JP6896341B2 - Troughs, supply feeders and weighing devices - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a trough, a supply feeder equipped with the trough, and a weighing device. More specifically, the present invention includes a trough for transporting articles suitable for supplying articles such as foods and confectionery to the weighing device little by little. Regarding supply feeders and weighing devices.

A combinatorial scale, which is a weighing device that performs combinatorial weighing, generally supplies an article from a supply device that supplies the article to the conical central portion of the dispersion feeder, and the dispersion feeder is a plurality of linears installed in a circle around the center. The article is conveyed to the feeder, and the plurality of linear feeders vibrately convey the article to the plurality of supply hoppers and feed the article. The plurality of supply hoppers temporarily hold the article and supply the article to the plurality of weighing hoppers arranged below the article. In each weighing hopper, the weight of the supplied article is weighed by the weight sensor and the weighing thereof is performed. By performing a combination calculation based on the values, the combination of the weighing hoppers whose sum of the weighing values matches or is closest to the target combination weight is selected, the articles of the weighing hopper selected for this combination are discharged, and the articles of the weighing hopper selected for this combination are ejected through the collective chute. And put it in the packaging machine.

In such a combination scale, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, two different types of articles are mixed by a predetermined amount and weighed so that the total weight becomes a predetermined weight, so-called mixed weighing. May be done.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-225831

In Patent Document 1, a plurality of linear feeders arranged in a circle are divided into semicircles in order to perform two types of mixed weighing, that is, a group of linear feeders located in one semicircle and the other semicircle. It is divided into a linear feeder group located in, and articles of each type are distributed and supplied to each linear feeder group.

In such mixed weighing, there are many kinds of articles to be mixed, and the amount of articles to be mixed is small, so-called high-mix low-volume applications.

In order to reduce the amount of articles to be mixed, it is necessary to reduce the amount of articles supplied from the linear feeder to the measuring hopper via the supply hopper.

However, in a flat-shaped article, for example, an article such as a rice cracker or a biscuit, when it is vibrated and conveyed by a linear feeder, it is conveyed in a posture in which the flat surface is turned up and down, that is, in a sideways lying down posture. It is difficult to supply a small amount of articles because a plurality of articles, for example, about 3 to 5 articles, are vertically overlapped and transported and supplied to the supply hopper.

An object of the present invention is to provide a trough suitable for transporting a flat article in small quantities, a supply feeder provided with the trough, and a weighing device.

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

(1) The present invention is a trough of a vibration feeder that vibrates and conveys an article, and is provided at least on a first bottom surface in an inclined state and one end of the first bottom surface, and the article is inclined by the first bottom surface. The article is provided with a first side wall that makes the inclination of the article steeper than the inclination on the first bottom surface, and the first side wall is inclined upward from one end of the first bottom surface. A second side wall provided along the other side of the first bottom surface is provided, and the first bottom surface and the first and second side walls form a transport passage for transporting the article. The width of the first bottom surface is narrowed toward the lower side in the transport direction of the article, and the first bottom surface is inclined downward from the first side wall toward the second side wall. The first and second side walls form an alignment region for aligning the articles while transporting them .

According to the trough of the present invention, when an article, for example, a flat article is supplied to the trough, first, the flat surface is oscillated on the first bottom surface in a lying posture with the flat surface facing substantially up and down, and is vibrated and conveyed in the conveying direction. The posture changes along the inclination of the first bottom surface while being conveyed to the lower side.

Then, as the article having a posture along the inclination of the first bottom surface is conveyed by vibration, the article sequentially rides on the first side wall at the end of the first bottom surface, and the posture of the article is changed by the inclination of the first side wall. 1 It becomes steeper than the inclination on the bottom surface. In addition, the large overlap of articles is loosened by receiving the vibration carrying force.

As a result, the article is conveyed on the first bottom surface, sequentially climbs on the first side wall, and the inclined state of the article approaches the vertical posture from the lying posture. At this time, since the large overlap of the articles is loosened by receiving the vibration carrying force, the posture of the articles can be brought closer to the vertical state in a state where the articles are not greatly overlapped, such as one or two sheets.
According to the present invention, since the first side wall is inclined upward from one end of the first bottom surface, the article conveyed on the first bottom surface and in a posture along the inclination of the first bottom surface is the first. It goes over the upper end of the bottom surface and climbs onto the first side wall in sequence. Since the first side wall is inclined upward from one end of the first bottom surface, it approaches a state closer to vertical as the article rides on the first side wall.
According to the trough of the present invention, when an article, for example, a flat article is supplied to the alignment region, first, the flat surface is oscillated and vibrated on the bottom surface in a lying posture with the flat surface facing substantially up and down, and is vibrated and conveyed in the conveying direction. While being conveyed to the lower side, it is shifted to the second side wall side along the inclination of the first bottom surface, and some articles are conveyed while being abutted and guided by the second side wall.
As the width of the bottom surface, that is, the width of the transport passage, becomes narrower, the other end of the article whose one end is abutted and guided to the second side wall rides on the first side wall provided so as to be inclined upward. As the transportation progresses, the ride on the inclined first side wall increases, and the articles gradually stand up and are aligned in the inclined standing posture.
Since the width is narrowed at the end of the narrowed transfer passage, the number of articles can be reduced, and even if the articles in the inclined standing posture overlap, the overlap is restricted to a small number, and the number of articles is small. It is possible to discharge the articles in the aligned state in the tilted standing posture.

(2) The present invention is a trough of a vibration feeder that vibrates and conveys an article, and is provided at least on a first bottom surface in an inclined state and one end of the first bottom surface, and the article is inclined by the first bottom surface. A first side wall that makes the inclination of the article steeper than the inclination on the first bottom surface is provided, and the width dimension of the first bottom surface at the start end in the transport direction of the article is the said. It is larger than the outer dimension of the article, and the width dimension of the first bottom surface at the end in the transport direction is smaller than the outer dimension of the article .

According to the present invention, the width dimension of the first bottom surface at the start end in the transport direction of the article is larger than the external dimension of the article, so that the flat article can maintain a lying posture with its flat surface turned substantially up and down. However, at the end of the transport direction of the article in which the width of the first bottom surface gradually narrows, the width dimension of the first bottom surface is smaller than the outer dimension of the article, so that the flat article cannot maintain the lying posture. It cannot be done, and it gradually shifts to an upright posture toward the end in the transport direction.

(3) In a preferred embodiment of the trough of the present invention, the first side wall is formed so that the area of the inclined surface increases from the upper side in the transport direction to the lower side in the transport direction of the article. Has been done.

According to the present embodiment, the inclined surface of the first side wall becomes larger in the transport direction. Therefore, as the transport of the article progresses, the inclined article on the first bottom surface sequentially rides on the first side wall. growing. The first side wall can tilt the article more steeply than the first bottom surface, and as the article rides on the first side wall from the first bottom surface, it gradually approaches a nearly vertical standing posture.

