Combination balance

Abstract

To provide a combination balance configured to radially convey measuring objects conveyed in a dispersed manner by a dispersion feeder with linear feeders arranged to surround the dispersion feeder, deliver them into a measuring unit via a supply hopper arranged corresponding to each linear feeder, and flow-down guide the measuring object discharged from the measuring unit selected by a combination calculation to below a device center via a collecting chute, in which a combination measurement having a bag-in-bag specification and a combination measurement having a normal specification can be easily switched.SOLUTION: A ridge-like supply hopper cover 13 covering a gap between adjacent supply hoppers 8 is detachably mounted over a side plate upper part of the adjacent supply hopper 8, and a front plate 14 is detachably erected and supported over a terminal end of the adjacent supply hopper cover 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a combination scale that measures and discharges confectionery and food products by a predetermined weight each.

Background Art

[0002] As such a combination scale, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1, an object to be measured that is dispersed and conveyed by a dispersion feeder is radially conveyed by a linear feeder group and sent into a supply hopper, and then sent into a weighing hopper arranged corresponding to each supply hopper. A configuration in which the objects to be measured from a plurality of weighing units selected by combination calculation are collected in a collection hopper via a collection chute is frequently used.

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] The combination scale shown in Patent Document 1 is mainly configured in a standard normal specification for measuring bulk materials. The trough of the linear feeder that linearly conveys the object to be measured is arranged so as to enter the inside of the inlet of the supply hopper in order to feed the object to be measured into the supply hopper without leakage.

[0004] However, when performing packaging in a so-called bag-in-bag specification in which a plurality of small bags containing confectionery or the like are packaged in a large bag, in the above standard specification, since the width at the conveyance outlet of the trough in the linear feeder is small, small bags that are considerably larger than the bulk material to be measured are likely to be clogged at the conveyance outlet of the trough.

[0005] Therefore, when performing combination weighing in a bag-in-bag specification, it was necessary to replace the linear feeder and the supply hopper with those for the bag-in-bag specification.

[0006] The present invention has been made paying attention to such points, and an object thereof is to provide a combination scale capable of easily switching between combination weighing of a bag-in-bag specification and combination weighing of a normal specification.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

[0008] (1) The combination scale according to the present invention The object to be weighed that is dispersed and conveyed by a dispersion feeder is radially conveyed by a linear feeder arranged to surround the dispersion feeder, sent into a weighing unit through a supply hopper arranged corresponding to each linear feeder, and discharged from the weighing unit selected by combination calculation. In the combination scale configured to guide the object to be weighed to flow down below the center of the apparatus through a collecting chute, A mountain-shaped supply hopper cover that covers the gap between adjacent supply hoppers is detachably attached across the upper part of the side plates of the adjacent supply hoppers, and a front plate is detachably erected and supported across the terminal ends of the adjacent supply hopper covers.

[0009] According to this configuration, in a state equipped with a linear feeder of a bag-in-bag specification having a wide terminal width, by erecting and installing the front plate through the supply hopper cover, a state suitable for conveying and supplying loose materials that are likely to bounce off can be obtained.

[0010] Also, by removing the front plate, small bags can be sent into the supply hopper without causing clogging due to a bridge between the end of the linear feeder and the front plate, and combination weighing in the bag-in-bag specification can be immediately executed.

[0011] (2) In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, The supply hopper cover is placed and supported across the upper ends of the adjacent opposing side plates of the adjacent supply hoppers.

[0012] According to this configuration, the supply hopper cover can be easily detached without the need for tools, etc., and is useful in the cleaning operation of detaching various members.

[0013] (3) In another embodiment of the present invention, On the upper parts of the left and right side plates of the supply hopper, there are provided introduction guides extending in an upwardly expanding manner, and the mountain-shaped inclination of the supply hopper cover is made to match the inclination of this introduction guide.

[0014] According to this configuration, the mountain-shaped supply hopper cover can be stably positioned and placed in surface contact with the left and right introduction guides in the adjacent supply hopper.

[0015] Also, since the supply hopper cover is correctly positioned and held, the posture of the front plate supported by this is also stabilized.

[0016] (4) In another embodiment of the present invention, Horizontal slits are formed near the respective ends of the mountain-shaped inclined surfaces of the supply hopper cover, and a plurality of tongue pieces provided at the lower end of the front plate are inserted and locked into the slits to configure the front plate to be erected and supported.

[0017] According to this configuration, the tongue pieces locked in the slits can only tilt in the front-rear direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the slits, but the left and right slits for locking and supporting the front plate are formed on inclined surfaces with different inclination directions, so the tilting directions of the tongue pieces in each slit are different. As a result, although the front plate is only inserted and locked into the left and right slits from above, it will stably maintain a vertical standing posture.

[0018] (5) In another embodiment of the present invention, The removed front plate is configured to be lockable and supportable on the collecting chute.

