JP5944747B2 - Apparatus and method for automatically weighing and combining articles - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic weighing and combining apparatus and method for articles that weigh and combine a plurality of articles having different weights.

The automatic weighing and combining apparatus for articles measures the weight of a plurality of articles having different weights, and selects and combines the articles so that the total weight falls within an allowable range among the articles whose weights are measured.
For example, an automatic weighing and combining apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a weighing hopper that measures the weight of an object to be weighed, a controller that receives the measured weight, a plurality of combination containers that receive the object to be weighed from the weighing hopper, And a rotation mechanism for rotating the combination container.

  Based on the input weight of the object to be weighed, the controller selects one combination container to receive the object to be weighed from the plurality of combination containers so that the total weight falls within the allowable range. The combination container is rotated by a rotation mechanism so as to pass directly under the weighing hopper. However, when receiving an object to be weighed from the weighing hopper, the combination container is temporarily stopped immediately under the weighing hopper. Then, the opening / closing damper of the weighing hopper is opened by the damper opening / closing cylinder, and the object to be weighed is transferred from the weighing hopper to the selected combination container.

Japanese Patent No. 4040516

  In the automatic weighing and combination method disclosed in Patent Document 1, the combination container is temporarily stopped immediately below the weighing hopper in order to receive the object to be weighed from the weighing hopper. From the viewpoint of enhancing the durability of the rotating mechanism of the combination container, it is preferable to continuously rotate the combination container rather than repeatedly stopping and rotating the combination container.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and its object is to keep the total weight within an allowable range while continuously rotating a swivel hopper that temporarily holds an article whose weight has been measured. An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic weighing and combining apparatus and method for articles to be combined.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, according to an embodiment of the present invention, an inlet-side weighing device that measures the weight of a plurality of articles supplied intermittently, and a plurality of circumferentially arranged rotation shafts. A plurality of swivel hoppers capable of receiving and holding the weight-measured article via the input hopper while rotating with the rotating shaft, and receiving the article from the plurality of swivel hoppers A plurality of fixed hoppers that form a collection of the articles by receiving the articles over a plurality of times, and timing of delivery of the articles from the input hopper to the plurality of swivel hoppers. The timing adjustment device for the charging hopper to be adjusted, and the turning hopper for adjusting the delivery timing of the article from the plurality of turning hoppers to the plurality of fixed hoppers Based on the measured value of the weight of the article measured by the immming adjusting device and the inlet-side weighing device, the fixed article to be received from the plurality of fixed hoppers to be held by the plurality of swivel hoppers And a control device that controls the timing adjustment device for the swivel hopper based on the selection result, and the timing adjustment device for the charging hopper can open and close the lower opening of the charging hopper The turning hopper timing mechanism includes a lower door and a closing hopper cam mechanism that drives the closing hopper lower door according to a turning position of the turning hopper. A swivel hopper lower door that can be opened and closed, and a swivel hopper that drives the swivel hopper lower door according to the swivel position of the swivel hopper and the selection result of the control device Automatic weighing combiner of articles; and a beam mechanism is provided.

  In the automatic weighing and combining apparatus for articles according to the embodiment, the closing hopper lower door is driven by the closing hopper cam mechanism, and the turning hopper lower door is driven by the turning hopper cam mechanism. In this case, compared with the case where the fluid cylinder is used, the opening / closing timing of the closing hopper lower door can be stably and accurately synchronized with the turning position of the turning hopper over a long period of time. In this case, the opening / closing timing of the swing hopper lower door can be synchronized stably and accurately over a long period of time with respect to the swing position of the swing hopper as compared with the case where a fluid cylinder is used.

  For this reason, even if the swivel hopper is continuously swung without being stopped directly below the charging hopper, the delivery of articles from the charging hopper to the swivel hopper and the delivery of articles from the swivel hopper to the fixed hopper are performed reliably. Is called.

  The swivel hopper cam mechanism swivels together with the swivel hopper, a cam follower attached to the lower door of the swivel hopper, an operating position provided in the vicinity of the fixed hopper, and spaced apart from the cam follower. You may have the cam which can move between a rest position, and the actuator which moves the said cam.

  According to this configuration, the swivel hopper lower door can be reliably opened and closed as necessary with a simple configuration by moving the cam between the operating position and the rest position.

  The control device may be configured to adjust a turning speed of the turning hopper according to a weight of the article supplied per unit time.

  According to this configuration, for example, when the supply amount of the article is small, the turning speed of the turning hopper can be reduced, and the article can be sequentially put into each turning hopper without any interval. In other words, the articles can be thrown into the swivel hopper evenly to some extent, and variations in the weight of the articles held between the swirl hoppers can be suppressed. For this reason, the control device can easily select an article to be transferred to the fixed hopper from among the articles held by the turning hopper. As a result, the success rate of the combination of articles increases.

In addition, according to this configuration, for example, when the supply amount of the article is large, the processing capability can be increased by increasing the turning speed.
In addition, when the supply amount of articles is large, if the turning speed of the turning hopper is excessively slow, the weight of the articles put into the turning hopper increases. And if the weight of the articles | goods currently hold | maintained at the turning hopper becomes large, the success rate of the combination of articles | goods will become low. In this configuration, by increasing the turning speed, the weight of an article put into the turning hopper is appropriately adjusted, and a decrease in the combination success rate is prevented.

  At least the swivel hopper among the swivel hopper, the fixed hopper, and the charging hopper may be detachably supported by a support member.

  According to this configuration, the turning hopper, the fixed hopper, or the charging hopper can be detached from the support member. It is easy to clean the removed swivel hopper, fixed hopper, or charging hopper, thereby facilitating hygiene management. In addition, when a part of the article adheres to the swivel hopper, fixed hopper, or charging hopper, the attached substance may be detached and the total weight of the combined article may change. Since it can be removed, the total weight of the article can be kept stable.

  The support member of the turning hopper has a plurality of pairs of guide rails extending radially outward from a rotation shaft for turning the turning hopper, and the turning hopper is a roller that can travel along the guide rail. You may have.

  According to this configuration, at least the turning hopper can be easily attached and detached with a simple configuration.

The inlet-side weighing instrument for measuring the weight of the article comprises a weighing belt conveyor,
A pre-weighing belt conveyor may be further provided that is disposed on an extension line of the weighing belt conveyor and supplies the article to the weighing belt conveyor.

  According to this configuration, since the pre-weighing belt conveyor is disposed on the extension line of the weighing belt conveyor, it is possible to prevent a load or an impact from being applied to the weighing belt conveyor during delivery of an article. For this reason, the weighing belt conveyor can accurately measure the weight of the article.

  The weighing belt conveyor may be configured to perform zero point adjustment between the intermittently supplied articles.

When a part of the article adheres to the weighing belt conveyor, a deviation is included in the measured weight of the article by the weight of the deposit. Based on this deviation, the total weight of the combined articles also varies, and the total weight of the combined articles may actually deviate from the allowable range.
On the other hand, in this configuration, the weight of the article can be accurately measured even if a part of the article adheres to the weighing belt conveyor by adjusting the zero point between the conveyance of the article. As a result, the total weight of the combined articles can be surely placed in the allowable range.

