Metering system

Abstract

A measuring system comprises: a first gripping portion having a first gripping hand for gripping and discharging a portion of first articles in a group of articles housed in a container; a second gripping portion having a second gripping hand for gripping and discharging another portion of second articles in the group of articles, the second gripping hand having a shape different from that of the first gripping hand; an acquiring portion for acquiring at least one of a weight value of the first article gripped by the first gripping portion and a weight value of the first article discharged from the first gripping portion; and a control portion for controlling the discharge of the second article from the second gripping portion based on the weight value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a metering system. Background Art

[0002] As a device for weighing and dispensing, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-3182 discloses a device comprising multiple collection units, each of which includes a gripping mechanism for gripping and removing a portion of an item and a weighing mechanism for recording the weight of a portion of the item. This device also includes a dispensing mechanism and a computer pre-programmed for a predetermined total weight. The weighing mechanism measures the weight of the items gripped by the gripping mechanism and dispenses the items into a predetermined location.

[0003] The device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-3182 has the problem that the weight of the items placed at the designated location may fall outside the preset target weight range due to various factors. In this case, the weight of the items must be manually adjusted by the operator in the latter stage of the device, which increases costs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] One object of the present invention is to provide a weighing system capable of setting the weight value of discharged articles with high accuracy.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention relates to a weighing system comprising: a first gripping portion having a first gripping hand for gripping and discharging a portion of a first article in a group of articles housed in a container; a second gripping portion having a second gripping hand for gripping and discharging another portion of a second article in the group of articles, the second gripping hand having a shape different from that of the first gripping hand; an acquisition portion for acquiring at least one of a weight value of the first article gripped by the first gripping portion and a weight value of the first article discharged from the first gripping portion; and a control portion for controlling the discharge of the second article from the second gripping portion based on the weight value.

[0006] In this weighing system, the control unit controls the discharge of a second article from the second gripping unit based on the weight of the first article, acquired by the acquisition unit and held by the first gripping unit. Thus, for example, if the weight is less than a target weight, the second article can be discharged from the second gripping unit, allowing the final weight of the article discharged from the weighing system to be set within the target weight range with high accuracy. By using the first and second gripping units in this manner, the weight of the article discharged from the weighing system can be set with high accuracy.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a measuring system comprising: a first gripping portion having a first gripping hand that grips and discharges a portion of a first article in a first article group stored in a first container; a second gripping portion having a second gripping hand that grips and discharges a portion of a second article in a second article group stored in a second container or takes out a portion of the first article discharged from the first gripping portion, the second gripping hand having a shape different from that of the first gripping hand; an acquisition portion that acquires at least one of a weight value of the first article gripped by the first gripping portion and a weight value of the first article discharged from the first gripping portion; and a control portion that controls the discharge of the second article or the discharge of a portion of the first article by the second gripping portion based on the weight value, the second gripping portion being located at a rearward position relative to the first gripping portion.

[0008] In this weighing system, the control unit controls the discharge of a second item from the second gripping unit or the discharge of a portion of the first item by the second gripping unit based on the weight of the first item, acquired by the acquisition unit and held by the first gripping unit. Thus, for example, if the weight falls outside a target weight range, the second item is discharged from the second gripping unit or a portion of the first item is discharged by the second gripping unit, thereby accurately setting the final weight of the item discharged from the weighing system to the target weight. By using the first and second gripping units in this manner, the weight of the item discharged from the weighing system can be set with high precision.

[0009] Alternatively, the first gripping unit may include multiple first gripping hands, the acquiring unit may acquire the weight values ​​of the first items held by each of the multiple first gripping hands, and the control unit may implement the following control: performing a combination calculation based on the weight values ​​acquired by the acquiring unit, selecting a combination of first gripping hands that reaches a predetermined target weight value or a combination close to the target weight value, and releasing the grip of the selected first gripping hands. In this case, after the first gripping unit has grasped the first item, the weighing system can discharge items of the target weight multiple times. This can improve item production efficiency.

[0010] Alternatively, the first gripping hand may have three or more first gripping claws, and the second gripping hand may have two second gripping claws. In this case, the second gripping hand can grip a small amount of the second object, thereby enabling fine weight adjustment.

[0011] Alternatively, when the two second gripping claws of the second gripping hand are closed, a space having a diameter not less than 0.5 times and not more than 1.5 times the diameter of the items included in the group of items may be provided between the two second gripping claws. In this case, the second gripping hand can be set to hold a smaller amount of the second item.