( 4 ) In one embodiment of the trough of the present invention, a receiving region for receiving the supplied articles and transporting them to the aligned region is provided on the upper side of the aligned region in the transport direction of the articles, and the receiving region is provided. Includes a third and fourth side walls connected to the first and second side walls of the alignment region and a second bottom surface connected to the first bottom surface, and the second bottom surface and the third and third side walls of the receiving area. The four side walls constitute a carry-in passage for carrying the article, and the second bottom surface is inclined downward from the third side wall toward the fourth side wall.

According to this embodiment, the article supplied to the receiving region on the upper side in the transport direction of the article in the alignment region is transported to the lower side in the transport direction by receiving the vibration transport force. At this time, a part of the article transported to the lower side in the transport direction is shifted to the fourth side wall side along the inclination of the second bottom surface. Also, during the vibrating transfer, the large overlap of articles is loosened to some extent and sent to the next alignment region.

( 5 ) In another embodiment of the trough of the present invention, a carry-out area for receiving and carrying out the article from the line-up area is provided on the lower side of the line-up area in the transport direction of the article, and the carry-out area is The fifth and sixth side walls connected to the first and second side walls of the alignment region and the third bottom surface connected to the first bottom surface are provided, and the fifth side wall of the carry-out area is inclined upward. The inclination is steeper than the inclination of the upward extension of the first side wall of the alignment region.

According to this embodiment, the flat article aligned in the tilted upright posture in the alignment region shifts to the carry-out region, is guided by the lower end of the sixth side wall, and leans the upper part against the steep fifth side wall. The made article is conveyed in an inclined upright posture that is more upright than the aligned area, and is carried out from the end of the carry-out area.

( 6 ) In one embodiment of the trough of the present invention, the width of the third bottom surface of the carry-out region is narrower than the width of the first bottom surface of the alignment region.

According to this embodiment, the width of the third bottom surface of the carry-out area, that is, the width of the transport passage is narrower than the width of the transport passage in the alignment region, so that the number of articles to be transported is reduced as compared with the alignment region. At the same time, the posture of the article can be made more upright.

( 7 ) In still another embodiment of the trough of the present invention, the height dimension of the fifth side wall of the carry-out region is smaller than the external dimension of the article.

According to this embodiment, since the height dimension of the fifth side wall of the carry-out area is smaller than the external dimension of the article, the lower end of the flat article in the inclined standing posture leaning against the fifth side wall is supported at one point. On the other hand, the upper part of the flat surface stands up in a state of being linearly received by the upper end side of the fifth side wall along the transport direction. Therefore, the height dimension of the fifth side wall is larger than the external dimension of the article, and the tilted standing posture is stable in the width direction of the bottom surface as compared with the case where the inclined standing upright is supported by two points of the upper end and the lower end of the article. It is transported and carried out while maintaining a stable tilted standing posture without wobbling.

( 8 ) The supply feeder of the present invention is provided at least at the first bottom surface in an inclined state and one end of the first bottom surface, and the article tilted by the first bottom surface rides on the article to tilt the article. A trough having a first side wall that is steeper than the inclination on the first bottom surface is provided, and a vibration feeder that vibrates and conveys the article is used as a good side vibration feeder, and the trough of the good side vibration feeder. The first side wall of the above is used as the first side wall on the upper side, and the upper side vibration feeder and the lower side vibration feeder arranged on the lower side of the upper side vibration feeder in the transport direction of the article are provided. The feeder trough is arranged at a position lower than the trough of the upper vibration feeder, and the trough of the lower vibration feeder is provided along one side of the lower bottom surface and the lower bottom surface. The article is provided with a first side wall and a lower side second side wall provided along the other side of the lower side bottom surface, and is provided by the lower side bottom surface of the lower side vibration feeder and the lower side first and second side walls. The lower side first side wall corresponding to the upper side first side wall of the trough of the upper side vibration feeder is inclined upwardly.

According to the supply feeder of the present invention, the articles that are aligned and carried out in the inclined standing posture by the upper vibration feeder are dropped and supplied to the lower vibration feeder with a drop, and even if the flat articles overlap in the thickness direction. It is loosened by the drop impact. In addition, since the article that is dropped and supplied to the lower vibration feeder is in a substantially upright posture, it falls from the direction of high rigidity to the lower lower vibration feeder and is received, so that damage due to a drop impact is unlikely to occur. It becomes a thing.

( 9 ) In another embodiment of the supply feeder of the present invention, the trough of the lower vibration feeder has a first region on the upper side and a second region on the lower side in the transport direction of the article. Each of the lower side first and second side walls is formed over the first region and the second region, and the inclination of the upper extension of the lower side first side wall in the second region is the first region. It is steeper than the inclination of the upper spread of the first side wall on the lower side in.

According to this embodiment, the inclination of the upper spread of the lower first side wall in the second region on the lower side in the transport direction is larger than the inclination of the upper spread of the lower first side wall in the first region on the upper side in the transport direction. Since it is steep, it is possible to supply the article in a more upright posture as compared with the first region.

( 10 ) In still another embodiment of the supply feeder of the present invention, the height dimension of the lower side first and second side walls in the first region is larger than the external dimension of the article, and the height dimension in the second region is larger than the external dimension of the article. The height dimension of the first and second side walls on the lower side is smaller than the external dimension of the article.

According to this embodiment, in the first region for receiving the article discharged from the upper vibration feeder, the height dimension of the lower first and second side walls thereof is larger than the external dimension of the article, and a deep transport passage is formed. Therefore, the article that is dropped and supplied in the tilted upright posture does not jump out of the trough even if it jumps up due to the impact of dropping.

Further, the article received in the tilted standing posture in the first region shifts to the second region while maintaining the tilted standing posture, and the heights of the first and second side walls on the lower side of the second region. Since the dimensions are smaller than the external dimensions of the article, a flat article in an inclined upright posture leaning against the first side wall on the lower side is supported at one point at the lower end, whereas the upper part of the flat surface is on the lower side. It stands up on the upper end side of the first side wall in a state of being linearly received along the transport direction. Therefore, the height dimension of the first side wall on the lower side is larger than the external dimension of the article, and the tilted standing posture of the article is stable and the bottom surface is more stable than the case where the article is tilted upright by two-point support at the upper end and the lower end of the article. It is transported while maintaining a stable tilted standing posture without wobbling in the width direction of.

( 11 ) In the weighing device of the present invention, a supply hopper for holding and discharging an article to be supplied and a measuring hopper for holding and weighing the article discharged from the supply hopper are arranged in a series up and down. It is provided with a plurality of measuring units having, and is provided with a plurality of supply feeders for supplying articles to the plurality of measuring units, and at least a part of the plurality of supply feeders is any one of the above (8 ) to ( 10). The supply feeder according to item 1.

According to the weighing device of the present invention, it is possible to supply a flat article little by little with a part of a plurality of supply feeders, and it is possible to accurately perform weighing including the flat article.

As described above, according to the trough or the supply feeder of the present invention, flat articles can be smoothly vibrated and conveyed little by little without overlapping each other.

