JP5124555B2 - Combination scale - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a combination weigher for measuring a bar-shaped article such as a bar-shaped confectionery for food, and combining and weighing so that the total weight becomes a predetermined weight.

  FIG. 12 shows a conventional automatic combination weigher. That is, this automatic combination weigher is provided with a crosshead feeder (article feeding device) 2 for supplying articles onto the dispersion feeder 1. A plurality of (n) linear feeders 3-1,... Are provided radially around the dispersion feeder 1 and supplied from the dispersion feeder 1 when the vibrators 4-1,. The finished article is conveyed to the tip side. And the feed hopper 5-1, ... is provided in the front-end | tip of the linear feeder 3-1, ..., and an article | item can be hold | maintained. .. Are provided below the feed hoppers 5-1,..., Respectively. When these are empty, the gates 7-1 of the feed hoppers 5-1,. ... is opened and goods are supplied. These weighing hoppers 6-1,... Are respectively provided with load detectors 8-1,..., And detect the weight values of articles supplied to the weighing hoppers 6-1,. The weight values of the articles in the weighing hoppers 6-1,... Are variously combined by the combination calculation unit, and a combination whose total weight is within the allowable weight range is selected. That is, a combination calculation is performed, and it is selected from which weighing hopper to discharge the article. For example, when the weighing hopper 6-1 is selected, the gate 10-1 of the weighing hopper 6-1 is opened, and the article is It is supplied to the collecting hopper 15 through the inverted frustum-shaped upper collecting chute 12 and the lower collecting chute 13 arranged below the weighing hopper 6-1. Thereafter, the articles in the collecting hopper 15 are supplied to the packaging machine 14 and packaged.

However, various problems arise when, for example, a bar-shaped confectionery for food is weighed with the conventional automatic combination weigher shown in FIG. In other words, the bar-shaped confectionery is not broken or broken, and it is desired to fill the cup or the like in a state where the bar-shaped confectionery stands up cleanly. , And when it is put into the weighing hopper 6-1,..., And the bar-shaped confectionery discharged from the weighing hopper 6-1 slides down the upper collecting chute 12 and the lower collecting chute 13 vigorously. Even when supplied to the collective hopper 15, it may break or chip.
The bar-shaped confectionary fed from the crosshead feeder 2 is combined and weighed by a combination weigher, and then filled into a cup by the packaging machine 14, for example, by the crosshead feeder 2, the dispersion feeder 1 or the like. Since they are transported, the stick-shaped confections are entangled with each other by the transport, and as a result, the cups cannot be filled up in a neatly erected state, resulting in a poor appearance. There is also a problem of overflowing sticks from the cup.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a combination weigher that can be discharged in a state where the rod-shaped article is not broken or broken, and is neatly arranged in parallel with each other.

The combination weigher according to the present invention includes a plurality of weighing hoppers, weighing means for weighing the weight of the rod-shaped articles put in each weighing hopper, and each weight value of the rod-shaped articles obtained by weighing by the weighing means. A combination calculation means for selecting a bar-shaped article constituting a set having a total weight value within a predetermined weight range among the combinations in various combinations, and an inverse for discharging the bar-shaped article selected by the combination calculation means A frustoconical collective chute. Furthermore, the combination weigher according to the invention is arranged above the discharge outlet of the collecting chute in the above collecting chutes, and the inner cylindrical member of a large metallic short cylinder than the diameter of the discharge port of said collecting chute, this A short cylindrical shape made of synthetic rubber that surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical member, and an outer cylindrical member whose lower end extends below the lower end of the inner cylindrical member, and the inner cylindrical member An elevating drive unit that moves the inner cylindrical member up and down so as to take a holding position approaching the upper surface and a discharge position above the holding position of the inner cylindrical member; In the holding position, the lower edge of the outer cylindrical member contacts the upper surface of the collecting chute . The collective chute has a partition plate that divides the interior of the collective chute into left and right at a position passing through the center of the discharge port, and the inner cylindrical member and the outer cylindrical member are arranged in a planar direction along the partition plate. The left and right shutters are divided into a left semicircular left shutter and a right semicircular right shutter as viewed in the plane direction, and the lift driving unit drives the left shutter and the right shutter separately.

  Therefore, when the rod-shaped article discharged from the discharge port collides with, for example, a hopper or chute provided in the subsequent stage, it is possible to prevent breakage such as breakage of the rod-shaped article due to the impact.

It is a figure which shows the whole combination scale and filling apparatus which make the premise of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the collection hopper, a pair of reservoir hopper, a filling device, etc. of the combination weigher . It is a figure which shows the measurement hopper of the combination scale , (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view. It is a right view of the weighing hopper of the combination weigher . It is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the weighing hopper of the combination weigher . It is a partial notch enlarged plan view of the collection chute of the combination weigher . It is the fragmentary sectional view which looked at the guide part provided in the upper gathering chute of the combination scale from the AA direction of FIG. It is a front view of the shutter mechanism part of the combination weigher . It is a top view of the shutter of the combination scale . It is an enlarged front view of the inclination chute of the combination scale . (A) is a diagram cross section seen from the direction B-B in FIG. 10 the inclined chute of the combination weigher is a sectional view as seen from (b) is direction B-B in FIG. 10 the inclined chute of the other combination weigher . It is a schematic sectional drawing of the conventional automatic combination balance.

