JP5314505B2 - Combination weighing apparatus and article processing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a combination weighing device and an article processing system including the same.

  For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, a combination weighing device includes a supply unit that supplies articles to be weighed to the combination weighing device, a dispersion table that radially distributes the articles that have been input, and a supply unit. A feeding chute for feeding the supplied article onto the dispersion table, a feed trough arranged around the dispersion table for conveying the article supplied from the dispersion table, and an article supplied from the feed trough are temporarily stored. Pool hoppers, articles supplied from each pool hopper are temporarily stored, a weighing hopper that measures the weight of the stored articles using a load cell, and an article supplied from the selected weighing hopper And a collecting chute for discharging toward the downstream packaging device from the combination weighing device. In addition, a polyurethane skirt-like member is attached to the lower end portion of the charging chute in order to ensure that the article is charged on the dispersion table.

  For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 2 below, in a systemized article manufacturing line, a packaging device is disposed downstream of the combination weighing device, and an X-ray inspection device is disposed downstream of the packaging device. May be. The packaging device packages the articles discharged from the combination weighing device. The X-ray inspection apparatus irradiates X-rays to the packaged articles discharged from the packaging apparatus and detects X-rays transmitted through the packaged articles, thereby inspecting the presence or absence of foreign matters in the packaged articles.

JP-A-6-317455 JP 2009-115727 A

  When a metal foreign substance is mixed in the article, the intensity of the transmitted X-rays is reduced at the mixed part of the foreign substance, so that the foreign substance can be detected by the X-ray inspection apparatus. However, when the fragments are mixed into the article due to, for example, deterioration of the skirt member of the input chute, the polyurethane almost transmits X-rays, so the foreign matter is detected by the X-ray inspection apparatus. I can't.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is possible to detect a foreign substance by an X-ray inspection apparatus even if a non-metallic member piece constituting the apparatus is mixed into the article as a foreign substance. It is an object of the present invention to obtain a simple combination weighing device and an article processing system including the same.

  The combination weighing device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a supply unit that supplies an article to be weighed to the downstream side in the combination weighing device, a dispersion unit that radially distributes the input article, and the supply unit. A plurality of input units that supply the articles supplied from the distribution unit, a plurality of units arranged around the distribution unit, a conveyance unit that conveys the articles supplied from the distribution unit, and a supply unit supplied from each of the conveyance units A storage hopper for temporarily storing articles, a weighing hopper for temporarily storing articles supplied from each of the storage hoppers, and weighing the weight of the stored articles by a weighing means, and the selected weighing A discharge unit that collects articles supplied from the hopper and discharges them from the combination weighing device, the supply unit, the dispersion unit, the input unit, the transport unit, the storage hopper, the weighing hopper, and the discharge Small part In one Kutomo, it is characterized in that at least part of the contact surface in contact with the article is configured using a predetermined material containing X-ray contrast agent.

  According to the combination weighing device according to the first aspect, at least a part of the contact surface in contact with the article in at least one of the supply unit, the dispersion unit, the input unit, the transport unit, the storage hopper, the measurement hopper, and the discharge unit. However, it is comprised using the predetermined | prescribed material containing an X-ray contrast agent. Therefore, even when a piece of the member composed of the predetermined material is mixed into the article due to deterioration or the like of the member, it is disposed downstream of the combination weighing device. The line inspection apparatus can detect the mixed pieces as foreign matters.

  The combination weighing device according to the second aspect of the present invention is the combination weighing device according to the first aspect, in particular, the predetermined material is a thermoplastic polyurethane composition containing a thermoplastic polyurethane and an X-ray contrast agent. The X-ray contrast agent is contained in an amount of 10 to 25 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the thermoplastic polyurethane, and at least 50% by weight with respect to 100% by weight of the total X-ray contrast agent. It is characterized in that the compound is occupied.

  According to the combination weighing device according to the second aspect, the X-ray contrast agent has a higher atomic number than barium sulfate and is excellent in X-ray detectability with respect to 100% by weight of the total X-ray contrast agent. And at least 50% by weight. Therefore, since the content of the X-ray contrast agent can be suppressed to a small amount of about 10 to 25 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the thermoplastic polyurethane, the machine of the molded product resulting from the mixing of the X-ray contrast agent It is possible to suppress degradation of the physical properties.

