Method, device and computer program for displaying evolution of filling quantity

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for displaying the evolution of a measured current fill level of a material in a container from a start fill level to a target fill level during a filling operation, the method comprising: measuring the measured current fill level in the container by means of a measuring device; displaying a first pointer on a display device, the position of the first pointer on the display device being indicative of the measured current fill level, the position of the first pointer on the display device being a monotonic function of the measured current fill level; the pointer speed of the first pointer, defined as the change in position of the first pointer on the display device with respect to the change in the measured current fill level, being a strictly increasing function of at least one sub-range of the measured current fill level in the range between the start fill level and the target fill level, the pointer acceleration of the first pointer, defined as the change in the pointer speed with respect to the change in the measured current fill level, not causing a human perception that the display comprises a discontinuity. It also relates to a device and a computer program for performing the method.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a method for displaying the evolution of a measured filling amount in a container from an initial filling amount to a target filling amount during a filling operation. The method includes: measuring the current filling amount in the container using a measuring device; displaying a first pointer on a display device, the position of which indicates the current filling amount, wherein the position of the first pointer on the display device is a monotonic function of the current filling amount. Furthermore, the invention also relates to an apparatus and a computer program for performing the method. Background Technology

[0002] In various industries, including pharmaceuticals and food and beverage, the constituent materials of a product are quantified in the formulation. It is not uncommon for human operators to fill containers with the target amounts of the various materials specified in the formulation. This is particularly crucial in the pharmaceutical industry, where operators must fill the corresponding materials to the required target fill amounts with finite upper and lower tolerances, potentially as low as 1% or less.

[0003] For example, the target filling amount of material to be filled into the container can be a given weight. Therefore, the operator can place the container on a weighing device, such as a scale. The weighing device can be connected to a display device suitable for displaying the currently measured filling amount, i.e., the weight of the material present in the container. The operator can then begin filling the container with material and monitor the displayed weight during the filling process.

[0004] To assist the operator during the filling process, it is known to display a first pointer on a display device in the form of a bar graph, wherein the position of the first pointer on the display device is proportional to the current fill amount measured in the container (see, for example, US 8,829,365 B1). Typically, the position X of the first pointer on the display device is a linear function of the measured current fill amount, X(Q) = A·Q, where Q represents the measured current fill amount and A is a real number. A target indicator can be displayed on the display device, indicating that the target fill amount has been reached when the position of the first pointer coincides with the position of the target indicator. Furthermore, upper and lower limit indicators can be displayed on the display device to indicate tolerance ranges.

[0005] For economic reasons, filling operations should be performed as quickly as possible. However, if the operator makes an error and fails to fill the material within the given upper and lower tolerances, a significant amount of time must be spent correcting or even discarding the filled batch. However, because the position of the first pointer on the display device (i.e., the position of the end of the bar chart) is a linear function of the measured current quantity, it can be difficult for the operator to fill the material to the desired target quantity and within the tolerances. This is because a 1% tolerance on the display may be difficult for the human eye to perceive.

[0006] To overcome this problem, existing technologies suggest "enlarging" the tolerance area, as explained, for example, in US 9,129,419 B2, US 8,347,233 B2, and US 8,194,076 B2. If the length of the bar graph displayed on the display device for a given currently measured fill amount is defined as the "bar length," then the target fill amount Q... T The length of the bar chart at a given location is defined as the "target length" L. T And the lower tolerance T L Target fill amount Q T 1%, or 99%, of the currently measured fill amount Q can be represented by 80% of the bar length of the target length. That is, the position X of the first pointer is determined by... Given that Q is defined as the target fill amount minus the lower tolerance, the minimum value of Q is given. L Q L =Q T－ T L The remaining 1% of the measured current fill amount Q corresponds to 20% of the target length. That is, for Q between the lower limit and the target fill amount, Thus, for a given change ΔQ in the measured current fill amount above the lower limit, the change ΔX in the position of the first pointer is much larger than for a measured current fill amount below the lower limit. Therefore, the operator can monitor the filling operation within tolerance limits.

[0007] While this "magnification" of the tolerance area allows a human operator to perceive changes in the position of the first pointer within that area, this solution has the following problem: during the filling operation, the operator will monitor the position of the first pointer. When the operator is filling at a certain speed... When filling a container below the lower limit, the sensing speed of the first pointer, i.e., the change in the position of the first pointer (the end of the bar chart) relative to time, is determined by... Given, among which, When the operator reaches the tolerance area, the sensing speed of the first pointer changes from... Given, among which, Due to Q T -Q L Typically than Q T The values ​​are much smaller, therefore A2 is much larger than A1. Consequently, at the lower limit, the sensing speed of the first pointer changes abruptly, which the operator cannot compensate for. Therefore, an operator filling at a moderate rate up to the lower tolerance will exceed the target fill amount and have no chance to remain within the tolerance limit. To overcome this problem, the operator must fill at a very slow rate below the lower limit, which increases processing time and thus increases the cost of producing the product. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In view of these problems in the prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide a method, apparatus and computer program for displaying the evolution of the filling amount of material in a container as described above, so that an operator can perform the filling operation quickly and accurately.