An automatic combination weigher 16 (hereinafter also referred to as a combination weigher 16) and a filling device 17 which are the premise of a combination weigher according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The combination weigher 16 has a plurality of weighing hoppers 36, weighs the bar-shaped articles 18 supplied to the respective weighing hoppers 36, and a combination operation unit (not shown) weights the respective bar-shaped articles 18 weighed. Are combined in various ways to select a combination in which the total weight is equal to or close to the predetermined target weight. Then, when the total weight of the set selected by the combination calculation unit is within the preset allowable weight range, the bar-shaped article 18 of the set is discharged from the corresponding weighing hopper 36. However, for example, the rod-shaped articles 18 are accommodated in all the weighing hoppers 36, but the articles in the predetermined weighing hoppers 36 are discharged even when there is no combination whose total weight is within the allowable weight range. Then, the weighed bar-shaped articles 18 discharged from the respective weighing hoppers 36 are put into the collecting hopper 22 through the upper collecting chute 19, the lower collecting chute 13, and the inclined chute 39.

  The bar-shaped article 18 put into the collective hopper 22 is opened and closed to the left and right discharge gates 32, 33 shown in FIG. They are alternately distributed and stored in the first reservoir hopper 25 and the second reservoir hopper 26. The weighed rod-shaped articles 18 accommodated in the first and second reservoir hoppers 25 and 26 are opened at the predetermined timings by opening the inner gates 27 and 28 of the reservoir hoppers 25 and 26, respectively. 26 is supplied to upper alignment hoppers 31, 31 of the first and second filling mechanism portions 30, 30 through charging chutes 29, 29 provided below corresponding to the H 26. Each of the first and second filling mechanism sections 30 and 30 has been weighed into the empty cups (packaging containers) 35 and 35 that are sequentially conveyed by the conveyor 34 to the predetermined filling positions below the first and second filling mechanism sections 30 and 30, respectively. Can be sequentially filled. The conveyor 34 sequentially conveys the cups 35 and 35 filled with the weighed rod-shaped articles 18 to a predetermined take-out position.

The automatic combination weigher 16 is different from the conventional automatic combination weigher shown in FIG. 12 in that the weighing hoppers 6-1,..., The feed hoppers 5-1,. Instead of the chute 12, the weighing hopper 36 shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5,..., The feed hopper 37 having the same shape as the weighing hopper 36, and the upper collecting chute 19 shown in FIG. Further, the shutter mechanism 38 shown in FIG. 8 and the inclined chute 39 shown in FIG. 10 are further provided. Since other than this is the same as the conventional automatic combination weigher, detailed description is omitted. The weighing hopper 36, the feed hopper 37, the upper collecting chute 19, the shutter mechanism portion 38, and the inclined chute 39 provided in the automatic combination weigher 16 have a bar-shaped article 18 that is a bar-shaped confection that is relatively easy to break. This is to prevent breakage such as breakage or chipping during the period from when it is supplied to 1 until it is discharged from the lower collecting chute 13 .

3 and 4 are provided with a plurality of (n) weighing hoppers 36, all of which are equivalent to each other, so only one of them will be described, and the description of the other weighing hoppers 36 will be omitted. . The weighing hopper 36 includes a main body 40 and a gate 41.
As shown in FIG. 3, the main body 40 is a cylindrical body having a rectangular cross-sectional shape, and a rectangular upper opening is formed larger than a rectangular lower opening. Of the four side walls 42, 43, 44, and 45 forming the main body 40, the upper first side wall 42, the lower second side wall 43, and the right side wall shown in FIG. The third side wall 44 is arranged so as to be parallel to the vertical direction, and the left fourth side wall 45 is arranged so as to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal plane.
The gate 41 is for opening and closing the lower opening of the main body portion 40, and the base end portion is freely pivotable to the first and second side walls 42, 43 of the main body portion 40 via pivots 46, 46. Is provided. As shown in FIG. 3B, the gate 41 is inclined to form a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal plane in the closed position, and the weighing hopper is formed by the gate 41 and the fourth side wall 45. The rod-shaped article 18 put into the 36 is held in the weighing hopper 36.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, two alignment protrusions 47 are provided on the inner surface of the gate 41. The two alignment protrusions 47 are parallel to the direction from the proximal end portion to the distal end portion of the gate 41 provided with the pivot 46 (so as to be parallel to the first and second side walls 42 and 43). They are provided on the inner surface of the gate 41 at a predetermined interval. Each alignment protrusion 47 has a substantially isosceles triangle shape in a cross section orthogonal to the length direction thereof, that is, the direction in which the rod-shaped article 18 is guided to be discharged, and the bottom side is the inner surface of the gate 41. Are connected. Furthermore, each alignment protrusion 47 is formed so that the cross-sectional shape of a substantially isosceles triangle increases as it goes in the direction of discharging the rod-shaped article 18.

