Combination scales

Abstract

The present invention provides a combination scale that can improve the accuracy of combination calculations while suppressing cracking of the objects being weighed. [Solution] The weighing system comprises a plurality of heads and a collection unit 170 for weighing articles. The plurality of heads include a first head A comprising a first weighing hopper 150A and a first memory hopper 160A having a hopper body 161, and a second head B comprising a second weighing hopper 150B and a second memory hopper 160B having a hopper body 163. The second head B is configured to perform a first discharge mode in which the weighed second article Y is directly discharged to the collection unit 170, and a second discharge mode in which the weighed second article Y is discharged to the hopper body 163. The first head A is configured not to directly discharge the first article X weighed in the first weighing hopper 150A to the collection unit 170, but to allow the first article X to pass through the hopper body 161 before being discharged to the collection unit 170.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technology of combination scales.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a combination scale capable of performing a combination operation on an object to be weighed is known. For example, it is as described in Patent Document 1.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a combination weighing device that measures the weight of a conveyed article (object to be weighed) using a plurality of weighing hoppers and performs a combination operation based on the weights of the articles weighed in each weighing hopper. In the above combination weighing device, the article on which the combination operation has been performed is discharged to the collective chute side disposed downstream of the weighing hopper.

[0004] In the combination weighing device described in Patent Document 1, a booster hopper capable of temporarily storing the articles discharged from the weighing hopper is provided below each weighing hopper. Further, two gates that can be independently opened and closed are provided at the lower part of each weighing hopper. The above combination weighing device can directly discharge the articles in the weighing hopper to the collective chute by opening only one of the gates of the weighing hopper. Further, the above combination weighing device can discharge the articles in the weighing hopper to the booster hopper by opening only the other gate of the weighing hopper. According to the above combination weighing device, in addition to each weighing hopper, the articles stored in each booster hopper can be made to participate in the combination operation, so that the accuracy of the combination operation can be improved.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In the combined weighing device described in Patent Document 1, when the items in the weighing hopper are discharged directly to the collection chute, the distance the items fall is greater compared to when the items in the weighing hopper are discharged to the booster hopper. Therefore, when weighing relatively fragile items, there is a risk that the items may crack or chip.

[0007] To solve the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a combination scale that can improve the accuracy of combination calculations while suppressing cracking of the object being weighed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, a combination scale according to one aspect of the present invention is a combination scale capable of performing combination calculations of multiple types of objects to be weighed, comprising: a plurality of heads for weighing the conveyed objects to be weighed; and a collection unit for collecting the objects to be weighed discharged from the heads, wherein the plurality of heads comprises: a first head having a first weighing hopper for weighing a first object to be weighed included in the objects to be weighed; a first memory hopper having a first storage unit capable of storing the first object to be weighed discharged from the first weighing hopper before it is discharged to the collection unit; a second weighing hopper for weighing a second object to be weighed of a different type from the first object to be weighed; and the first memory hopper for storing the objects to be weighed discharged from the second weighing hopper before it is discharged to the collection unit; The first weighing device includes a second memory hopper having a second storage section capable of storing the second weighing object before it is discharged to the collection section, wherein the second head is configured to perform a first discharge mode in which the second weighing object weighed in the second weighing hopper is directly discharged to the collection section without passing through the second storage section, and a second discharge mode in which the second weighing object weighed in the second weighing hopper is discharged to the second storage section, wherein the first head is configured not to be able to directly discharge the first weighing object weighed in the first weighing hopper to the collection section, but to allow the first weighing object to pass through the first storage section before being discharged to the collection section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the accuracy of combination calculations while suppressing cracking of the object being weighed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] A schematic front view showing a combination scale according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] A plan view showing a combination scale. [Figure 3] A schematic front cross-sectional view showing the first head. [Figure 4] An enlarged front cross-sectional view schematically showing the first memory hopper and the first chute. [Figure 5] A front cross-sectional view showing how the first item is discharged from the first weighing hopper to the first chute using memory-through control. [Figure 6] A schematic front cross-sectional view showing the second head. [Figure 7] A perspective view showing the second memory hopper. [Figure 8] (a) A front cross-sectional view showing the discharge of the second item from the second weighing hopper to the hopper body of the second memory hopper. (b) A front cross-sectional view showing the direct discharge of the second item from the second weighing hopper to the second chute. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] In the following, the front-to-back, left-to-right, and up-and-down directions are defined according to the arrows shown in the diagrams. Also, for the sake of clarity, the shape and size of the components may be altered in some diagrams.