[0009] According to a first aspect of the invention, the objective is achieved in that the pointer speed of the first pointer is a strictly increasing function of at least one subrange of the measured current fill amount within the range between the starting fill amount and the target fill amount, the pointer speed of the first pointer being defined as the positional change of the first pointer on the display device relative to the change in the measured current fill amount; and the pointer acceleration of the first pointer does not cause a human to perceive any discontinuity in the display, the pointer acceleration of the first pointer being defined as the change in pointer speed relative to the change in the measured current fill amount.

[0010] According to a first aspect of the invention, a method is provided for displaying the evolution of the filling amount of material in a container during a filling operation. The filling amount can be any quantity measurable by a measuring device, including but not limited to weight, number of pieces, or volume. The filling operation is from an initial filling amount Q0 to a target filling amount Q. T The filling operation is performed. The initial fill volume can be zero. If the initial fill volume is not zero, a peeling operation can be performed before the filling operation begins. The target fill volume can be specified by the recipe.

[0011] The filling operation can be performed manually by a human operator. That is, there is a human operator who fills the container with material, for example, from a storage device.

[0012] The method according to the invention includes measuring the current fill volume in a container using a measuring device. The measuring device may be a weighing device, such as a scale. The method may begin by placing the container on the weighing device. Then, a tare operation may be performed. Afterward, an operator may begin filling the container with material. Alternatively, the measuring device may be adapted to measure the number of pieces or the fill volume.

[0013] The method according to the invention further includes: displaying a first pointer on a display device, the position of the first pointer on the display device indicating the measured current fill level Q. The display device may be an analog or digital display. An operator can monitor the position of the first pointer on the display device during the filling operation. Target marker m T The target filling amount Q can be displayed on the display device. T The position of the first pointer X T When the first pointer reaches position X on the display device. T At that point, the operator knows that the target filling amount has been reached.

[0014] The position of the first pointer on the display device is a monotonic function of the measured current fill volume. The function can be strictly monotonic. The position of the first pointer can be defined as the distance from the starting position X0.

[0015] According to the method of the present invention, the pointer speed of the first pointer is a strictly increasing function of at least one subrange of the measured current fill amount within the range between the initial fill amount and the target fill amount. The pointer speed of the first pointer is defined as the positional change of the first pointer on the display device relative to the change in the measured current fill amount. That is, from the initial fill amount Q0 (which can be zero) to the target fill amount Q... T The range [Q0, Q] T There exists at least a subrange [Q1, Q2] in the [container], wherein the pointer speed v(Q) of the first pointer increases as the measured current filling amount Q in the container increases. In a possible example of the invention, the pointer speed is between the initial filling amount Q0 and the target filling amount Q0. T The function is strictly increasing over the entire range between these values. Furthermore, according to the method of the invention, the pointer acceleration of the first pointer will not cause human perception of any inconsistency in the display; the pointer acceleration of the first pointer is defined as the change in pointer speed relative to the change in the measured current fill amount.

[0016] The effect of this pointer speed and acceleration is based on the fact that the human brain dislikes change. If the operator observes the position of the first pointer displayed on the screen and begins filling the container placed on the measuring device, he / she will automatically attempt to keep the position of the first pointer constant relative to time in order to achieve a predictable result. That is, he / she will try to maintain the perceived speed of the first pointer. Let X be the position of the first pointer on the display device, Q be the measured current fill rate, and t be time. If at some moment the pointer speed v(Q) = dX / dQ increases, the operator will automatically slow down his / her fill rate dQ / dt to maintain a constant perceived speed dX / dt. This process will not be noticed by the operator because eye-hand coordination is a natural behavior.

[0017] In addition, pointer acceleration This is restricted to avoid inconsistencies in human perception experienced by ordinary human operators. Specifically, the perceived acceleration of the first pointer... —It determines the operator's perception of the change in the position of the first pointer on the display device when observing the display device—it does not cause the perception of such a sudden change in position. In other words, the human perception of… The inconsistency is not perceived. Therefore, when the operator smoothly fills the container, according to human perception, the perceived speed of the first pointer will never change suddenly, and a sudden change could startle the operator and jeopardize the filling operation. According to the operator's perception, the smooth and continuous filling of the container is displayed as the smooth and continuous movement of the position of the first pointer on the display device.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the method of the invention, the first pointer includes the end of the bar chart. The position of the first pointer on the display device can then correspond to the length of the bar chart. This is a particularly intuitive representation of the first pointer. Therefore, the length of the bar chart is a monotonic function of the measured current fill amount and can increase as the measured current fill amount increases. Alternatively, the length of the bar chart can decrease monotonically with the measured current fill amount.

