Combination weighing apparatus

Abstract

To enable smooth parallel conveyance of weighing objects to weighing positions and facilitate maintenance work such as cleaning by removing components or mechanisms in a combination weighing apparatus in which a plurality of belt conveyors arranged in parallel are detachably mounted on the upper part of a main body case and which is configured to feed the weighing objects conveyed by each belt conveyor to corresponding weighing units.SOLUTION: A cover guide 6 that closes a gap formed between adjacent belt conveyors 2 is detachably connected and supported on a conveyor frame 24 of the belt conveyor 2. A supply guide 8 that guides supplied weighing objects to the starting end of the belt conveyors 2, and a cover case 7 that covers a group of drive cases 5 for driving the conveyors arranged in parallel on the upper part of the main body case 1, are each detachably installed on the upper part of the main body case.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a combination weighing device that distributes and conveys various items to be weighed, such as food, and weighs them. [Background technology]

[0002] As an example of a combination weighing device that uses a belt conveyor to transport weighed objects in a distributed manner, as shown in Patent Document 1, a device has been proposed in which multiple belt conveyors are arranged in parallel and the weighed objects transported in a distributed manner by each belt conveyor are sent to a weighing location equipped with multiple weighing units. [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2023-175545 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] Combination weighing devices that handle food products often require relatively frequent maintenance such as cleaning, and it is desirable that the assembled components and mechanisms can be easily detached and attached during this process.

[0004] The present invention has been made with these points in mind, and aims to enable smooth parallel transport of the objects to be weighed and to send them to the weighing location, as well as to make it easy to perform maintenance work such as removing components and mechanisms for cleaning. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

[0006] (1) The combination weighing device according to the present invention is A combination weighing device configured such that multiple belt conveyors arranged in parallel are detachably mounted on the top of a main body case, and objects to be weighed transported by each belt conveyor are sent to a respective weighing unit, A cover guide that closes the gap formed between adjacent belt conveyors is detachably connected to the conveyor frame of the belt conveyor, and a supply guide that leads the supplied objects to be weighed to the starting end of the belt conveyor and a cover case that covers a group of drive cases for driving the conveyors that are installed in parallel on the top of the main case are each detachably installed on the top of the main case.

[0007] According to this configuration, the supplied objects to be weighed are smoothly guided by the supply guide to the conveyance starting end of the belt conveyor, and are accurately sent to the weighing unit without spilling out between adjacent belt conveyors.

[0008] In addition, the drive cases for driving the conveyor are covered and protected by a cover case, preventing pieces of the weighed material and loose juice from falling on the drive parts.

[0009] Furthermore, by removing the cover guide, supply guide, and cover case together with the belt conveyor, maintenance work such as cleaning can be easily performed.

[0010] (2) In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, The supply guide is provided with a conveying guide portion that runs along the lateral outside of the outermost end of the belt conveyor.

[0011] This configuration effectively prevents the objects to be weighed from falling off the outermost belt conveyor.

[0012] (3) In another embodiment of the present invention, The conveying guide portion of the supply guide is configured to be connected to a mounting seat provided on the main body case.

[0013] According to this configuration, by connecting the conveying guide portion, which is long in the front-rear direction, to the mounting seat on the main body case side, the supply guide, which tends to be a large component, can be firmly mounted and supported.

[0014] (4) In another embodiment of the present invention, The cover guide is engaged and supported from above across the opposing conveyor frames of adjacent belt conveyors.

[0015] With this configuration, the cover guide can be easily attached and detached from above the conveyor.

[0016] (5) In another embodiment of the present invention, The supply guide is provided with a flow-down guide portion that guides the objects to be weighed to the starting end of the belt conveyor, and a recess is formed at the lower end of the flow-down guide portion into which the end of the cover guide fits.

[0017] With this configuration, the lower end of the flow-down guide portion covers the starting end of the cover guide, and the cover guide, which is merely engaged and supported, is prevented from floating upward by being received by the lower end of the flow-down guide portion.

