JP5425663B2 - Weight sorter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a weight sorter for weighing and sorting an object to be weighed.

  The weight sorter includes a weighing conveyor for conveying an object to be weighed, and a weighing means for weighing the object to be weighed on the weighing conveyor, and the weighing conveyor according to the weight of the object to be weighed by the weighing means. The sorting device for sorting the objects to be weighed is operated downstream, or the missing item is inspected.

  In such a weight sorter, since the weight of the object to be weighed is detected based on the weight loaded on the weighing conveyor, the correct weight detection can be performed when a plurality of objects to be weighed are simultaneously conveyed to the weighing conveyor. Absent.

  For such problems, the objects to be weighed conveyed by the conveyor provided upstream of the weighing conveyor are detected by a detector provided near the outlet of the conveyor, and the measured objects between the objects to be weighed are detected. A configuration is known in which the speed of the conveyor is temporarily increased when the interval is larger than the reference interval, and the speed of the conveyor is temporarily decreased when the interval is smaller than the reference interval (for example, Patent Document 1). reference).

  Also, in a production line including a weight sorter, in order to maintain high production efficiency for the entire production line, production arranged downstream based on the actual supply amount from the supply device to the weighing machine (combination scale, etc.) A configuration is known in which control is performed so as to change the setting capability of each device constituting a line (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-26272 JP 2006-293922 A

  However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the speed of the preceding conveyor is simply increased or decreased based on the increase or decrease of the interval between the objects to be weighed. There is a problem that the number of objects to be weighed (measured) is not always one.

  In the configuration described in Patent Document 2, when a transport delay or the like occurs in a device downstream of the supply device, the processing timing or processing speed is optimized in a device downstream of the device in which the transport delay or the like occurs. Since this is not possible, the weighing machine may not be able to measure the object to be weighed well.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a weight sorter capable of preventing a state in which a plurality of objects to be weighed are simultaneously conveyed to a weighing conveyor. .

The weight sorter according to the present invention includes a weighing conveyor for conveying an object to be weighed, weighing means for weighing the object to be weighed on the weighing conveyor, a supply conveyor for supplying the object to be weighed to the weighing conveyor, An article detection sensor that is provided on the inlet side of the supply conveyor and detects an object to be weighed, and a controller, and the controller detects the length and conveying speed of the weighing conveyor and the article detection sensor. The conveyance speed of the supply conveyor is calculated based on the distance between the objects to be weighed obtained from the measured objects, and the supply conveyor is controlled so as to be the conveyance speed. .

  According to the weight sorter having the above-described configuration, the interval between the objects to be weighed is determined based on the objects to be weighed detected by the article detection sensor provided on the inlet side of the supply conveyor, and between the determined objects to be weighed. A transport speed of the supply conveyor based on the interval and the length of the weighing conveyor is calculated. That is, based on the length of the weighing conveyor, the conveyance speed of the supply conveyor is calculated so that a plurality of objects to be weighed are not conveyed to the weighing conveyor. In addition, since the article detection sensor is provided on the inlet side of the supply conveyor, sufficient time can be taken to calculate the conveyance speed of the supply conveyor and the calculated conveyance speed of the supply conveyor. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a plurality of objects to be weighed from being simultaneously conveyed to the weighing conveyor.

  The controller calculates the conveyance speed of the supply conveyor so that the ratio of the conveyance speed of the supply conveyor to the conveyance speed of the weighing conveyor is the ratio of the interval between the objects to be weighed to the length of the measurement conveyor. It may be configured as follows. Thereby, the state by which a several to-be-measured object is conveyed simultaneously to a weighing conveyor can be prevented reliably.

  The controller converts an interval between the objects to be weighed into an interval between objects to be weighed (hereinafter referred to as a conversion interval) when the speed of the supply conveyor is the same as the speed of the weighing conveyor. In comparison with the length of the weighing conveyor, when the conversion interval is shorter than the length of the weighing conveyor, the conveyance speed of the supply conveyor is controlled so that the conversion interval is longer than the length of the weighing conveyor, When the conversion interval is equal to or longer than the length of the weighing conveyor, the conveyance speed of the supply conveyor may not be changed. As a result, only when there is a possibility that two or more objects to be weighed may be simultaneously conveyed to the weighing conveyor, the conveyance speed of the supply conveyor does not have to be calculated every time by calculating the conveyance speed of the supply conveyor. The amount of computation in the device can be reduced.

