimal combination constituent article, and for the rank specified by the specifying means. 7. A combination weigher according to claim 4, further comprising setting execution means for setting the threshold value based on a detection result of the first detection means for the optimal combination component article.   The article determined to be a staying article is exchanged for the new article when the article determined to be the staying article by the judging means is generated. Combination weigher.   When the article determined to be the retained article is generated by the determining means, the combination calculation means is a combination including the article determined to be the retained article, and the total weight is the first allowable value. The combination weigher according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a combination that includes a range and is within a second tolerance range that is wider than the first tolerance range and that is closest to the target weight is selected as the optimum combination.   When the optimum combination including the article determined to be the retained article is absent, any of all the articles including the article determined to be the retained article is replaced with the new article. The combination scale according to claim 9.

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