[0012] Alternatively, the second gripping hand may include a gripping detection unit that detects whether the second object is being gripped. In this case, the control unit can easily determine whether weight adjustment, etc., can be performed using the second gripping unit.

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a weighing system capable of setting the weight value of discharged articles with high accuracy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 It is a front view of the measuring system according to the first embodiment.

[0015] Figure 2 It is a block diagram of the metering system.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a schematic perspective view of the gripping unit.

[0017] Figure 4 (a) to (c) are bottom views of the gripping claws of the gripper as viewed from below.

[0018] Figure 5 (a) is a bottom view of the holder as viewed from below. Figure 5 (b) and (c) are enlarged side views of the main parts of the holder.

[0019] Figure 6 It is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a measuring system according to the second embodiment.

[0020] Figure 7 This is the front view of the combined metering device.

[0021] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing a conveying device and a weight adjustment device.

[0022] Figure 9 It is an enlarged side view of the main parts showing a modified example of the gripping mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Hereinafter, an embodiment of one aspect of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals in the various drawings, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0024] (First embodiment)

[0025] Figure 1 It is a front view of the measuring system according to the first embodiment. Figure 1The illustrated weighing system 110 is a combination weighing device that removes a portion of the items from a group of items (a first group of items) stored in a container 50 (described in detail later) and discharges these items to the outside. Weighing system 110 removes and discharges a portion of the items from the group of items so that their weight falls within a target weight range. The items discharged by weighing system 110 are then packaged into bags or stored in containers in subsequent processes within weighing system 110 and shipped as merchandise.

[0026] The measuring system 110 includes a unit driving unit 10 , a gripping unit 15 , a container 50 , a container driving unit 54 , a discharge chute 60 , and a control unit 70 .

[0027] The gripping unit 15 is mounted on the unit driving unit 10. The gripping unit 15 is a robot arm having one or more first gripping modules 20 (first gripping unit) and one or more second gripping modules 21 (second gripping unit).

[0028] The first gripping module 20 includes grippers 30 (first gripping hands) that grip and eject some of the items (first items) from a group of items stored in a container 50, and a weighing device 40 that measures the weight of the items. Each gripper 30 has a gripping claw 30a that actually grips the items. Furthermore, a gripping member drive mechanism 30b is incorporated into the gripper 30 to drive the gripping claw 30a. The weighing device 40 measures the weight of the items gripped by the gripper 30.

[0029] The second gripping module 21 includes a gripper 31 (second gripping hand) for gripping and ejecting a portion of the remaining items (second items) from the group of items stored in the container 50, and a weighing device 41 for measuring the weight of the items. Each gripper 31 has a different shape from the grippers 30 of the first gripping module 20 (described in detail later). Furthermore, a gripping member drive mechanism 32 is incorporated into each gripper 31. The weighing device 41 measures the weight of the items gripped by the gripper 31.

[0030] The container 50 is a component (a first container) for storing a group of items, and is capable of moving between a first position and a second position, for example, by a container drive unit 54. When the container 50 is in the first position, the grippers 30 and 31 can grip items from the group of items in the container 50. When the container 50 is in the second position, the grippers 30 and 31 are unable to grip items from the group of items in the container 50. The discharge chute 60 receives the items released from the grippers 30 and 31 and discharges them. It should be noted that the items may be, for example, noodles such as pasta, foods containing a large amount of sugar, etc. The items may also be foods with high adhesion.

[0031] Figure 2 is the block diagram of the metering system. Figure 2The control unit 70 controls the operation of various components of the weighing system 110, such as the gripping member drive mechanisms 30b and 32 and the container drive unit 54. The control unit 70 performs combined calculations of the weight values ​​of the articles measured by the weighing device 40, and the like.

[0032] The control unit 70 moves the unit drive unit 10 and the container 50 to bring the grippers 30 and 31 closer to the container 50. The control unit 70 controls the gripping member drive mechanism 30b of the first gripping module 20 to cause the gripping claw 30a of each gripper 30 to grip a portion of the group of articles placed in the container 50. Furthermore, the control unit 70 controls the gripping member drive mechanism 32 of the second gripping module 21 to cause each gripper 31 to grip another portion of the group of articles placed in the container 50.

[0033] Each scale 40 measures the weight of the article gripped by the gripper 30 corresponding to that scale 40. The weight of the article gripped by each gripper 30 is acquired, for example, by an acquisition unit (not shown) included in the control unit 70. The control unit 70 performs a combined calculation based on the weights of the articles gripped by the gripper 30 measured by each scale 40.

