Storage cabinet residual material weighing system and weighing method

Abstract

The invention discloses a storage cabinet residual material weighing system and weighing method. The weighing system comprises an axial rotation metering device, a photoelectric sensing device and an upper PLC control device. The axial rotation metering device is mounted on a driven roller at the tail end of the storage cabinet, and the driven roller is a roller shaft rotating along with a bottom belt of the storage cabinet; the photoelectric sensing device is installed on a rack of the storage cabinet, and when the axial rotation metering device rotates, the photoelectric sensing device is triggered once when the axial rotation metering device rotates by a fixed angle; the upper PLC control device is used for receiving signals of the photoelectric sensing device, carrying out data operation and finally outputting the weight of the remaining materials in the storage cabinet. The weighing system and the weighing method solve the ubiquitous problem of inaccurate storage cabinet excess material weight in the industry, realize accurate display of the storage cabinet excess material weight, on one hand, control the flow stability, improve the production efficiency, reduce the quality accident risk, and stabilize the process quality. On the other hand, manual participation is avoided, and labor intensity is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of cigarette production technology, specifically relating to a weighing system and method for residual materials in storage cabinets. Background Technology

[0002] In industrial sectors such as tobacco, which involve the handling of bulk materials, storage tanks serve as core equipment for material storage and transfer. The accuracy of their weight measurement directly impacts the stability of the production process, the controllability of process quality, and the economic efficiency of production costs. Storage tank weighing technology, as a key support for the dynamic / static weight measurement, monitoring, and management of bulk materials, aims to achieve "accurate weight perception, real-time data traceability, and effective loss control" during material storage, providing reliable data for the refined management of industrial production.

[0003] In typical application scenarios such as tobacco processing workshops, the accurate measurement of the remaining material in the storage bins has a decisive impact on the parameter setting of subsequent processing steps and the continuity of material supply. Currently, existing storage bin equipment in tobacco processing workshops generally uses an indirect measurement method to calculate the remaining material. This method uses the cumulative data collected by the electronic scale before the storage bin at the feeding stage as the benchmark for the total weight of the material entering the bin. During the discharging process, the remaining material is calculated by measuring the travel distance of the bottom belt of the storage bin and combining it with the ratio of the total length of the storage bin to the total weight of the material entering the bin. The proportion of material consumption is corresponding to the ratio of the bottom belt travel distance to the total length of the storage bin.

[0004] Currently, the measurement of the bottom belt travel distance in existing technologies mainly relies on the support plate induction method, using a metal induction switch to detect the number of times the support plate trigger passes to calculate the bottom belt travel distance. However, this measurement method has revealed significant technical defects in actual production applications: on the one hand, the inherent sensing distance of the metal induction switch is relatively short, requiring extremely high installation accuracy and having weak anti-interference capabilities; on the other hand, the actual working scenario of the storage tank in the silk-making workshop has various interference factors, such as uneven material layer distribution due to differences in feeding methods during material laying, operational deviations caused by changes in the stress state of the bottom belt when half-filling the tank, and relative positional offset between the support plate trigger and the induction switch due to inertia during the start and stop of the bottom belt. These factors combined cause frequent leakage and false sensing phenomena of the metal induction switch. This problem directly causes distortion of the bottom belt travel distance measurement data, resulting in a significant deviation between the calculated result of the remaining material in the storage tank and the actual situation. Such inaccurate measurement can lead to a series of production problems: First, misjudgment of remaining material quantity can easily result in insufficient or excessive material supply in subsequent processes, disrupting production continuity and increasing the risk of equipment idling or material backlog. Second, the deviation between the actual material quantity and the process setting value will affect the matching of the operating parameters of the processing equipment, reducing the stability and continuity of the process quality, especially for materials such as tobacco that are sensitive to processing conditions, which can easily lead to fluctuations in the quality of finished products. Third, measurement deviation will interfere with the flow control logic of the front-end electronic scale, affecting the flow variation coefficient of the electronic scale, resulting in a decrease in the stability of the material conveying flow. In extreme cases, serious measurement errors may cause excessive material conveying or supply interruption, resulting in major quality accidents.