Further, by incorporating these into the weighing device, it becomes possible to accurately perform weighing including a flat article.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the weighing device according to the embodiment of the present invention with the supply unit on the front side removed. FIG. 2 is a side view of the weighing device. FIG. 3 is a side view of the weighing device in which the supply unit is separated and moved. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a weighing device in which a part of the supply units are separated and moved. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the trough of the supply feeder according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a side view of the supply feeder of FIG. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the trough of the supply feeder of FIG. FIG. 8 is a front view of the trough seen from the transport end side of the supply feeder of FIG. FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional front view of the trough of the upper vibration feeder in the receiving region. FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional front view of the trough of the upper vibration feeder in the alignment region. FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional front view of the trough of the upper vibration feeder in the carry-out area. FIG. 12 is a longitudinal front view of the trough of the lower vibration feeder in the first region. FIG. 13 is a vertical sectional front view of the trough of the lower vibration feeder in the second region. FIG. 14 is a side view showing the measuring unit and the reject mechanism. FIG. 15 is a partially cutaway side view of the reject operating state. FIG. 16 is a side view showing a position switching structure of the storage hopper. FIG. 17 is a control block diagram of the weighing device.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a state in which the supply unit 4 on the front side of the weighing device according to the embodiment of the present invention is removed, FIG. 2 is a side view of the measuring device, and FIG. 3 is a supply unit 4. It is a side view of the weighing device which moved away, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the weighing device which moved a part of supply units 4 apart.

The weighing device of this embodiment is for weighing various kinds of foods, confectionery, and the like, for example, 10 kinds of articles in combination in predetermined small amounts. This weighing device is installed on the floor surface 2 upstairs where the worker W can go up and down, and is used for a packaging line in which the weighed articles are put into a packaging machine (not shown) installed downstairs and packed in a bag. To.

In order to make the structure easier to understand, in the following description, the horizontal direction in FIG. 1, the front and back directions of the paper surface in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the vertical direction in FIG. 4 are referred to as left and right directions, and the drawings are also shown. The front and back directions of the paper surface in 1, the lateral direction in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the left-right direction in FIG. 4 are referred to as front-rear directions.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a center substrate 1 is fixedly arranged on the floor surface 2 via a support frame (not shown) at the center of the weighing device in the front-rear direction.

On each of the front side (left side of FIGS. 2 to 4) and the rear side (right side of FIGS. 2 to 4) of the center substrate 1, a plurality of measuring units 3 arranged in a row on the left and right are arranged. ing. In this example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, 14 measuring units 3 in each row are arranged in a row, and a total of 28 measuring units 3 are provided in a total of 2 rows in the front-rear direction. The number of stations constituting the plurality of stations is arbitrary, and may be a number according to the number of varieties of articles to be mixed and the like.

Weighing is performed on the front side of the weighing unit 3 group on the front side (left side in FIGS. 2 to 4) and on the rear side (right side in FIGS. 2 to 4) of the measuring unit 3 group on the rear side. Supply units 4 for supplying various kinds of articles to the upper part of each measuring unit 3 arranged in a straight line are arranged close to each other facing the measuring unit group 3.

Each series of measuring units 3 includes a supply hopper 5 that temporarily holds and discharges the articles conveyed from the supply unit 4, a measuring hopper 6 for holding and weighing the articles discharged from the supply hopper 5. The memory hopper 7 for holding the weighed articles discharged from the weighing hopper 6 is arranged in a vertical column. The hoppers 5, 6 and 7 of the measuring unit 3 are detachably attached to the center substrate 1 in the same manner as in the conventional case.

Although not shown, a weight sensor described later for detecting the weight of an article supplied to the supply hopper 5, the weighing hopper 6, the gate drive unit that opens and closes the discharge gate of the memory hopper 7, and the weighing hopper 6. Etc. are stored and supported in the center substrate 1. The center substrate 1 and each supply unit 4 are connected by a cable or the like (not shown).

Each weighing unit 3 is provided with the memory hopper 7 as described above, and the number of hoppers (effective hoppers) that can participate in the combination calculation can be increased.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the measuring units 3 having 14 stations in each of the front and rear rows are divided into four partial stations adjacent to each other in the left-right direction, the outer partial stations are four stations, and the inner partial stations are four stations. Is composed of three stations.

Below the weighing hopper 6 and the memory hopper 7 in each partial series, a plurality of weighing hoppers 6 selected by a combination calculation so as to have a predetermined weight, or a first set for collecting articles discharged from the memory hopper 7. Shoot 8 is deployed.

Below each first set chute 8 corresponding to each partial series, a first gate 9 for opening and closing the discharge port of each first set chute 8 is provided, and articles collected by each first set chute 8 are provided. Can be temporarily received, held, and discharged. Further, below the plurality of first gates 9, a single second collective chute 10 and a second collective chute 10 that slide and guide the articles discharged from each first collective chute 8 and collect them in the lower center of the weighing unit 3 group. A second gate 11 is provided to open and close the central discharge port of the collecting chute 10. All kinds of articles weighed and collected by the three groups of the front and rear weighing units are collected in one place in the center of the second collecting chute 10, temporarily received and held by the second gate 11, and held in the second. 2 Gate 11 is opened and discharged to the lower packaging machine. The second gate 11 is open-controlled based on a discharge request command from the packaging machine side.

The supply unit 4 corresponds to one unit for each of the two partial stations, the outer partial station in the left-right direction and the inner partial station adjacent thereto, and each partial station is composed of four stations and three stations. Therefore, the article is supplied to the measuring unit 3 for 7 stations by one supply unit 4. Therefore, a total of four supply units 4 are arranged in parallel on the left and right, two in front of the three groups of measuring units in one row on the front side and two in the rear of the three groups of measuring units in one row on the rear side. ing.

The supply unit 4 is configured by equipping the upper part of the underframe 12 with a storage hopper 13 for accommodating articles and a supply feeder 14 for vibrating and transporting articles unwound from the lower end of each storage hopper 13 toward the measuring unit 3. Has been done.

Each supply feeder 14 is composed of an upper vibrating feeder 15 and a lower vibrating feeder 16 arranged in a stepwise manner in a step-down manner along the transportation direction of the article. The upper and lower vibration feeders 15 and 16 are composed of troughs 17 and 18 on which articles are placed and conveyed along a predetermined path, and vibration mechanisms 19 and 20 for individually vibrating and driving them. .. By configuring the supply feeder 14 with the two vibration feeders 15 and 16 in this way, it is possible to lengthen the transport distance for vibrating and transporting the article, and to even out the article in the meantime and supply the article little by little. Suitable for weighing small quantities of varieties.

Further, since the vibration intensity (amplitude) can be set for each of the vibration feeders 15 and 16, an appropriate vibration intensity can be set according to the type of the article.

The articles charged and supplied from the storage hopper 13 to the upper vibration feeder 15 are loosened while being vibrated and transported, transferred to the lower vibration feeder 16, and vibrated and fed by the lower vibration feeder 16 in small portions. It is sent to the supply hopper 5. Further, when the supply feeder 14 vibrates and conveys the article, the mass of the article is easily loosened by an appropriate drop impact at the stepped portion of the upper and lower vibrating feeders 15 and 16 formed in the conveying path.