  The controller may be configured to transmit an instruction signal based on the interval between the objects to be weighed to a device disposed upstream of the supply conveyor. As a result, it is possible to set the processing capacity of the upstream device based on the processing capacity of the weight sorter, so that the weighing line of the weight sorter can detect the object to be weighed with high accuracy while producing the production line. High efficiency can be maintained.

  In this regard, in the configuration described in Patent Document 2, the processing capacity of the downstream apparatus (such as the supply speed of the object to be weighed) is set based on the supply amount detected upstream, so that the upstream supply apparatus When a large supply amount is detected, it is necessary to control the processing capacity to be higher (for example, the conveyance speed is faster) as it goes downstream. On the other hand, in order to ensure a predetermined weighing accuracy in the weighing conveyor of the weight sorter, it is preferable that the speed of the weighing conveyor cannot be made higher than the predetermined speed and that the constant speed is maintained as much as possible. Therefore, with the configuration described in Patent Document 2, it is difficult to maintain high production efficiency while performing processing with high accuracy. Therefore, by providing the above configuration, the upstream apparatus can be controlled based on the processing capacity (processing status) of the downstream weight sorter, and production efficiency can be maintained high without changing the speed of the weighing conveyor. it can.

  Furthermore, the instruction signal may be a signal indicating whether an interval between the objects to be weighed is wider or narrower than a reference value. Thereby, in the apparatus arrange | positioned upstream, it can control to make the space | interval between the to-be-measured articles conveyed to a supply conveyor into an equal space | interval beforehand, and can maintain the production efficiency of a production line high.

  The device may include at least one of a combination weigher, a filling device, a collective alignment device, a sorting device, and a boxing device.

  The present invention is configured as described above, and has an effect of preventing a state in which a plurality of objects to be weighed are simultaneously conveyed to the weighing conveyor.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a weight sorter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view showing a schematic configuration of the weight sorter shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control system of the weight sorter shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a weighing system to which the weight sorter shown in FIG. 1 is applied. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a weighing system to which the weight sorter shown in FIG. 1 is applied.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

  FIG.1 and FIG.2 is the side view and top view which show schematic structure of the weight sorter based on one Embodiment of this invention. 2A shows a case where the distance Ld between the objects to be weighed is not less than the length L of the weighing conveyor 1, and FIG. 2B shows that the distance Ld between the objects to be weighed is longer than the length L of the weighing conveyor 1. The short case is shown. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the weight sorter 10 according to the present embodiment includes a weighing conveyor 1 that conveys the object to be weighed P and a weighing unit that measures the weight of the object to be weighed P on the weighing conveyor 1. The weighing device P is weighed by an upstream packaging machine or the like, and a distribution device 17 (FIGS. 4 and 5 to be described later) is disposed downstream according to the weight of the workpiece P. In the reference), the object P can be selected. For this reason, the weight sorter 10 includes a weighing sensor 2 that detects the weight of the object P to be measured including the weight of the weighing conveyor 1. For the weighing sensor 2, for example, a load cell is used. The weighing sensor 2 is connected to the controller 3, and the weight detected by the weighing sensor 2 is transmitted to the controller 3. Here, since the weight of the weighing conveyor 1 is known, the controller 3 calculates the weight of the weighing conveyor 1 from the weight detected by the weighing sensor 2 when the object P is supplied onto the weighing conveyor 1. The weight of the object to be weighed on the weighing conveyor 1 is measured by subtraction. Thus, the weighing sensor 2 and the controller 3 in this embodiment constitute a weighing means.

  Further, a supply conveyor 4 is provided upstream of the weighing conveyor 1, and supplies an object to be weighed P conveyed from an upstream packaging machine or the like to the weighing conveyor 1. As a general rule, a plurality of objects to be weighed P are conveyed to the supply conveyor 4 from an upstream packaging machine or the like at substantially equal intervals. However, one or a plurality of objects to be weighed P are moved back and forth. There is a case where it is transported out of position. The present invention is useful for solving this problem.