  The outlet-side weighing instrument comprises a weighing belt conveyor capable of traveling in both directions of the first direction and the second direction opposite to each other, and the control device is a set of the articles measured by the outlet-side weighing instrument. One direction may be selected from the first direction and the second direction based on the measurement value of the total body weight, and the traveling direction of the outlet-side weighing instrument may be controlled based on the selection result. .

  According to this configuration, it is possible to inspect whether or not the total weight is within the allowable range by measuring the total weight of the combined articles with the outlet-side measuring instrument, and the total weight is within the allowable range. Combining no articles can be eliminated early.

  A conveyor belt conveyor that receives and conveys the assembly of articles from the fixed hopper, and a distribution that receives the assembly of articles from the conveyor belt conveyor and passes the received assembly of articles to the outlet-side weighing instrument. A hopper, wherein the sorting hopper alternately opens and closes a partition plate that divides the sorting hopper into a first chamber and a second chamber, and upper openings of the first chamber and the second chamber. Swingable door, a first sorting hopper lower door that can open and close the lower opening of the first chamber, and a second sorting hopper lower side that can open and close the lower opening of the second chamber You may have a door.

  According to this configuration, the processing speed can be increased by putting the aggregate of articles into the two chambers of the sorting hopper.

The swivel hopper may be arranged on a double concentric circle around a rotating shaft that swivels the swivel hopper.
According to this configuration, the number of swirl hoppers can be increased by arranging the swirl hoppers on a double concentric circle centered on one rotating shaft as compared with the single swirl. For this reason, according to this structure, the processing capability of articles | goods can be improved. Also, by increasing the number of swivel hoppers, the number of options for combining articles increases, so the success rate of combination improves.

The article held by the turning hopper may be set to turn at least one turn.
According to this configuration, it is possible to secure more opportunities for the same article to be used in combination. For this reason, the number of turning hoppers can be reduced and the automatic weighing and combining apparatus can be downsized without causing a decrease in the combination success rate.

When the weight of the article held by the swivel hopper exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the article may be discharged from the swivel hopper to the outside of the fixed hopper.
According to this configuration, articles that have not been used for the combination can be promptly supplied to the automatic weighing and combining apparatus again. Moreover, according to this structure, the fall of the combination success rate by the weight of the articles | goods currently hold | maintained at the turning hopper becoming large is prevented.

  Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the weighing step for measuring the weight of a plurality of articles supplied intermittently, and the swivel while rotating the plurality of swivel hoppers arranged in the circumferential direction around the rotation shaft. Based on a loading step of feeding the article whose weight has been measured through the loading hopper while adjusting the timing, and a measured value of the weight of the article measured by the inlet-side weighing device, the plurality of weights A selection step of selecting a fixed hopper to receive the article from a plurality of fixed hoppers that can receive the article from the swivel hopper, and the plurality of swivel hoppers by the fixed hopper according to a selection result of the selection step. An assembly forming step of forming an assembly of the articles by receiving the articles over a plurality of times while adjusting the timing, and The charging hopper cam mechanism is used to drive the closing hopper lower door that can open and close the lower opening of the charging hopper according to the turning position of the turning hopper. An article for driving a lower shopper hopper door capable of opening and closing a lower opening of the slewing hopper according to a slewing position of the slewing hopper and a selection result of the selection step using a hopper cam mechanism. An automatic weighing combination method is provided.

  According to the automatic weighing and combining method of articles of the embodiment, the closing hopper lower door is driven by the closing hopper cam mechanism, and the turning hopper lower door is driven by the turning hopper cam mechanism. In this case, compared with the case where the fluid cylinder is used, the opening / closing timing of the closing hopper lower door can be stably and accurately synchronized with the turning position of the turning hopper over a long period of time. In this case, the opening / closing timing of the swing hopper lower door can be synchronized stably and accurately over a long period of time with respect to the swing position of the swing hopper as compared with the case where a fluid cylinder is used.

  For this reason, even if the swivel hopper is continuously swung without being stopped directly below the charging hopper, the delivery of articles from the charging hopper to the swivel hopper and the delivery of articles from the swivel hopper to the fixed hopper are performed reliably. Is called.

  According to the present invention, there is provided an automatic weighing and combining apparatus and method for articles that combine articles so that the total weight falls within an allowable range while continuously rotating a swivel hopper that temporarily holds an article whose weight has been measured. Is done.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of an automatic weighing and combining apparatus for articles according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view which shows the schematic structure of the automatic weighing combination apparatus of FIG. It is a schematic perspective view which expands and shows the area | region from the inclined belt conveyor for supply to a standby hopper in the automatic weighing | merging combination apparatus of FIG. It is a schematic perspective view which expands and shows the area | region from a standby hopper to a turning hopper in the automatic weighing | combination combination apparatus of FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing an actuator that drives a standby hopper lower door together with a part of the standby hopper in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a standby hopper and a charging hopper in FIG. 5 together with a support member. It is a schematic exploded perspective view which shows the state which removed the stand-by hopper and injection hopper of FIG. 6 from the support member. It is a figure which expands and shows the area | region VIII equivalent part in FIG. It is a figure which expands and shows the area | region IX equivalent part in FIG. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the turning hopper in FIG. 4 with a supporting member. It is a schematic exploded perspective view which shows the state which removed the turning hopper of FIG. 10 from the support member. FIG. 5 is a side view corresponding to the perspective view of FIG. 4. It is a figure which expands and shows the area | region XIII equivalent part in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows roughly the turning mechanism which turns a turning hopper. It is a schematic perspective view which expands and shows the area | region from a turning hopper to the conveyor belt for conveyance in the automatic measurement combination apparatus of FIG. FIG. 16 is a perspective view schematically showing the fixed hopper in FIG. 15. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the fixed hopper of FIG. 16 with a supporting member. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the state which removed the fixed hopper of FIG. 17 from the support member. It is a side view corresponding to the perspective view of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the procedure which removes the fixed hopper of FIG. 17 from a support member, or the procedure which attaches a fixed hopper to a support member, (a) shows the middle of removal or the middle of attachment, (b) The state removed or attachment The previous state is shown. It is the perspective view seen from the other direction corresponding to the perspective view of FIG. It is a figure which expands and shows the area | region XXII equivalent part in FIG. It is a side view corresponding to the perspective view of FIG. It is a figure which expands and shows the area | region XXIV equivalent part in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the actuator for driving the fixed hopper lower side door which opens and closes the lower side opening of the fixed hopper in FIG. It is a figure which expands and shows the area | region XXVI equivalent part in FIG. FIG. 26 is a perspective view schematically showing a return hopper in FIG. 25. It is a schematic perspective view which expands and shows the area | region from the belt conveyor for conveyance to the inclination belt conveyor for carrying out in the automatic measurement combination apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows roughly the cut model of the sorting hopper in FIG. FIG. 29 is a schematic plan view of the sorting hopper in FIG. 28 as viewed from an oblique side. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the sorting hopper of FIG. 30 with a supporting member. FIG. 32 is a schematic perspective view showing a state where the sorting hopper of FIG. 31 is removed from the support member. It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the control system used for the automatic weighing | combination combination apparatus of the articles | goods of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows roughly the procedure of an example of the automatic weighing and combining method of articles executed by the automatic weighing and combining apparatus of articles in FIG. It is a table | surface which shows a part of data registered into the control apparatus in FIG. It is a table | surface which shows a part of data registered into the control apparatus in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows roughly the procedure of an example of the processing speed adjustment method which the automatic weighing | mixing combination apparatus of the articles | goods of FIG. 1 performs. It is a flowchart which shows roughly the procedure of an example of the holding | maintenance article management method which the automatic weighing | mixing combination apparatus of the articles | goods of FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the component parts described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to that unless otherwise specified.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of an automatic weighing and combining apparatus for articles according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating a schematic configuration of the automatic weighing and combining apparatus.
The automatic weighing and combining device measures the weight of a plurality of articles that are intermittently supplied, combines the articles so that the total weight of the articles is within an allowable range or a target range, and forms an aggregate. It is to provide.