Above each supply feeder 14, for example, an article detection sensor 21 that detects the amount or bulk of an article near the end (end in the transport direction) of the upper vibration feeder 15 by ultrasonic waves is provided.

When the control device described later is detected by the article detection sensor 21 and determines that the amount or bulk of the article at the end of the vibration feeder 15 is less than a certain value, the vibration mechanism 19 is continuously driven and supplied from the storage hopper 13. The finished article is conveyed toward the end of the vibration feeder 15. Then, when the amount or bulk of the article at the end exceeds a certain level, the control device stops the vibration mechanism 19. At this time, since the vibration mechanism 20 is driven, the vibration is transmitted to the vibration feeder 15 in the upper stage, so that the article at the end of the vibration feeder 15 can be conveyed toward the vibration feeder 16.

Alternatively, when the amount or bulk of the article at the end of the vibration feeder 15 exceeds a certain level, the control device sequentially weakens the vibration of the vibration mechanism 19, and the article at the end is conveyed to the lower vibration feeder 16. You may stop at the timing.

By repeating the above operation, the control device intermittently drives the vibration exciting mechanism 19.

On the other hand, with respect to the vibration mechanism 20, the control device continuously drives the article on the lower vibration feeder 16 until the amount or volume in the supply hopper 5 becomes constant. Then, when the amount or bulk in the supply hopper 5 becomes constant, the control device stops the vibration mechanism 20, stops the transportation of the article to the supply hopper 5, opens and closes the supply hopper 5, and opens and closes the inside. The article is supplied to the weighing hopper 6. By repeating the above operation, the control device intermittently drives the vibration exciting mechanism 20.

The fact that articles can be supplied to the measuring unit 3 little by little is mainly due to the configuration of the supply feeder 14 (s), but the vibration strength of the vibration mechanisms 19 and 20 is such that the vibration strength corresponding to the small amount supply is obtained in advance. It is set.

The weighing device of this embodiment mixes and weighs flat and thin articles, for example, various kinds of articles including rice crackers and biscuits. Most of the supply feeder 14 groups are intended to transport loose articles such as small confectionery and nuts, and the troughs 17 and 18 of the vibration feeders 15 and 16 have a cross-sectional shape of, for example, an inverted trapezoid or a U. It is formed in the shape of a gutter. Further, a part of the supply feeder 14 (s) is a supply feeder according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is intended for transporting flat and easily overlapping articles such as rice crackers.

In the supply feeder 14 (s) of this embodiment, the trough 17 of the upper vibration feeder 15 as the upper side vibration feeder on the upper side in the transport direction and the lower stage as the lower side vibration feeder on the lower side in the transport direction. The trough 18 of the vibration feeder 16 of the above is configured as follows.

5 is a perspective view of troughs 17 and 18 of the supply feeder 14 (s) according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a side view of the supply feeder 14 (s) of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a view. 5 is a plan view of troughs 17 and 18 of the supply feeder 14 (s) of No. 5. Further, FIG. 8 is a front view of troughs 17 and 18 seen from the transport end side of the supply feeder 14 (s).

The trough 17 of the upper vibration feeder 15 as the upper vibration feeder has a receiving area A for receiving the articles sent from the storage hopper 13, an alignment area B for aligning and aligning the received articles while transporting the received articles, and an alignment area B. , It is divided into a carry-out area C that guides the aligned articles to the lower side in the transport direction while maintaining the aligned articles in a predetermined posture.

The receiving area A has the left and right third and fourth side walls 17d and 17e, the second bottom surface 17f, and the front end wall 17g, and is formed in a shallow rectangular box shape open to the lower side in the transport direction of the article. Has been done. The second bottom surface 17f and the third and fourth side walls 17d and 17e form a carry-in passage for articles.

The width dimension of the second bottom surface 17f defined by the third side wall 17d provided along one side of the second bottom surface 17f and the fourth side wall 17e provided along the other side of the second bottom surface 17f is The external dimensions of the flat article, for example, the outer diameter (diameter) is set to be sufficiently larger than the circular rice cracker of about 40 mm, for example, about 100 mm.

The flat article is not limited to a circle, but may be a polygon, and the external dimension of the article in that case means the maximum external dimension.

The second bottom surface 17f of the receiving region A is inclined downward from the third side wall 17d toward the fourth side wall 17e.

The alignment region B includes third and fourth side walls 17d and 17e of the receiving region A, and first and second side walls 17a and 17b and a first bottom surface 17c connected to the second bottom surface 17f. The first bottom surface 17c extending along the transport direction of the article is in an inclined state, and as shown in FIG. 8, for example, at the same angle as the first bottom surface 17f in the receiving region A, the first side wall 17a to the second side wall It is sloping down toward 17b. As shown in FIG. 7, the first bottom surface 17c is formed in a substantially triangular shape whose planar shape narrows toward the lower side in the transport direction. The first bottom surface 17c may be at least in an inclined state, and the planar shape does not necessarily have to be narrowed toward the lower side in the transport direction.

The first bottom surface 17c and the first and second side walls 17a and 17b of the alignment region B form a transport passage for articles.

The first bottom surface 17c of the alignment area B is slightly lower than the second bottom surface 17f of the receiving area A, for example, by about several mm, and the second bottom surface 17f of the receiving area A and the first bottom surface 17c of the alignment area B. Is connected by a connection bottom surface 17h that gently descends and inclines toward the lower side in the transport direction of the article.

The first side wall 17a along one side of the first bottom surface 17c in the alignment region B is provided so as to be inclined upward, whereas the second side wall 17b along the other side of the first bottom surface 17c is provided. It is erected vertically like the fourth side wall 17e of the receiving area A connected to the above.

Here, "providing the side wall so as to be inclined upward" means that the side wall, for example, is provided at one end of the bottom surface, for example, the first bottom surface 17c, in a direction opposite to that of the first bottom surface 17c. It means that the first side wall 17c is provided with an inclination. In other words, with reference to the first bottom surface 17c, the side wall is provided at an angle (obtuse angle) larger than that in the vertical direction. Simply put, it refers to a state in which the side wall is provided so as to incline so as to gradually expand upward when viewed from the bottom surface, not in the direction of closing the bottom surface.

The carry-out region C is a fifth side wall 17i that is refracted and connected to the first side wall 17a of the alignment region B, a sixth side wall 17j that is a linear extension of the vertical second side wall 17b in the alignment region B, and an alignment region B. It has a small space extending from the end of the first bottom surface 17c, for example, a space having a third bottom surface 17k of about 10 mm. The third bottom surface 17k and the fifth and sixth side walls 17i and 17j form a transport passage for articles. The fifth side wall 17i is provided so as to be inclined upward like the first side wall 17a of the alignment region B.

Further, the trough 18 of the lower vibration feeder 16 as the lower vibration feeder is configured as a straight gutter shape having an inverted trapezoidal shape with a narrow vertical cross section as a whole, and is carried out from the upper vibration feeder 15. Receive the goods you received.