  On the inlet side of the supply conveyor 4, an article detection sensor 5 that detects an object to be weighed P is provided. Information on the object to be weighed P detected by the article detection sensor 5 is transmitted to the controller 3, and the controller 3 measures the object to be weighed based on two consecutive objects to be weighed P detected by the article detection sensor 5. The interval Ld is obtained by calculation. Thus, the article detection sensor 5 and the controller 3 in the present embodiment constitute an interval detection means.

  The article detection sensor 5 is, for example, an opposed infrared sensor in which a projector 51 and a light receiver 52 are installed on both ends in the width direction of the supply conveyor 4. In this case, when the infrared light projected from the light projector 51 of the article detection sensor 5 to the light receiver 52 is blocked by the passage of the object P, the infrared light is detected by the light receiver 52, thereby The presence of the weighing object P is detected. The article detection sensor 5 may be a reflective infrared sensor or the like. In addition, the article detection sensor 5 is provided at a position close to the entrance (upstream in the transport direction) of the supply conveyor 4 (for example, near the conveyor end or between the supply conveyor 4 and the preceding apparatus (for example, the transport conveyor 8)). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the article detection sensor 5 may be provided anywhere as long as it is on the inlet side (upstream) from the central portion in the transport direction of the supply conveyor 4.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control system of the weight sorter shown in FIG. The controller 3 includes a control unit 31 that performs various calculations and a storage unit 32 that stores the results of the various calculations. The controller 3 includes, for example, a microcomputer, and the control unit 31 uses, for example, a CPU of the microcomputer. For the storage unit 32, for example, an internal memory of the microcomputer is used. The control unit 31 and the storage unit 32 are connected to each other. It is not always necessary to provide such a controller 3 in the weight sorter 10. For example, by connecting an external computer such as a personal computer as the external controller 3, the controller 3 is controlled by the external controller 3. It is good as well.

  As described above, the control unit 31 functions as the interval calculator 31a that calculates the interval Ld between the objects to be weighed based on the two consecutive objects to be weighed P detected by the article detection sensor 5. Specifically, for example, from when the article detection sensor 5 detects the rear end of the object to be weighed P until the front end of the next object to be weighed P is detected (in the case of an infrared sensor, the infrared ray is blocked and the infrared ray is again emitted). By measuring the time from when the light is received by the light receiver 52 until the next time the infrared ray is cut off by an internal or external timer of the controller 3 and multiplying the time by the conveyance speed of the supply conveyor 4 The interval Ld between the objects to be weighed is calculated. In addition, when the length of the to-be-measured item P in the conveyance direction is substantially constant, the article detection sensor 5 detects only the front end or the rear end of the to-be-measured item P, and the control unit 31 The distance Ld between the objects to be weighed may be determined by subtracting the length of the object to be weighed P from the length between the front ends or the rear ends. Further, the conveyance speed of the supply conveyor 4 may be a speed based on a control signal from the controller 3 to a motor that drives the supply conveyor 4 or may be an actual conveyance speed fed back from the motor.

  The storage unit 32 stores a distance Ld between the objects to be measured calculated based on the object P detected by the article detection sensor 5, and the length of the weighing conveyor 1 (the length in the conveying direction). Remembered. The weighing conveyor 1 includes a plurality of weighing conveyors 1 having different lengths (conveying direction lengths), and is configured to be exchangeable with weighing conveyors 1 having different lengths. When the weighing conveyor 1 is replaced with a different length, the length of the changed weighing conveyor 1 is stored in the storage unit 32 by changing the setting automatically or by a user or the like. The length L of the weighing conveyor 1 only needs to be equal to or longer than the length in the conveyance direction of the object to be weighed. In practice, however, the length L has a certain margin (for example, the length of the object to be weighed P). And a length obtained by multiplying the coefficient by 1 or more). In the present embodiment, the weight sorter 10 includes a touch panel type input display 6 that also serves as an input device for performing setting input and a display device capable of displaying setting results.

  The storage unit 32 stores a control program. The control unit 31 reads out and executes the control program stored in the storage unit 32 to calculate the interval between the objects to be weighed, performs drive control of the weighing conveyor 1 and the supply conveyor 4, and performs weighing with the weighing conveyor 1. Based on the weight of the measured object P, a control signal is transmitted to a sorting device or the like arranged downstream.