[0018] (6) In another embodiment of the present invention, The cover case is positioned below and adjacent to the flow-down guide portion of the supply guide.

[0019] According to this configuration, the cover case is prevented from floating up by the downward guide portion of the supply guide. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] In this way, the combination weighing device of the present invention can smoothly transport the objects to be weighed in parallel and send them to the weighing location, and can easily perform maintenance work such as removing components and mechanisms for cleaning. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the combination weighing device in vertical section. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the combination weighing device with some of the components disassembled. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a belt conveyor. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional front view of the driving portion of the belt conveyor. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an input gear in the belt conveyor. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an input portion of a belt conveyor. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an exploded longitudinal cross-sectional view of an input portion of a belt conveyor. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a side view of the belt conveyor. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a side view showing the belt conveyor detachment process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a combination weighing device equipped with an article supplying device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] FIG. 1 shows an overall perspective view of the combination weighing device, and FIG. 2 shows a schematic side view of the combination weighing device in vertical section.

[0024] This combination weighing device is installed on the floor, such as on a tower-shaped frame, and on top of the main case 1, which is fixed to the floor, is installed an item supply device 3 that transports the items to be weighed to the right in the figure using multiple belt conveyors 2 (seven in this example) arranged in parallel, and a front case 1a protruding from the front of the main case 1 is equipped with multiple weighing units 4 facing the transport end of each belt conveyor 2.

[0025] In the following description, the downstream side of the belt conveyor 2 will be referred to as the front, the upstream side as the rear, and the parallel direction of the belt conveyor 2 as the left-right direction or the lateral direction.

[0026] A plurality of drive cases 5 are arranged in a horizontal row at the rear of the top surface of the main case 1, and each belt conveyor 2 is interlocked with the corresponding drive case 5 as described below.

[0027] Between the belt conveyors 2 arranged in parallel on the left and right, a cover guide 6 that closes the gap between the conveyors is detachably arranged, and a cover case 7 that covers the drive cases 5 is detachably installed on the main case 1. In addition, a flat, U-shaped supply guide 8 is detachably arranged to guide the objects to be weighed, which are manually or mechanically fed, to the starting end of the conveyor.

[0028] The weighing unit 4 is composed of a supply hopper 9 that temporarily stores the objects to be weighed dropped from the end of the belt conveyor 2 and distributes and selectively discharges the objects to the front and rear, and a pair of front and rear weighing hoppers 10 that receive the objects to be weighed distributed and discharged from each supply hopper 9 and measure their weight.

[0029] The basic configuration of the combination weighing device is as described above. The articles to be weighed, transported by the article transport device 3, are fed into the supply hoppers 9 of each weighing unit 4, and then sent to the weighing hoppers 10 where their weight is measured. Of the many weighing values ​​obtained by the group of weighing hoppers 10, a combination that results in a predetermined weight is calculated and selected. The selected multiple weighing hoppers 10 are controlled to open and discharge the articles to be weighed of the predetermined weight. These articles are collected in the center of the device via two-stage collection chutes 11a and 11b and sent to the next stage device, such as a packaging device.

[0030] Next, the detailed structure of the article supply device 3 that uses a plurality of belt conveyors 2 to transport the objects to be weighed in parallel will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0031] A drive motor 12 is connected vertically to the underside of a drive case 5 attached to the top of the main body case 1, and an output shaft 14 supported horizontally on the drive case 5 and a motor output shaft 12a protruding upward from the drive motor 12 are meshed and linked by bevel gears 14, 15. One end of the output shaft 14 protrudes to the side of the case, and an output gear 16 for driving the conveyor is fixedly connected to this end. In addition, an intermediate gear 17 that meshes with the output gear 16 from the front is axially supported and rotatably mounted on the side of the drive case 5.

[0032] The belt conveyor 2 includes a rear drive roller 21 which is the starting point of the conveyance, a front driven roller 22 which is the end point of the conveyance, a conveyor belt 23 wound around both rollers 21, 22, and a conveyor frame 24 which is long from front to back and supports the drive roller 21 and driven roller 22.