  According to the weighing hopper 36 configured as described above, when the rod-shaped article 18 is put into each weighing hopper 36, two alignments provided on the inner surface of the gate 41 of the weighing hopper 36 as shown in FIG. The protrusions 47 can guide and align these charged rod-shaped articles 18 so that they are substantially parallel to each other, and this alignment is achieved by opening the gate 41 as shown by a two-dot chain line. The rod-shaped article 18 can be moved in the length direction and discharged. Since the rod-shaped articles 18 can be discharged from the weighing hopper 36 in an aligned state, the rod-shaped articles 18 that are not intertwined with each other can be supplied to the upper collecting chute 19 shown in FIGS. Further, since the aligned rod-shaped articles 18 can be moved in the length direction thereof, discharged from the weighing hopper 36, and put on the upper collecting chute 19, the bar-shaped articles 18 and the upper surfaces of the upper collecting chute 19 It is possible to apply an impact caused by the collision of the rod-shaped article 18 in a direction in which the rod-shaped article 18 is compressed in the direction of its central axis, thereby preventing the rod-shaped article 18 from being broken or chipped by the impact. Can do.

  Further, since the cross-sectional shape of each alignment protrusion 47 is formed as a substantially isosceles triangle, the entire surface of each alignment protrusion 47 is formed as an inclined surface. They can be guided efficiently by the slopes and aligned so that they are parallel to each other. Since the alignment protrusions 47 are formed so that the cross-sectional shape increases in the direction in which the rod-shaped articles 18 are ejected, the interval between the rod-shaped articles 18 is narrowed so that the aligned state is not disturbed. , And can be discharged from the weighing hopper 36.

As shown in FIG. 5, each weighing hopper 36 covers the entire inner surface of the third side wall 44 and the entire inner surface of the gate 41 with a first buffer member 48. The entire inner surface is covered with a second buffer member 49. The first and second buffer members 48 and 49 are plate-like bodies made of a rubber-like elastic body such as a synthetic rubber having a smooth surface, and are formed to have a predetermined thickness. These first and second buffer members 48 and 49 are for absorbing the impact caused by the collision between the rod-shaped article 18 put into the weighing hopper 36 and the weighing hopper 36.
As shown in FIG. 5, the first buffer member 48 has a bent portion 48a formed by bending its upper end portion outward in a U-shape, and the third side wall 44 is formed inside the bent portion 48a. An edge is inserted and detachably attached to the upper edge. The lower portion of the first buffer member 48 is formed in a shape corresponding to each alignment protrusion 47 so as to cover the two alignment protrusions 47 provided on the gate 41.
Similarly to the first buffer member 48, the second buffer member 49 has a bent portion 49a formed by bending the upper end portion outward in a U shape, and the fourth side wall is formed inside the bent portion 49a. An upper edge of 45 is inserted and detachably attached to this upper edge.
Note that the bent portions 48a and 49a provided in the first and second buffer members 48 and 49 are the third and fourth side walls 44 to which the first and second buffer members 48 and 49 are attached, respectively. , 45 are hardened so as to be U-shaped so that they can be stopped at each upper edge.

  According to the first and second buffer members 48 and 49 configured as described above, when the rod-shaped article 18 is loaded into each weighing hopper 36, the loaded rod-shaped article 18 may collide. Since the first and second buffer members 48 and 49 are provided so as to cover the side wall 44 and the inner surface of the gate 41 and the inner surface of the fourth side wall 45, the charged rod-shaped article 18 is the first one. In addition, the shock received by the rod-shaped article 18 by colliding with the second buffer members 48 and 49 can be reduced by the buffer members 48 and 49. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent breakage such as breakage of the rod-shaped article 18.

  And by inserting the respective upper edges of the third and fourth side walls 44, 45 corresponding to the inside of the bent portions 48a, 49a formed in the first and second buffer members 48, 49, respectively, First and second buffer members 48, 49 can be attached to the weighing hopper 36. And each buffer member 48 and 49 can be removed from the measurement hopper 36 by pulling apart each upper edge of the 3rd and 4th side walls 44 and 45 from the inner side of each bending part 48a and 49a. Thus, the first and second buffer members 48 and 49 are detachably attached to the weighing hopper 36. Therefore, the buffer members 48 and 49 can be easily detached from the weighing hopper 36 and cleaned. Can be used hygienically. Thereby, it is suitable for using for the weighing hopper 36 which foodstuffs, such as stick-shaped confectionery, contact. In addition, since the first and second buffer members 48 and 49 can be easily and quickly attached to and removed from the weighing hopper 36, the weighing hopper 36 and the buffer members 48 and 49 can be cleaned. It can be done easily.