[0005] Therefore, the existing storage tank weighing technology based on support plate induction can no longer meet the requirements of industrial scenarios such as silk production workshops for accurate and reliable storage tank weight measurement. There is an urgent need for a storage tank weighing technology solution that can avoid the risk of leakage and false sensing and improve measurement accuracy, so as to solve the defects of the existing technology and ensure the stable operation of the production process and the effective control of process quality.

[0006] To address the above problems, this invention is proposed. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to design a device to solve the problems of inaccurate remaining weight display in metal induction switches due to factors such as short sensing distance, material loading status in the storage tank, and the inertia of the bottom belt starting and stopping. This leads to leakage and false sensing, affecting production continuity, process quality stability, and the unstable flow variation coefficient of the electronic scale. Specifically, this invention provides a solution to the inaccurate display of remaining weight in the storage tank. This method involves adding an axially rotating metering device to the driven roller at the rear of the storage tank. This device can statistically analyze the movement distance of the material conveyor belt and accurately calculate the remaining weight in the storage tank. No other equipment modifications are required. The added device is located on the driven roller at the rear end of the storage tank. The material leveling device includes: an axially rotating metering device, a position detection device, and a control device.

[0008] This invention relates to a weighing system and method for remaining materials in a storage tank. The total number of bottom support plates on the tank is entered into the upper-level PLC control system. An algorithm calculates the correspondence between the distance of a single bottom support plate and the rotation distance of the axial rotating metering device. A phototube sensor detects the rotation angle of the axial rotating metering device during tank operation. Each time the phototube senses the device, the upper-level PLC control system records the data. The PLC control system transmits the rotation angle data to the control system, which calculates the remaining weight of the tank proportionally, thus achieving precise weight control. This avoids issues such as missed or false sensing of the bottom support plate number, inaccurate display of the remaining weight, and disruptions to production continuity, process quality stability, and unstable flow rate variation coefficients of the electronic scale. The bottom support plates serve to support the conveyor belt.

[0009] This invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0010] The first aspect of the present invention provides a weighing system for remaining materials in a storage tank, which includes an axial rotation metering device, a photoelectric sensing device, and a host PLC control device;

[0011] The axial rotation metering device is installed on the driven roller at the tail end of the storage tank. The driven roller is a roller shaft that rotates together with the bottom belt of the storage tank, and is not an actively driven motor roller.

[0012] The photoelectric sensor is installed on the frame of the storage tank. The photoelectric sensor is equivalent to the trigger switch of the counter. When the axially rotating metering device rotates, the photoelectric sensor will be triggered once for every fixed angle (for example, if there is a protrusion on the metering device, it will block the light when it rotates, and the photoelectric tube will sense it once).

[0013] The host PLC control device is used to receive signals from the photoelectric sensor, perform data calculations, and finally output the weight of the remaining material in the storage tank.

[0014] Preferably, the axial rotation metering device serves as the core actuator, the photoelectric sensing device serves as the detection device, and the upper-level PLC control device serves as the calculation and control center.

[0015] Preferably, the photoelectric sensing device and the axial rotation measuring device are at the same horizontal height to ensure accurate detection of the rotation of the measuring device.

[0016] Preferably, there are two axial rotation metering devices, one installed at each end of the driven roller. Installing one at each end serves as a double safety measure to improve accuracy.

[0017] Preferably, the linear speed of the axial rotating metering device is completely synchronized with the running speed of the bottom belt of the storage tank. For example, if the bottom belt moves 0.5 meters per second, the circumferential linear speed of the metering device must also be 0.5 meters per second. This is because the bottom belt is used to transport materials inside the storage tank. The amount of rotation of the bottom belt means the amount of material that has been transported. Only when the axial rotating metering device and the bottom belt of the storage tank are synchronized can the amount of material transported be accurately corresponded.

[0018] A second aspect of the present invention provides a method for weighing remaining materials in a storage tank, using the storage tank remaining material weighing system described in the first aspect of the present invention, comprising the following steps:

[0019] S1, When the storage tank is working, the bottom belt of the storage tank moves forward and conveys the material (such as tobacco) inside the tank to the outside. The bottom belt of the storage tank drives the driven roller to rotate, and the driven roller drives the axial rotating metering devices at both ends to rotate synchronously.

[0020] S2, the axial rotation metering device will trigger the photoelectric sensor next to it once every time it rotates by a fixed angle (or one revolution). Each time the photoelectric sensor is triggered, it sends a signal to the upper PLC control device, and the upper PLC control device automatically counts once.