[0019] According to another embodiment of the invention, the pointer acceleration can be a continuous function of the measured fill amount. This means that the pointer velocity of the first pointer is also a continuous function. This makes the above-described method particularly easy to implement.

[0020] In another example, the method of the present invention may include determining the position of the pointer on the display device using an electronic data processing apparatus. The electronic data processing apparatus may be adapted to receive a measured current fill volume from the measuring device, calculate the position of the first pointer on the display device, and output the position of the first pointer to the display device.

[0021] In one embodiment of the method according to the invention, within a first range from the initial filling amount to a first intermediate filling amount, the position of the first pointer can be defined as a first function X1(Q) of the measured current filling amount, and within a second range from the first intermediate filling amount to the target filling amount, the position of the first pointer can be defined as a second function X2(Q) of the measured current filling amount, different from the first function. Thus, within the first range of the measured current filling amount corresponding to the first function X1(Q), there exists a first pointer speed of the first pointer. Furthermore, within a second range corresponding to the measured current fill amount of the second function X2(Q), there exists a second pointer velocity at the position of the first pointer. For example, a first function X1(Q) and a second function X2(Q) can be chosen to make the first pointer speed Start with a relatively low initial fill amount, then increase to a much higher value near the first intermediate fill amount. The operator can then begin the fill operation at a relatively high fill speed. Start by slowing down as you approach the first intermediate fill level. You can choose a first function and a second function to make the pointer speed continuous at the first intermediate fill level.

[0022] In one embodiment of the method according to the present invention, the filling operation may include filling a container with a filling amount within a range of a lower limit amount and an upper limit amount, wherein the lower limit amount is defined as the target filling amount minus the lower tolerance, the upper limit amount is defined as the target filling amount plus the upper tolerance, and wherein the first intermediate filling amount is the lower limit amount. When the first pointer includes the end of the bar graph, the position of the first pointer on the display device may correspond to the length of the bar graph. Let L max be the maximum length of the bar graph displayed on the display device. Then, the first function may be defined such that the length of the bar graph corresponding to the lower limit amount is 60% of the maximum length L max of the bar graph. A second function may be selected such that the length of the bar graph corresponding to the target filling amount is 85% of the maximum length L max of the bar graph, and the length of the bar graph at the upper limit amount is 100% of the maximum length L max of the bar graph. In addition, the pointer speed of the first pointer defined by the first function may increase strictly between the start filling amount and the lower limit amount. Further, the second function within the second range (between the lower limit amount and the upper limit amount) may be a linear function. Thus, an operator who involuntarily wants to keep the perceived speed of the bar graph constant will slow down his / her filling speed from the start filling amount to the lower limit amount. Once the lower limit amount is reached, the operator will maintain a relatively low constant filling speed until or near the target filling amount. Thus, a very fast and very accurate filling operation can be performed within a very small tolerance, such as the filling operation required in the pharmaceutical industry.

[0023] As a possible example of an embodiment of the present invention, the first function X1(Q) defined for the measured current filling amount Q within the range from the start filling amount to the lower limit filling amount Q0≤Q<Q L may be given by , where 0<df<1 is a decay factor, and preferably df = 0.99, Q L is the lower limit amount, the root N>0 is a real number, X L is the position of the first pointer at the lower limit amount Q L , and the second function X2(Q) defined for the measured current filling amount within the range Q≥Q L may be given by , where, X T is the position of the first pointer at the target filling amount Q[[ID=IO]] T .

[0024] In a preferred embodiment, the root N may be given by .

[0025] The method may further include displaying a second pointer on the display device, the position of which corresponds to the position of the cursor within the range of the upper and lower limits. The position of the second pointer, as a function of the measured current fill amount, can be as follows: from the starting fill amount to the cursor's starting amount, the pointer speed and therefore the perceived speed of the second pointer is zero, i.e., it does not move. When the cursor's starting amount is reached, the second pointer can begin to move from the cursor's starting position. The cursor's starting position can be the same as the starting position of the first pointer at the starting fill amount. The second pointer can then move at a pointer speed higher than that of the first pointer. From the lower limit to the target fill amount, the pointer speed of the second pointer can be constant. At the target fill amount, the positions of the first and second pointers can be the same. Thus, the second pointer can be an additional aid that "magnifies" the fill operation from the lower limit to the target amount. It acts as a guide for the operator's eye, thereby helping to improve the accuracy of the fill process.