The trough 18 is divided into a first region D on the upper side in the transport direction and a second region E on the lower side in the transport direction in which the received article is transported and discharged while maintaining a constant inclined standing posture.

In the first region D of the trough 18, the left and right lower side first and second side walls 18a and 18b facing each other, a constant narrow width, for example, a horizontal lower side bottom surface 18c having a width of about several mm, and after the transport passage. A rear end wall 18d that closes the end is provided. The lower bottom surface 18c and the lower first and second side walls 18a and 18b form a transport passage for articles.

In the state where the supply feeder 14 (s) is assembled, between the terminal discharge height of the upper vibration feeder 15 and the receiving height of the lower vibration feeder 16, for example, the external dimension of the article w (the maximum dimension of the article; for example, In the case of a circular article, the head is set to be larger than the diameter of the article in the flat state).

The lower first and second side walls 18a and 18b of the first region D are erected at a height slightly larger than the outer shape of the article w, and the rear portions of the lower first and second side walls 18a and 18b in the transport direction are It is extended higher, and is arranged so that the end of the trough 17 of the upper vibration feeder 15 is inserted between the side wall extending portions 18a'and 18b'.

The lower first and second side walls 18a and 18b correspond to the fifth and sixth side walls 17i and 17j of the carry-out area C in the trough 17 of the upper vibration feeder. The lower side first side wall 18a is erected at a steep angle, and the lower side second side wall 18b is erected vertically, for example.

Further, in the second region E of the trough 18, the lower side first side wall 18e which is refracted and connected to the lower side first side wall 18a in the first region D and the lower side second side wall 18b in the first region D are conveyed in the transport direction. A small width (at least smaller than the first and second bottom surfaces) formed by linearly extending the lower second side wall 18f on the lower side and the lower bottom surface 18c on the lower side of the first region D with the same width in the transport direction. ) Is provided with a horizontal bottom surface of 18 g on the lower side. A transport passage for transporting articles is formed by the lower bottom surface 18 g and the lower side first and second side walls 18e and 18f.

The lower first and second side walls 18e and 18f of the second region E are erected at a height slightly smaller than the outer shape of the article.

The lower first side wall 18a of the first region D and the lower first side wall 18e of the second region E are erected at a steep angle so as to expand upward, and the first side wall 18e on the lower side of the second region E is erected. The side wall 18e is erected at a steeper inclination angle than the lower side first side wall 18a of the first region D.

The lower first side walls 18a and 18e of the trough 18 of the lower vibration feeder 16 are from the first side wall 17a of the alignment region B as the upper first side wall of the trough 17 of the upper vibration feeder 15 as the upper vibration feeder. Also slopes at a steep angle to spread upwards.

The supply feeder 14 (s) for a flat article is configured as described above.

Next, the function will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 13. It should be noted that FIGS. 9 to 13 schematically show a typical transport posture of the article w in order to facilitate understanding of the explanation of the function.

FIG. 9 is a vertical front view of the trough 17 of the upper vibration feeder 15 in the receiving region A, FIG. 10 is a vertical front view of the upper vibration feeder 15 in the trough 17 in the alignment region B, and FIG. 11 is the upper row. It is a vertical sectional front view in the carry-out area C in the trough 17 of the vibration feeder 15. Further, FIG. 12 is a longitudinal front view of the trough 18 in the lower vibration feeder 16 in the first region D, and FIG. 13 is a longitudinal front view of the trough 18 in the lower vibration feeder 16 in the second region E.

The flat article discharged from the lower end outlet of the storage hopper 13, for example, the article w such as a flat, thin and round rice cracker (a circular rice cracker having an outer diameter of about 40 mm and a thickness of about 1 mm), first of all, the vibration feeder 15 in the upper stage. It is dropped and supplied over the entire width of the receiving area A of the trough 17 in the above. As shown in FIG. 9, a part of the article w in the receiving region A receives the vibration conveying force and is conveyed toward the lower side in the conveying direction while being abutted and guided by the third side wall 17d. In addition, some of the other articles w are shifted toward the fourth side wall 17e along the inclination of the second bottom surface 17f, and are conveyed while being abutted and guided by the fourth side wall 17e. In addition, the large overlap of the articles w is loosened by receiving the vibration carrying force.

When the article w passes through the connection bottom surface 17h and shifts to the alignment region B, the first bottom surface 17c is inclined downward toward the second side wall 17b, so that some articles w are on the first bottom surface 17c. It changes to a posture along an inclination, receives a transporting force, and sequentially climbs onto the first side wall 17a, becomes a posture having a steeper inclination than the first bottom surface 17c, and approaches an upright state.

In addition, some of the other articles are conveyed while being guided to the second side wall 17f side by the inclination of the first bottom surface 17c. When passing through the connection bottom surface 17h which is inclined downward in the transport direction, the article w in the prone position with the flat surface facing up and down is shaken up and down, and an overlapping loosening action is brought about.

As shown in FIG. 5, the width of the transport passage gradually narrows in the alignment region B. Therefore, when the width of the transport passage reaches the latter half of the alignment region B, which is smaller than the outer shape of the article w, as shown in FIG. One end of the article w that has already climbed on the inclined surface of the first side wall 17a hits the second side wall 17b due to gravity, and the article w gradually stands up with the inner corners of the first bottom surface 17c and the second side wall 17b as fulcrums. Become closer to.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the first side wall 17a is formed so that the area of the inclined surface increases from the upstream side in the transport direction to the downstream side in the transport direction. Therefore, as the transportation of the article w conveyed from the upstream side progresses, the amount of the article inclined on the first bottom surface 17c gradually increases on the inclined surface of the first side wall 17a. Since the inclination of the first side wall 17a is steeper than that of the first bottom surface 17c, as the article w rides on the first side wall 17a from the first bottom surface 17c, the inclination of the article is higher than when it is on the first bottom surface 17c. Suddenly, it gradually approaches the standing posture.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, the other end of the article w that is abutted and guided by the second side wall 17b rides on the first side wall 17e that is inclined upward, and the first bottom surface 17c and the second side wall. The article w is gradually erected while using the inner corner with 17b as a fulcrum.

Since the width of the transport passage in the alignment region B gradually narrows along the transport direction, the article w is smoothly transported without being clogged.

At the end of the alignment area B, the width of the transport passage is sufficiently narrow, so even if the standing articles w overlap, the next delivery area C can be reached in an alignment state restricted to a small number of about 3 or 4 sheets. Transition.

As shown in FIG. 11, the article w that has reached the carry-out area C is conveyed to the lower side while maintaining the inclined standing posture leaning against the fifth side wall 17i that is continuously inclined upward and at a steep angle. , Is ejected from its end.

At this time, the article w leaning against the fifth side wall 17i in the carry-out area C is in a state higher than the height of the fifth side wall 17i, and the lower end thereof is supported at one point, while the upper part of the flat surface is supported. , The fifth side wall 17i stands up on the upper end side in a linearly received state along the transport direction. Therefore, as compared with the case where the article w is lower than the height of the fifth side wall 17i and stands up with the two-point support of the upper end and the lower end, the standing posture is stable and the predetermined tilted standing posture without wobbling from side to side. Is stably maintained and transported and carried out.