[0021] S3, the upper PLC control device calculates the total rotation angle (or total number of revolutions) of the metering device, the length of the conveyed material, the weight of the conveyed material, and the weight of the remaining material in the storage tank based on the counting results.

[0022] Preferably, in step S1, the linear speed of the axial rotating metering device and the running speed of the bottom belt of the storage tank are completely synchronized, and the distance of one revolution of the metering device is equal to the length of material conveyed by one revolution of the bottom belt.

[0023] Preferably, in step S3, the weight of the material that has been sent away by the bottom belt is calculated proportionally by combining known parameters (such as the circumference of the metering device, the width of the bottom belt of the storage tank, and the unit area weight / bulk density of the material). By subtracting the weight of the material sent away from the initial total weight of the storage tank, the weight of the remaining material in the storage tank can be obtained in real time, thereby achieving precise control of the weight of the storage tank (such as automatically triggering a replenishment or shutdown signal when the remaining weight reaches a set value).

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0025] 1. This invention calculates the remaining weight of materials in the storage tank in real time through mechanical synchronization, photoelectric detection, and PLC calculation. Specifically, this invention solves the problem of materials in industrial storage tanks not being directly weighed, enabling real-time monitoring of the remaining material weight in the tank and preventing material shortages or overflows. It also provides precise control signals for subsequent processes (such as replenishment, shutdown, and adjustment of conveyor speed), ensuring production continuity and stability. Furthermore, for storage tanks in tobacco processing workshops, this invention's weighing system and method can ensure precise control of the storage and conveying volume of tobacco shreds, preventing excessive accumulation or insufficient material supply that could affect the quality stability of subsequent cigarettes.

[0026] 2. This invention designs a novel storage tank metering device to calculate the remaining weight of the storage tank. Compared to the traditional inductive proximity switch counting method, it significantly improves the accuracy and real-time performance of the calculation, resulting in higher efficiency in bottom belt counting and data acquisition. Accurate weighing allows for a more precise determination of the remaining tobacco residue, enabling subsequent processes to more accurately prepare production materials to match the amount of tobacco, effectively reducing machine downtime and waste of raw materials caused by broken tobacco or insufficient tobacco supply, thus ensuring the continuity of cigarette production. Adjusting the bottom conveyor belt speed according to the current tobacco leaf thickness ensures a uniform output of tobacco leaves per unit time, which is beneficial for subsequent production. This improves cigarette quality, reduces material waste caused by inaccurate metering, thereby saving costs and increasing production efficiency.

[0027] 3. This invention solves the common industry problem of inaccurate weight display of remaining material in storage tanks, achieving precise display of the remaining weight. This controls flow rate stability, improves production efficiency, reduces the risk of quality accidents, and stabilizes process quality. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for manual intervention, reducing labor intensity. The method used in this invention is simple and easy to implement, leaving more room for error in subsequent processes. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the remaining material weighing system in the storage tank according to the present invention.

[0029] The names of the reference numerals in the accompanying drawings are as follows: 1. Axial rotation metering device; 2. Photoelectric sensing device; 3. Driven roller; 4. Storage tank bottom belt. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the embodiments.

[0031] Those skilled in the art will understand that the following embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Where specific techniques or conditions are not specified in the embodiments, they are performed in accordance with the techniques or conditions described in the literature in the field or according to the product instructions. Materials or equipment whose manufacturers are not specified are all conventional products that can be obtained by purchase.

[0032] Those skilled in the art will understand that, unless specifically stated otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” “the,” and “the” used herein may also include the plural forms. It should be further understood that the term “comprising” as used in this specification means the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. It should be understood that when we say an element is “connected” to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element, or there may be an intermediate element. Furthermore, the term “connected” as used herein can include wireless connections.

[0033] In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more. The terms "inner," "upper," "lower," etc., indicate the orientation or state relationship based on the orientation or state relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention.

[0034] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installed," "connected," and "equipped with" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0035] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in general dictionaries should be understood to have the meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the prior art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless defined as herein.

[0036] Example

[0037] This embodiment is a weighing system for remaining materials in a storage tank, which includes an axial rotation metering device 1, a photoelectric sensing device 2, and a host PLC control device.