[0026] According to a second aspect of the invention, an apparatus is provided for displaying the evolution of the filling amount of material in a container from an initial filling amount to a target filling amount during a filling operation, the apparatus comprising: a measuring device for measuring the measured current filling amount in the container; a display device for displaying a first pointer, the position of the first pointer on the display device indicating the measured current filling amount; and a data processing device adapted to receive the measured current filling amount from the measuring device, calculate the position of the first pointer on the display device as a monotonic function of the measured current filling amount, and output the position of the first pointer to the display device, wherein the pointer velocity of the first pointer is a strictly increasing function of at least one subrange of the measured current filling amount within the range between the initial filling amount and the target filling amount, the pointer velocity of the first pointer is defined as the positional change of the first pointer on the display device relative to the change in the measured current filling amount, and the pointer acceleration of the first pointer does not cause a human to perceive any discontinuity in the display, the pointer acceleration of the first pointer being defined as the change in the pointer velocity relative to the change in the measured current filling amount.

[0027] Therefore, the device is adapted to perform the method according to the first aspect.

[0028] All the above descriptions of the method also apply to the device and will not be repeated.

[0029] Data processing apparatus may include electronic data processing apparatus. Display apparatus may include analog or digital display apparatus.

[0030] In one embodiment of the device according to the invention, the measuring device may be a weighing device. The weighing device may include a scale.

[0031] According to a third aspect of the invention, a computer program including instructions is provided, which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the following steps: receiving measurement data of a measured current fill amount from a measuring device; calculating the position of a first pointer on a display device as a function of the measured current fill amount, wherein the position of the first pointer on the display device is a monotonic function of the measured current fill amount; and outputting the position of the first pointer to the display device, wherein the pointer velocity of the first pointer is a strictly increasing function of at least one subrange of the measured current fill amount within a range between a starting fill amount and a target fill amount, the pointer velocity of the first pointer is defined as the positional change of the first pointer on the display device relative to the change in the measured current fill amount, and the pointer acceleration of the first pointer does not cause a human to perceive any discontinuity in the display, the pointer acceleration of the first pointer being defined as the change in pointer velocity relative to the change in the measured current fill amount.

[0032] Therefore, the computer program is adapted to execute the method according to the first aspect. It can be used with the apparatus according to the second aspect.

[0033] According to another aspect of the present invention, a data carrier having the aforementioned computer program stored thereon is provided. Attached Figure Description

[0034] In the following description, the invention will be illustrated in more detail by way of example with reference to a set of accompanying drawings. In the drawings,

[0035] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operator performing the filling operation according to the present invention and the device for displaying the evolution of the filling amount;

[0036] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The image shown is a screen view illustrating one possible embodiment of a display device that shows the evolution of the fill volume;

[0037] Figure 3 It is a graph showing the position of the first pointer as a function of the fill amount, as is known in the art.

[0038] Figure 4 This is a graph showing the first pointer position as a function of the fill amount according to the method of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 5 It is a graph showing the first and second pointer positions as a function of the fill amount according to the method of the present invention.

[0040] Figures 6A to 6E This is a screenshot of a display device showing the evolution of the fill weight according to the method of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 7A and Figure 7B This is a screenshot of a display device showing the evolution of the fill quantity according to the method of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0042] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the operator 1 performing the filling operation according to the present invention and the device 100 for displaying the evolution of the filling amount.

[0043] exist Figure 1 In this configuration, a container 3 for receiving materials is arranged on a measuring device 5, such as a scale 5. The measuring device 5 is connected to a data processing device 6. The data processing device 6 may be an electronic data processing device. The data processing device 6 is connected to a display device 10. One possible example of an embodiment of the display device 10 is shown below. Figure 2 As shown in the image.

[0044] Operator 1 fills material 4 from storage container 2 into container 3 arranged on measuring device 5. Figure 1 In this device, the measuring device 5 is adapted to measure the current filling amount of material 4 in the container 3. The filling amount may be, for example, filling weight, filling volume, or number of pieces. The measured current filling amount Q is output from the measuring device 5 and input to the data processing device 6. The data processing device 6 is adapted to calculate the position X of the first pointer 11 on the display device 10, as will be further specified below.

[0045] The first pointer 11 is displayed on the display device 10. Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the first pointer includes the end of the bar chart 11a. The position X of the first pointer 11 on the display device 10 (which also corresponds to the length of the bar chart 11a) indicates the measured current fill level Q. The position X of the first pointer 11 on the display device 10 is a monotonic function of the measured current fill level Q. Figure 1 In the example shown, the position X of the first pointer 11 on the display device 10 is a monotonically increasing function of the measured current fill amount Q. In particular, the position X of the first pointer 11 can be a strictly increasing function of the measured current fill amount Q, although it is not limited to this.