[0034] The combination calculation is a process of adding the weight values ​​of the articles gripped by the grippers 30 to find a combination of weight values ​​such that the total value reaches a target weight value.

[0035] In the first embodiment, the target weight value is a predetermined weight range that includes an ideal weight value (ideal weight value). For example, the lower limit of the target weight value is 90% or 95% of the ideal weight value, and the upper limit of the target weight value is 110% or 105% of the ideal weight value.

[0036] (2) Detailed composition

[0037] (2-1) First Holding Module 20

[0038] like Figure 3 As shown, the first gripping module 20 is a device in which a gripper 30 and a meter 40 are assembled into one body. The top surface of the meter 40 is fixed to the connecting member 16 via a mounting fitting 400, and the gripper 30 is fixed to the bottom surface of the meter 40.

[0039] (2-2-1) Holder 30

[0040] The gripper 30 is a device for gripping an object. Each gripper 30 includes a gripping claw 30a and a gripping member driving mechanism 30b serving as a driving mechanism for driving the gripping claw 30a. The gripping member driving mechanism 30b drives the gripping claw 30a using, for example, a motor or fluid pressure as a driving source.

[0041] (2-2-2) Meter 40

[0042] In the first gripping module 20 , a scale 40 is provided for each gripper 30 . The scale 40 measures the weight of the article gripped by the gripping claw 30 a of the corresponding gripper 30 .

[0043] (2-2-3) Second gripping module 21

[0044] like Figure 3 As shown, the second gripping module 21 is a device in which a gripper 31 and a meter 41 are assembled into one body. The top surface of the meter 41 is fixed to the connecting member 16 via a mounting fitting 400, and the gripper 31 is fixed to the bottom surface of the meter 41.

[0045] (2-2-3-1) Holder 31

[0046] The gripper 31 is a device for gripping articles. The gripper 31 grips fewer articles than the gripper 30. By discharging part or all of the articles gripped by the gripper 31, the weight value of the articles discharged from the weighing system 110 is adjusted. Figure 3 As shown, each gripper 31 includes a gripping member driving mechanism 32, a plurality of gripping mechanisms 33, and a disk portion 34. The gripping member driving mechanism 32 is a main portion having a cylindrical shape, for example, and drives the gripping mechanisms 33 and the disk portion 34 using a motor housed in a housing as a driving source.

[0047] Figure 5 (a) is a bottom view of the holder as viewed from below. Figure 5 (b) and (c) are enlarged side views of the main parts of the gripper. Figure 5 As shown in (a), when the gripper 31 is observed from the bottom side, the plurality of gripping mechanisms 33 are arranged in a circumferential direction. In addition, when the gripper 31 is observed from the bottom side, the plurality of gripping mechanisms 33 are arranged at approximately equal intervals in the circumferential direction. In the first embodiment, the gripper 31 is provided with four gripping mechanisms 33, but is not limited thereto. The gripping mechanisms 33 can be driven synchronously with each other or independently of each other. The plurality of gripping mechanisms 33 respectively include a barrel 35, a first claw 36, and a second claw 37 (second gripping claw).

[0048] The cylindrical portion 35 is a portion having a truncated cone shape in side view and is provided in the opening 34a provided in the disk portion 34. At least a portion of the cylindrical portion 35 is located below the disk portion 34. The diameter of the cylindrical portion 33a decreases toward the lower side.

[0049] The first claw 36 and the second claw 37 are the parts of the gripper 31 that actually grip the object. In the first embodiment, the first claw 36 is fixed, while the second claw 37 is horizontally movable by the gripping member driving mechanism 32. Figure 5As shown in (b) and (c), by horizontally moving the second claw 37 toward the first claw 36 (moving radially inward), the first claw 36 and the second claw 37 are closed. Alternatively, by horizontally moving the second claw 37 away from the first claw 36 (moving radially outward), the first claw 36 and the second claw 37 are opened. For example, when the gripping mechanism 33 is in contact with the group of articles, the first claw 36 and the second claw 37 are closed, allowing the gripping mechanism 33 to grip the articles.