As shown in FIG. 12, the article w discharged from the end of the trough 17 of the upper vibration feeder 15 falls to the front part of the trough 18 of the lower vibration feeder 16 in an inclined upright posture slightly tilted in a certain direction. Be supplied. The article w discharged in the inclined upright posture is dropped and supplied between the higher side wall extending portions 18a ′ and 18b ′ on the lower side first and second side walls 18a and 18b higher than the outer shape thereof, so that the article w is supplied. Even if it jumps up due to a drop impact, it will not jump out of the trough 18.

Further, even if three or four articles w are overlapped and discharged, the overlap is likely to be loosened by the drop impact when the articles w are received by the front portion of the trough 18. At this time, since the lower end of the outer circumference of the flat article w is received by the lower bottom surface 18c of the trough 18, the flat article w falls in the plane direction in a prone position and is received. It is less likely to be damaged.

The article w that has been dropped and supplied to the first region D of the trough 18 and loosened is vibrated and conveyed to the second region E in an inclined upright posture leaning against the first side wall 18a on the lower side that is inclined upward.

As shown in FIG. 13, the article w that has reached the second region E is guided by the lower first side wall 18e that is continuously inclined at a low and steep angle, and the number of articles w is reduced while maintaining a constant inclined standing posture. It is transported one by one.

At this time, since the lower first and second side walls 18e and 18f of the second region E are lower than the article w, the lower end of the article w leaning against the lower first side wall 18e is supported at one point. On the other hand, the upper part of the flat surface stands up on the upper end side of the lower first side wall 18e in a state of being linearly received along the transport direction. Therefore, as compared with the case where the lower first side wall 18e is higher than the article w and the article w stands up with two-point support of the upper end and the lower end, the standing posture is stable and the tilted standing posture does not sway from side to side. Is stably maintained and transported.

The weighing device of this embodiment is additionally provided with the following structure.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, wheels 22 are provided at the lower four corners of the underframe 12 in the supply unit 4, and rails 23 for engaging and guiding the wheels 22 are provided on the floor surface 2 in the front-rear direction. It is laid along. Each supply unit 4 can approach and move away from the measuring unit 3 group in the row direction along the rail 23 in a direction orthogonal to the measurement unit 3 group (front-rear direction).

That is, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the supply unit 4 is largely separated outward from the supply position for supplying the article to the measuring unit 3, and the operator is placed between the supply unit 4 and the measuring unit 3. By leaving a space for the hoppers, the hoppers 5, 6 and 7 of the measuring unit 3 and the members of the supply unit 4 can be easily attached and detached for maintenance such as cleaning and inspection and maintenance. ..

When the supply unit 4 at the maintenance position is moved closer to the measuring unit 3 group after cleaning, inspection and maintenance, the underframe 12 is moved closer to the stopper 24 projecting near the rail 23. , The end of the supply feeder 14 will be properly positioned with respect to the supply hopper 5. At this positioned supply position, the supply unit 4 is appropriately fixed by the locking means and the weighing operation is started.

In this embodiment, by moving one supply unit 4 apart, the front surface of the seven measuring units 3 can be opened, and one supply unit 4 is provided for each of the one measuring unit 3. Cleaning work, inspection and maintenance, etc. are easier than when they are deployed facing each other. If one supply unit 4 is arranged to face the three groups of measuring units in a row (14 stations in this example), the weight of the supply unit 4 becomes large and it becomes long to the left and right, which is rather difficult to handle. It is desirable to arrange one supply unit 4 facing each other with respect to several measuring units (7 in the embodiment).

The supply feeder 14 that vibrates and conveys the article to the supply hopper 5 of the weighing unit 3 is provided on the underframe 12 of the supply unit 4, while the weight sensor that detects the weight of the article supplied to the weighing hopper 6 of the weighing unit 3 is provided. The weight sensor provided on the center substrate 1, that is, the weight sensor for detecting the weight of the article, and the supply feeder 14 for vibrating and transporting the article are provided in different housings 1 and 12, respectively. As a result, the distributed feeder and linear feeder that vibrate and convey the article to the supply hopper are provided on the center substrate, which is the same housing as the weight sensor that detects the weight of the article supplied to the weighing hopper. Compared to the configuration, the weight sensor can reduce the influence of vibration received from the feeder.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the underframe 12 of the supply unit 4 is provided with a reject mechanism 25 for discharging an excessive amount of articles supplied to the measuring hopper 6.

FIG. 14 is a side view showing the measuring unit 3 and the reject mechanism 25.

The lower end of the weighing hopper 6 is provided with an outer gate 6a and an inner gate 6b for discharging that can be opened and closed independently. It is sent directly to the lower first set chute 8 via the first delivery path (a), and by swinging and opening only the inner gate 6b inward, the weighed article is passed through the second delivery path (b). It is sent to the memory hopper 7 and temporarily held.

That is, the measuring hopper 6 can selectively discharge the held article in two different discharge directions, and the discharged article is the first delivery path (a) which is two routes, or the first delivery path (a). It is transmitted to the first set chute 8 or the memory hopper 7 through the second transmission path (b).

When the weight of the article supplied to the weighing hopper 6 is an excess exceeding a predetermined weight range, the reject mechanism 25 for eliminating the excess article moves the reject chute 26 and the reject chute 26 forward and backward horizontally. An air cylinder 27 as a drive mechanism is provided, and a collection container 28 for collecting articles thrown into the reject chute 26 is provided.

The reject chute 26 is arranged so as to face the first delivery path (a) of the measuring hopper 6 from the outside. Normally, as shown in FIG. 14, the air cylinder 27 is shortened and the reject chute 26 is retracted to the outside of the first delivery path (a), and the article is associated with the opening of the outer gate 6a of the measuring hopper 6. Does not interfere with the discharge of the cylinder to the first assembly chute 8.

When the weight of the article weighed by the measuring hopper 6 is an excess amount exceeding a predetermined weight range, as shown in FIG. 15, the air cylinder 27 is extended and the reject chute 26 is moved to the first delivery path (a). ) Will be rejected. In this state, when the outer gate 6a is opened, the excess article in the measuring hopper 6 is discharged to the tubular reject chute 26 having the input port and the discharge port, and the excess article is discharged to the collection container 28. It is collected by flowing down. When the collection is completed, the reject chute 26 returns to the original position retracted from the first delivery path (a), and the outer gate 6a of the measuring hopper 6 is closed to prepare for the supply of the next article. The collection container 28 is provided so that an excess amount of articles can be collected for each variety so that articles of different varieties are not mixed. As a result, the recovered article can be efficiently re-weighed without waste.