  An article processing system according to a third aspect of the present invention includes a combination weighing device according to the first or second aspect, a packaging device for packaging the articles discharged from the combination weighing device, and the packaging device discharged from the packaging device. An X-ray inspection apparatus for inspecting the presence of foreign matter in the packaged article by irradiating the packaged article with X-rays and detecting the X-rays transmitted through the packaged article. It is what.

  According to the article processing system according to the third aspect, at least one of the supply section, the dispersion section, the input section, the transport section, the storage hopper, the weighing hopper, and the discharge section included in the combination weighing device is in contact with the article. At least a part of the surface is configured using a predetermined material containing an X-ray contrast medium. Therefore, even when a piece of the member composed of the predetermined material is mixed into the article due to deterioration or the like of the member, it is disposed downstream of the combination weighing device. The line inspection apparatus can detect the mixed pieces as foreign matters.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to detect the foreign matter by the X-ray inspection apparatus even when the non-metallic member fragments constituting the apparatus are mixed into the article as the foreign matter.

It is a mimetic diagram showing composition of an article manufacture system concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of the shield box shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows typically the articles | goods carrying exit vicinity among shield boxes.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the element which attached | subjected the same code | symbol in different drawing shall show the same or corresponding element.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an article manufacturing system 1 (article processing system) according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the article manufacturing system 1 includes a combination weighing device 2, a packaging device 3, and an X-ray inspection device 4 arranged in this order from the upstream side of the article transport path.

  The combination weighing device 2 includes a supply unit 5, a loading unit 6, a dispersion table 7, a conveyance unit 8, a pool hopper 9, a weighing hopper 10, and a discharge unit 11 arranged in this order from the upstream side of the article conveyance path. It is configured. A weighing means such as a load cell 12 is connected to the weighing hopper 10. Further, the combination weighing device 2 includes a control unit 19 that controls the entire operation thereof. The combination weighing device 2 has a configuration in which a plurality of heads are arranged in a circle around the dispersion table 7, and the transport unit 8, the pool hopper 9, the weighing hopper 10, and the load cell 12 are individually provided for each head. It has been.

  The supply unit 5 is, for example, a bucket conveyor, and includes an endless chain that travels on a predetermined path passing above the input unit 6 and a plurality of buckets 13 that are swingably attached to the chain at regular intervals. Have. By driving the chain, a plurality of buckets 13 containing articles such as food circulate along the travel path of the chain. When the bucket 13 is turned upside down when it reaches the upper part of the charging unit 6, the articles in the bucket 13 are discharged and supplied to the lower charging unit 6.

  The throwing part 6 has a throwing chute 14 whose upper part is wider than the lower part, and a skirt-like member 15 attached to the lower part of the throwing chute 14. The input unit 6 inputs the articles supplied from the supply unit 5 into the input chute 14 onto the lower dispersion table 7. At this time, the skirt-like member 15 prevents the article from being scattered, so that the article can be reliably put on the dispersion table 7.

  The dispersal table 7 has, for example, a conical appearance, and the articles thrown from the throwing part 6 near the top of the cone are radially dispersed and discharged. The articles discharged from the dispersion table 7 are supplied to the lower conveyance unit 8.

  The transport unit 8 is a vibration feeder having, for example, a vibrator and a trough, and transports articles supplied from the dispersal table 7 to the inner end of the trough in the outward direction, thereby conveying the articles to the outer end of the trough. To discharge from. The articles discharged from the transport unit 8 are supplied into the lower pool hopper 9.

  Articles supplied from the transport unit 8 into the pool hopper 9 are temporarily stored in the pool hopper 9. Then, by opening the gate of the pool hopper 9 for the head in which the articles are not stored in the weighing hopper 10 (or the storage amount is insufficient), the articles in the pool hopper 9 are discharged and It is supplied into the weighing hopper 10.

  Articles supplied from the pool hopper 9 into the weighing hopper 10 are temporarily stored in the weighing hopper 10. The load cell 12 measures the weight of the article stored in the corresponding weighing hopper 10 and outputs a weighing signal as a result of the weighing. The weighing signal is input to the control unit 19, and the control unit 19 realizes a weight value that is the same as the target weight among all the weighing hoppers 10 storing the articles or that is closest to the target weight within an allowable range. The combination of the weighing hoppers 10 to be selected is selected. The articles stored in the weighing hopper 10 are discharged by opening the gate of the selected weighing hopper 10. The articles discharged from the weighing hopper 10 are supplied to the lower discharge unit 11.