[0050] The first claw portion 36 includes a base portion 36a, a front end portion 36b, and a groove portion 36c. The base portion 36a is a rod-shaped portion fixed to the barrel portion 35. A portion of the base portion 36a protrudes downward from the front end of the barrel portion 35. The front end portion 36b is a portion protruding downward from the front end of the base portion 36a. The front end portion 36b extends away from the second claw portion 37. The surface of the front end portion 36b that faces the second claw portion 37 is a curved surface, but is not limited to this. This surface may also be an inclined surface. The length of the front end portion 36b is, for example, approximately 4 mm. The front end of the front end portion 36b is located further inward than the opening 34a of the disc portion 34.

[0051] The groove 36c is a recessed portion in the base 36a, which allows items to enter when the first and second claws 36 and 37 are closed. In the first embodiment, the groove 36c is provided on the surface of the base 36a facing the second claw 37, and is recessed away from the second claw 37. The groove 36c extends from one end of the base 36a to the other in the direction in which the first and second claws 36 and 37 face each other and in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. When viewed from the side, the groove 36c may have a semicircular or semi-elliptical shape, for example.

[0052] The second claw portion 37 includes a base portion 37a, a front end portion 37b, and a groove portion 37c. The base portion 37a is a rod-shaped portion that can move within the groove 35a provided in the barrel portion 35. Although not shown, the base portion 37a is connected to the gripping member drive mechanism 32. A portion of the base portion 37a protrudes downward from the front end of the barrel portion 35. The front end portion 37b is the portion that protrudes downward from the front end of the base portion 37a. Like the front end portion 36b of the first claw portion 36, the front end portion 37b extends away from the first claw portion 36. The surface of the front end portion 37b that faces the first claw portion 36 is a curved surface, but this is not limited to this. This surface may also be an inclined surface. The length of the front end portion 37b is, for example, approximately 4 mm. Regardless of whether the first claw portion 36 and the second claw portion 37 are in an open or closed state, the front end of the front end portion 37b is located further inward than the opening 34a of the disc portion 34.

[0053] The groove 37c is a recessed portion in the base 37a, which allows items to enter when the first and second claws 36 and 37 are closed. In the first embodiment, the groove 37c is provided on the surface of the base 37a facing the first claw 36, recessed away from the first claw 36. The groove 37c extends from one end of the base 37a to the other, in the direction in which the first and second claws 36 and 37 face each other and in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. When viewed from the side, the groove 37c may have a semicircular or semi-elliptical shape, for example.

[0054] When the first claw 36 and the second claw 37 are in a closed position, the bases 36a and 37a contact each other, while the front ends 36b and 37b are separated. Therefore, in the closed position, the front ends 36b and 37b cannot or have difficulty gripping items. On the other hand, when the first claw 36 and the second claw 37 are closed, the grooves 36c and 37c close together, thereby providing a roughly cylindrical space S between the first claw 36 and the second claw 37. The diameter D of the space S is, for example, not less than 0.5 times and not more than 1.5 times the diameter of the items included in the group of items. By configuring the first claw 36 and the second claw 37 with the above-described structure, the items gripped by each gripping mechanism 33 can be limited to only those stored within the space S.

[0055] The disc 34 is a plate member that can be moved vertically by the gripping member drive mechanism 32. By moving the disc 34 downward, an article attached to the gripping mechanism 33 can be dropped. This reduces the chance of a discrepancy between the weight of the article measured by the scale 41 and the weight of the article discharged from the gripper 31.

[0056] Although not shown, in the first embodiment, the gripper 31 includes a gripping detection unit that detects whether an article is gripped by each gripping mechanism 33. The gripping detection unit is a component that detects whether an article is present in the space S, for example.

[0057] (2-2-3-2) Meter 41

[0058] In the second gripping module 21, a scale 41 is provided for each gripper 31. The scale 41 measures the weight of the item gripped by the corresponding gripper 31. In the first embodiment, the structure of each scale 41 is the same as that of the scale 40 included in the first gripping module 20, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0059] (2-4) Container 50

[0060] A group of articles is stored in a container 50. The container 50 is placed on a horizontally and vertically movable mounting surface 52. In the first embodiment, the container 50 is a rectangular parallelepiped container with an open top. The container 50 is moved between a first position and a second position by a container drive 54.

[0061] The first position is a position directly below the gripper 30 of the first gripping unit 15A. The first position is a position where the gripper 30 of the first gripping unit 15A can grip the article in the container 50.

[0062] On the other hand, the second position of the container 50 is a position directly below the gripper 30 of the second gripping unit 15B. The second position is a position where the gripper 30 of the second gripping unit 15B can grip the article in the container 50.