Next, the feed hopper 37 (corresponding to the feed hopper 5-1 shown in FIG. 12) provided in the combination weigher 16 will be described. A plurality of (n) feed hoppers 37 are provided, and all of them are equivalent, so one of them will be described, and description of the other feed hoppers 37 will be omitted. Although not shown in the drawing, the feed hopper 37 has the same configuration as the weighing hopper 36 shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 and includes a main body 40 and a gate 41. Therefore, the feed hopper 37 is provided with two alignment projections 47 and 47 on the gate 41 as shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 5, the entire inner surface of the third side wall 44 and the entire inner surface of the gate 41 are covered with the first buffer member 48, and the entire inner surface of the fourth side wall 45 is second. The buffer member 49 is covered.
Since the feed hopper 37 configured as described above has the same operations and effects as the weighing hopper 36, detailed description thereof is omitted.

Next, the collection hopper 22, the first reservoir hopper, and the second reservoir hopper 26 provided in the filling apparatus shown in FIG. 2 will be described. The collecting hopper 22, the first reservoir hopper 25, and the second reservoir hopper 26 are different from the weighing hopper 36 shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 in that the weighing hopper 36 has one gate having two alignment protrusions 47. 41 is provided, the collecting hopper 22, the first reservoir hopper 25, and the second reservoir hopper 26 are provided with two gates 41 each having two alignment protrusions 47. In the weighing hopper 36, the entire inner surface of the inclined fourth side wall 45 is covered with the second buffer member 49, whereas the collecting hopper 22, the first reservoir hopper 25, and the second hopper In the reservoir hopper 26, a fourth side wall 45 is formed so as to be substantially parallel to the vertical direction, and the upper surface of the gate 41 connected to the entire inner surface of the fourth side wall 45 and the lower portion of the fourth side wall 45 is formed. The whole is covered with the second buffer member 49. Since other than this is equivalent to the weighing hopper 36, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.
The collective hopper 22, the first reservoir hopper 25, and the second reservoir hopper 26 configured as described above have the same operations and effects as the weighing hopper 36, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

Next, the collective chute 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. The collective chute 50 includes an upper collective chute 19 and a lower collective chute 13.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, each of the upper collecting chute 19 is a polygon having the same predetermined number of corners in the upper opening and the lower opening, and the upper opening is larger than the lower opening. It was formed in a funnel shape. Guide portions 52 are provided on the upper surfaces of the plurality of trapezoidal inclined walls 51 that form the upper collective chute 19.
Each guide portion 52 has a predetermined width and is an elongated straight plate-like body, and is provided on each inclined wall 51 in a state where the width direction thereof is orthogonal to the upper surface of the inclined wall 51. The width of each guide 52, that is, the height from the upper surface of each inclined wall 51 is such that the rod-shaped article 18 that falls on the upper collective chute 19 and is guided by each guide 52 slides down. The height is such that it will not get over 52. Each guide portion 52 is provided at a position near one diagonal line with respect to each corresponding inclined wall 51, and the upper end portion is separated from one end portion of the upper edge of the inclined wall 51 by a predetermined distance. The lower end is arranged at a position spaced apart from one end of the lower edge of the inclined wall 51 by a predetermined distance. Each guide portion 52 is provided at the same position with respect to each corresponding inclined wall 51. FIG. 7 is a view of the guide portion 52 as seen from the AA direction of FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the lower collecting chute 13 has an inverted truncated cone shape (funnel shape), and the upper edge of the lower collecting chute 13 overlaps the lower side of the lower edge of the upper collecting chute 19. The upper and lower edges of the levers are connected to each other. A discharge port 53 is provided in the center of the lower collecting chute 13.

Next, the shutter mechanism section 38 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6, 8, and 9. FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the shutter mechanism unit 38 includes a shutter 54, an elevating link mechanism unit 57, and an elevating drive unit 58.
The shutter 54 includes an inner cylindrical member 55 and an outer cylindrical member 56 shown in FIG.
The inner cylindrical member 55 is made of metal and is formed in a short cylindrical shape whose diameter is larger than the diameter of the discharge port 53 of the lower collecting chute 13.
The outer cylindrical member 56 is made of synthetic rubber and is formed in a short cylindrical shape having a size surrounding the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical member 55. The lower end portion of the outer cylindrical member 56 extends downward from the lower end portion of the inner cylindrical member 55. Thus, as shown in FIG. 8, when the rod-shaped article 18 sliding down the upper collecting chute 19 collides with the outer cylindrical member 56 made of synthetic rubber, the impact can be absorbed. In addition, the lower edge of the outer cylindrical member 56 made of synthetic rubber comes into contact with the upper surface of the lower collecting chute 13 in a state where the shutter 54 is lowered and moved to the holding position for holding the rod-shaped article 18. The lower edge of the made inner cylindrical member 55 is prevented from contacting the upper surface of the lower collecting chute 13. Thereby, noise when the shutter 54 and the lower collecting chute 13 come into contact with each other can be prevented.