  The discharging unit 11 collects articles discharged from a plurality of weighing hoppers 10 selected from a large number of weighing hoppers 10 arranged in a circle, on a timing hopper 17 arranged in the lower center while sliding. The collecting chute 16 having a funnel shape and the collected articles are temporarily stored, and the articles are supplied toward the lower packaging apparatus 3 by opening the gate at a predetermined timing based on a signal from the control unit. And a timing hopper 17. The collective chute 16 is usually divided into two stages of an upper stage and a lower stage, or three stages of an upper stage, a middle stage, and a lower stage, and moves the articles downward while changing the inclination angle. Moreover, the sliding surface of the articles of the collective chute 16 is divided into a plurality of circumferential chutes so that the articles move downward without disturbing the flow of the articles, and is composed of a plurality of individual chutes. Since the individual chutes adjacent to each other are partitioned by a partition plate, the article can move downward while sliding in one individual chute. When handling a fragile article, a shutter 18 that is driven to open and close by a drive device (not shown) may be provided in the middle of the article's sliding path, particularly at a transition from the upper stage to the lower stage. The sliding of the article can be stopped by driving the shutter 18 to a closed state (state indicated by a solid line in the figure). Further, the sliding of the article stopped by the shutter 18 can be resumed by driving the shutter 18 to the open state (the state of the broken line in the figure). Thus, by temporarily stopping the sliding of the article by the shutter 18, the one-time running distance of the article can be shortened, and as a result, cracking and chipping of the article can be suppressed.

  The packaging device 3 includes an input chute 20, a former 21, a tube 22, a pull-down belt 23, a vertical seal portion 24, and a horizontal seal portion 25 with a cutter.

  The articles discharged from the timing hopper 17 of the combination weighing device 2 are supplied into the input chute 20 of the packaging device 3. The throwing chute 20 has a shape in which the upper part is wider than the lower part, and throws the article supplied from the timing hopper 17 into the lower tube 22.

  The former 21 wraps a belt-like packaging material 26 (thin film plastic film or the like) supplied from a supply roller (not shown) around the outer surface of a cylindrical tube 22 having an open top surface and bottom surface. The pull-down belt 23 transports the packaging material 26 wound around the tube 22 downward. The vertical sealing device 24 performs a vertical sealing process on the back-pasted portion by thermocompression bonding of the overlapping portions of the edges of the band-shaped packaging material 26. Thereby, the band-shaped packaging material 26 wound around the tube 22 is formed into a cylindrical shape.

  The horizontal sealing device 25 performs a horizontal sealing process of the packaging material 26 by thermocompression using a pair of sealing jaws, and the cutting of the packaging material 26 in bag units. Specifically, first, the cylindrical packaging material 26 is subjected to a first horizontal sealing process, thereby forming a half bag shape in which the top opening is opened and the bottom opening is sealed. Next, after an article is put into the half-bag-shaped packaging material 26 from the feeding chute 20, a second lateral sealing process is performed to form a bag with a sealed upper mouth. Next, the part which performed the 2nd horizontal sealing process is cut | disconnected with a cutter, and it isolate | separates into an individual bag body. The article to be packaged 50 thus manufactured is conveyed from the packaging device 3 to the X-ray inspection device 4 by the belt conveyor 41. Further, the packaged article 50 may be moved to the X-ray inspection apparatus 4 disposed downstream of the packaging apparatus 3 by a method other than the belt conveyor. An article 50 to be packaged is packed in a case packer and shipped. In addition to the X-ray inspection apparatus 4, a seal checker, a weight checker, a metal detector, and the like are arranged between the packing apparatus 3 and the case packer. These devices are arranged in an appropriate order between the packaging device 3 and the case packer.

  The X-ray inspection apparatus 4 includes an upper housing 30, a shield box 31, and a lower housing 32. The upper housing 30 is provided with a monitor 33 with a touch panel function. A control unit (not shown) for performing operation control and data processing of the X-ray inspection apparatus 4 is arranged inside the lower housing 32.