The article to be processed has a variation in weight for each individual, for example, a piece of meat such as chicken. When the article is a piece of meat, it may be frozen meat or raw meat.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the automatic weighing / combining apparatus includes a supply inclined belt conveyor 10, a pre-weighing belt conveyor 12, an inlet-side weighing belt conveyor 14, a standby hopper 16, a charging hopper 18, a turning hopper 20, and a fixed hopper 22. A return hopper 24, a conveyor belt conveyor 26, a return belt conveyor 28, a sorting hopper 30, an outlet-side weighing belt conveyor 32, and a carry-out inclined belt conveyor 34.

  FIG. 3 shows an enlarged area from the supply inclined belt conveyor 10 to the standby hopper 16 in the automatic weighing and combining apparatus.

  In the present embodiment, two article paths are provided from the supply inclined belt conveyor 10 to the swivel hopper 20. For this reason, the automatic weighing and combining apparatus has first and second supply inclined belt conveyors 10 a and 10 b arranged in parallel as the supply inclined belt conveyor 10. When there is no need to distinguish between the first and second supply inclined belt conveyors 10a and 10b, they are simply referred to as the supply inclined belt conveyor 10.

  Similarly, the automatic weighing and combining apparatus has first and second pre-weighing belt conveyors 12a and 12b as the pre-weighing belt conveyor 12, and the first and second inlet-side weighing belt conveyors as the inlet-side weighing belt conveyor 14. 14a and 14b, and the standby hopper 16 includes first and second standby hoppers 16a and 16b. When it is not necessary to distinguish the first and second pre-weighing belt conveyors 12a and 12b, they are simply referred to as the pre-weighing belt conveyor 12, and when the first and second inlet-side weighing belt conveyors 14a and 14b do not need to be distinguished, When the first and second standby hoppers 16a and 16b do not need to be distinguished from each other, they are simply referred to as standby hoppers 16.

  A feeding hopper 36 is disposed on the lower end of the supply inclined belt conveyor 10, and first and second guide hoppers 38 a and 38 b are disposed in the vicinity of the upper end of the supply inclined belt conveyor 10. The first and second guide hoppers 38a and 38b are also simply referred to as guide hoppers 38 when it is not necessary to distinguish them.

  The supply inclined belt conveyor 10 includes a belt 40 and a plurality of bars 42 attached to the belt 40 at predetermined intervals. The article is conveyed along with the tact traveling of the belt 40 while being caught on the crosspiece 42. The crosspieces 42 have a certain height, and even if an excessive amount or number of articles are supplied to the supply inclined belt conveyor 10 at a time, some of the articles fall off the crosspieces 42 and fall during the conveyance process. . This prevents an excessive amount or number of articles from being supplied to the pre-weighing belt conveyor 12 at one time.

  The charging hopper 36 is divided into two parts corresponding to the first and second supply inclined belt conveyors 10a and 10b, and the lower ends of the first and second supply inclined belt conveyors 10a and 10b through the input hopper 36. Articles are supplied. Further, articles are supplied from the upper end of the supply inclined belt conveyor 10 to the pre-weighing belt conveyor 12 through the guide hopper 38.

The first and second pre-weighing belt conveyors 12a and 12b are arranged in parallel to each other and each have a horizontal conveying surface.
The first and second inlet side weighing belt conveyors 14a and 14b are also arranged in parallel to each other and each have a horizontal conveying surface. The first and second inlet-side weighing belt conveyors 14a and 14b are arranged on the extended line of the first and second pre-weighing belt conveyors 12a and 12b with substantially no gap therebetween, and the first and second pre-weighing belt conveyors 12a and 12b, The conveying surface of 12b and the conveying surfaces of the first and second inlet side weighing belt conveyors 14a, 14b are arranged flush with each other.

  Accordingly, articles are smoothly delivered from the first and second pre-weighing belt conveyors 12a and 12b to the first and second inlet-side weighing belt conveyors 14a and 14b. The weighing belt conveyor 14 can measure the weight of the article in the course of conveying the article. Further, the weighing belt conveyor 14 can adjust the zero point between the conveyance of the articles.

  A sensor (article detection sensor) for detecting an article passing through the boundary on the boundary between the first and second pre-weighing belt conveyors 12a and 12b and the first and second inlet-side weighing belt conveyors 14a and 14b. ) 44 is arranged. The sensor 44 is composed of, for example, a photoelectric sensor.

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged area from the standby hopper 16 to the turning hopper 20 in the automatic weighing and combining apparatus.
In the present embodiment, the automatic weighing and combining apparatus has first and second charging hoppers 18a and 18b as the charging hoppers 18 corresponding to the two paths, and the first and second rotating hoppers 20a and 20b as the rotating hoppers 20, respectively. 20b. When it is not necessary to distinguish between the first and second charging hoppers 18a and 18b, they are simply referred to as the charging hopper 18, and when it is not necessary to distinguish between the first and second turning hoppers 20a and 20b, they are simply referred to as the turning hopper 18. Called.

  The standby hopper 16 has an upper end opening for receiving an article and a lower end opening for dropping the article. FIG. 5 shows a part of the standby hopper 16, a double-open door (standby hopper lower door) 46 that opens and closes the lower end opening of the standby hopper 16, a roller 48 attached to the standby hopper lower door 46, and a roller 48. And an actuator 50 that drives the standby hopper lower door 46 by moving up and down. The actuator 50 includes a fluid cylinder such as an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder.

  In FIG. 5, for the sake of explanation, the standby hopper lower door 46 of the first standby hopper 16a is in the closed position, and the standby hopper lower door 46 of the second standby hopper 16b is in the open position. During actual operation, the opening and closing of the standby hopper lower door 46 of the first standby hopper 16a and the standby hopper lower door 46 of the second standby hopper 16b are synchronized.

6 and 7 are diagrams for explaining a support mechanism for the standby hopper 16 and the loading hopper 18.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a frame 52 is attached to the first and second standby hoppers 16a and 16b so as to surround the first and second standby hoppers 16a and 16b. A roller 54 is rotatably attached to the roller. On the other hand, the automatic weighing and combining apparatus has two guide rails 56 having a U-shaped cross section as a member that detachably supports the standby hopper 16. The standby hopper 16 can be attached to the guide rail 56 by fitting the roller 54 in the groove of the guide rail 56 and pushing the standby hopper 16.