As shown in FIG. 8, the elevating link mechanism 57 holds the shutter 54 connected to the right end portions of the upper and lower links 59 and 60 via the elevating member 61 as indicated by a solid line in FIG. It is for moving up and down to a position and a discharge position indicated by a two-dot chain line.
The upper link 59 and the lower link 60 are parallel to each other, and the respective free ends on the right side of the upper link 59 and the lower link 60 are rotatably connected to the elevating member 61 via pivots 62 and 63. The elevating member 61 is coupled to the inner cylindrical member 55 via a reinforcing member 64. Further, the left end portion of the upper link 59 is rotatably connected to the fixing member 65 and the pivot 66, and a predetermined portion on the left side of the center of the lower link 60 is connected to the fixing member 65 and the pivot 67. And are pivotally connected. The distance between the two pivots 66 and 62 of the upper link 59 is equal to the distance between the two pivots 67 and 63 of the lower link 60. The two pivots 66 and 67 provided on the left side of the upper and lower links 59 and 60 are arranged on the same vertical line, and on the right side of the upper and lower links 59 and 60. The two pivots 62 and 63 provided are arranged on the same vertical line different from the above. The fixing member 65 is attached to a gantry 68 of the combination scale 16. Reference numeral 69 shown in FIG. 8 denotes a weight. The weight 69 is provided at the left end of the lower link 60 via the arm 70.

The raising / lowering drive unit 58 is, for example, a stepping motor, and is controlled by a predetermined control unit (not shown) so that the rotary shaft 58a can be rotated by a predetermined angle in the forward or reverse direction at a predetermined timing. Is set to
As shown in FIG. 8, the elevating drive unit 58 is attached to a gantry 68 via a bracket. The rotating shaft 58 a of the lifting drive unit 58 is coupled to the central portion of the rotating link 71, and an eccentric shaft 72 is provided at one end of the rotating link 71. The eccentric shaft 72 is rotatably connected to the upper end portion of the lifting link 73. A lower link 60 is rotatably connected to a lower end portion of the lifting link 73 via a pivot 74.
In the state indicated by the solid line in FIG. 8, the rotary shaft 58a of the elevating drive unit 58 is stopped at a predetermined position at a predetermined timing, and the shutter 54 is lowered to the holding position. When the shutter 54 is lowered to the holding position, the rod-shaped article 18 sliding down the collective chute 50 can be held by the shutter 54.
When the rotary shaft 58a of the elevating drive unit 58 rotates and stops at a predetermined angle counterclockwise at a predetermined timing, the eccentric shaft 72 rotates and stops at a position indicated by a two-dot chain line, thereby stopping the shutter. 54 can be raised to a discharge position indicated by a two-dot chain line. By raising the shutter 54 to the discharge position, the rod-shaped article 18 held by the shutter 54 at the holding position can be discharged from the discharge port 53 of the collective chute 50.

  According to the shutter mechanism unit 38 configured as described above, when the rod-shaped article 18 is selected as a combination by the combination calculation unit and discharged onto the upper collective chute 19, or at a predetermined timing before that, FIG. 6 and FIG. 8, the shutter 54 can be lowered to the holding position, so that the rod-shaped article 18 that is discharged onto the collecting chute 50 and slides down is discharged to the discharge port 53 by the shutter 54. It can be held once at a predetermined position in front. After that, the rod-shaped article 18 can be discharged from the discharge port 53 by raising the shutter 54 in the holding position to the discharge position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. Therefore, the rod-shaped article 18 can be discharged from the discharge port 53 at a relatively low sliding speed. Thereby, when the rod-shaped article 18 discharged from the discharge port 53 collides with the inclined chute 39 or the collective hopper 22, damage such as the rod-shaped article 18 being broken by the impact can be prevented.

  Then, according to the collective chute 50 configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 6, the rod-shaped article 18 that has dropped onto the upper collective chute 19 is placed at the drop position 75 and the center of the discharge port 53 of the collective chute 50. Can be guided and slid by the guide portions 52,... In a direction that forms a predetermined angle θ1 with respect to the straight line 76 that connects the rods 18 so that the rod-shaped article 18 moves on the upper collecting chute 19 at a relatively slow moving speed. Can be slid down. Therefore, when the rod-shaped article 18 collides with the shutter 54 at the holding position, it is possible to prevent damage such as the rod-shaped article 18 from being broken due to the impact. Since the outer periphery of the shutter 54 is formed by the outer cylindrical member 56 made of synthetic rubber, the shock received by the bar-shaped article 18 can be absorbed and the bar-shaped article 18 can be prevented from being damaged. The reason why the bar-shaped article 18 can be slid down at a relatively low speed by the guide section 52 is that the moving path along which the bar-shaped article 18 dropped on the upper collecting chute 19 is guided by the guide section 52 and slides down is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane. This is because the angle is smaller than the inclination angle θ3 of the upper collecting chute 19 with respect to the horizontal plane.