[0033] The conveyor frame 24 is constructed by bridging a pair of opposing left and right side plates spaced a fixed distance apart using stays or the like, and the input shaft 21a of the drive roller 21 is freely rotatably supported across a pair of left and right bearing brackets 24a, 24b connected to the rear of the frame. The driven roller 22 is supported by a tension bracket 24c attached to the front of the frame so that its position can be adjusted back and forth. The input shaft 21a of the drive roller 21 protrudes laterally outward from one of the bearing brackets 24a, and an input gear 25 is attached to the protruding portion of the input shaft 21a.

[0034] The conveyor frame 24 is detachably supported by a pair of left and right conveyor support frames 26 erected on the upper surface of the main body case 1. That is, a forward-facing engagement recess 27 and a downward-facing engagement recess 28 are provided at the bottom of the conveyor frame 24, and flanged engagement pins 29, 30 are provided at the front and rear of the outer surface of the conveyor support frame 26. By engaging the forward-facing engagement recess 27 and the downward-facing engagement recess 28 of the conveyor frame 24 with the front and rear engagement pins 29, 30, respectively, the belt conveyor 2 is positioned front to back and up and down on the main body case 1 and installed.

[0035] Flanged engagement pins 31 protrude from multiple locations on the front and rear of the outer surface of the conveyor frame 24, and by engaging and connecting the cover guide 6 from above across the opposing engagement pins 31 of adjacent belt conveyors 2, the cover guide 6 is able to close the gap formed between adjacent belt conveyors 2.

[0036] The supply guide 8 is provided with a conveying guide section 8a that surrounds the outer lateral side of the belt conveyor 2 at the outermost lateral end, and is also provided with a flow-down guide section 8b across the entire width that guides the supplied objects to be weighed to the starting end of the conveyor.

[0037] A recess 8c is formed at the lower end of the flow-down guide portion 8b, which engages with the starting end of each cover guide 6 from above, and the lower end of the flow-down guide portion 8b covers the starting end of the cover guide 6, preventing the cover guide 6 from floating up.

[0038] In addition, an attachment piece 32 protrudes from the outer side of this conveying guide portion 8a, and an attachment seat 34 is installed near both ends of the top surface of the main body case 1 via an arch-shaped frame 33.By placing the attachment piece 32 on this attachment seat 34 and connecting it with a bolt, the supply guide 8 is fixed in a predetermined position on the main body case 1.

[0039] The cover case 7 that covers the group of drive cases 5 is bolted to an appropriate position on the top surface of the main case 1, and its front end is positioned close to and under the flow-down guide portion 8b of the supply guide 8. Therefore, the flow-down guide portion 8b prevents the front end of the cover case 7 from floating up. In addition, the front end of the cover case 7 is also formed with recesses 7a that engage with the starting ends of each cover guide 6 from above, and the front ends of the cover guides 6 overlap the starting ends of the cover guides 6, thereby preventing the cover guides 6 from floating up.

[0040] One bearing bracket 24a of the belt conveyor 2 extends rearward from the bearing portion, and a connecting bracket 36 is connected to the inner surface of the extending portion by bolts. This connecting bracket 36 is equipped with a connecting knob 37 that can be rotated about a vertical axis, and the lower end of the connecting knob 37 is provided with an engaging portion of a different diameter. Although not shown, a connecting hole is formed in the upper cover 5a of the drive case 5, into which the lower end engaging portion of the connecting knob 37 can be engaged and disengaged. The connecting bracket 36 of the belt conveyor 2 is placed on the upper surface of the drive case 5, and the lower end engaging portion of the connecting knob 37 is inserted into the connecting hole. Then, by rotating the connecting knob 37 approximately 90 degrees, the connecting bracket 36 is tightened and fixed to the upper part of the drive case 5, and the belt conveyor 2 can be positioned and fixed.