  The first and second charging hoppers 18a and 18b have an upper opening for receiving an article from the standby hopper 16 and a lower end opening for dropping the article. The closing hopper 18 is provided with a single-open door (closing hopper lower door) 57 that opens and closes the lower end opening thereof, and a roller 58 as a cam follower is attached to the closing hopper lower door 57.

  A frame 59 is attached to the first and second charging hoppers 18a and 18b so as to connect the first and second charging hoppers 18a and 18b, and rollers 60 are rotatably mounted at the four corners of the frame 59. ing. On the other hand, the automatic weighing and combining apparatus has two guide rails 62 having a U-shaped cross section as a member that detachably supports the charging hopper 18. The insertion hopper 18 can be attached to the guide rail 62 by fitting the roller 60 in the groove of the guide rail 62 and pushing the insertion hopper 18.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 8, a pin 64 that rotatably supports the roller 60 protrudes from the roller 60. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, a notch 66 for receiving the pin 64 is formed on the distal end side of the guide rail 62, and a clasp 68 is rotatably attached.

  By engaging the groove 70 of the clasp 68 with the pin 64 in the state of being received in the notch 66, the insertion hopper 18 is prevented from coming off from the guide rail 62. Similarly, the pins and clasps prevent the first and second charging hoppers 18a and 18b from coming off from the guide rail 56.

10 and 11 are diagrams for explaining the configuration of the swing hopper 20 and the support member of the swing hopper 20.
10 and 11, only one set of the first and second turning hoppers 20a and 20b is shown, but in the present embodiment, 15 sets of the first and second turning hoppers 20a and 20b are provided. It is supported by the support member.

  The swivel hopper 20 has an upper opening for receiving an article from the charging hopper 18 and a lower opening for dropping the article. The swing hopper 20 is attached with a single-open door (swing hopper lower door) 72 that opens and closes the lower end opening thereof, and a roller 74 as a cam follower is attached to the swing hopper lower door 72.

Further, a frame 76 is attached to the first and second turning hoppers 20a and 20b so as to connect the first and second turning hoppers 20a and 20b, and rollers 78 are rotatably attached to the four corners of the frame 76. ing. On the other hand, the automatic weighing / combining apparatus has two U-shaped guide rails 80 for each pair of the first and second turning hoppers 20a and 20b as a member for detachably supporting the turning hopper 20. doing. The turning hopper 20 can be attached to the guide rail 62 by fitting the roller 78 in the groove of the guide rail 80 and pushing the turning hopper 20.
Similarly to the closing hopper 18, the first and second turning hoppers 20a and 20b are prevented from coming off from the guide rail 80 by pins and clasps.

  A bridge 82 is spanned as a cam between the pair of guide rails 80. The bridge 82 and the roller 58 constitute a charging hopper cam mechanism for driving the charging hopper lower door 57. The charging hopper lower door and the charging hopper cam mechanism capable of opening and closing the lower opening of the charging hopper are: A timing adjustment device for a charging hopper that adjusts the timing of delivery of articles from the charging hopper 18 to the plurality of turning hoppers 20 is configured.

  12 and 13 are diagrams for explaining the opening / closing operation of the closing hopper lower door 57 by the cam and the cam follower. When the roller 58 as the cam follower is moved by the bridge 82 as the cam, the closing hopper lower door 57 is opened and closed. The bridge 82 has a cam profile that is convex upward so that the closing hopper lower door 57 opens just above the turning hopper 20.

Referring again to FIGS. 10 and 11, the guide rail 80 is coupled to the rim 86 via a bracket 84. The rim 86 is connected to the hub 90 via spokes 88.
The hub 90, the spoke 88, and the rim 86 form a wheel, and the guide rail 80 extends radially outward from the wheel. However, the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 80 is inclined with respect to the radial direction of the wheel.

The plurality of turning hoppers 20 supported by the guide rails 80 are arranged in the circumferential direction of the wheel. In the present embodiment, the turning hopper 20 is arranged on a double concentric circle around the rotation center of the wheel.
Note that the ends of the guide rails 80 in different sets are connected by a reinforcing member 92.

  FIG. 14 schematically shows the configuration of a turning mechanism for turning the wheel. The turning mechanism has a servo motor 94, and an output shaft of the servo motor 94 is connected to a rotary shaft 98 via a speed reducer 96. A power lock 100 is fitted to the rotary shaft 98, and the hub 90 is fitted to the rotary shaft 98 through the power lock 100 so as to be integrally rotatable.

  FIG. 15 schematically shows a region from the turning hopper 20 to the conveyor belt conveyor 26 in the automatic weighing and combining apparatus. In the present embodiment, five fixed hoppers 22 are arranged in the circumferential direction around the rotation center of the wheel, directly below the turning hopper 20. Further, one return hopper 24 is disposed adjacent to the fixed hopper 22 in the circumferential direction of the wheel.

  FIG. 16 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the fixed hopper 22. The fixed hopper 22 has an upper opening that receives articles from the first and second turning hoppers 20a and 20b, and a lower opening that drops the articles. The fixed hopper 22 is attached with a one-sided door (fixed hopper lower door) 102 that opens and closes the lower end opening of the fixed hopper 22, and a roller 104 is attached to the fixed hopper lower door 102. The fixed hopper lower door 102 can be opened and closed by moving the roller 104 up and down.

A frame 106 is attached to the fixed hopper 22, and rollers 108 are rotatably attached to the four corners of the frame 106.
17, 18, 19, and 20 illustrate a driving mechanism for the swivel hopper lower door 72 (a swiveling hopper cam mechanism), a support mechanism for the fixed hopper 22, and a drive mechanism for the fixed hopper lower door 102. It is a figure for doing.

  The automatic weighing and combining apparatus includes two guide rails 110 having a U-shaped cross section for each fixed hopper 22 as a support member for the fixed hopper 22. The fixed hopper 22 can be attached to the guide rail 110 by fitting the roller 108 into the groove of the guide rail 110 and pushing the fixed hopper 22.

  In order to prevent the fixed hopper 22 from coming off from the guide rail 110, the front end side of the guide rail 110 has an L-shaped cross-sectional shape, and a notch that opens to the upper edge is formed on the front end side of the guide rail 110. Has been. By engaging the pin 112 that rotatably supports the roller 108 in this notch, the fixed hopper 22 is prevented from coming off from the guide rail 110.

The cam mechanism that drives the swivel hopper lower door 72 includes first and second cams 114a and 114b. The cam mechanism, together with the swivel hopper lower door 72 that can open and close the swivel hopper lower opening, is a swivel hopper timing adjusting device that adjusts the delivery timing of articles from the plurality of swivel hoppers 20 to the plurality of fixed hoppers 22. It is composed. In addition, when it is not necessary to distinguish the first and second cams 114a and 114b, they are simply referred to as cams 114.
The first and second cams 114a and 114b are movable between an operating position and a rest position. When the first and second cams 114a and 114b are in the operating position, the first and second cams 114a and 114b abut against the roller 74 and move the roller 74. 2 The swivel hopper lower door 72 of the swirl hoppers 20a and 20b is driven.