Next, the inclined chute 39 connected to the discharge port 53 of the collective chute 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 10, and 11. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, the inclined chute 39 is provided on a gantry 68 on which the combination weigher 16 is installed at an angle θ2 of about 45 ° with respect to a horizontal plane, and is made of synthetic resin. It is formed in a short cylindrical shape. The upper opening edge that forms the receiving port of the inclined chute 39 and the lower opening edge that forms the discharge port are formed so as to be substantially parallel to the horizontal plane. The receiving port is connected to the discharge port 53 of the collecting hopper 22, and the discharging port is connected to the upper opening of the collecting hopper 22 via the connection hopper 77. FIG. 11A is a cross-sectional view of the inclined chute 39 as viewed from the direction B-B shown in FIG. 10. As can be seen from this cross-sectional view, the bottom 39 a of the inclined chute 39 slides down the rod-shaped article 18. A cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the direction is a curved semicircle projecting downward.
Further, a metal detector 78 is provided on the outer side of the inclined chute 39. The metal detector 78 is for detecting metal as a foreign substance that may be mixed into the rod-shaped article 18 that slides down the inclined chute 39.

  According to the inclined chute 39 configured as described above, the bottom portion 39a of the inclined chute 39 is a curved semicircular shape in which a cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the sliding direction of the rod-shaped article 18 protrudes downward. The rod-shaped article 18 discharged from the 50 discharge ports 53 can be slid down and placed in the collecting hopper 22 in a state of being aligned in the direction along the length direction. Therefore, when a bar-shaped article 18 such as a bar-shaped confectionery is put into the collecting hopper 22 and the tip of the bar-shaped article 18 collides with the side walls of the collecting hopper 22 or the gates 32 and 33, the impact caused by the collision is a bar-shaped article. The rod-shaped article 18 can be applied in a direction in which the rod-shaped article 18 is compressed in the direction of its central axis, not in the direction in which the 18 is bent. Thereby, damage, such as the rod-shaped article 18 breaking by this impact, can be prevented.

  Although not shown in the drawing, as described above, the entire inner surface of the third side wall 44 of the collecting hopper 22 and the entire upper surface of the gate 33 are covered by the first buffer member 48, and the fourth The entire inner surface of the side wall 45 and the entire gate 32 are covered with a second buffer member 49. As a result, when the rod-shaped article 18 slides down the collecting chute 50 and the inclined chute 39 and is put into the collecting hopper 22, the first and second buffer members are provided on the inner surface of the collecting hopper 22. 48 and 49, and the impact received by the rod-shaped article 18 when it is put into the collecting hopper 22 can be reduced by the first and second buffer members 48 and 49. As a result, the rod-shaped article 18 is broken. Etc. can be prevented.

  The metal detector 78 is provided on the inclined chute 39 made of synthetic resin, and the metal detector 78 detects the metal as a foreign object that may be mixed into the rod-shaped article 18 that slides down the inclined chute 39. There is no need to provide an extra space for providing 78, and a compact combination weigher 16 can be provided. That is, the inclined chute 39 is used for placing the rod-shaped article 18 discharged from the collective chute 50 into the collective hopper 22 in a state where it is aligned in a predetermined direction, and for installing the metal detector 78. This is because it was not provided. By providing the metal detector 78, as will be described later, the bar-shaped article 18 in which metal as a foreign object is not mixed and the bar-shaped article 18 in which metal as a foreign object is mixed are distinguished from the collective hopper 22. Can be discharged.

  Next, the sorting device provided in the filling device 17 will be described with reference to FIG. The sorting device determines which of the following three conditions the weight determination signal and the metal determination signal related to the rod-shaped article 18 put into the collecting hopper 22 meets, and based on the determination result, the rod-shaped article This is an apparatus for distributing the article 18 to any one of the upper alignment hoppers 31, 31 and the first and second discharge chutes 79, 80. Therefore, the sorting apparatus is configured to sort the bar-shaped article 18 put into the collecting hopper 22 into the sorting positions such as the upper alignment hopper 31 corresponding to the rod-shaped article 18 and the first and second hoppers 22. The discharge gates 32, 33, 81, 27, 28 and 82 provided in the reservoir hoppers 25 and 26 are opened and closed according to a predetermined program. This program is stored in a storage unit (not shown) provided in the filling device 17. Each of the discharge gates 32 and the like is opened and closed when a gate driving unit (not shown) provided for each discharge gate is operated by a control signal output from the calculation control unit of the filling device 17. Yes.