  The shield box 31 has a function of preventing X-rays from leaking to the outside. An X-ray irradiation unit 34 and an X-ray detection unit 35 are disposed in the shield box 31. The X-ray irradiation unit 34 irradiates the packaged article 50 that is the inspection target with X-rays. The X-ray detection unit 35 detects transmitted X-rays that are irradiated from the X-ray irradiation unit 34 and transmitted through the packaged article 50. If foreign matter is mixed in the packaged article 50, the intensity of transmitted X-rays detected by the X-ray detection unit 35 is reduced at the foreign matter mixed location. Thereby, the magnitude | size and mixing location of a foreign material can be specified.

  A belt conveyor 36 is disposed in the shield box 31. The belt conveyor 36 conveys the packaged article 50 so that the packaged article 50 passes through the X-ray irradiation region 100 (see FIG. 2) between the X-ray irradiation unit 34 and the X-ray detection unit 35. The shield box 31 is provided with an article carry-in port 37 near the upstream end of the belt conveyor 36 and an article carry-out port 38 near the downstream end. In order to prevent leakage of X-rays from the article carry-in entrance 37 and the article carry-out exit 38 to the outside, shielding curtains 39 and 40 are arranged in the shield box 31. The shielding curtain 39 is provided near the article carry-in entrance 37, and the shielding curtain 40 is provided near the article carry-out exit 38.

  On the downstream side of the belt conveyor 36, a belt conveyor 42 for carrying out the inspected packaged article 50 from the X-ray inspection apparatus 4 is provided. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the belt conveyor 42 is provided with an arbitrary sorting mechanism for sorting non-defective products and defective products based on the inspection result by the X-ray inspection apparatus 4.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an internal configuration of the shield box 31 shown in FIG. An X-ray irradiator (hereinafter also referred to as “X-ray irradiator 34”) as the X-ray irradiator 34 is disposed above the belt conveyor 36. Below the belt conveyor 36, an X-ray sensor (hereinafter also referred to as “X-ray sensor 35”) as an X-ray detector 35 is disposed. The X-ray sensor 35 includes a plurality of X-ray detection elements 35a arranged in a straight line. The plurality of X-ray detection elements 35 a are arranged in parallel along the short side direction of the belt conveyor 36, that is, the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the article to be packaged 50 by the belt conveyor 36. As shown as the X-ray irradiation region 100 in FIG. 2, the X-ray irradiator 34 irradiates the X-ray sensor 35 with X-rays in a fan shape. 2 shows an example of a line sensor in which only one row of X-ray detection elements 35a is provided, but a plurality of rows of X-ray detection elements 35a are arranged in parallel along the conveyance direction of the packaged article 50. An area sensor (surface sensor) may be used.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the vicinity of the article outlet 38 in the shield box 31. A plurality of cuts are formed in the shielding curtain 40 in the vertical direction, and the article to be packaged 50 placed on the belt conveyor 36 advances forward while pushing up the bottom of the shielding curtain 40. Similarly, a plurality of cuts are formed in the shielding curtain 39 on the article carry-in entrance 37 side shown in FIG. 1, and the article to be packaged 50 placed on the belt conveyor 36 pushes up the skirt of the shielding curtain 39. Proceed forward.

Next, the material of the skirt-like member 15 of the charging unit 6 provided in the combination weighing device 2 will be described. In the present embodiment, the skirt-like member 15 is configured using a thermoplastic polyurethane containing an X-ray contrast agent (and a colorant as necessary). Hereinafter, details of the thermoplastic polyurethane, the X-ray contrast agent, and the colorant will be described in order.
<Thermoplastic polyurethane>

  Although it does not specifically limit as a thermoplastic polyurethane, For example, polyester polyol, polyether polyol, or a polycarbonate-type polyol, diisocyanate (hexamethylene diisocyanate, 4,4'- diphenylmethane diisocyanate etc.), chain extender (ethylenediamine, 1, Polyester polyurethane, polyether polyurethane, polycarbonate polyurethane and the like obtained by reaction with 6-hexanediol or the like can be used. In particular, it is desirable to use a polyester-based polyurethane having excellent characteristics such as wear resistance, durability, flexibility, oil resistance, and heat resistance.

  As the polyester polyol constituting the polyester polyurethane, an adipate polyester polyol, a lactone polyester polyol, a carbonate polyester polyol, or the like can be used. The adipate polyester polyol can be obtained by a dehydration condensation reaction between adipic acid and a polyol such as 1,6-hexanediol or neopentyl glycol. Lactone polyester polyols can be obtained by ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone, β-methyl-δ-valerolactone, and the like. The carbonate-based polyester polyol can be obtained by an ester exchange reaction between an alkylene glycol (such as 1,6-hexanediol) and a carbonate (such as diphenyl carbonate) or a reaction between phosgene and an alkylene glycol.