[0012] First, the configuration of a combination scale 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. The combination scale 100 weighs the object to be weighed supplied from a predetermined supply source and discharges a predetermined weight of the object by performing a combination calculation. A detailed explanation of the combination calculation will be given later.

[0013] Various granular items (for example, rice crackers, beans, and other foods) can be used as the items to be weighed. In the following, the items to be weighed may be simply referred to as "items." The combination scale 100 can perform combination calculations on multiple types of items. In this embodiment, an example of performing a combination calculation on two types of items, a first item X and a second item Y, which are of different types, will be described. In this embodiment, peanuts, which are relatively easily broken, are used as the first item X, and rice crackers, which are less easily broken than the first item X, are used as the second item Y. The first item X is supplied to the combination scale 100 with salt added to it.

[0014] The combination scale 100 can discharge a predetermined weight of a first item X and a second item Y that have been mixed in a predetermined ratio. The combination scale 100 comprises a base 110, a dispersion feeder 120, a linear feeder 130, a supply hopper 140, a weighing hopper 150, a memory hopper 160, a collection unit 170, and a control unit 180.

[0015] In this embodiment, the combination scale 100 has multiple linear feeders 130 arranged along the circumferential direction in a plan view (the circumferential direction of the base 110, which will be described later) (see Figure 2), and a supply hopper 140, a weighing hopper 150, and a memory hopper 160 are arranged corresponding to each linear feeder 130 (see Figure 1). As shown in Figures 3 and 6, the linear feeders 130 and each hopper (weighing hopper 150, memory hopper 160) are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction. Hereinafter, a set of linear feeders 130 and each hopper arranged in parallel in the vertical direction will be referred to as a "head". In this embodiment, the combination scale 100 has 24 heads. A detailed description of each part constituting the head will be given later.

[0016] The combination scale 100 performs a combination operation by conveying an article so as to distribute it to each head and weighing the article with each head. In the present embodiment, each head is divided into two groups: a first group used for weighing the first article X and a second group used for weighing the second article Y. Hereinafter, the heads belonging to the first group are referred to as "first heads A", and the heads belonging to the second group are referred to as "second heads B". As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, an example is shown in which 10 first heads A and 14 second heads B are arranged along the circumferential direction in a plan view. In FIG. 2, the supply hopper 140 of each head is schematically shown by a two-dot chain line, and the first head A is shown filled in.

[0017] The base body 110 constitutes the central part in the plan view of the combination scale 100 (see FIG. 2). The base body 110 is formed in a hollow shape capable of accommodating various devices inside. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the base body 110 is schematically illustrated.

[0018] The distribution feeder 120 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 disperses the articles supplied to the combination scale 100 in the radial direction (horizontal direction) of the base body 110. The supply of articles to the distribution feeder 120 is performed by a predetermined supply feeder (not shown). The distribution feeder 120 includes a top cone 121 having a substantially conical shape (or a frustum of a cone shape). The distribution feeder 120 also includes a vibration mechanism (not shown) for vibrating the top cone 121 to disperse the articles. By dispersing the articles by the distribution feeder 120, the articles can be conveyed to the first heads A and the second heads B (the straight-through feeder 130 described later).