  The first and second cams 114a and 114b are attached to the distal ends of rotatable first and second drive shafts 116a and 116b, respectively, for switching positions. The base ends of the first and second drive shafts 116a and 116b are located on the center side in the radial direction of the rotation shaft 98, and the first and second drive shafts 116a and 116b extend outward from the vicinity of the rotation shaft 98. ing.

Here, in the radial direction of the rotary shaft 98, the roller 74 for driving the swivel hopper lower door 72 of the first swivel hopper 20a is positioned outside the swivel hopper 20 and swivel of the second swivel hopper 20b. A roller 74 for driving the hopper lower door 72 is located inside the turning hopper 20.
For this reason, the first drive shaft 116a is longer than the second drive shaft 116b.

  21 and 22 show an actuator 118 for rotating the first and second drive shafts 116a and 116b. The actuator 118 is formed of a fluid cylinder such as an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder, and is connected to the base end of the drive shaft 116 via a link mechanism.

  23 and 24 show a state in which the swing hopper lower door 72 of the first swing hopper 20a is opened by the first cam 114a. When the cam 114 is in the operating position, the cam 114 has a cam profile that protrudes upward so that the lower door 72 of the turning hopper opens just above the fixed hopper 22 corresponding to the cam 114.

  25 and 26, an actuator 120 for driving the fixed hopper lower door 102 is shown. The actuator 120 is formed of a fluid cylinder such as an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder, and is connected to a roller 104 connected to the fixed hopper lower door 102 via a link mechanism.

  The fixed hopper lower door 102 can be opened by operating the actuator 120 to push down the roller 104, and the fixed hopper lower door 102 can be closed by lifting the roller 104.

FIG. 27 shows a schematic configuration of the return hopper 24, and the return hopper 24 has an upper opening for receiving an article from the turning hopper 20 and a lower opening for dropping the article. The return hopper 24 is located immediately above the return belt conveyor 28, and when the swivel hopper lower door 72 is opened on the return hopper 24, the articles fall through the return hopper 24 to the return belt conveyor 28.
The support mechanism of the return hopper 24 is the same as the support mechanism of the fixed hopper 22, and the cam mechanism for opening the swivel hopper lower door 72 on the return hopper 24 is also the lower side of the swivel hopper on the fixed hopper 22. This is the same as the cam mechanism for opening the door 72.

FIG. 28 schematically shows a region from the conveyor belt conveyor 26 to the carry-out inclined belt conveyor 34 in the automatic weighing and combining apparatus.
Referring also to FIG. 25, the conveyor belt conveyor 26 extends directly below four of the five fixed hoppers 22. A sorting hopper 30 is disposed adjacent to the downstream end of the conveyor belt conveyor 26, and the remaining one fixed hopper 22 is positioned immediately above the sorting hopper 30. Therefore, the articles discharged from the fixed hopper 22 are conveyed by the conveyor belt conveyor 26 or directly put into the sorting hopper 30.

  Directly below the sorting hopper 30, an exit-side weighing belt conveyor (total weight inspection weighing belt conveyor) 32 is arranged as a weighing device for inspecting the total weight of articles. The exit-side weighing belt conveyor 32 can travel in both directions, and conveys articles toward the carry-out inclined belt conveyor 34 when the measured value of the total weight of the articles is within an allowable range.

  On the other hand, when the measurement value of the total weight of the articles is out of the allowable range, the outlet-side weighing belt conveyor 32 conveys the articles toward the side opposite to the carry-out inclined belt conveyor 34. In this case, the conveyed article may be automatically conveyed to the supply inclined belt conveyor 10 through a conveyance path (not shown), or may be conveyed to the supply inclined belt conveyor 10 by an operator. Good.

  The carry-out inclined belt conveyor 34 includes a belt 122 and a plurality of bars 124 attached to the belt 122 at a predetermined interval. The crosspiece 124 has a sufficient height so that the articles can be conveyed without dropping from the crosspiece 124.

  FIG. 29 shows a schematic cut model of the sorting hopper 30. The sorting hopper 30 has an upper opening for receiving an article and a lower opening for dropping the article. The inside of the sorting hopper 30 is partitioned into two chambers by a partition plate 126, and a swing door 128 is disposed immediately above the partition plate 126. By switching the position of the swing door 128, the room for receiving articles can be switched.

  The sorting hopper 30 is provided with a double-open door (sorting hopper lower door) 130 that can be opened and closed. The sorting hopper lower door 130 can open and close the lower opening of each chamber.

In FIG. 30, an actuator 132 for driving the swing door 128 and an actuator 134 for driving the sorting hopper lower door 130 are shown. The actuators 132 and 134 are fluid cylinders such as an air cylinder and a hydraulic cylinder, for example.
The actuator 132 is connected to the swing door 128 via a link mechanism, and the actuator 134 is connected to the sorting hopper lower door 130 via a link mechanism.

FIG. 31 and FIG. 32 are diagrams for explaining the support mechanism of the sorting hopper 30. The sorting hopper 30 is provided with rollers 136 at four corners. The automatic weighing and combining apparatus includes two guide rails 138 having a U-shaped cross section as a support mechanism. The sorting hopper 30 can be attached to the guide rail 138 by fitting the roller 136 to the guide rail 138 and pushing the sorting hopper 30.
Note that the sorting hopper 30 is prevented from being detached from the guide rail 138 by the pins 140 and the clasps 142 as in the case of the loading hopper 18.

  FIG. 33 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the control system of the automatic weighing and combining apparatus, and the control system has a control device 150. The control device 150 is configured by a computer, for example, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, an external storage device, an input / output device, and the like.

  The control device 150 operates the motor 152 of the servo motor 94 to turn the turning hopper 20. During this time, rotation angle information of the motor 152 is input from the encoder 154 of the servo motor 94 to the control device 150, and the control device 150 controls the motor 152 so that the rotation speed matches a predetermined target value based on the rotation angle information. Operate.

  Further, based on the rotation angle information, the control device 150, for example, synchronizes with the rotation speed of the motor 152 or the turning speed of the turning hopper 20, and the conveying speed of the feeding inclined belt conveyor 10 and the conveying of the belt conveyor 12 before weighing. Speed, conveyance speed of the inlet side weighing belt conveyor 14, operation of the actuator 50 for driving the standby hopper lower door 46, operation of the actuator 118 for switching the position of the cam 114, driving the fixed hopper lower door 102 Of the actuator 120, the conveying speed of the conveyor belt conveyor 26, the conveying speed of the return belt conveyor 28, the operation of the actuator 132 for driving the swing door 128 of the sorting hopper 30, and the lower door 130 of the sorting hopper are driven. Operation of the actuator 134 for carrying out the It is possible to control the conveying speed of Beya.