[0063] (2-5) Container Driving Unit 54

[0064] The container driving unit 54 can horizontally move the container 50 by using a motor or fluid pressure as a driving source. The container driving unit 54 has a driving body 540 in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, for example. Figure 1 In the figure, when the front in the main view is defined as the front, the driving body located in front of the two discharge chutes 60 is referred to as the first driving body 541, and the driving body located behind is referred to as the second driving body (not shown).

[0065] The first driving body 541 of the container driving unit 54 has, for example, a left-right moving mechanism 56 (see Figure 2 ), capable of moving horizontally along the first horizontal support 551 and the second horizontal support 552.

[0066] As described above, in the measuring system 110 , the first gripping unit 15A and the second gripping unit 15B are arranged in the horizontal direction, and the container 50 can be horizontally moved in the left-right direction by the left-right moving mechanism.

[0067] The placement surface 52 has four vertical supports extending vertically downward from the four corners of its lower surface. The support on the left side in a front view is referred to as a first vertical support 521, and the support on the right side is referred to as a second vertical support 522.

[0068] The first driving body 541 has a vertical movement mechanism (not shown) that can vertically move the first vertical support 521 and the second vertical support 522. The second driving body also has a similar vertical movement mechanism that can vertically move the third vertical support and the fourth vertical support.

[0069] In this way, in the measuring system 110, the container 50 can be moved in the up and down directions by the vertical moving mechanism. Therefore, even if the container 50 is arranged away from each holding unit 15 in the vertical direction, the position of the article group in the container 50 can be aligned with the article holding position set for each holding unit 15.

[0070] (2-6) Discharge chute 60

[0071] like Figure 1 As shown, the metering system 110 is provided with two discharge chutes 60 .

[0072] The discharge chute 60 is a funnel-shaped member and is disposed directly below the gripping units 15. Specifically, a first discharge chute 60A is disposed directly below the first gripping unit 15A, and a second discharge chute 60B is disposed directly below the second gripping unit 15B.

[0073] When the container 50 is located between the second gripping unit 15B and the second discharge chute 60B, the first discharge chute 60A receives the dropped articles released from the gripper 30 of the first gripping unit 15A and discharges the articles to the outside of the weighing system 110 .

[0074] Similarly, when the container 50 is located between the first gripping unit 15A and the first discharge chute 60A, the second discharge chute 60B receives the dropped articles released from the gripper 30 of the second gripping unit 15B and discharges them to the outside of the weighing system 110 .

[0075] In this embodiment, two discharge chutes are used, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the first gripping unit 15A and the second gripping unit 15B may share one discharge chute. Alternatively, the discharge chute may not be used and the product may be discharged directly to the outside.

[0076] (2-7) Control Unit 70

[0077] The control unit 70 includes a CPU (not shown) and a memory such as a ROM and a RAM. Figure 2 As shown, the control unit 70 is electrically connected to the unit driving unit 10, the gripping member driving mechanisms 30b and 32, the weighing devices 40 and 41, and the container driving unit 54. The desired weight value and the like are input to the control unit 7 via the operation panel 101.

[0078] The control unit 70 controls the actions of various components of the measuring system 110, such as the unit driving unit 10, the gripping component driving mechanism 30b, 32, and the container driving unit 54, and performs combined calculations of the weight values ​​of the items measured by the measuring devices 40 and 41, by executing the program stored in the memory through the CPU.

[0079] The control unit 70 drives the gripping claw 30a via the gripping member driving mechanism 30b, causing the gripping claw 30a to grip the article and then release the grip of the article. Figure 4 The plurality of gripping claws 30a at the positions separated from each other as shown in (a) move radially inward and move to the positions as shown in (a). Figure 4 (b) of the embodiment shows a position close to each other, and "releasing the grip" means returning to the position shown in (b) of the embodiment. Figure 4 The positions shown in (a) are separated from each other.

[0080] The control unit 70 drives the gripping mechanism 33 of the gripper 31 via the gripping member driving mechanism 32. This causes the first claw 36 and the second claw 37 to grip the object and then release the object. The control unit 70 controls the gripping member driving mechanism 32 based on the weight value obtained from the gripper 30.