In particular, among polyester polyols, it is desirable to use polycaprolactone polyol because of its particularly excellent wear resistance, durability and flexibility. Since the wear resistance is excellent, even if the skirt-like member 15 is rubbed against the article, it is possible to prevent the skirt-like member 15 from being broken. Moreover, since durability and flexibility are excellent, long-term use is possible, suppressing generation | occurrence | production of the fragment of the skirt-like member 15.
<X-ray contrast agent>

  Examples of the X-ray contrast agent used in the present embodiment include a barium compound, a bismuth compound, or tungsten, which is a metal or metal compound that has an X-ray contrast property and can be mixed with a thermoplastic resin. The Among them, a bismuth compound having an atomic number larger than that of barium or tungsten is easily detected by the X-ray inspection apparatus 4 and is preferably used as an X-ray contrast agent. Therefore, as a preferred aspect of the present embodiment, the bismuth-based compound occupies a ratio of at least 50% by weight with respect to 100% by weight of the X-ray contrast medium. By occupying at least 50% by weight of the X-ray contrast agent with the bismuth compound, a high X-ray contrast effect can be obtained. However, in order to further enhance the X-ray contrast effect (or to further reduce the content of the X-ray contrast agent), the ratio of the bismuth-based compound to 100% by weight of the X-ray contrast agent is preferably 70% by weight. %, More preferably 100% by weight.

  As the bismuth compound, bismuth nitrate, bismuth trioxide, bismuth subcarbonate, bismuth oxychloride, bismuth tungstate, and the like can be used alone or in combination. Among them, bismuth trioxide is preferable because it is extremely toxic and is commercially available.

  In the present embodiment, the X-ray contrast agent may be composed of a bismuth compound alone, but a small amount of other X-ray contrast agent may be added. Examples of other contrast agents include barium compounds such as barium sulfate, tungsten or tungsten compounds such as tungsten metal powder, tungsten oxide powder, and tungsten carbide powder, and metals or metal compounds such as molybdenum, tin, tantalum, and rhenium. . These X-ray contrast agents may be used after being surface-treated.

  In the present embodiment, the X-ray contrast agent is used in the range of 10 to 25 parts by weight, preferably 10 to 20 parts by weight, and more preferably 13 to 18 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the polyurethane resin. . If the content of the X-ray contrast agent is less than 10 parts by weight, a sufficient X-ray contrast effect cannot be obtained, so that the detection performance of fragments of the skirt-like member 15 is deteriorated. On the other hand, when the content of the X-ray contrast agent is more than 25 parts by weight, the mechanical properties of the skirt-like member 15 are lowered due to the mixing of the X-ray contrast agent.

In the skirt-like member 15, it is desired that the X-ray contrast medium is uniformly dispersed in the polyurethane resin. Therefore, the X-ray contrast agent is melted and mixed with the polyurethane resin powder or granules. In particular, an X-ray contrast medium is melt-mixed with a raw material polyurethane resin powder or granules to produce pellets, and the pellets are melt-kneaded to form a sheet or a molded product having a desired shape as a machine part. Thereby, since the X-ray contrast agent is kneaded with the polyurethane resin twice in the pellet forming step and the sheet-like or desired shape forming step, the uniformity of dispersion can be improved.
<Colorant>

  The colorant used in the present embodiment can be mixed with the thermoplastic polyurethane resin, and colored so that the contamination of the skirt-like member 15 can be visually confirmed (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, Any known colorant can be used as long as it can be purple), and is not particularly limited. Especially, it is desirable to color in blue which can be easily distinguished from food color.

  For example, any of organic pigments, inorganic pigments and dyes may be used, such as cadmium red (red), risol red (red), pyrazolone red (red), pyrazolo orange (orange), molybdenum orange (orange), Permanent orange (orange), zinc yellow (yellow), cadmium yellow (yellow), naphthol yellow (yellow), chrome green (green), pigment green (green), malachite green rake (green), manganese purple (purple), fast Violet B (purple), methyl violet lake (purple), ultramarine blue (blue), cobalt blue (blue), cyanine blue (blue), phthalocyanine blue chlorinated product (blue), fast sky blue (blue), etc. can be used. . Further, since the skirt-like member 15 is used in contact with an article which is a food, it is desirable that the colorant is harmless to the human body.