[0038] The axial rotation metering device is installed on the driven roller 3 at the tail end of the storage tank. The driven roller is a roller shaft that rotates together with the bottom belt 4 of the storage tank, and is not an actively driven motor roller.

[0039] The photoelectric sensor is installed on the frame of the storage tank. The photoelectric sensor is equivalent to the trigger switch of the counter. When the axially rotating metering device rotates, the photoelectric sensor will be triggered once for every fixed angle (for example, if there is a protrusion on the metering device, it will block the light when it rotates, and the photoelectric tube will sense it once).

[0040] The host PLC control device is used to receive signals from the photoelectric sensor, perform data calculations, and finally output the weight of the remaining material in the storage tank.

[0041] The axial rotation metering device serves as the core actuator, the photoelectric sensing device serves as the detection device, and the upper-level PLC control device serves as the calculation and control center.

[0042] The photoelectric sensing device and the axial rotation measuring device are at the same horizontal height to ensure accurate detection of the rotation of the measuring device.

[0043] There are two axial rotation metering devices, one installed at each end of the driven roller. The purpose of installing one at each end is to provide double protection and improve accuracy.

[0044] The linear speed of the axial rotating metering device is completely synchronized with the running speed of the bottom belt of the storage tank. For example, if the bottom belt moves 0.5 meters per second, the circumferential linear speed of the metering device must also be 0.5 meters per second. This is because the bottom belt is used to transport materials inside the storage tank. The amount of rotation of the bottom belt means the amount of material that has been transported. Only by synchronizing the axial rotating metering device with the bottom belt of the storage tank can the amount of material transported be accurately corresponded.

[0045] This embodiment provides a method for weighing remaining materials in a storage tank, using the storage tank remaining material weighing system described in this embodiment, which includes the following steps:

[0046] S1, When the storage tank is working, the bottom belt of the storage tank moves forward and conveys the material (such as tobacco) inside the tank to the outside. The bottom belt of the storage tank drives the driven roller to rotate, and the driven roller drives the axial rotating metering devices at both ends to rotate synchronously.

[0047] S2, the axial rotation metering device will trigger the photoelectric sensor next to it once every time it rotates by a fixed angle (or one revolution). Each time the photoelectric sensor is triggered, it sends a signal to the upper PLC control device, and the upper PLC control device automatically counts once.

[0048] S3, the upper PLC control device calculates the total rotation angle (or total number of revolutions) of the metering device, the length of the conveyed material, the weight of the conveyed material, and the weight of the remaining material in the storage tank based on the counting results.

[0049] In step S1, the linear speed of the axial rotating metering device and the running speed of the bottom belt of the storage tank are completely synchronized, and the distance of one revolution of the metering device is equal to the length of material conveyed by one revolution of the bottom belt.

[0050] In step S3, by combining known parameters (such as the circumference of the metering device, the width of the bottom belt of the storage tank, and the unit area weight / bulk density of the material), the weight of the material that has been sent away by the bottom belt is calculated proportionally. By subtracting the weight of the material sent away from the initial total weight of the storage tank, the weight of the remaining material in the storage tank can be obtained in real time, thereby achieving precise control of the weight of the storage tank (such as automatically triggering a replenishment or shutdown signal when the remaining weight reaches a set value).

[0051] like Figure 1 As shown, an axial rotation metering device 1 is installed at each end of the driven roller 3 at the tail end of the storage tank. The linear speed of the axial rotation metering device is synchronized with the speed of the storage tank bottom belt 4. A photoelectric sensor 2 is installed on the storage tank frame, and its position is horizontal with the axial rotation metering device. The photoelectric sensor is used to detect the number of times the axial rotation metering device rotates past the photoelectric sensor. Each time the photoelectric sensor senses the upper PLC control system (not shown in the figure), it counts once. The PLC control system transmits the rotation angle data of the axial rotation metering device to the control system, calculates the remaining weight of the storage tank proportionally, thereby achieving precise control of the storage tank weight.