[0019] According to this configuration, when performing combined weighing in the bag-in-bag specification, there is no need for the labor of removing the front plate that gets in the way from the work site and storing it separately. Also, by storing the unused front plate supported on the combination scale, it is possible to quickly switch to the specification of combined weighing of unpackaged items that uses the front plate.

[0020] (6) In another embodiment of the present invention, The front plate is provided with a hook portion, and the front plate is configured to be lockable to the upper edge of the collecting chute via this hook portion.

[0021] According to this configuration, without the need to process the collecting chute, etc., the unused front plate can be easily stored at the weighing work site.

[0022] (7) In another embodiment of the present invention, A folding portion is formed by bending along the entire length of the upper edge side of the front plate, and the hook portion is continuously provided on this folding portion.

[0023] According to this configuration, due to the rib effect of the folding portion extending along the entire length of the upper edge side, the bending rigidity of the flat front plate can be increased, and the hook portion can be easily provided without using separate members.

Effect of the Invention

[0024] Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a combination scale that can easily switch between combined weighing in the bag-in-bag specification and combined weighing in the normal specification.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0026] In FIG. 1, a longitudinal front view showing the schematic configuration of a combination scale according to an embodiment of the present invention, in FIG. 2, a longitudinal front view showing the schematic configuration of the combination scale, in FIG. 3, a perspective view of the main part configured to perform standard combined weighing, in FIG. 4, a perspective view of the main part configured to perform combined weighing in a bag-in-bag specification, in FIG. 5, an exploded front view showing the front plate mounting structure, and in FIG. 6, a perspective view of the front plate are respectively shown.

[0027] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, this combination scale measures and delivers objects to be weighed, such as various foods and confectioneries, by a predetermined amount, and is installed on the floor surface F of the upper floor in a frame assembled in a rack shape. It is also used in a packaging line for bagging by putting the weighed objects of a predetermined weight into a packaging machine (not shown) installed downstairs.

[0028] On the floor surface F, a base 1 having a hollow structure with a large vertically penetrating opening in the central part is installed. Above the center of the base 1, a center base body 2 having a hollow structure formed in a polygonal short column shape is supported via a plurality of legs 3 arranged at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction.

[0029] Above the center of the center base body 2, a dispersion feeder 5 is equipped to place the objects to be weighed dropped and supplied from a supply conveyor (not shown) on a vibration-driven top cone 4 and disperse and convey them radially. Surrounding this dispersion feeder 5, a number of linear feeders 7 are radially provided to place the dispersed and conveyed objects to be weighed on a vibration-driven trough 6 and convey them straight outward.

[0030] Further, on the outer peripheral portion of the center base body 2, there are provided a supply hopper 8 for temporarily storing and discharging the object to be measured conveyed by each linear feeder 7, a weighing hopper 9 as a weighing unit for measuring the weight of the object to be measured discharged from each supply hopper 8 and discharging the object to be measured of a predetermined weight obtained by combined calculation. Then, the combined weighing and discharging of the object to be measured are performed by a number of consecutive weighing units including these linear feeders 7, supply hoppers 8, and weighing hoppers 9 in series.

[0031] Below each weighing hopper 9, a collecting chute 10 is provided for guiding the object to be measured discharged from a plurality of weighing hoppers 9 combined and selected to have a predetermined weight to flow downward toward the lower part of the center of the apparatus. At the lower center of the collecting chute 10, a collecting funnel 11 is provided for collecting the object to be measured flowing down along the collecting chute 10 to the center part of the apparatus. Further, below the center of the apparatus, a collecting hopper 12 is provided for temporarily retaining the object to be measured collected by the collecting funnel 11 and performing a discharging operation based on a discharge request from a packaging machine.

[0032] The illustrated combination weigher is basically configured to perform packaging in a so-called bag-in-bag specification in which a plurality of small bags containing confectionery or the like are packaged in a large bag. The trough 6 of the linear feeder 7 has a bottom surface formed in a shallow boat shape with a V shape. Also, the terminal width of the trough 6 is set to be larger than the opening width of the supply hopper 8, and the supply hopper 8 is provided lower than the terminal portion thereof.

[0033] Also, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, in order to close the gap formed between adjacent supply hoppers 8, a supply hopper cover 13 formed to be refracted in a mountain shape is mounted across the upper portions of the opposing side plates in the adjacent supply hoppers 8.

[0034] On the upper portion of the side plate of the supply hopper 8, an introduction guide 8a extending refracted upward and outward is provided, and the supply hopper cover 13 is mounted and supported across the opposing introduction guides 8a of the adjacent supply hoppers 8.

[0035] Here, the inclination angle of the introduction guide 8a matches the inclination angle of the hypotenuse of the supply hopper cover 13 covering it, whereby the supply hopper cover 13 is stably placed and supported in a fixed posture across the left and right introduction guides 8a adjacent to each other.