  Here, the supply conveyor 4 is configured to be able to change the conveyance speed of the object to be weighed P. Specifically, the control unit 31 of the controller 3 functions as a speed controller 31c and generates a control signal for controlling the rotational speed of a motor (not shown) that rotates the drive roller 41 of the supply conveyor 4; Transmit to the supply conveyor 4. The supply conveyor 4 is configured to change the conveyance speed V <b> 1 by controlling the rotation speed of a motor that drives the drive roller 41 based on a control signal from the controller 3. Note that the weighing conveyor 1 may also be configured to be able to change the conveyance speed V2 of the object to be weighed P. In this case, the control unit 31 of the controller 3 generates a control signal for controlling the rotation speed of a motor (not shown) that rotates the driving roller 11 of the weighing conveyor 1 and transmits the control signal to the weighing conveyor 1. The weighing conveyor 1 is configured to change the conveyance speed V <b> 2 by controlling the rotation speed of the motor that drives the drive roller 11 based on a control signal from the controller 3. Since the conveyance speed V2 that can maintain suitable weighing accuracy is different based on the type and size of the object to be weighed P, the conveyance speed V2 of the weighing conveyor 1 can be suitably adjusted according to this. However, in the control for adjusting the interval Ld between the objects to be measured, which will be described later, the weighing conveyor 1 is controlled at a constant speed (or speed control is not performed).

  Here, the controller 3 also functions as a speed calculator 31b, and sets the interval Ld between the objects to be measured, which is determined from the object P detected by the article detection sensor 5 based on the length L of the weighing conveyor 1. The conveyance speed V1 of the corresponding supply conveyor 4 is calculated, and the supply conveyor 4 is controlled so as to be the conveyance speed V1.

  According to the weight sorter 10 having the above configuration, the interval Ld between the objects to be weighed is determined based on the object to be weighed P detected by the article detection sensor 5 provided on the inlet side of the supply conveyor 4. The conveyance speed of the supply conveyor 4 based on the distance Ld between the objects to be weighed and the length L of the weighing conveyor 1 is calculated. That is, based on the length L of the weighing conveyor 1, the conveyance speed V <b> 1 of the supply conveyor 4 is calculated so that a plurality of objects to be weighed P are not conveyed to the weighing conveyor 1. Moreover, since the article detection sensor 5 is provided on the inlet side of the supply conveyor 4, the time for calculating the conveyance speed V <b> 1 of the supply conveyor 4 and the time for the conveyance speed V <b> 1 of the supply conveyor 4 to be calculated are sufficient. Can be taken to. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a state in which a plurality of objects to be weighed P are simultaneously conveyed to the weighing conveyor 1.

  The transport speed V1 of the supply conveyor 4 calculated by the controller 3 will be described more specifically. In the present embodiment, the controller 3 functioning as the speed calculator 31b is configured such that the ratio of the transport speed V1 of the supply conveyor 4 to the transport speed V2 (however, V2 is constant) of the weighing conveyor 1 is equal to the length L of the weighing conveyor 1. The conveyance speed V1 of the supply conveyor 4 is calculated so as to be the ratio of the interval Ld between the weighing objects. Expressed by the formula, V1 = (Ld / L) V2. In addition, in order to reliably prevent a plurality of objects to be weighed P from being simultaneously conveyed on the weighing conveyor 1, the above equation may be modified and used. Specifically, for example, a predetermined margin value α (α ≧ 0) is added to the length L of the weighing conveyor 1 (V1 = (Ld / (L + α)) V2), or the length L of the weighing conveyor 1 The interval Ld between the objects to be weighed may be multiplied by a predetermined coefficient k (k ≦ 1) (V1 = k (Ld / L) V2). Thus, by formulating and calculating the conveyance speed V1 of the supply conveyor 4 and controlling the conveyance speed V1 of the supply conveyor 4 to be the calculated speed, a plurality of objects to be weighed on the weighing conveyor 1 simultaneously. It is possible to reliably prevent the transported state.

  In the present embodiment, the description will be made on the assumption that the conveyance speed V1 of the supply conveyor 4 is controlled so as to be the speed calculated using the above formula, regardless of the interval Ld between the objects to be measured determined by the calculation. However, after determining whether or not to control the conveyance speed V1 of the supply conveyor 4 according to the calculated interval Ld between the objects to be measured, the calculation and change control of the conveyance speed V1 of the supply conveyor 4 is performed. Also good.