In the present embodiment, the content of the colorant is preferably in the range of 0.1 to 15% by weight with respect to 100% by weight of the composition. Further, since the colorant is preferably dispersed uniformly in the resin, it is desirable that the colorant is blended into the polyurethane resin powder or granular material in a powder form.
<Others>

  In addition, the polyurethane resin used in the present embodiment includes, as necessary, an antibacterial agent, an antioxidant, an antistatic agent, a flame retardant, an ultraviolet absorber, and a stabilizer as long as the object of the present invention is not impaired. Additives such as can be added.

  As described above, the material of the skirt-like member 15 according to the present embodiment is a thermoplastic polyurethane composition containing a thermoplastic polyurethane and an X-ray contrast agent. As a preferred embodiment, the X-ray contrast agent is: The bismuth compound occupies 10 to 25 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the thermoplastic polyurethane, and at least 50% by weight with respect to 100% by weight of the total X-ray contrast medium. Therefore, even if a piece of the skirt-like member 15 is mixed in the article due to deterioration or the like, the mixed piece can be detected as a foreign object by the X-ray inspection apparatus 4. Moreover, the X-ray contrast agent contains at least 50% by weight of a bismuth-based compound having an atomic number larger than that of barium sulfate or the like and excellent in X-ray detectability with respect to 100% by weight of the total X-ray contrast agent. Therefore, since the content of the X-ray contrast agent can be suppressed to a small amount of about 10 to 25 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the thermoplastic polyurethane, the machine of the molded product resulting from the mixing of the X-ray contrast agent It is possible to suppress degradation of the physical properties.

  In the above description, an example in which a predetermined material containing an X-ray contrast medium is applied to the skirt-like member 15 has been described. However, the application location is not limited to the skirt-like member 15, and the combination weighing device 2 and the packaging device. A predetermined material containing an X-ray contrast agent can be applied to an arbitrary portion having a contact surface in contact with an article in the article conveyance path 3. Specifically, referring to FIG. 1, the inner surface of the bucket 13, the inner surface of the charging chute 14, the upper surface of the dispersion table 7, the inner surface of the trough of the transport unit 8, the inner surface of the pool hopper 9, the inner surface of the weighing hopper 10, and the assembly Since the inner surface of the chute 16, the inner surface of the timing hopper 17, the surface of the shutter 18, the inner surface of the charging chute 20, the inner surface of the former 21, and the inner surface of the tube 22 are all contact surfaces with the article, any of these A material containing an X-ray contrast agent can be applied to the part.

  The bucket 13, the loading chute 14, the dispersion table 7, the trough of the transport unit 8, the pool hopper 9, the weighing hopper 10, the collecting chute 16, the timing hopper 17, and the shutter 18 are often made of metal, but if necessary It can also be made of resin. Examples of resins include thermoplastic resins such as polypropylene, polycarbonate, ABS, polyvinyl chloride, and polymethacrylate, and fiber reinforced resins (unsaturated polyester resins, epoxy resins, etc. reinforced with glass fibers, carbon fibers, aramid fibers, etc.). Used. In some cases, these resin-made members are mixed into the article due to deterioration or damage. Metal fragments mixed in the article can be easily detected by the X-ray inspection apparatus 4, but it is difficult to detect low-density resin fragments by the X-ray inspection apparatus 4. Therefore, even in such a case, the mixed pieces can be detected by the X-ray inspection apparatus 4 by containing the X-ray contrast agent in the resin. As an X-ray contrast agent used in this embodiment, a barium-based compound, a bismuth-based compound, or a metal or a metal compound that has X-ray contrast properties and can be mixed with a thermoplastic resin or a fiber reinforced resin, or the like. Examples include tungsten. Especially, since a bismuth type compound is easy to detect with the X-ray inspection apparatus 4, it is preferably used as an X-ray contrast agent. Therefore, as a preferred embodiment, the X-ray contrast agent is contained in an amount of 10 to 25 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the resin, and at least 50% by weight of the bismuth compound is 100% by weight with respect to 100% by weight of the total X-ray contrast agent. These members are molded using a composition using an occupied X-ray contrast agent.