A guide member 29 made of a plate material is provided at the tip of the reject chute 26. The guide member 29 is located at a position facing the first delivery path (a) from the outside when the reject chute 26 is retracted outward from the first delivery path (a), and is outside the weighing hopper 6. The gate 6a is opened to prevent the discharged articles from scattering to the outside by the guide member 29, and the discharged articles are correctly guided to the first collective chute 8.

As shown in FIG. 1, since the storage hopper 13 provided in the supply unit 4 is arranged at a relatively high position for the operator, in order to easily replenish the article, the article supply position at the high position and the article supply position are set. It is configured to be able to move up and down by switching to a low article supply position.

The elevating structure of the storage hopper 13 is shown in FIG. In this example, the storage hopper 13 having the article supply port 13b at the upper corner slides up and down on the support bracket 31 provided on the underframe 12 via the vertical elongated holes 32 and the two pins 33a and 33b, and It is supported so that it can be reversed and rotated inside and outside.

That is, a bifurcated bent hole portion is formed in the upper portion of the elongated hole 32, and the pins 33a and 33b are supported by the end portions of the bent hole portion in a state where the storage hopper 13 is raised. As a result, the storage hopper 13 is stably held at the article supply position that stands upright on the starting end of the supply feeder 14. From this state, when the storage hopper 13 is rotated 90 degrees outward about the pin 33a and then pulled out slightly outward, both pins 33a and 33b are located at straight portions of the vertical elongated holes 32. As a result, the storage hopper 13 in an outwardly tilted posture can be lowered in the same posture by the guidance of both pins 33a and 33b and the vertical elongated holes 32.

The lowering limit becomes the article replenishment position at a low position, and the article replenishment port 13b of the storage hopper 13 can be easily replenished and cleaned. Further, a telescopic damper 34 is erected over the storage hopper 13 and the lower part of the support bracket 31 to give an appropriate resistance to the rotation and lowering of the storage hopper 13 and to assist the hopper lifting operation. There is.

In this way, after the storage hopper 13 is lowered and replenished easily at a low position, the storage hopper 13 can be set at a predetermined article supply position simply by lifting the storage hopper 13, for example, the storage hopper 13 fixed at a high position. Replenishment work is easier than when replenishing by lifting a replenishment container or the like.

FIG. 17 is a control block diagram of the weighing device according to this embodiment.

The control device 41 that controls each unit is housed in, for example, the center substrate 1 and is connected to an operation setting display 42 that displays various settings such as operations for the measuring device, operation parameters, and measured values. .. The control device 41 is given the detection output of the article detection sensor 21 of the supply unit 4 and the weight signals from the plurality of weight sensors 40 housed in the center substrate 1. The control device 41 controls the drive of the vibration feeders 15 and 16 in the upper and lower stages of the supply unit 4, and opens and closes the discharge gates of the hoppers 5, 6 and 7 and the first and second gates 9 and 11. To control.

The control device 41 has a function as a calculation control unit 43 that performs a combination calculation based on the weights of the articles of the weighing hopper 6 and the memory hopper 7 and discharges the articles from the hoppers 6 and 7 selected for the appropriate amount combination. Then, when the weight of the article supplied to the weighing hopper 6 is an excess amount exceeding a predetermined weight range, the arithmetic control unit 43 controls the exit / exit operation of the reject chute 26 by the reject mechanism 25 as described above. And eliminate excess goods.

The control device 41 does not necessarily have to be composed of a single control device, but may be composed of a plurality of control devices that cooperate with each other to perform distributed control, and the center base 1 and the supply unit on the measuring unit 3 side. It may be provided in 4 and respectively.

In this embodiment, a large number of varieties, for example, 10 kinds of articles are mixed and weighed, and 28 varieties of measuring units 3 are previously used in consideration of the varieties and the like, for example, varieties such as 4 stations, 3 stations and 2 stations. Reams are appropriately assigned to each, and the reams for each type assigned to the control device 41 are registered by operating the operation setting display 42. Articles of the corresponding type are stored in the storage hopper 13 of the supply unit 4 corresponding to each of the registered measuring units 3 and operated.

The calculation control unit 43 of the control device 41 performs a combination calculation based on the weights of the articles of each type of the weighing hopper 6 and the memory hopper 7 of the measuring unit 3 corresponding to the articles of each type. This combination operation is not particularly limited, and a conventionally known combination operation of mixed metric may be performed. For example, the hopper to be discharged is determined for nine types of articles from the first type to the ninth type, each of which is within a predetermined weight range, and the weight added to the total weight of the nine types of articles sets the target combination weight as the lower limit. The hoppers of the tenth kind of articles that are within the permissible weight range are selected, and the hoppers of the nine kinds of articles determined and the hoppers of the selected tenth kind of articles are used as hoppers of an appropriate amount combination, and from the hoppers of the appropriate amount combination The article is discharged and put into the packaging machine through the first collecting chute 8, the first gate 9, the second collecting chute 10 and the second gate 11.

As a result, a mixed article in which 10 kinds of articles whose total weight is within the allowable weight range is mixed is packaged in the packaging machine.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the vibration feeder 15 in the upper stage of the supply feeder 14 (s) vibrates the flat article w supplied to the receiving region A of the trough 17 to the alignment region B and the carry-out region C. The articles w can be brought out to the trough 18 of the lower vibration feeder 16 by reducing the number of articles w to about 3 or 4 while arranging them in an inclined standing posture in which they are gradually erected as they are conveyed.

In the trough 18 of the lower vibration feeder 16, the article w in the inclined standing posture carried out from the trough 17 of the upper vibration feeder 15 is received in the first region D, and the drop impact at that time causes the article w to be in the thickness direction. As the overlap is loosened and the received articles w are vibrated and conveyed to the second region E, the articles w can be placed in a more upright inclined posture, and the number of articles w can be reduced and supplied to the supply hopper 5 one by one. it can.

In this way, the flat articles can be gradually raised from the lying posture with the flat surface facing up and down to be aligned in the inclined standing posture, and the number of articles can be limited to about one and supplied. Unlike the conventional example of transporting various articles in a lying position, a plurality of flat articles are not supplied one above the other in an overlapping manner.

Further, according to the present embodiment, a plurality of measuring units 3 having a supply hopper 5 and a measuring hopper 6 in a series are arranged in a row so that the supply hoppers 5 are arranged in a straight line, and the supply hoppers 5 are arranged in a straight line. Since the supply units 4 for supplying the articles are arranged close to each other so as to face a plurality of the measuring units 3, the weighing unit 3 is used, for example, when there are many types of articles to be supplied to the supply hopper 5. If you want to increase the number of stations that make up a plurality of stations, you can add the measuring units 3 and the supply units 4 that are arranged in a straight line in a straight line. Unlike the conventional combination scale in which the linear feeder and multiple hoppers are arranged in a circle, the dispersion feeder has a large diameter, and it is not necessary to expand the occupied space in all directions around the dispersion feeder, and it is compact in a plane. It becomes a thing.

Further, since a plurality of stations of the measuring units 3 are provided on both sides of the center substrate 1 and the supply units 4 corresponding to each row are arranged close to each other of the measuring units 3 so as to face the plurality of stations, the same number of stations is used. The measuring unit 3 and the supply unit 4 can be arranged in an integrated manner by shortening the length in the row direction and effectively utilizing the flat space as compared with the case where the above is composed of only one row.