[0036] Also, when weighing small items, especially items to be weighed that are prone to bouncing, using the combination scale configured in the bag-in-bag specification as described above, a front plate 14 is erected and provided at the front part of the supply hopper 8 in order to prevent the item to be weighed from jumping out forward (outward).

[0037] This front plate 14 is formed in a flat plate shape, and the lower end parts of both left and right side parts thereof are formed on the inclined sides placed on the supply hopper cover 13, and tongue pieces 15 are continuously provided on the left and right inclined lower sides respectively.

[0038] Also, as shown in FIG. 4, a horizontally long slit 16 is formed at the terminal end of the inclined surface in the supply hopper cover 13, and the left and right tongue pieces 15 provided on the front plate 14 are inserted and locked from above into the left and right slits 16 provided in the adjacent supply hopper covers 13, so that the front plate 14 is erected and supported at the front part of the supply hopper 8.

[0039] Here, the tongue piece 15 locked to the slit 16 can only tilt in the front-rear direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the slit, but since the left and right slits 16 for locking and supporting the front plate 14 are formed on inclined surfaces with different inclination directions, the tiltable directions of the tongue piece 15 in each slit 16 are different. As a result, although the front plate 14 is only inserted and locked into the left and right slits 16 from above, it will maintain a vertical erected posture.

[0040] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, a folded-out part 14a refracted outward over the entire length is formed at the upper end side of the front plate 14, and a wide hook part 17 is folded down and extended at the left and right central parts of this folded-out part 14a.

[0041] When weighing small bags in a bag-in-bag specification using this combination scale, at the inlet of the supply hopper 8, there is a risk of clogging due to a small bag bridge between the end of the linear feeder 7 and the front plate 14, so the front plate 14 is removed. In this case, as shown in Fig. 4, the front plate 14 removed from the supply hopper cover 13 is turned upside down and hung and supported on the upper edge of the collecting chute 10 via the hook portion 17 for storage.

[0042] 〔Other Embodiments〕 The present invention can also be implemented in the following forms.

[0043] (1) The hook portion 17 of the front plate 14 may be configured in an elastically deformable clip shape, and the collecting chute 10 may be elastically clamped by this hook portion 17. According to this, it is possible to prevent the front plate 14 locked and held on the collecting chute 10 from rattling due to vibrations during operation or generating noise.

[0044] (2) As means for detachably standing and supporting the front plate 14 at the end of the supply hopper cover 13, it is not limited to the insertion support structure as described above. For example, the front plate 14 may be screwed to the vicinity of the end of the supply hopper cover 13.

[0045] (3) As means for supporting and storing the unused front plate 14 on the collecting chute 10, locking holes or locking slits may be formed at appropriate upper positions of the front plate 14, and hooks may be provided on the upper outer surface of the collecting chute 10, and the front plate 14 may be hooked and stored by locking the locking holes or locking slits to the hooks.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0046] 5 Dispersion Feeder 7 Linear Feeder 8 Supply Hopper 8a Introduction Guide 9 Weighing Unit (Weighing Hopper) 10 Collecting Chute 13 Supply Hopper Cover 14 Front panel 14a Folded-out part 15 Tongue piece 16 Slit 17 Hook part

Claims

1. A combination scale configured to radially convey a material to be weighed that has been dispersedly conveyed by a dispersion feeder by means of a linear feeder disposed so as to surround the dispersion feeder, feed it into a weighing unit via a supply hopper disposed corresponding to each linear feeder, and cause the material to be weighed discharged from the weighing unit selected by combined arithmetic operation to flow down and be guided downward below the center of the apparatus via a collecting chute, wherein a chevron-shaped supply hopper cover that covers the gap between adjacent supply hoppers is detachably attached across the upper portions of the side plates of the adjacent supply hoppers, and a front plate is detachably erected and supported across the terminal ends of the adjacent supply hopper covers. A combination scale characterized by the above.

2. The supply hopper cover is placed and supported across the upper ends of the adjacent opposing side plates of the adjacent supply hoppers. The combination scale according to Claim 1.

3. The upper portions of the left and right side plates of the supply hopper are provided with introduction guides extending upward and expanding, and the chevron-shaped inclination of the supply hopper cover is made to match the inclination of the introduction guides. The combination scale according to Claim 3.

4. Horizontal slits are formed near the terminal ends of the chevron-shaped slopes of the supply hopper cover, and a plurality of tongue pieces provided at the lower end of the front plate are inserted and locked into the slits to erect and support the front plate. The combination scale according to Claim 3.

5. The removed front plate is configured to be lockably supported by the collecting chute. The combination scale according to any one of Claims 1 to 4.

6. The front plate is provided with a hook portion, and the front plate is configured to be lockable to the upper edge of the collecting chute via the hook portion. The combination scale according to Claim 5.

7. A folding portion is formed by bending along the entire length of the upper edge of the front plate, and the hook portion is continuously provided on the folding portion. The combination scale according to Claim 6.

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