[0081] According to the weighing system 110 according to the first embodiment described above, the control unit 70 controls the discharge of the second article from the gripper 31 based on the weight of the first article, obtained by the weighing device 40 and gripped by the gripper 30. Thus, for example, if the weight is less than a target weight, the second article is discharged from the gripper 31 of the second gripping module 21. This allows the final weight of the article discharged from the weighing system 110 to be set within the target weight range with high accuracy. By using the grippers 30 and 31 in this manner, the weight of the article discharged from the weighing system 110 can be set with high accuracy.

[0082] In the first embodiment, the first gripping module 20 includes multiple grippers 30. The control unit 70, also functioning as an acquisition unit, implements the following control: acquiring the weight values ​​of the first articles held by each of the multiple grippers 30, performing a combination calculation based on the weight values ​​acquired by the acquisition unit, selecting a combination of grippers 30 that reaches or nears a predetermined target weight value, and releasing the grip of the selected grippers 30. Consequently, after the grippers 30 temporarily grasp a portion of the articles from the group of articles in the container 50, the weighing system 110 can discharge articles of the target weight multiple times. This improves the production efficiency of the weighing system 110 for articles.

[0083] In the first embodiment, the gripper 30 has three or more gripping claws 30a, and the gripper 31 has two claws, namely a first claw 36 and a second claw 37. Therefore, the gripper 30 can hold a small amount of the article, and thus fine weight adjustment can be performed by the gripper 30.

[0084] In the first embodiment, when the first claw 36 and the second claw 37 are closed, a space S having a diameter D that is not less than 0.5 times and not more than 1.5 times the diameter of the articles included in the article group is provided between the first claw 36 and the second claw 37. Therefore, the gripper 31 can be set to a smaller amount for gripping the articles.

[0085] In the first embodiment, the gripper 31 includes a gripping detection unit that detects whether an article is being gripped. Therefore, the control unit 70 can easily determine whether weight adjustment, etc., can be performed using the gripper 31.

[0086] (Second embodiment)

[0087] The following describes a metering system according to a second embodiment. In the description of the second embodiment, overlapping descriptions from the first embodiment are omitted, and only the differences from the first embodiment are described. In other words, descriptions from the first embodiment may be appropriately incorporated into the second embodiment, to the extent technically possible.

[0088] Figure 6 : is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a metering system according to the second embodiment. Figure 6 As shown, the weighing system 300 according to the second embodiment includes a combination weighing device 110A, a conveying device 310, and a weight adjusting device 320. In the weighing system 300, the combination weighing device 110A is located farthest upstream. Therefore, the conveying device 310 and the weight adjusting device 320 are located further back than the combination weighing device 110A.

[0089] Figure 7 This is the front view of the combined metering device. Figure 7 The combination weighing device 110A shown differs from the weighing system 110 of the first embodiment described above in that it does not include the second gripping module 21. In other words, the combination weighing device 110A includes gripping units 15C and 15D that do not include the second gripping module 21 as gripping units 15. Therefore, the control unit included in the combination weighing device 110A performs a combined calculation of the weight values ​​of the articles gripped by the plurality of grippers 30. The control unit then performs control to select a combination of grippers 30 that has reached a predetermined target weight value or a value close to the target weight value, and releases the grip of the selected grippers 30. After this control, the articles removed from the grippers 30 are discharged from the combination weighing device 110A via the discharge chute 60.

[0090] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing the conveying device and weight adjustment device. Figure 8 As shown, the conveying device 310 is a device that conveys the storage container SC containing the articles G1 discharged from the combination weighing device 110A, and is, for example, a belt conveyor. The conveying device 310 may also include a weight measuring device for measuring the weight of the storage container SC. For example, if the weight of the articles G1 contained in the storage container SC deviates from the target weight, the conveying device 310 may be temporarily stopped. In this case, the conveying device 310 may be temporarily stopped after the storage container SC is conveyed to a position where the weight can be adjusted by the weight adjustment device 320. After the weight adjustment is performed by the weight adjustment device 320, the conveying device 310 may resume conveying the storage container SC.

[0091] The weight adjustment device 320 is a device (second gripping unit) that adjusts the weight of the items within the storage container SC. For example, it is a robotic arm. The weight adjustment device 320 includes a main body 321, an arm 322, a control unit 323, and a container 324 (second container) for storing the item group G2 (the second item group). The main body 321 supports the arm 322 and is fixed to, for example, the factory floor. The main body 321 may also include a user interface such as a display, touch panel, or keyboard.