[0046] On the display device 10, the target filling amount Q T Position X arranged on display device 10 T Target indicator 13, for example, indicated in the form of a triangle. Location X T Corresponding to the first pointer 11 at the target fill amount Q T Location of the target fill volume Q. T The operator 1 can input the information into device 100 before performing the filling operation. For this purpose, an input device (not shown) can be provided. The input device can be a keyboard or a touchscreen. Furthermore, the lower tolerance T can be specified.L and the tolerance T U Furthermore, the target of the fill operation can be the lower bound Q. L and the upper limit Q U The filling amount within the range of Q is used to fill container 3, wherein the lower limit is Q. L Defined as target fill amount Q T Subtract the lower tolerance T L And the upper limit Q U Defined as target fill amount Q T Plus upper tolerance T U Limited quantity Q L The lower limit Q can be determined by the pointer 11 corresponding to the first pointer 11 arranged on the display device 10. L The location of X L The lower limit indicator 14 indicates the upper limit quantity Q. U The upper limit Q can be determined by the pointer 11 corresponding to the first pointer 11 arranged on the display device 10. U The location of X U The upper limit indicator 15 indicates the location.

[0047] There are many applications where filling operations must be performed with very high precision. For example, in the pharmaceutical industry, tolerances of 1% or less of the target fill amount are common. When the change ΔX of the position X of the first pointer 11 relative to the change ΔQ of the measured current fill amount Q is the same for all values ​​of the measured current fill amount Q, the operator 1 may not be able to perceive the change in the position X of the first pointer 11 within a tolerance of 1% or less. To overcome this problem, as is known in the art, "enlargement" is performed within the tolerance range. For example, as... Figure 2 As shown, the position X of the lower limit indicator 14 L (which corresponds to the lower limit Q) L The length of the bar chart at position X (11a) can be the maximum length of the bar chart (the end of the bar chart at position X). max 60% of the target fill amount Q. This relationship can be maintained independently of the size of the tolerance. That is, if the lower tolerance is the target fill amount Q... T 1%, then until the target filling amount Q. T 99% of the fill is represented by a bar chart 11a that has 60% of the maximum length of the bar chart. Target fill amount Q T The remaining 1% is represented, for example, by 12.5% ​​of the maximum length of the bar chart. That is, the target fill value Q. T The length of the bar chart at a given point can be 72.5% of the maximum length of the bar chart. Furthermore, the upper tolerance is also the target fill value Q. T When it is 1%, the target filling amount Q TThe length of the bar chart at 101% can be 85% of the maximum length of the bar chart. This allows operator 1 to monitor the fill amount Q within the upper and lower tolerances T. u T L The evolution within.

[0048] Although this "scale-up" in principle allows monitoring at the target fill volume Q T The evolution of the fill amount within a small tolerance range, but this method has the following problems, as referenced. Figure 3 That's understandable. Figure 3 The position X of the first pointer 11, as a function of the measured current fill level Q, is shown above. This is from the initial fill level Q0 to the lower limit Q. L Within the interval, the position X of the first pointer on the display device is a first linear function of the measured current fill amount Q, X1(Q) = A1·Q. At the lower limit Q... L With upper limit Q U Within the interval, the position X of the first pointer is a second linear function of the measured current filling amount Q, X2(Q) = A2·Q. A2 is much larger than A1. Thus, even a small change in the measured current filling amount Q within the tolerance range will be translated into a change in the position X of the first pointer that can be perceived by the human operator 1. However, this method has the following problem: the operator begins the filling operation by pouring out the storage container 2. This causes a change in the measured current filling amount Q in container 3. This change can be expressed by the first derivative of the measured current filling amount with respect to time. To describe this, it will be expressed as the filling speed. Then, the perceived change dX of the position X of the first pointer as perceived by the operator (which corresponds to the change in the length of the bar) relative to time... Given by the following relationship: Because the human brain dislikes change, the person viewing the bar chart will automatically try to maintain a constant rate of perception. In other words, they will attempt to keep... Constant. For up to the lower limit Q L The measured current filling amount Q, therefore, The operator will fill the container at a constant filling rate v0 to maintain a constant perceived speed, i.e. When the measured current filling amount Q reaches the lower limit Q L At that time, the position of the first pointer on the display device is determined by the second function X2(Q) = A2·Q, that is... Given. Therefore. Because A2 is much larger than A1, the perceived speed dX / dt of the bar chart changes abruptly, from A1·v0 when below the lower limit to A2·v0 when above the lower limit, which is something the operator cannot compensate for. In other words, the operator is very likely to exceed the target fill value Q.T And there is no chance to stay within the tolerance range.

[0049] This problem is overcome by the method according to the present invention, as referenced. Figure 4 That's understandable. Figure 4 This is a graph showing the position of the first pointer as a function of the measured current fill level Q, according to the method of the present invention. Here, the position of the first pointer is between the initial fill level Q0 and the lower limit Q. L The range between these values ​​represents a non-linear function of the measured current fill level Q. Specifically, when the measured current fill level Q approaches the lower limit Q... L At that time, the position of the first pointer on the display device changes by ΔX relative to the change in the measured current fill amount Q. This means that the pointer velocity of the first pointer—defined as the position change ΔX of the first pointer on the display device relative to the change in the measured current fill amount Q—is... —At the starting filling amount Q0 and the lower limit Q L The interval is a strictly increasing function. (See the reference above.) Figure 3 The explained perception speed of the first pointer, i.e., the change ΔX of the position of the first pointer on the display device relative to time, can be expressed as: When the measured current filling amount Q is close to the lower limit Q L hour Increase. As explained earlier, the human brain dislikes change. Therefore, an operator viewing a bar chart while filling a container will try to maintain a consistent perceived speed of the bar chart. Constant. With As the number of operations increases, the operator will slow down his filling process, meaning he will reduce the amount of filling. This deceleration is imperceptible to the operator because eye-hand coordination is a natural behavior. That is, when the measured current filling amount Q approaches the lower limit Q... L At times, the operator may unintentionally slow down the filling speed.