  Specifically, for example, whether the controller 3 functions as the interval determination unit 31d and compares the interval Ld between the objects to be weighed with the length L of the weighing conveyor 1 to calculate the conveyance speed V of the supply conveyor 4. It may be determined whether or not. For example, the control unit 31 of the controller 3 that functions as the interval determination unit 31 d compares the conversion interval Le (= Ld × V2 / V1) of the interval Ld between the objects to be measured with the length L of the weighing conveyor 1. Here, the conversion interval Le means the interval between the objects to be weighed when the transport speed V1 of the supply conveyor 4 is the same as the transport speed V2 of the weighing conveyor 1. When the conversion interval Le is shorter than the length L of the weighing conveyor 1 (Le <L), the conveyance speed V1 of the weighing conveyor 1 is calculated and the supply conveyor 4 is controlled to be the conveyance speed V1, When the conversion interval Le is equal to or longer than the length L of the weighing conveyor 1 (Le ≧ L), control is performed so that the conveyance speed V1 of the supply conveyor 4 is not changed.

  In FIG. 2, when V1 = V2, when the interval Ld (= Le) between the objects to be weighed is shorter than the length L of the weighing conveyor 1 (Ld <L), as shown in FIG. Since two or more objects to be weighed P may be simultaneously conveyed on the weighing conveyor 1, the conveying speed V1 of the supply conveyor 4 is calculated based on the length L of the weighing conveyor 1 and supplied as described above. Change control of the conveying speed V1 of the conveyor 4 is performed. On the other hand, when the distance Ld between the objects to be weighed is not less than the length L of the weighing conveyor 1 (Ld ≧ L), the objects to be weighed P are placed on the weighing conveyor 1 as shown in FIG. Since two or more are not simultaneously conveyed, the change control of the conveyance speed V1 is not performed. According to such a configuration, the transport speed of the supply conveyor 4 is calculated by calculating the transport speed V1 of the supply conveyor 4 only when two or more objects to be weighed P may be simultaneously transported to the weighing conveyor 1. Since it is not necessary to calculate V1 every time, the amount of calculation in the control unit 31 can be reduced.

  In the weight sorter 10 in the present embodiment, an article detection sensor (second article detection sensor) 7 is also provided at the inlet (upstream end) of the weighing sensor 1. The article detection sensor 7 is also configured in the same manner as the article detection sensor 5 and detects the presence of the weighing object P. Thereby, the control unit 31 calculates the distance Ld2 between the objects to be weighed in the weighing conveyor 1 from the transport speed V2 of the weighing conveyor 1. Then, the control unit 31 compares the distance Ld2 between the objects to be weighed with the length L of the weighing conveyor 1. When the interval Ld2 between the objects to be weighed is shorter than the length L of the weighing conveyor 1, two or more objects to be weighed P are placed on the weighing conveyor 1 at the same time. Therefore, the control unit 31 generates a measurement error signal (for example, transmits a signal to exclude the measurement object P to the sorting device disposed downstream). That is, the article detection sensor 7 finally confirms whether the object P is being conveyed correctly. Further, the article detection sensor 7 can be applied as a reference for determining the operation timing in a downstream device such as a sorting device.

  In this embodiment, the control part 31 of the controller 3 is comprised so that the instruction | indication signal based on the space | interval Ld between to-be-measured objects can be transmitted to the apparatus arrange | positioned upstream from the supply conveyor 4. FIG. 4 and 5 are block diagrams showing a schematic configuration example of a weighing system to which the weight sorter shown in FIG. 1 is applied.

  The weighing system in the example of FIG. 4 collects articles (the objects to be weighed P) packed in a plurality of (three) weighing and packaging lines by a collective alignment device and conveys them to the inspection and boxing line at regular intervals. . Specifically, a plurality (three) of combination weighers 12 that weigh the articles so as to have a predetermined weight, and a plurality of (three) packaging machines 13 that respectively package the articles weighed by each combination weigher 12. have. The articles respectively wrapped by the plurality of packaging machines 13 are gathered by the gathering and aligning device 14 and aligned in a row, and are sent out to the downstream transport path at equal intervals.