  Further, the control device 150 calculates the amount of articles supplied per unit time (supply amount per unit time) to the automatic weighing and combining apparatus based on the weight of the articles measured by the entrance-side weighing belt conveyor 14; Based on the calculated supply amount per unit time and the rotation angle information, the turning speed is adjusted, and further, the feeding speed of the feeding inclined belt conveyor 10 and the feeding of the belt conveyor 12 before weighing are synchronized with the adjusted turning speed. Speed, conveyance speed of the inlet side weighing belt conveyor 14, operation of the actuator 50 for driving the standby hopper lower door 46, operation of the actuator 118 for switching the position of the cam 114, driving the fixed hopper lower door 102 Actuator 120 Operation, Conveying Belt Conveyor 26 Conveying Speed, Return Belt Conveyor 28 Conveying Speed The operation of the actuator 132 for driving the swing door 128 of the sorting hopper 30, the operation of the actuator 134 for driving the sorting hopper lower door 130, and the conveying speed of the carry-out inclined belt conveyor can be controlled. .

FIG. 34 is a flowchart showing a schematic procedure of an example of the automatic weighing and combining method for articles executed by the automatic weighing and combining apparatus.
This automatic weighing combination method is executed for each supplied article, and it is first determined whether or not an article is detected by the article detection sensor 44 (article detection determination step S10). If an article is detected as a result of the judgment in the article detection judgment step S10, the weight of the article is measured by the entrance side weighing belt conveyor 14 (inlet side weighing step S14). That is, the weight of the article supplied intermittently is measured using the detection signal of the article detection sensor 44 as a trigger.

  In the present embodiment, if no article is detected as a result of the determination in the article detection determination step S10, zero adjustment of the inlet side weighing belt conveyor 14 is performed (zero adjustment step S11).

  Then, the article whose weight has been measured is put into the turning hopper 20 through the standby hopper 16 and the putting hopper 18 (feeding step S14). A plurality of swivel hoppers 20 are arranged around the rotation shaft 98 in the circumferential direction, and articles are put into the swirl hopper 20 while adjusting the timing. Specifically, the timing is adjusted by driving the closing hopper lower door 57 that can open and close the lower opening of the closing hopper 18 according to the turning position of the turning hopper 20 by using the closing hopper cam mechanism. To do.

Thereafter, the control device 150 removes the article from the plurality of fixed hoppers 22 capable of receiving the article from the plurality of swivel hoppers 20 based on the measured value of the article weight measured by the entrance-side weighing belt conveyor 14. The fixed hopper 22 to be received is selected (selection step S16).
Here, FIG. 35 shows a part of the data registered in the control device 150, and the total value of the measured values of the weight of the articles held in each swivel hopper 20 is registered in the control device 150. Has been.

FIG. 36 also shows a part of the data registered in the control device 150. In the control device 150, the total value of the measured values of the weight of articles held in each fixed hopper 22 is registered. ing.
Based on the total value of the measured values of the weights of the articles held in each of the swivel hoppers 20 and the total value of the measured values of the weights of the articles held in the respective fixed hoppers 22, the control device The fixed hopper 22 to receive goods from can be selected.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the selection is successful in the selection step S16 (selection success determination step S18). If the selection is successful as a result of the determination in the selection success determination step S18, the article is delivered from the turning hopper 20 to the selected fixed hopper 22 (distribution step S20). As a result of the distribution step S20, it is determined whether or not the total weight of the articles is within the allowable range in the fixed hopper 22 (combination success determination step S22). In addition, what is used as the total weight of the articles in the combination success determination step S22 is a total value of the measured values measured by the entrance-side weighing belt conveyor.

  As a result of the determination in the combination success determination step S22, when the combination is successful, the assembly of articles is discharged from the fixed hopper 22 that has been successfully combined (discharge step S24). And the total weight of the aggregate | assembly of the discharge | released articles | goods is measured by the exit side measurement belt conveyor 32 (exit side measurement process S26).

  Then, it is determined whether or not the measurement value of the total weight measured in the outlet side weighing step S26 is within the allowable range (allowable range inside / outside determination step S28). If the measured value of the total weight falls within the allowable range as a result of the allowable range inside / outside determination step S28, the assembly of articles is carried out as a normal route toward the downstream step by the carry-out inclined belt conveyor 34 (the carry-out step S30). ), The method ends.

  On the other hand, if the measured value of the total weight does not fall within the allowable range as a result of the allowable range inside / outside determination step S28, the assembly of articles is returned toward the supply inclined belt conveyor by an appropriate method (final return step S32). ), The automatic weighing / combining method for the article ends, and the automatic weighing / combining method is executed for the next article.

  It should be noted that, even if the selection is unsuccessful as a result of the determination in the selection success determination step S18 or the combination is not successful as a result of the determination in the combination success determination step S22, the automatic weighing combination for the article is performed. The method ends and the automatic weighing combination method is executed for the next article.

  Thus, according to the selection result of the selection step S16, the assembly of articles is formed by receiving the articles from the plurality of swivel hoppers 20 while adjusting the timing by the fixed hopper 22 (aggregate formation process). , Leading to a successful combination.

  Here, in the assembly forming step, the timing is determined by driving the lower hopper lower door 72 capable of opening and closing the lower opening of the swing hopper 20 according to the swing position of the swing hopper 20 and the selection result of the selection step S16. Adjust.

  Next, FIG. 38 is a flowchart showing a schematic procedure of an example of a processing speed adjustment method executed by the automatic weighing and combining apparatus. The processing speed adjustment method can be executed in parallel with the automatic weighing combination method.

  In the processing speed adjustment method, first, the article detection step S40 is executed. If an article has been detected, the inlet-side weighing step S42 is executed. Then, based on the weight of the article measured in the inlet-side weighing step S42, the article supply amount per unit time is calculated (article supply amount calculation step S44 per unit time).

  Then, based on the calculated value of the article supply amount per unit time calculated in the article supply amount calculation step S44 per unit time, the rotation speed of the servo motor 94, that is, the turning speed of the turning hopper 20 is adjusted (the turning speed). Adjustment step S46). For example, the smaller the calculated value of the article supply amount per unit time, the smaller the turning speed is adjusted. Conversely, the larger the calculated value of the article supply amount per unit time, the higher the turning speed. Adjusted.

  Further, the conveying speeds of the supply inclined belt conveyor 10, the pre-weighing belt conveyor 12, and the inlet-side weighing belt conveyor are adjusted so as to be synchronized with the rotation speed of the servo motor 94, that is, the turning speed of the turning hopper 20. The supply inclined belt conveyor speed adjusting step S48, the pre-weighing belt conveyor speed adjusting step S50, the inlet side measuring belt conveyor speed adjusting step S42), and the processing speed adjusting method are completed. The processing speed adjustment method can be repeatedly executed.

  FIG. 38 is a flowchart illustrating a schematic procedure of an example of the retained article management method executed by the automatic weighing and combining apparatus. The held article management method can be executed in parallel with the automatic weighing combination method.

  In the retained article management method, first, in each swivel hopper 20, whether or not the total value of the weights of the retained articles exceeds a preset weight threshold, and the time for which the articles are retained It is determined whether or not a set time threshold is exceeded (weight / time excess determination step S60).

In the present embodiment, the time threshold is set so that the article put into the turning hopper 20 can make at least two rounds.
The weight threshold is set so that the combination success rate does not decrease because the combination success rate decreases if it is too large.

  When the total weight value exceeds the weight threshold value or the holding time exceeds the time threshold value, the article is discharged from the swivel hopper 20 toward the return hopper 24 (halfway return step) S62). The article discharged toward the return hopper 24 is again put into the supply inclined hopper 10 by a predetermined method.