[0050] When the measured current filling amount Q is within the lower limit Q L With upper limit Q U When the position X of the first pointer on the display device is within the range between 0 and 1, it can be a linear function of the measured current fill amount Q, X2(Q) = A2·Q + constant, such as Figure 3 As shown. A2 can be selected as the quantity Q that is close to the lower limit below. L The pointer velocities of the first pointers are the same or nearly the same. Then, pointer acceleration, defined as the change in pointer velocity relative to the measured current fill amount, will not cause humans to perceive any inconsistency in the display. Thus, below the lower limit Q... L The position change of the first pointer and the amount Q above the lower limit LThere is a smooth transition between the position changes of the first pointer. When the measured current fill level Q drops below the lower limit Q... L The value smoothly increases to above the lower limit Q. L When the value is specified, the sensing speed does not change abruptly. Within this range, a filling operation can then be performed at a relatively low filling speed, and filling within the tolerance value can be achieved.

[0051] To further assist the operator, a second pointer 12 can be displayed on the display device 10, such as... Figure 2 As shown. The second pointer 12 is an additional auxiliary means of "magnifying" the filling process of the measured current fill amount Q within tolerance limits. The second pointer 12 is similar to a vernier. The second pointer 12 can appear below the lower limit Q. L At a certain measured current fill level Q, the pointer moves dynamically, similar to the first pointer, until it reaches the lower limit Q. L Within tolerance limits, the dynamics of the second pointer 12 can be similar to those of the first pointer 11, and can be selected such that for the target fill amount Q... T The position of the second pointer 12 is X v The position X of the first pointer 11 on the display device T The same applies. This improves filling accuracy.

[0052] To further illustrate the method according to the present invention, Figures 6A to 6E A screenshot of a display device 10 depicting the evolution of the fill weight according to the method of the present invention is shown. Figures 6A to 6F The target fill weight Q should be 5kg. T Among them, the target filling amount Q is T 1% lower tolerance T L (Under Tol) and target fill volume Q T The target quantity Q has an overtolerance of 1%. T Lower limit Q L and the upper limit Q U These are indicated by the target indicator 13, the lower limit indicator 14, and the upper limit indicator 15, respectively. The end of the bar chart 11a—which is the position X of the first pointer—indicates the measured current fill level Q. The position of the first pointer is a monotonically increasing function of the measured current fill level Q. Figure 6A In the middle, the second pointer 12 (vernier) has just appeared on the display device 10. The first and second pointers 11 and 12 have almost constant (slow) pointer speeds, such as Figure 5 As shown.

[0053] Figure 6B This shows that the measured current filling volume Q is approximately the target filling volume Q. T In 95% of cases. From Figure 5 It can be seen that the first and second pointers, 11 and 12, begin to accelerate. Figure 6C This shows that the measured current filling volume Q is approximately the target filling volume Q. T In 98% of cases, the first and second pointers 11 and 12 are now reaching the lower limit position X. L .exist Figure 6D In the current position, the first pointer 11 has reached the lower limit indicator 14. The positions of the first and second pointers 11 and 12 are now a linear function of the measured current fill amount Q between the lower and upper tolerances. Figure 6E In the above, the measured current filling volume Q is approximately equal to the target filling volume Q. T 99.5%. The first and second pointers approach the target indicator 13. Figure 6F This shows the achievement of the target filling amount Q. T In this situation, the second pointer 12 turns dark to indicate that the target fill amount Q has been reached. T .

[0054] Figure 7A and Figure 7B Two screenshots of a display device 10 depict the evolution of the number of pieces in a container according to the method of the present invention. A target filling quantity of 3,500 pieces will be reached during the filling operation. Figure 7A This shows that 3,499 items have already been filled into the container. The second pointer 12 and the first pointer 11 are very close to the target indicator X. T .exist Figure 7B In the middle, the target filling quantity Q of 3,500 pieces was achieved. T .

[0055] Example

[0056] a) Below, an example will be described of the position X of the first pointer on the display device, which is a function of the measured current fill amount Q. The fill operation is from the initial fill amount Q0 = 0 to the target fill amount Q. T Executed, with upper and lower tolerances T U T L That is, at the end of the fill operation, the container should contain the contents of Q. L ≤Q≤Q U The measured filling amount Q within the range, where Q L It is defined as the target fill amount minus the lower limit of the lower tolerance, Q. L =Q T -T L Q U It is defined as the target fill amount plus the upper limit of the tolerance, Q. U =Q T +T U Lmax It is the maximum length of the bar chart displayed on the display device.