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, a partition portion 122 for partitioning the top cone 121 is provided on the upper surface of the top cone 121 so as to convey the first article X to the first heads A and the second article Y to the second heads B. Further, in the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the partition portion 122 is further provided so as to divide each of the regions of the top cone 121 for conveying the first article X to the first heads A and the region for conveying the second article Y to the second heads B into two.

[0020] The straight-feed feeder 130 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 conveys the articles dispersed by the dispersion feeder 120 so as to move straight outward in the radial direction of the base body 110. A plurality (24) of straight-feed feeders 130 are arranged along the circumferential direction of the base body 110 so as to correspond to the number of heads.

[0021] The straight-feed feeder 130 is formed in a shape that extends along the radial direction of the base body 110. The straight-feed feeders 130 are arranged radially so as to be located outside the dispersion feeder 120 in the radial direction. The straight-feed feeder 130 includes a vibration mechanism (not shown) for conveying the articles on the straight-feed feeder 130 by vibration. The articles conveyed by the straight-feed feeder 130 are supplied to a supply hopper 140 described later.

[0022] The supply hopper 140 shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 6 temporarily stores the articles conveyed by the straight-feed feeder 130 and supplies the stored articles to a weighing hopper 150 described later. Although appropriately omitted in FIGS. 3 and 6, a plurality (24) of supply hoppers 140 are arranged along the circumferential direction outside the base body 110 so as to correspond to each of the plurality of straight-feed feeders 130. The supply hopper 140 is supported with respect to the base body 110 via appropriate support members.

[0023] The supply hopper 140 includes a hopper main body portion 141 that is open vertically and a discharge gate 142 provided at the lower part of the hopper main body portion 141. The discharge gate 142 is formed to be able to open and close the opening at the lower part of the hopper main body portion ၁၄၁ by an appropriate drive mechanism (not shown). By opening the discharge gate 142, the articles in the supply hopper <၁၄၀> fall and are supplied to the weighing hopper <၁၅၀>.

[0024] The weighing hopper 150 shown in Figures 1, 3, and 6 measures the weight of the goods supplied from the supply hopper 140 and supplies the weighed goods downstream (towards the collection unit 170, which will be described later). The weight of the goods in the weighing hopper 150 is measured using a weight sensor 156. A suitable load cell can be used as the weight sensor 156. Although omitted in Figure 1, multiple weighing hoppers 150 (24 in total) are arranged along the circumferential direction on the radially outer side of the base body 110, so as to be located below each of the multiple supply hoppers 140. The weighing hoppers 150 are supported by the base body 110 via suitable support members.

[0025] The weighing hopper 150 includes a first weighing hopper 150A, which constitutes the first head A, and a second weighing hopper 150B, which constitutes the second head B. The first weighing hopper 150A and the second weighing hopper 150B will be described below.

[0026] The first weighing hopper 150A shown in Figures 3 and 5 weighs the first item X and discharges the weighed first item X. The first weighing hopper 150A comprises a roughly cylindrical hopper body 151 that opens at the top and bottom, and a discharge gate 152 provided at the bottom of the hopper body 151. The discharge gate 152 is located radially inward (left side in Figures 3 and 5) of the base body 110. As shown in Figure 5, by opening the discharge gate 152, the first item X inside the first weighing hopper 150A can be discharged to the memory hopper 160 (first memory hopper 160A), which will be described later.

[0027] The first metering hopper 150A can be a single-opening hopper having only one discharge gate (discharge gate 152). Alternatively, the first metering hopper 150A can be a double-opening hopper having two discharge gates, similar to the second metering hopper 150B described later. In this case, the first metering hopper 150A can be configured such that one of the two discharge gates, other than discharge gate 152, cannot be physically opened or closed.

[0028] The second weighing hopper 150B shown in Figures 6 and 8 weighs the second item Y and discharges the weighed item Y. The second weighing hopper 150B has a roughly cylindrical hopper body 153 that opens at the top and bottom. Two discharge gates, a first discharge gate 154 and a second discharge gate 155, are provided at the bottom of the hopper body 153. The second weighing hopper 150B is a double-opening hopper, capable of opening and closing both discharge gates by an appropriate drive mechanism (not shown). The first discharge gate 154 and the second discharge gate 155 are each formed to be able to be opened and closed independently.