[0092] The arm 322 is a portion that grips or discharges the article group G2 stored in the container 324 or the article G1 in the storage container SC. A gripping module 21A having a gripper 31A (second gripping hand) and a meter 41A is assembled at the front end of the arm 322. The gripping module 21A of the weight adjustment device 320 has the same structure as the second gripping module 21 of the first embodiment described above, and therefore has a shape different from the first gripping module 20 of the combined metering device 110A. The gripper 31A can perform the same actions as the second gripping module 21 of the first embodiment described above. By the action of the arm 322, the gripping module 21A can be moved to the position directly above the conveying device 310 and directly above the container 324. In addition, the gripping module 21A can be moved close to the vicinity of the conveying device 310 and the vicinity of the container 324. Therefore, the gripper 31A included in the gripping module 21A can respectively grip a portion of the articles G1 in the storage container SC on the conveyor device 310 and a portion of the article group G2 stored in the container 324. Furthermore, the gripper 31A can discharge a portion or all of the gripped articles G1 into the container 324 and a portion of the gripped article group G2 into the storage container SC. The weighing device 41A included in the gripping module 21A weighs the articles G1 or a portion of the article group G2 gripped by the gripper 31A.

[0093] The control unit 323 is electrically connected to the combination weighing device 110A and the conveying device 310. The control unit 323 controls the operation of the various components of the arm 322 and the gripping module 21A, acquires the weight value measured by the weighing device 41A, acquires the weight value transmitted from the combination weighing device 110A and / or the conveying device 310, and calculates the weight value to be gripped or discharged by the gripping module 21A.

[0094] The control unit 323 controls the movement of the arm 322 to position the gripping module 21A near one of the container 324 and the storage container SC. At this point, the gripper 31A is in contact with the article G1 or the article group G2. The control unit 323 then drives the various components of the gripper 31A, similar to the control unit 70 of the first embodiment, to cause the gripper 31A to grip the article. The control unit 323 then controls the movement of the arm 322 to position the gripping module 21A near the other of the container 324 and the storage container SC. Then, based on the weight value obtained from the combination weighing device 110A and / or the conveying device 310, control is executed to release the grip of the gripping module 21A.

[0095] For example, if the weight of the article G1 transmitted from the combination weighing device 110A is at the target weight, weight adjustment by the weight adjustment device 320 may be omitted, or weight adjustment may be performed to achieve the desired weight. For example, if the weight of the article G1 transmitted from the combination weighing device 110A is less than the target weight but close to the target weight, the gripper 31A grasps a portion of the article group G2 from the container 324 and then discharges the portion into the storage container SC. For example, if the weight of the article G1 transmitted from the combination weighing device 110A is greater than the target weight but close to the target weight, the gripper 31A grasps a portion of the article G1 from the storage container SC and then discharges the portion into the container 324. Through the above operations, the control unit 323 ensures that the total weight of the articles discharged from the weighing system 300 reaches the target weight.

[0096] Container 324 is a component that stores the article group G2 and is fixed in a predetermined position. Article group G2 is identical to the article G1 within storage container SC. Container 324 is located on the opposite side of main body 321 across conveyor device 310, but this is not the only limitation. Article group G2 within container 324 can be replenished using the same method as container 50.

[0097] The weighing system 300 according to the second embodiment described above also achieves the same operational advantages as those of the first embodiment. Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, even if the weight of the article G1 sent from the combination weighing device 110A exceeds the target weight, the weight of the article discharged from the weighing system 300 can be adjusted to the target weight. This facilitates the discharge of articles from the combination weighing device 110A, further improving article production efficiency.

[0098] The present invention has been described in detail above based on the above-mentioned embodiment and modified examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment and modified examples. The present invention can be further modified within the scope of the present invention.

[0099] Figure 9 FIG. 1 is an enlarged side view of the main part of a modified example of the holding mechanism. Figure 9 As shown, the gripping mechanism 33A may also be configured to include a cylindrical portion 35, a first claw portion 36A, and a second claw portion 37A. The first claw portion 36A differs from the first claw portion 36 of the first embodiment in that it has a peripheral curved surface 36d instead of a tip portion 36b. The peripheral curved surface 36d is a side surface extending downwardly from the tip of the base portion 36a, away from the second claw portion 37A. Similarly, the second claw portion 37A differs from the second claw portion 37 of the first embodiment in that it has a peripheral curved surface 37d instead of a tip portion 37b. The peripheral curved surface 37d is a side surface extending downwardly from the tip of the base portion 37a, away from the first claw portion 36A. Even when using this gripping mechanism 33A, the same functions and effects as those of the above embodiment can be achieved.