[0057] i) 0 ≤ Q L ;

[0058]

[0059] Q L It is defined as the target fill amount Q T Subtract the lower tolerance T L The lower limit, df, is the decay factor that ensures the denominator remains finite (as a specific choice: df = 0.99), root Preferred R = 6, r > 0; preferred r = 3, X L The position of the first pointer at the lower limit, preferably X. L =0.6L max , where L max .

[0060] ii)Q L ≤Q T :

[0061]

[0062] Among them, X T The first pointer is at the target fill amount Q T The preferred location is X. T =0.725·L max .

[0063] iii)Q T ≤Q U

[0064]

[0065] Among them, X U Is the first pointer at the upper limit Q? U The preferred location is X. U =0.85L max .

[0066] iv)Q≥Q U

[0067]

[0068] A preferred example is as follows:

[0069] i) 0 ≤ Q L :

[0070] in, ​​​​

[0071] ii)Q L ≤Q T :

[0072]

[0073] iii)Q T ≤Q U :

[0074]

[0075] iv)Q≥Q U :

[0076]

[0077] b) Below, appended to the first pointer, is also given the position X of the second pointer (cursor). v An example.

[0078] i) 0 ≤ Q v :

[0079] X v (Q)=0

[0080] ii)

[0081]

[0082] in,

[0083]

[0084] N is the same as the case of the first pointer, df v =df is the same as the case of the first pointer.

[0085] Preferably, X v，L =0.475L max .

[0086] iii)Q L ≤Q T :

[0087]

[0088] X T The situation is the same as with the first pointer.

[0089] iv)Q T ≤Q U

[0090] ​​​​​

[0091] Preferably, X v，U =0.475L max .

[0092] v)Q≥Q U

[0093]

[0094] For a preferred example of the first pointer position, the preferred position of the second pointer is as follows:

[0095] i)

[0096] X v (Q)=0

[0097] ii)

[0098]

[0099] Among them, X v，L =0.475L max ,

[0100] and

[0101] iii)Q L ≤Q T :

[0102]

[0103] iv)Q T ≤Q U :

[0104]

[0105] v)Q≥Q U :

[0106] ​​

Claims

1. A method for displaying the measured current filling amount (Q) of the material in the container (3) during a filling operation from the initial filling amount (Q0) to the target filling amount (Q0). T The method of evolution of ) includes: measuring a measured current filling quantity (Q) in the container (3) by means of a measuring device (5); displaying a first pointer (11) on a display device (10), the position (X) of the first pointer (11) on the display device (10) being indicative of the measured current filling quantity (Q), wherein the position (X) of the first pointer (11) on the display device (10) is a monotonic function of the measured current filling quantity (Q); filling the container (3) with a filling quantity within a range of a lower limit quantity (Q L ) and an upper limit quantity (Q U ), wherein the lower limit quantity (Q L ) is defined as a target filling quantity (Q T ) minus a lower tolerance (T L ) and the upper limit quantity (Q U ) is defined as the target filling quantity (Q T ) plus an upper tolerance (T U ), characterized in that In a first range from the start filling quantity (Q0) to a first intermediate filling quantity (Q I ), the position (X) of the first pointer (11) is defined as a first function (X1) of the measured current filling quantity (Q); wherein, in a second range from the first intermediate filling quantity (Q I ) to the target filling quantity (Q T ), the position (X) of the first pointer (11) is defined as a second function (X2) of the measured current filling quantity (Q), which is different from the first function (X1), wherein the first intermediate filling quantity (Q I ) is the lower limit quantity (Q L ). The pointer speed (v) of the first pointer (11) is a strictly increasing function of at least one sub-range of the measured current fill level (Q) in the range between the start fill level (Q0) and the target fill level (Q T ), the pointer speed (v) of the first pointer (11) being defined as the change in position (ΔX) of the first pointer (11) on the display device (10) with respect to a change (ΔQ) in the measured current fill level (Q), wherein the end points of the sub-range are defined by the lower limit (Q L ); and since the first and second functions are such that the pointer speed is continuous at the lower limit, the pointer acceleration (A) of the first pointer (11), which is defined as the change (Δv) in the pointer speed (v) with respect to a change (ΔQ) in the measured current fill level (Q), does not cause the display to include discontinuities perceptible to humans.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, the first function (X1) is a non-linear function of the measured current filling quantity (Q) and the second function (X2) is a linear function of the measured current filling quantity (Q).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first pointer (11) comprises an end of a bar graph (11a).