Further, the weight determination signal is generated by the weight selection device, and the metal determination signal is generated by the metal detection device.
Based on the weighing signal generated from the weighing hopper 36, the weight sorting device determines whether or not the combined total weight of the rod-shaped articles 18 put into the collective hopper 22 is within the allowable weight range, thereby determining the weight. A signal is generated. The metal detection device determines whether or not metal as a foreign substance is mixed in the rod-shaped article 18 based on the metal detection signal generated from the metal detector 78 and generates a metal determination signal.
The weight selection device includes weight determination means. The weight determination unit is configured by an arithmetic control unit (not shown) provided in the combination scale 16. The calculation control unit provided in the combination balance 16 and the calculation control unit provided in the sorting device of the filling device 17 are electrically connected via a predetermined connection line.
According to this weight determination means, it is determined whether or not the combined total weight of the rod-like articles 18 discharged from each weighing hopper 36 and put into the collecting hopper 22 is within an allowable weight, and the weight determination signal is distributed. The data is output to an arithmetic control unit provided in the apparatus.
The metal detection device includes a metal detector 78 and metal determination means. The metal detector 78 has been described with reference to FIG. 10, and generates a predetermined metal detection signal when a metal as a foreign object is mixed in the rod-shaped article 18 that slides down the inclined chute 39 to determine the metal. Output to the means. The metal determination means is configured by an arithmetic control unit (not shown) provided in the combination scale 16.
According to this metal determination means, based on the metal detection signal generated by the metal detector 78, it is determined whether or not a metal as a foreign object is mixed in the rod-shaped article 18 put into the collecting hopper 22, and the metal The determination signal is output to an arithmetic control unit provided in the distribution device.

According to this sorting device, the combined total weight of the rod-shaped articles 18 to be put into the collecting hopper 22 is set in advance based on the weight determination signal and the metal determination signal output from the calculation control unit of the combination weigher 16. When it is determined that it is within the weight range and no metal as a foreign object is mixed (first condition), the combination of the rod-shaped articles 18 is discharged from the collecting hopper 22 shown in FIG. The discharge gates 32, 33, 27, and 28 are opened and closed so as to alternately enter the upper alignment hoppers 31 of the second filling mechanism sections 30 and 30.
When it is determined that the combined total weight of the rod-shaped articles 18 put into the collecting hopper 22 is out of the allowable weight range and no foreign metal is mixed (second condition), the rod-shaped article 18 The discharge gates 32 and 81 are opened and closed so that the combination of the articles 18 is discharged from the collecting hopper 22 and discharged onto the first discharge chute 79.
In addition, when it is determined that metal as a foreign object is mixed regardless of whether the combined total weight of the rod-shaped articles 18 put into the collecting hopper 22 is within the allowable weight range (third condition) The discharge gates 33 and 82 are opened and closed so that the combination of the rod-shaped articles 18 is discharged from the collecting hopper 22 and discharged onto the second discharge chute 80.

  According to the sorting apparatus configured as described above, the combined total weight of the rod-shaped articles 18 put into the collecting hopper 22 is within a preset allowable weight range, and a metal as a foreign object is mixed. When it is determined that the rod-shaped article 18 is not present, the rod-shaped article 18 is put into the upper alignment hoppers 31 of the filling mechanism sections 30 and 30. Can be filled.

  Each of the first and second discharge chutes 79 is divided into a bar-shaped article 18 that is outside the allowable weight range in which no metal as a foreign object is mixed, and a bar-shaped article 18 in which a metal as a foreign object is mixed. 80, the rod-shaped article 18 outside the allowable weight range in which the metal discharged on the first discharge chute 79 is not mixed can be reused without inspecting the presence or absence of metal mixing again. For example, it can be returned to the combination weigher 16 as it is and filled into the cups 35 and 35.

  Further, according to the sorting apparatus shown in FIG. 2, the first and second buffer members 48, which are the features of the present invention, are respectively provided for the collecting hopper 22, the first reservoir hopper 25, and the second reservoir hopper 26. 49, when the rod-shaped article 18 selected from the combination and discharged from the corresponding weighing hopper 36 is put into the collecting hopper 22, the first reservoir hopper 25, and the second reservoir hopper 26. The charged bar-shaped article 18 collides with the first and second buffer members 48 and 49, and the shock received by the bar-shaped article 18 can be reduced by the buffer members 48 and 49. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent breakage such as breakage of the rod-shaped article 18.