[0041] According to the above configuration, when attaching the belt conveyor 2 to the drive case 5, first, as shown in Fig. 11, the belt conveyor 2 is placed in a rearward upward tilted position, the forward-facing engagement recess 27 is engaged with the front engagement pin 29, and the belt conveyor 2 is swung downward around this engagement point. As the belt conveyor 2 sways downward, the downward-facing engagement recess 28 engages with the rear engagement pin 30 from above, and this engagement determines the positioning of the belt conveyor 2 in the front-rear and up-down directions.

[0042] Next, the connecting knob 37 is turned to fasten and connect the connecting bracket 36 to the upper part of the drive case 5. The belt conveyor 2 can be removed from the drive case 5 by performing the above-mentioned installation procedure in reverse.

[0043] When the belt conveyor 2 is assembled to the drive case 5 in this manner, the input gear 25 is engaged with the intermediate gear 17, and the conveyor can be driven by the drive motor 12.

[0044] Here, the output gear 16 and input gear 25 used to drive the conveyor are made of metal material, while the intermediate gear 17 is made of acetal resin material.

[0045] Acetal resin materials have excellent wear resistance and are self-lubricating, so that there is no need to lubricate the gear meshing portions with oil.

[0046] As shown in Figures 6 to 8, the input gear 25 attached to the input shaft 21a of the drive roller 21 of the belt conveyor 2 is composed of a hub 25a that is fitted onto the outside of the support shaft 21a and fixed with a set screw 38, and a gear portion 25b that is fitted onto the outside of the hub 25a and fixed by tightening a bolt 39 from the axial direction, and the bolt tightening seat surface 25c of the gear portion 25b is recessed so that the head of the bolt 39 is recessed from the outer end of the gear portion 25b.

[0047] This allows the gear drive unit of the belt conveyor 2 to be configured compactly in the axial direction.

[0048] Other Examples The present invention can also be implemented in the following forms.

[0049] (1) If the cover case 7 and the supply guide 8 are configured to be connected to the main case 1 using a one-touch tightening connector such as a snap fitting, the cover case 7 and the supply guide 8 can be easily and quickly detached and attached without tools during maintenance work such as cleaning.

[0050] (2) The weighing unit 4 may be configured so that combination weighing is performed using only the weighing hoppers 10 installed in parallel on the front surface of the main body case 1. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1 Main unit case 2. Belt conveyor 4 Weighing Unit 5 Drive case 6 Cover Guide 7 Cover Case 8 Supply Guide 8a Transport guide section 8b Downstream guide section 8c Recess 24 Conveyor Frame 34 Mounting seat

Claims

1. A combination weighing device configured such that multiple belt conveyors arranged in parallel are detachably mounted on the top of a main body case, and objects to be weighed transported by each belt conveyor are sent to a respective weighing unit, A cover guide for closing a gap formed between adjacent belt conveyors is detachably connected to and supported by a conveyor frame of the belt conveyor, and a supply guide for guiding supplied objects to the starting end of the belt conveyor and a cover case for covering a group of drive cases for driving the conveyors arranged in parallel on the top of the main case are each detachably installed on the top of the main case. A combination weighing device characterized by:

2. The supply guide is provided with a conveying guide portion that is disposed along the lateral outer side of the outermost end of the belt conveyor. The combination weighing device according to claim 1.

3. The conveying guide portion of the supply guide is configured to be connected to a mounting seat provided on the main body case. The combination weighing device according to claim 2.

4. The cover guide is engaged and supported from above across the opposing conveyor frames of the adjacent belt conveyors. The combination weighing device according to claim 3.

5. the supply guide is provided with a flow-down guide portion that guides the objects to be weighed to the starting end of the belt conveyor, and a recess is formed at the lower end of the flow-down guide portion into which the end of the cover guide fits; The combination weighing device according to claim 4.

6. The cover case is located below and in close proximity to the flow-down guide portion of the supply guide. The combination weighing device according to claim 5.

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