  The weighing system in the example of FIG. 5 includes a filling device 19 that fills a packaging bag or the like with a fluid article such as a liquid. Articles (packaging bags) filled by the filling device 19 are sent out at equal intervals to the downstream conveyance path.

  In this way, the foreign object detection device 15 and, in some cases, the metal detection device 16 detect whether or not foreign materials or metals are mixed in the articles sent to the downstream conveyance path at equal intervals. Furthermore, it is determined by the weight sorter 10 (1st weight sorter 10a) which has the said structure whether the articles | goods conveyed are contained in the predetermined weight range. At the downstream of the first weight sorter 10a, there is provided a sorting device 17 that excludes nonconforming articles based on the detection or weighing result of the foreign matter detection device 15, the metal detection device 16 and the first weight sorter 10a. Yes. Further downstream of the sorting device 17, a boxing device 18 for packing the items and the weight of the items packed by the boxing device 18 are detected to detect that the items are surely packed in the box. A weight sorter 10 (second weight sorter 10b) for inspecting missing parts to be confirmed is provided. The configuration of the second weight sorter 10b is basically the same as that of the first weight sorter 10a.

  In the weighing system shown in FIG. 4, the conveyance interval of articles can be changed in the combination scale 12 and the collective alignment device 14 among the devices 12 to 16 upstream of the first weight sorter 10 a. Further, among the devices 12 to 18 upstream of the second weight sorter 10b, in addition to the devices 12 and 14, the sorting device 17 and the boxing device 18 can change the article conveyance interval.

  Therefore, the control unit 31 of the controller 3 in the first weight sorter 10a shown in FIG. 4 functions as an instruction signal generator 31e and is arranged upstream of the supply conveyor 4 of the first weight sorter 10a. An instruction signal based on the distance Ld between the objects to be weighed can be transmitted to each combination weigher 12 and the collective alignment device 14. Further, the control unit 31 of the controller 3 in the second weight sorter 10b includes each combination weigher 12, a collective alignment device 14, and a sorting device arranged upstream of the supply conveyor 4 of the second weight sorter 10b. 17 and the boxing device 18 are configured to be able to transmit an instruction signal based on the interval Ld between the objects to be weighed.

  Similarly, in the weighing system shown in FIG. 5, the article conveyance interval can be changed in the filling device 19 among the devices 15 and 19 upstream of the first weight sorter 10 a. Further, among the devices 15 and 17 to 19 upstream of the second weight sorter 10b, in addition to the filling device 19, the sorting device 17 and the boxing device 18 can change the article conveyance interval.

  Therefore, the control unit 31 of the controller 3 in the first weight sorter 10a shown in FIG. 5 functions as an instruction signal generator 31e and is arranged upstream of the supply conveyor 4 of the first weight sorter 10a. An instruction signal based on the interval Ld between the objects to be weighed can be transmitted to the filling device 19. Further, the control unit 31 of the controller 3 in the second weight sorter 10b is connected to the filling device 19, the sorting device 17 and the boxing device 18 arranged upstream of the supply conveyor 4 of the second weight sorter 10b. The instruction signal based on the interval Ld between the objects to be weighed can be transmitted.

  By configuring in this way, it becomes possible to set the processing capacity of the upstream devices 12, 14, 17, 18, 19 based on the processing capacity of the weight sorters 10a, 10b. The production efficiency of the production line can be kept high while the workpiece P is detected with high accuracy in the weighing conveyor 1b.

  In this regard, in the conventional configuration as described in Patent Document 2, the processing capacity of the downstream device (the supply speed of the object to be weighed) is set based on the supply amount detected upstream, so the upstream When a large amount of supply from the supply device is detected, it is necessary to control the processing capacity higher (for example, the conveyance speed is faster) as it goes downstream. That is, the processing capability must be increased as the apparatus is located downstream. On the other hand, as described above, in order to ensure a predetermined weighing accuracy in the weighing conveyor 1 of the weight sorters 10a and 10b, the speed V2 of the weighing conveyor 1 cannot be increased beyond a predetermined speed and is as constant as possible. It is preferable to maintain the speed. Therefore, with the configuration described in Patent Document 2, it is difficult to maintain high production efficiency while performing processing with high accuracy.