In this way, the rod-shaped article 18 is sorted by the sorting device so as not to be broken, and is put into the upper alignment hoppers 31 of the first and second filling mechanism portions 30 and 30 shown in FIG. . Then, the rod-shaped article 18 put into each upper alignment hopper 31 is transferred to each lower alignment hopper 83 arranged below each upper alignment hopper 31 and discharged from each lower alignment hopper 83. Then, the empty cups 35 and 35 are sequentially filled through the discharge chutes 84 and 84. Thereby, these bar-shaped articles 18 can be filled in the cups 35 and 35 so that the bar-shaped articles 18 are not broken.
In addition, 85 and 86 shown in FIG. 2 are gates. The bar-shaped article 18 accommodated in the upper alignment hopper 31 can be put into the lower alignment hopper 83 by opening and closing the gate 85, and the bar-shaped object accommodated in the lower alignment hopper 83 by opening and closing the gate 86. Article 18 can be filled into cups 35, 35.
The left first filling mechanism unit 30 shown in FIG. 2 vibrates at least the horizontal alignment hopper 31 and the lower alignment hopper 83 provided in the first filling mechanism unit 30 at least in the horizontal direction. A plurality of rod-shaped articles 18 supplied to the upper and lower alignment hoppers 31 and 83 can be arranged in an upright state in a state of being adjacent to each other, and the rod-shaped articles 18 aligned in the lower alignment hopper 83 are The cup 35 can be filled in this aligned state. The second filling mechanism 30 on the right side of the figure is equivalent to the first filling mechanism 30 and will not be described in detail.

  Further, the rod-shaped article 18 has a diameter of about 5 mm and a length of about 60 mm, for example. For example, the cup 35 has an upper opening with a diameter of about 68 mm, a bottom with a diameter of about 52 mm, and a height of about 74 mm. And the number of the rod-shaped articles | goods 18 with which each cup 35 is filled is about 27, for example.

Further, in the automatic combination weigher 16, as shown in FIG. 8, the collecting chute 50 has a substantially inverted truncated cone shape, and the rod-shaped article 18 sliding down the collecting chute 50 is one shutter having a substantially short cylindrical shape. However, instead of this, the automatic combination weigher according to an embodiment of the present invention has a discharge port disposed inside the collecting chute 50 having a substantially inverted truncated cone shape shown in FIG. A partition plate (not shown) is provided at a position passing through the center of 53, and the inside of the collective chute 50 is divided into a left collective chute and a right collective chute . Furthermore, by dividing the center of the shutter 54 into two, forming a semicircular left shutter and semicircular right shutter of the right left when viewed from the planar direction. The left shutter and the right shutter are separately driven up and down .
At this time, the combination weigher 16 includes two combination operation units, and two sets of the filling device 17 illustrated in FIG. 2 are provided.
The rod-shaped article 18 selected as a combination by the one combination calculation unit configured as described above is discharged to the left collecting chute, is put into one collecting hopper 22 through the left portion of the discharge port 53, The collecting hopper 22 is sorted by one sorting device and the cups 35 and 35 are filled by the corresponding filling device 17. Then, the rod-shaped article 18 selected for the combination by the other combination calculation unit is discharged to the right collecting chute and is put into the other collecting hopper 22 through the right portion of the discharge port 53. It is sorted by the other sorting device to which it belongs and filled into the cups 35, 35 by the corresponding filling device 17.

Reference Signs List 13 Lower collecting chute 16 Combination scale 17 Filling device 18 Bar-shaped article 19 Upper collecting chute 22 Collecting hopper 25, 26 First and second reservoir hoppers 30 Filling mechanism part 35 Cup 36 Weighing hopper 37 Feed hopper 38 Shutter mechanism part 39 Inclination Chute 40 body (weighing hopper)
41 Gate (weighing hopper)
48, 49 First and second buffer members 48a, 49a Bent part 50 Collecting chute 52 Guide part 53 Discharge port 54 Shutter 76 Straight line 78 Metal detector

Claims (1)

A plurality of weighing hoppers, weighing means for weighing the weight of the rod-shaped articles put in each weighing hopper, and various combinations of the respective weight values of the rod-shaped articles obtained by weighing by the weighing means. A combination calculation means for selecting a bar-shaped article constituting a set having a total weight value within a predetermined weight range, and an inverted frustoconical collective chute for discharging the bar-shaped article selected by the combination calculation means; and is positioned above the discharge outlet of the collecting chute in the above collecting chute in combination weigher comprising an inner cylindrical member of a large metallic short cylinder than the diameter of the discharge port of said collecting chute,
A short cylindrical shape made of synthetic rubber that surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical member, and an outer cylindrical member whose lower end extends below the lower end of the inner cylindrical member;
A raising / lowering drive unit for raising and lowering the inner cylindrical member so that the inner cylindrical member takes a holding position approaching the upper surface of the collective chute and a discharge position above the holding position;
And the lower edge of the outer cylindrical member is in contact with the upper surface of the collecting chute in the holding position ,
The collective chute has a partition plate that divides the interior of the collective chute into left and right at a position passing through the center of the discharge port, and the inner cylindrical member and the outer cylindrical member are arranged in a planar direction along the partition plate. Is divided into a left semicircular left shutter as viewed from the right and a right semicircular right shutter as viewed from the plane, and the elevating drive unit separately elevates and drives the left shutter and the right shutter < A combination scale.

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