[0052] This invention calculates the conveying length by rotating the angle, then the material conveying volume, and finally the material weight. Specifically, in this embodiment, the conveying length of the bottom belt is determined by rotating the metering device, and then the material weight is derived. The specific calculation process is as follows:

[0053] 1. Known conditions (pre-set in the host PLC control device):

[0054] The circumference L of the axially rotating metering device;

[0055] The length H and width D of the bottom strip of the storage tank;

[0056] The bulk density ρ of a material is determined by measuring the mass M0 of the material using equipment such as an electronic scale before it is added, and then calculating the volume V0 of the material after it is stacked in a specific shape in the storage tank. Thus, the material density ρ = M0 / V0 is obtained.

[0057] By statistically analyzing the length H and width D of the tank bottom strip, the weight M1 of the tank material represented by a single support plate of the tank bottom strip is calculated.

[0058] 2. Actual PLC calculation process:

[0059] The total number of rotations of the metering device is calculated based on the number of photoelectric sensing cycles (total number of rotations of the metering device = number of photoelectric sensing cycles / number of triggers per cycle).

[0060] Calculate the length of the material conveyed by the bottom belt based on the total number of rotations of the metering device (length of material conveyed by the bottom belt = total number of rotations × circumference of the metering device).

[0061] The weight of the conveyed material can be calculated based on the length of the material conveyed by the bottom belt (given the weight M1 of the material in the storage tank represented by a single support plate of the bottom belt, the number of single support plates along the length of the conveyed material corresponds to the number of M1 conveyed); alternatively, the volume of the conveyed material can be calculated based on the length of the material conveyed by the bottom belt (conveyed material volume = conveyed material length × bottom belt width × material stacking height), and then the conveyed material weight can be calculated based on the conveyed material volume (conveyed material weight = volume × bulk density ρ).

[0062] Calculate the remaining weight of the storage tank based on the weight of the material conveyed at the bottom (remaining weight of the storage tank = initial total weight - conveyed weight).

Claims

1. A system for weighing remaining materials in a storage tank, characterized in that, It includes an axial rotation metering device, a photoelectric sensing device, and a host PLC control device; The axial rotation metering device is installed on the driven roller at the tail end of the storage tank. The driven roller is a roller shaft that rotates together with the bottom belt of the storage tank. The photoelectric sensor is installed on the frame of the storage tank. When the axial rotating metering device rotates, the photoelectric sensor will be triggered once every fixed angle. The host PLC control device is used to receive signals from the photoelectric sensor, perform data calculations, and finally output the weight of the remaining material in the storage tank.

2. The storage tank remaining material weighing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The axial rotation metering device serves as the core actuator, the photoelectric sensing device serves as the detection device, and the upper-level PLC control device serves as the calculation and control center.

3. The storage tank remaining material weighing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The photoelectric sensing device and the axial rotation measuring device are at the same horizontal height to ensure accurate detection of the rotation of the measuring device.

4. The storage tank remaining material weighing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, There are two axial rotation metering devices, one installed at each end of the driven roller.

5. The storage tank remaining material weighing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The linear speed of the axial rotation metering device is synchronized with the running speed of the bottom belt of the storage tank.

6. A method for weighing remaining materials in a storage tank, characterized in that, The weighing system for remaining materials in a storage tank according to any one of claims 1-5 includes the following steps: S1, When the storage tank is working, the bottom belt of the storage tank moves forward and conveys the material inside the tank outward. The bottom belt of the storage tank drives the driven roller to rotate, and the driven roller drives the axial rotating metering devices at both ends to rotate synchronously. S2, the axial rotation metering device will trigger the photoelectric sensor next to it once every time it rotates by a fixed angle. Each time the photoelectric sensor is triggered, it sends a signal to the upper PLC control device, and the upper PLC control device automatically counts once. S3, the upper PLC control device calculates the total rotation angle of the metering device, the length of the conveyed material, the weight of the conveyed material, and the weight of the remaining material in the storage tank based on the counting results.

7. The method for weighing remaining materials in a storage tank according to claim 6, characterized in that, In step S1, the linear speed of the axial rotating metering device is synchronized with the running speed of the bottom belt of the storage tank, and the distance of one revolution of the metering device is equal to the length of material conveyed by one revolution of the bottom belt.

8. The method for weighing remaining materials in a storage tank according to claim 6, characterized in that, In step S3, the weight of the material that has been sent away by the bottom conveyor is calculated proportionally based on the known parameters. By subtracting the weight of the material that has been sent away from the initial total weight of the storage tank, the weight of the remaining material in the storage tank can be obtained in real time.

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