  Therefore, by transmitting an instruction signal to the upstream apparatus based on the interval Ld between the objects to be weighed calculated in the weight sorters 10a and 10b, the processing capacity (processing status of the downstream weight sorters 10a and 10b is processed. ), The upstream devices 12, 14, 17, 18, 19 can be controlled, and the production efficiency can be maintained high without changing the speed of the weighing conveyor 1.

  The instruction signal at this time may be a signal indicating the numerical value of the distance Ld between the objects to be weighed, or a signal indicating whether the distance Ld between the objects to be weighed is wider or narrower than the reference value. Further, it may be a signal instructing to widen or narrow the article conveyance interval according to the interval Ld between the objects to be weighed. By transmitting such an instruction signal to the devices 12, 14, 17, 18, and 19 disposed upstream, the devices 12, 14, 17, 18, and 19 disposed upstream are supplied to the supply conveyor 4. The interval Ld between the objects to be weighed can be controlled to be equal in advance, and the production efficiency of the production line can be kept high.

  4 and 5, the instruction signal can be transmitted to a plurality of upstream devices. However, the upstream device that transmits the instruction signal is not limited to the upstream device. Any one of these may be sufficient, and any may be sufficient. Further, the upstream device to which the instruction signal is transmitted may be a device other than the above as long as the device can change the article conveyance speed and the conveyance interval. Moreover, it is good also as transmitting to the conveyance conveyor (not shown) arrange | positioned between each apparatus.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various improvements, changes, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  The weight sorter of the present invention is useful for preventing a state in which a plurality of objects to be weighed are simultaneously conveyed to the weighing conveyor.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Weighing conveyor 2 Weighing sensor 3 Controller 4 Supply conveyor 5 Article detection sensor 6 Input indicator 7 Second article detection sensor 8 Conveyance conveyor 10, 10a, 10b Weight sorter 11 Driving roller 12 Weighing conveyor 12 Combination scale 13 Packaging machine 14 Collective alignment device 15 Foreign object detection device 16 Metal detection device 17 Sorting device 18 Box filling device 19 Filling device 31 Control unit 31a Interval calculator 31b Speed calculator 31c Speed controller 31d Interval determiner 31e Instruction signal generator 32 Storage unit 41 Feed roller drive rollers 51, 71 Emitters 52, 72 Light receiver L Length of weighing conveyor Ld Distance between objects to be measured Le Conversion interval between objects to be weighed P Object to be weighed V1 Conveying speed V2 of conveying conveyor Weighing conveyor speed

Claims (5)

A weighing conveyor for carrying an object to be weighed;
Weighing means for weighing the object to be weighed on the weighing conveyor;
A supply conveyor for supplying the objects to be weighed to the weighing conveyor;
An article detection sensor provided on the inlet side of the supply conveyor for detecting an object to be weighed;
With a controller,
The controller calculates the conveyance speed of the supply conveyor based on the length and conveyance speed of the weighing conveyor and the interval between the objects measured from the objects detected by the article detection sensor. A weight sorter configured to control the supply conveyor to achieve the transport speed.   The controller calculates the conveyance speed of the supply conveyor so that the ratio of the conveyance speed of the supply conveyor to the conveyance speed of the weighing conveyor is the ratio of the interval between the objects to be weighed to the length of the measurement conveyor. The weight sorter according to claim 1.   The controller converts an interval between the objects to be weighed into an interval between objects to be weighed (hereinafter referred to as a conversion interval) when the speed of the supply conveyor is the same as the speed of the weighing conveyor. In comparison with the length of the weighing conveyor, when the conversion interval is shorter than the length of the weighing conveyor, the conveyance speed of the supply conveyor is controlled so that the conversion interval is longer than the length of the weighing conveyor, The weight sorter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the conversion interval is equal to or longer than the length of the weighing conveyor, the conveying speed of the supply conveyor is not changed.   The weight according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the controller is configured to be able to transmit an instruction signal based on an interval between the objects to be weighed to a device disposed upstream of the supply conveyor. Sorting machine.   5. The weight sorter according to claim 4, wherein the instruction signal is a signal indicating whether an interval between the objects to be weighed is wider or narrower than a reference value.

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