4. The method of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The acceleration (A) is a continuous function of the measured current filling quantity (Q).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method comprises determining the position (X) of the pointer (11) on the display device (10) by means of an electronic data processing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, For Q0 ≤ Q < Q L The first function (X1) defined by the measured current fill amount (Q) within the range is X1(Q) = Given, where 0 < df < 1 is the attenuation factor, Q L It is the lower limit, N > 0 is a real number, X L The first pointer is at the lower limit Q. L The position is Q ≥ Q L The second function (X2) defined by the measured current fill amount within the range is X2(Q) = Given, where X T The first pointer (11) is at the target fill amount (Q) T The position at ).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The decay factor df = 0.

99.

8. The method of claim 1, 6 or 7, wherein, The method also comprises displaying on the display device (10) a second cursor (12) whose position (X v ) corresponds to the position of the cursor within the range of the upper limit quantity (Q U ) and the lower limit quantity (Q L ).

9. A device for displaying the evolution of the fill level of a material in a container from a starting fill level (Q0) to a target fill level (Q T ) during a filling operation, the device comprising: a measuring device (5) for measuring a measured current filling quantity (Q) in the container; a display device (10) for displaying a first pointer (11), the position of the first pointer (11) on the display device (10) being indicative of the measured current filling quantity (Q); a data processing device (6) adapted to receive the measured current filling quantity (Q) from the measuring device (5) for calculating the position (X) of the first pointer (11) on the display device as a monotonic function of the measured current filling quantity (Q), wherein the position (X) of the first pointer (11) on the display device (10) is a monotonic function of the measured current filling quantity (Q), and to output the position (X) of the first pointer (11) to the display device (10); characterized in that From the initial fill amount (Q0) to the first intermediate fill amount (Q I Within the first range of ), the position (X) of the first pointer (11) is defined as a first function (X1) of the measured current fill amount (Q); wherein, from the first intermediate fill amount (Q) I ) to target fill volume (Q) T Within the second range of ), the position (X) of the first pointer (11) is defined as a second function (X2) different from the first function (X1) of the measured current fill amount (Q), wherein the first intermediate fill amount (Q) I ) is the lower limit (Q) L The lower limit (Q) L ) is defined as the target fill amount (Q) T Subtract the lower tolerance (T) L ), The pointer speed (v) of the first pointer (11) is a strictly increasing function of at least one sub-range of the measured current filling quantity (Q) in the range between the starting filling quantity (Q0) and the target filling quantity (Q T ), the pointer speed (v) of the first pointer (11) being defined as the change in position (ΔX) of the first pointer (11) on the display device (10) with respect to a change (ΔQ) in the measured current filling quantity (Q), wherein the end points of the sub-range are defined by the lower limit quantity (Q L ); and since the first and second functions are such that the pointer speed is continuous at the lower limit quantity, the pointer acceleration (A) of the first pointer (11), which is defined as the change (Δv) in the pointer speed (v) with respect to a change (ΔQ) in the measured current filling quantity (Q), does not cause the human perception that the display includes a discontinuity.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein, The data processing device (6) comprises an electronic data processing device.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 or 10, wherein, The measuring device (5) is a weighing device.

12. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when the program product is executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the following steps: receiving measurement data of a measured current filling quantity (Q) from a measuring device (5); The position (X) of the first pointer (11) on the display device (10) is calculated as a function of the measured current fill level (Q), wherein the position (X) of the first pointer (11) on the display device (10) being a monotonic function of the measured current filling quantity (Q); outputting the position (X) of the first pointer (11) to the display device (10); characterized in that From the initial fill amount (Q0) to the first intermediate fill amount (Q I Within the first range of ), the position (X) of the first pointer (11) is defined as a first function (X1) of the measured current fill amount (Q); wherein, from the first intermediate fill amount (Q) I ) to target fill volume (Q) T Within the second range of ), the position (X) of the first pointer (11) is defined as a second function (X2) different from the first function (X1) of the measured current fill amount (Q), wherein the first intermediate fill amount (Q) I ) is the lower limit (Q) L The lower limit (Q) L ) is defined as the target fill amount (Q) T Subtract the lower tolerance (T) L ), The pointer speed (v) of the first pointer (11) is a strictly increasing function of at least one sub-range of the measured current filling quantity (Q) in the range between the starting filling quantity (Q0) and the target filling quantity (Q T ), the pointer speed (v) of the first pointer (11) being defined as the change in position (ΔX) of the first pointer (11) on the display device (10) with respect to a change (ΔQ) in the measured current filling quantity (Q), wherein the end points of the sub-range are defined by the lower limit quantity (Q L ); and since the first and second functions are such that the pointer speed is continuous at the lower limit quantity, the pointer acceleration (A) of the first pointer (11), which is defined as the change (Δv) in the pointer speed (v) with respect to a change (ΔQ) in the measured current filling quantity (Q), does not cause the human perception that the display includes a discontinuity.

13. A data carrier having stored thereon the computer program product according to claim 12.

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