  Further, with respect to the X-ray inspection apparatus 4 as well, the shielding curtains 39 and 40 can be configured using a material containing an X-ray contrast agent containing a bismuth compound as a main component in the same manner as described above. In general, a tungsten sheet is often used as a shielding curtain of an X-ray inspection apparatus. The tungsten sheet is a sheet formed by kneading tungsten powder into resin or rubber, and is used as a single layer, or a composite sheet in which a polyolefin sheet is laminated on both sides of the sheet. Used in form. The thickness of this single layer or composite sheet is about 0.5 to 3 mm.

  The shielding curtain is configured such that a plurality of strips hang down in a warm manner near the article carrying inlet and the article outlet of the shield box by slitting the sheet at a predetermined interval (10 to 20 mm). . The length of the sheet attached to the X-ray inspection apparatus in a strip shape is about 10 to 32 cm.

  As described above, a general shielding curtain obtains X-ray shielding properties by a layer containing tungsten, but the content of tungsten in the sheet is as high as about 70 to 80%, and therefore the flexibility of the sheet is high. Low and expensive.

  Therefore, these problems can be solved by configuring the shielding curtains 39 and 40 using a material containing an X-ray contrast agent mainly composed of a bismuth compound. Specifically, it contains 10 to 25 parts by weight of an X-ray contrast agent with respect to 100 parts by weight of polyurethane resin or polyolefin resin (including polyolefin elastomer) (polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, polypentene, ethylene propylene copolymer, etc.). Further, the shielding curtains 39 and 40 are configured using a composition using an X-ray contrast agent in which at least 50% by weight of the bismuth-based compound accounts for 100% by weight of the total X-ray contrast agent.

  Since the atomic number (83) of bismuth is larger than the atomic number (74) of tungsten, bismuth is more excellent in X-ray shielding than tungsten. Therefore, even if the content of the X-ray contrast agent in the sheet is reduced, the same X-ray shielding property as that of the tungsten sheet can be ensured, so that a decrease in flexibility due to the inclusion of the X-ray contrast agent can be suppressed. . Bismuth is also available at a lower price than tungsten.

  In addition, the material containing the X-ray contrast agent which has a bismuth-type compound as a main component which concerns on this Embodiment can also be used for the equipment used for the raw material processing etc. upstream from the combination weighing | measuring apparatus 2. FIG. In this case, it is possible for the X-ray inspection apparatus 4 to detect debris mixed in the article due to deterioration or breakage of the equipment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Article manufacturing system 2 Combination weighing apparatus 3 Packaging apparatus 4 X-ray inspection apparatus 5 Supply part 6 Input part 7 Dispersing table 8 Conveying part 9 Pool hopper 10 Weighing hopper 11 Discharge part

Claims (3)

A supply unit for supplying articles to be weighed to the downstream side in the combination weighing device;
A dispersion unit for radially dispersing the charged articles;
An input unit for supplying the article supplied from the supply unit onto the dispersion unit;
A plurality of arranged around the dispersing unit, and a conveying unit configured to convey an article supplied from the dispersing unit;
A storage hopper for temporarily storing articles supplied from each of the transport units;
A weighing hopper for temporarily storing articles supplied from each of the storage hoppers and weighing the weight of the stored articles by a weighing means;
A discharge unit that collects the articles supplied from the selected weighing hopper and discharges the articles from the combination weighing device;
In at least one of the supply unit, the dispersion unit, the input unit, the transport unit, the storage hopper, the weighing hopper, and the discharge unit, at least a part of the contact surface that contacts the article is an X-ray contrast medium It is comprised using the predetermined | prescribed material containing this, The combination measuring device characterized by the above-mentioned. The predetermined material is a thermoplastic polyurethane composition containing a thermoplastic polyurethane and an X-ray contrast agent,
The X-ray contrast agent is contained in an amount of 10 to 25 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the thermoplastic polyurethane, and at least 50% by weight of the bismuth-based compound occupies 100% by weight of the total X-ray contrast agent. The combination weighing device according to claim 1, wherein the combination weighing device is provided. A combination weighing device according to claim 1 or 2,
A packaging device for packaging the articles discharged from the combination weighing device;
X-ray inspection apparatus for inspecting the presence or absence of foreign matter in the packaged article by irradiating the packaged article discharged from the packaging apparatus with X-rays and detecting the X-rays transmitted through the packaged article An article processing system comprising:

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