  After execution of the halfway return step S62, or as a result of the determination in the weight / time excess determination step S60, the total value of the weights of the articles held in each swivel hopper 20 does not exceed the weight threshold, and If the time for holding the article does not exceed the preset time threshold, the held article management method ends. However, the retained article management method can be repeatedly executed.

  According to the automatic weighing and combining apparatus and method of the above-described embodiment, the closing hopper lower door 57 is driven by the closing hopper cam mechanism, and the turning hopper lower door 72 is driven by the turning hopper cam mechanism. In this case, compared with the case where the fluid cylinder is used, the opening / closing timing of the closing hopper lower door 57 can be stably and accurately synchronized with the turning position of the turning hopper 20 over a long period of time. Further, in this case, the opening / closing timing of the swivel hopper lower door 72 can be stably and accurately synchronized with the swivel position of the swirl hopper 20 over a long period of time as compared with the case of using a fluid cylinder.

  For this reason, even if the swivel hopper 20 is swung continuously without being stopped directly below the charging hopper 18, the article is transferred from the charging hopper 18 to the swivel hopper 20, and the article from the swirl hopper 20 to the fixed hopper 22. Is surely delivered.

And when it turns continuously, compared with the case of tact feed, since movable parts, such as a turning mechanism, do not need to repeat acceleration and deceleration, durability of an automatic measurement combination apparatus becomes high.
In addition, when the turning hopper is continuously turned, acceleration and deceleration are not repeated, so that the articles are accurately placed from the charging hopper 18 toward the turning hopper 20 or from the turning hopper 20 toward the fixed hopper 22. It is possible to prevent the article from adhering or biting to an undesired portion of the turning hopper 20 or the fixed hopper 22.

  According to the automatic weighing and combining apparatus of the above-described embodiment, the swivel hopper lower door 72 is reliably opened and closed as necessary by moving the cam 114 between the operating position and the rest position. can do.

  According to the automatic weighing and combining device of the embodiment described above, the control device 150 can adjust the turning speed of the turning hopper 20 according to the weight of the article supplied per unit time.

  According to this configuration, for example, when the supply amount of the article is small, the turning speed of the turning hopper 20 can be reduced, and the article can be sequentially put into each turning hopper 20 without any interval. That is, articles can be put into the swing hopper 20 evenly to some extent, and variations in the weight of articles held between the swing hoppers 20 can be suppressed. For this reason, the control device 150 can easily select an article to be transferred to the fixed hopper 22 from the articles held by the turning hopper 20. As a result, the success rate of the combination of articles increases.

In addition, according to this configuration, for example, when the supply amount of the article is large, the processing capability can be increased by increasing the turning speed.
Note that if the swivel speed of the swivel hopper 20 is excessively slow when the supply amount of the articles is large, the weight of the articles put into the swirl hopper 20 increases. And if the weight of the articles | goods currently hold | maintained at the turning hopper 20 becomes large, the success rate of the combination of articles | goods will become low. In this configuration, by increasing the turning speed, the weight of an article put into the turning hopper 20 is appropriately adjusted, and a decrease in the combination success rate is prevented.

  According to the automatic weighing and combining apparatus of one embodiment described above, at least the turning hopper 20 among the turning hopper 20, the fixed hopper 22, and the charging hopper 18 can be detachably supported by the support member.

  According to this configuration, the turning hopper 20, the fixed hopper 22, or the closing hopper 18 can be detached from the support member. It is easy to wash the swivel hopper 20, the fixed hopper 22, or the charging hopper 18 that has been removed, thereby facilitating hygiene management. In addition, when a part of the article adheres to the turning hopper 20, the fixed hopper 22, or the charging hopper 18, the attached substance may be detached and the total weight of the combined article may change. Can be easily removed, so that the total weight of the article can be kept stable.

  According to the automatic weighing and combining apparatus of the above-described embodiment, a plurality of pairs of guide rails 80 extending radially outward from the rotating shaft 98 for turning the turning hopper 20 are used as support members for the turning hopper 20. The turning hopper 20 may include a roller 78 that can travel along the guide rail 80.

  According to this configuration, at least the turning hopper 20 can be easily attached and detached with a simple configuration.

  According to the automatic weighing and combining apparatus of the above-described embodiment, the inlet-side weighing belt conveyor 14 can be used as an inlet-side weighing device for measuring the weight of an article. A pre-weighing belt conveyor 12 that supplies articles to the weighing belt conveyor 14 may be arranged.

  According to this configuration, since the pre-weighing belt conveyor 12 is disposed on the extension line of the inlet-side weighing belt conveyor 14, it is possible to prevent a load or an impact from being applied to the inlet-side weighing belt conveyor 14 during delivery of articles. Is done. For this reason, the entrance-side weighing belt conveyor 14 can accurately measure the weight of the article.

  According to the automatic weighing and combining apparatus of the above-described embodiment, the inlet-side weighing belt conveyor 14 may be configured to perform zero point adjustment between the conveyance of the articles supplied intermittently.

  When a part of the article adheres to the entrance-side weighing belt conveyor 14, a deviation is included in the measured weight of the article by the weight of the deposit. Based on this deviation, the total weight of the combined articles also varies, and the total weight of the combined articles may actually deviate from the allowable range.

  On the other hand, in this configuration, by adjusting the zero point between the conveyance of the article, the weight of the article can be accurately measured even if a part of the article adheres to the entrance-side weighing belt conveyor 14. . As a result, the total weight of the combined articles can be surely placed in the allowable range.

  According to the automatic weighing / combining apparatus of the above-described embodiment, the outlet-side weighing device includes the outlet-side weighing belt conveyor 32 that can travel in both the first direction and the second direction opposite to each other. 150 selects one direction from the first direction and the second direction based on the measurement value of the total weight of the aggregate of articles measured by the outlet-side weighing instrument, and determines the outlet side based on the selection result. The traveling direction of the measuring device may be controlled.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to inspect whether or not the total weight is within the allowable range by measuring the total weight of the combined articles with the outlet-side measuring instrument, and the total weight is within the allowable range. Combining no articles can be eliminated early.

  According to the automatic weighing and combining apparatus of one embodiment described above, the conveyor belt conveyor 26 that receives and conveys a collection of articles from the fixed hopper 22, and the article that receives and receives the aggregate of articles from the conveyor belt conveyor 26. The distribution hopper 30 may be further provided with a sorting hopper 30 for passing the assembly to the outlet-side measuring device. 126, swing door 128 capable of alternately opening and closing the upper opening of each chamber, and sorting hopper lower door 130 capable of opening and closing the lower opening of each chamber.

  According to this configuration, the processing speed can be increased by putting a collection of articles into the two chambers of the sorting hopper 30.

According to the automatic weighing and combining apparatus of the above-described embodiment, the turning hopper 20 may be arranged in a double concentric circle around the rotating shaft 98 for turning the turning hopper 20.
According to this configuration, the number of the swivel hoppers 20 can be increased by arranging the swivel hoppers 20 on a double concentric circle centered on one rotation shaft 98 as compared with the case of a single swirl. For this reason, according to this structure, the processing capability of articles | goods can be improved. Further, by increasing the number of swirl hoppers 20, there are more choices when combining the articles, so that the success rate of the combination is improved.