[Other Embodiments]
(1) In the above embodiment, a part of the supply feeders 14 (s) among the plurality of supply feeders 14 corresponding to the plurality of measuring units 3 is set as a supply feeder suitable for transporting a flat article, and the flat article. Although the case of performing mixed weighing of a plurality of varieties including the above is illustrated, it is also possible to use all the supply feeders as supply feeders suitable for transporting flat articles and to carry out a combination weighing of a single variety of articles. it can.

(2) When a single type of article is combined and weighed, a suitable supply feeder 14 (s) for transporting a flat article is radially arranged around a conical dispersion feeder as in the case of a conventional combination scale. However, it is also possible to supply articles to a group of weighing units arranged in a circle.

(3) In the above embodiment, the supply feeder 14 (s) is composed of the upper vibration feeder 15 and the lower vibration feeder 16, but the length of the trough 17 of the upper vibration feeder 15, the width of the transport passage, and the side wall. The tilt angle and the like of the above may be changed as appropriate, and the vibration feeder 15 in the upper stage may be used alone.

(4) In the above embodiment, the trough 17 of the upper vibration feeder 15 includes the receiving area A and the carrying-out area C. However, for example, depending on the shape of the article to be transported, the length of the alignment area B may be increased. At least one of the receiving area A and the carrying area C may be omitted by appropriately changing the width of the transport passage, the inclination angle of the side wall, and the like.

3 Weighing unit 4 Supply unit 5 Supply hopper 6 Weighing hopper 14 Supply feeder 15 Vibration feeder (upper side)
16 Vibration feeder (lower side)
17 Trough (Vibration feeder on the good side)
17a 1st side wall of the alignment area 17b 2nd side wall of the alignment area 17c 1st bottom surface of the alignment area 17d 3rd side wall of the receiving area 17e 4th side wall of the receiving area 17f 2nd bottom surface of the receiving area 17i 5th side wall of the carry-out area 17j 6th side wall of carry-out area 17k 3rd bottom surface of carry-out area 18 trough (lower side vibration feeder)
18a 1st side wall on the lower side of the 1st region 18b 2nd side wall on the lower side of the 1st region 18c Bottom surface on the lower side of the 1st region 18e 1st side wall on the lower side of the 2nd region 18f 2nd side wall on the lower side of the 2nd region 18g Bottom side of 2 areas A Receiving area B Alignment area C Carrying out area D 1st area E 2nd area w Article

Claims (11)

A trough of a vibration feeder that vibrates and conveys goods.
At least, the tilt of the article is tilted on the first bottom surface by the first bottom surface in an inclined state and the article provided at one end of the first bottom surface and tilted by the first bottom surface. and a first side wall abruptly than,
The first side wall is inclined upward from one end of the first bottom surface.
A second side wall provided along the other side of the first bottom surface is provided, and the first bottom surface and the first and second side walls form a transport passage for transporting the article.
The width of the first bottom surface is narrowed toward the lower side in the transport direction of the article, and the first side wall is inclined downward from the first side wall toward the second side wall.
The first bottom surface and the first and second side walls form an alignment region for aligning the articles while transporting them.
trough. A trough of a vibration feeder that vibrates and conveys goods.
At least, the tilt of the article is tilted on the first bottom surface by the first bottom surface in an inclined state and the article provided at one end of the first bottom surface and tilted by the first bottom surface. With a first side wall that is steeper than
The width dimension of the first bottom surface at the start end of the article in the transport direction is larger than the outer dimension of the article, and the width dimension of the first bottom surface at the end of the article in the transport direction is smaller than the outer dimension of the article.
trough. The first side wall is formed so that the area of the inclined surface increases from the upper side in the transport direction of the article toward the lower side in the transport direction.
The trough according to claim 1. On the upper side of the alignment region in the transport direction of the article, there is a receiving region for receiving the supplied article and transporting it to the alignment region.
The receiving region includes a third and fourth side walls connected to the first and second side walls of the alignment region, and a second bottom surface connected to the first bottom surface, and the second bottom surface and the first bottom surface of the receiving region. The third and fourth side walls form a carry-in passage for carrying the article.
The second bottom surface is inclined downward from the third side wall toward the fourth side wall.
The trough according to claim 1. On the lower side of the alignment area in the transport direction of the article, there is a carry-out area for receiving and carrying out the article from the alignment area.
The carry-out area includes fifth and sixth side walls connected to the first and second side walls of the alignment area, and a third bottom surface connected to the first bottom surface.
The fifth side wall of the carry-out area is inclined upward, and the inclination is steeper than the inclination of the first side wall of the alignment area.
The trough according to claim 1 or 4. The width of the third bottom surface of the carry-out area is narrower than the width of the first bottom surface of the alignment area.
The trough according to claim 5. The height dimension of the fifth side wall of the carry-out area is smaller than the external dimension of the article.
The trough according to claim 5 or 6. At least, the first bottom surface in an inclined state and the article provided at one end of the first bottom surface and inclined by the first bottom surface ride on the article, so that the inclination of the article is set from the inclination on the first bottom surface. A trough having a first side wall that is also steep is provided, and a vibration feeder that vibrates and conveys the article is used as a good side vibration feeder, and the first side wall of the trough of the good side vibration feeder is used as a good side first side wall. As a side wall, the upper side vibration feeder and the lower side vibration feeder arranged on the lower side of the upper side vibration feeder in the transport direction of the article are provided.
The trough of the lower vibration feeder is arranged at a position lower than the trough of the upper vibration feeder.
The trough of the lower side vibration feeder includes a lower side bottom surface, a lower side first side wall provided along one side of the lower side bottom surface, and a lower side first side wall provided along the other side of the lower side bottom surface. A transport passage for transporting the article is configured by the lower bottom surface of the lower vibration feeder and the first and second side walls on the lower side, which are provided with two side walls.
The lower first side wall, which corresponds to the upper first side wall of the trough of the upper side vibration feeder, is inclined upwardly.
Supply feeder. The trough of the lower vibration feeder has a first region on the upper side and a second region on the lower side in the transport direction of the article.
Each of the lower first and second side walls is formed over the first region and the second region.
The slope of the upper spread of the lower first side wall in the second region is steeper than the slope of the upper spread of the lower first side wall in the first region.
The supply feeder according to claim 8. The height dimension of the lower side first and second side walls in the first region is larger than the external dimension of the article, and the height dimension of the lower side first and second side walls in the second region is the article. Smaller than the external dimensions of
Supply feeder according to請Motomeko 9. A plurality of measuring units having a supply hopper for holding and discharging the supplied article and a measuring hopper for holding and weighing the article discharged from the supply hopper in a series of upper and lower parts are provided.
It is equipped with multiple supply feeders that supply goods to these multiple weighing units.
The supply feeder according to any one of claims 8 to 10, at least a part of the plurality of supply feeders.
Weighing device.

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