[0100] In the first embodiment described above, whether the grip of the second gripping module needs to be released is determined based on the weight value of the article measured by the first gripping module, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the control unit may also control the removal of the article gripped by the second gripping module based on the weight value of the article discharged by the first gripping module. In this case, for example, the control unit obtains the weight value of the article discharged by the first gripping module from a meter provided at a discharge chute, etc. In addition, the control unit may also control the removal of the article gripped by the second gripping module based on both the weight value of the article measured by the first gripping module and the weight value of the article discharged by the first gripping module. In this case, the control unit may also utilize, for example, the difference in the above-mentioned weight values.

[0101] In the second embodiment described above, the control unit controls the removal of an item held by the gripper of the weight adjustment device or the collection of an item from the storage container based on the weight of the item measured by the first gripping module included in the combined weighing device, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the control unit may also control the weight adjustment of the weight adjustment device based on the weight of the item measured by a weight measuring device included in a conveying device, etc. Alternatively, the weight adjustment of the weight adjustment device may be controlled based on both the weight of the item measured by the first gripping module included in the combined weighing device and the weight of the item measured by a weight measuring device included in the conveying device, etc.

[0102] In the second embodiment described above, when the weight adjustment device grasps an item from a storage container, the item is released from the container. However, this is not limiting. For example, the grasping device may be released from a chute for discarding grasped items. Furthermore, when the weight adjustment device grasps an item from a storage container, it may return part or all of the item to the storage container based on the weight of the storage container.

Claims

1. A metering system comprising: a first gripping portion having a first gripping hand for gripping and discharging a portion of a first article from a group of articles housed in the container; a second gripping portion having a second gripping hand for gripping and discharging a second article of another portion of the article group, the second gripping hand having a shape different from that of the first gripping hand; an acquiring unit configured to acquire at least one of a weight value of the first article held by the first holding unit and a weight value of the first article discharged from the first holding unit; as well as a control unit that controls the discharge of the second article from the second gripping unit based on the weight value; When the weight value is the target weight value, the weighing system does not perform weight adjustment by the second gripping portion. When the weight value is less than the target weight value, a part or all of the second article is discharged from the second gripping hand of the second gripping portion, thereby adjusting the weight value of the article discharged from the weighing system. The target weight value is a certain weight range including the ideal weight value and is set in advance.

2. A metering system comprising: a first gripping portion having a first gripping hand for gripping and discharging a portion of the first articles in the first group of articles stored in the first container; a second gripping portion having a second gripping hand for gripping and discharging a portion of the second article group stored in the second container or for removing a portion of the first article discharged from the first gripping portion, the second gripping hand having a different shape from the first gripping hand; an acquiring unit configured to acquire at least one of a weight value of the first article held by the first holding unit and a weight value of the first article discharged from the first holding unit; as well as a control unit configured to control the discharge of the second article by the second gripping unit or the discharge of the portion of the first article by the second gripping unit based on the weight value; When the weight value is the target weight value, the weighing system does not perform weight adjustment by the second gripping portion. The second gripping portion is located further back than the first gripping portion. When the weight value is less than the target weight value, a part or all of the second article is discharged from the second gripping hand of the second gripping portion, thereby adjusting the weight value of the article discharged from the weighing system. The target weight value is a certain weight range including the ideal weight value and is set in advance.

3. The metering system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The first gripping portion includes a plurality of first gripping hands. The acquiring unit acquires weight values ​​of the first objects respectively held by the plurality of first holding hands. The control unit implements the following controls: performing a combined calculation of the weight values ​​acquired by the acquisition unit, Select the combination of the first gripping hands that reaches a preset target weight value or a value close to the target weight value, And release the grip of the selected first gripping hand.

4. The metering system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The first gripping hand has three or more first gripping claws. The second gripping hand has two second gripping claws.

5. The metering system according to claim 4, wherein: When the two second gripping claws of the second gripping hand are closed, a space having a diameter that is not less than 0.5 times and not more than 1.5 times the diameter of the articles included in the article group is provided between the two second gripping claws.

6. The metering system according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 5, wherein: The second grasping hand includes a grasping detection unit configured to detect whether the second object is being grasped.

7. The metering system according to claim 3, wherein: The second grasping hand includes a grasping detection unit configured to detect whether the second object is being grasped.

8. The metering system according to claim 4, wherein: The second grasping hand includes a grasping detection unit configured to detect whether the second object is being grasped.

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