According to the automatic weighing and combining apparatus of the above-described embodiment, the article held by the turning hopper 20 may be set to turn at least one turn.
If the time threshold is set so that the articles put into the turning hopper 20 can make at least one turn, the same article is provided for the combination while suppressing the number of the turning hoppers 20. More opportunities are available. For this reason, the number of turning hoppers 20 can be reduced without reducing the combination success rate, and the automatic weighing and combining apparatus can be downsized.

According to the automatic weighing and combining apparatus of the above-described embodiment, when the weight of the article held by the turning hopper 20 exceeds a predetermined threshold, the article is discharged from the turning hopper 20 to the outside of the fixed hopper 22. Also good.
According to this configuration, articles that have not been used for the combination can be promptly supplied to the automatic weighing and combining apparatus again. Moreover, according to this structure, the fall of the combination success rate by the weight of the articles | goods currently hold | maintained at the turning hopper 20 becoming large is prevented.

  Finally, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes a form obtained by modifying the above-described embodiment.

18 Feeding hopper 57 Feeding hopper lower door 58 Roller (cam follower / cam mechanism for feeding hopper)
72 Swing hopper lower door 74 Roller (cam follower / cam mechanism for swivel hopper)
82 Bridge (cam / cam mechanism for charging hopper)
114 cam (cam mechanism for swivel hopper)

Claims (14)

An inlet-side weighing device for measuring the weight of a plurality of articles supplied intermittently;
A plurality of swivel hoppers arranged in a circumferential direction around a rotation axis, wherein the swivel hoppers are capable of receiving and holding the article whose weight has been measured via the input hopper while rotating together with the rotation axis; ,
A plurality of fixed hoppers capable of receiving the article from the plurality of swivel hoppers, wherein the fixed hopper forms an assembly of the articles by receiving the article a plurality of times;
A timing adjustment device for a charging hopper that adjusts the timing of delivery of the article from the charging hopper to the plurality of turning hoppers;
A timing adjustment device for a swing hopper that adjusts the timing of delivery of the article from the plurality of swing hoppers to the plurality of fixed hoppers;
Based on a measured value of the weight of the article measured by the inlet-side weighing device, a fixed hopper to receive the article held by the plurality of swivel hoppers is selected from the plurality of fixed hoppers, A control device for controlling the timing adjustment device for the swing hopper based on the result of the selection,
The timing adjustment device for the charging hopper is:
A charging hopper lower door capable of opening and closing a lower opening of the charging hopper;
A charging hopper cam mechanism for driving the charging hopper lower door in accordance with a turning position of the turning hopper;
The swivel hopper timing adjustment device comprises:
A swing hopper lower door capable of opening and closing a lower opening of the swing hopper;
A swivel hopper cam mechanism that drives the swivel hopper lower door in accordance with a swivel position of the swivel hopper and a selection result of the control device. The swivel hopper cam mechanism is
A cam follower that swivels together with the swivel hopper and attached to the swivel hopper lower door;
A cam provided in the vicinity of the fixed hopper and movable between an operating position contacting the cam follower and a rest position spaced from the cam follower;
The apparatus for automatically weighing and combining articles according to claim 1, further comprising an actuator for moving the cam. 3. The automatic weighing combination of articles according to claim 2, wherein the control device is configured to adjust a turning speed of the turning hopper according to a weight of the article supplied per unit time. apparatus. The automatic weighing and combining apparatus for articles according to claim 2, wherein at least the swivel hopper among the swivel hopper, the fixed hopper, and the charging hopper is detachably supported by a support member. The swivel hopper support member has a plurality of pairs of guide rails extending radially outward from a rotating shaft for swiveling the swivel hopper,
5. The automatic weighing and combining apparatus for articles according to claim 4, wherein the swivel hopper includes a roller capable of traveling along the guide rail. The inlet-side weighing instrument for measuring the weight of the article comprises a weighing belt conveyor,
The metering belt conveyor is disposed on an extension line of an automatic weighing combiner article according to claim 2, further comprising a metering front base Rutokonbeya supplying said article to said metering belt conveyor. 7. The automatic weighing and combining apparatus for articles according to claim 6, wherein the weighing belt conveyor is configured to perform zero point adjustment between the conveyance of the articles supplied intermittently.   3. The automatic weighing and combining apparatus for articles according to claim 2, further comprising an outlet-side weighing instrument for measuring a total weight of the aggregate of articles formed by the fixed hopper. The outlet-side weighing instrument comprises a weighing belt conveyor capable of traveling in both the first direction and the second direction opposite to each other.
The control device selects one direction from the first direction and the second direction based on a measured value of the total weight of the aggregate of articles measured by the outlet-side weighing instrument, and the selection result 9. The automatic weighing / combining device for articles according to claim 8, wherein a traveling direction of the outlet-side weighing instrument is controlled based on the item. A conveyor belt conveyor for receiving and conveying the assembly of articles from the fixed hopper;
A sorting hopper that receives the collection of articles from the conveyor belt conveyor and delivers the received collection of articles to the outlet-side weighing device;
The sorting hopper is
A partition plate that partitions the inside of the sorting hopper into a first chamber and a second chamber;
A swing door capable of alternately opening and closing upper openings of the first chamber and the second chamber;
A first sorting hopper lower door capable of opening and closing the lower opening of the first chamber;
The automatic weighing and combining apparatus for articles according to claim 9, further comprising a second sorting hopper lower door capable of opening and closing the lower opening of the second chamber. 3. The automatic weighing and combining apparatus for articles according to claim 2, wherein the swivel hoppers are arranged on a double concentric circle around a rotation axis for swiveling the swivel hopper. 3. The automatic weighing and combining apparatus for articles according to claim 2, wherein the article held by the turning hopper is set to turn at least one turn. 13. The automatic weighing of an article according to claim 12, wherein when the weight of the article held by the swivel hopper exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the article is discharged from the swivel hopper to the outside of the fixed hopper. Combination device. A weighing process for measuring the weight of a plurality of articles supplied intermittently;
A charging step of charging the swivel hopper while adjusting the timing through the charging hopper while rotating a plurality of the rotating hoppers arranged in the circumferential direction around the rotation axis;
Based on the measured value of the weight of the article as measured by the inlet port side metering device, from among the receivable plurality of fixed hoppers said article from said plurality of swivel hopper, selects the fixed hopper to receive the article A selection process;
An assembly forming step of forming an assembly of the articles by receiving the articles from the plurality of swivel hoppers while adjusting the timing a plurality of times by the fixed hopper according to a selection result of the selection step; Prepared,
In the charging step, a charging hopper lower door that can open and close the lower opening of the charging hopper is driven according to a turning position of the turning hopper using a charging hopper cam mechanism,
In the assembly forming step, a swivel hopper lower door capable of opening and closing the lower opening of the swivel hopper according to the swivel position of the swivel hopper and the selection result of the selection step is used using a swivel hopper cam mechanism. A method for automatically weighing and combining articles, characterized by driving.