[0029] The first discharge gate 154 is located radially inward of the base body 110 (on the right side in Figures 6 and 8). As shown in Figure 8(a), by opening the first discharge gate 154, the second item Y inside the second weighing hopper 150B can be discharged to the hopper body 163 of the second memory hopper 160B, which will be described later.

[0030] The second discharge gate 155 is located radially outward of the base body 110 (on the left side in Figures 6 and 8). As shown in Figure 8(b), by opening the second discharge gate 155, the second item Y inside the second weighing hopper 150B can be passed through the guide section 165 of the second memory hopper 160B (described later) and discharged to the collection section 170 (second chute section 172) (described later).

[0031] In this embodiment, the weighing hopper 150 is configured such that, as described above, the second weighing hopper 150B can discharge the second item Y to both the memory hopper 160 and the collection section 170, while the first weighing hopper 150A is configured such that the first item X cannot be directly discharged to the collection section 170. Here, "discharging the items from the weighing hopper 150 directly to the collection section 170" means discharging the items from the weighing hopper 150 to the collection section 170 without passing them through the hopper body section 161 or hopper body section 163 of the memory hopper 160, which will be described later.

[0032] The memory hopper 160 shown in Figures 1, 3, 4, and 6 temporarily stores the items discharged from the weighing hopper 150 and can also discharge them to the collection unit 170, which will be described later. Although omitted in Figure 1, multiple memory hoppers 160 (24 in total) are arranged circumferentially on the radially outer side of the base body 110, so as to be located below each of the multiple weighing hoppers 150. The memory hoppers 160 are supported by the base body 110 via appropriate support members.

[0033] The memory hopper 160 includes a first memory hopper 160A that constitutes the first head A, and a second memory hopper 160B that constitutes the second head B. The first memory hopper 160A and the second memory hopper 160B will be described below.

[0034] The first memory hopper 160A shown in Figures 3 to 5 is capable of storing the first item X discharged from the first metering hopper 150A. The first memory hopper 160A comprises a roughly cylindrical hopper body 161 that opens vertically, and a discharge gate 162 provided at the lower part of the hopper body 161. The discharge gate 162 is formed to be able to open and close the opening at the lower part of the hopper body 161 by an appropriate drive mechanism (not shown). The discharge gate 162 is located radially inward of the base body 110 (left side in Figures 3 and 4). The first memory hopper 160A is a single-opening hopper having only one discharge gate 162. The first memory hopper 160A can temporarily store the first item X in the hopper body 161. Furthermore, the first memory hopper 160A can discharge the first item X in the hopper body 161 to the collection unit 170 by opening the discharge gate 162 (see Figure 5).

[0035] The second memory hopper 160B shown in Figures 6 to 8 is capable of storing the second item Y discharged from the second metering hopper 150B and guiding the second item Y from the second metering hopper 150B to the collection section 170. The second memory hopper 160B comprises a hopper body 163, a discharge gate 164, and a guide section 165.

[0036] The configuration of the hopper body 163 and the discharge gate 164 is generally the same as that of the hopper body 161 and the discharge gate 162 of the first memory hopper 160A. Therefore, a description of the configuration of the hopper body 163 and the discharge gate 164 will be omitted. The hopper body 163 is supplied with the second item Y discharged from the second metering hopper 150B with the first discharge gate 154 open (see Figure 8(a)). The second memory hopper 160B can temporarily store the second item Y in the hopper body 163. The second memory hopper 160B can also discharge the second item Y in the hopper body 163 to the collection unit 170 by opening the discharge gate 164.

[0037] The guide section 165 shown in Figures 7 and 8 guides the second item Y from the second metering hopper 150B to the collection section 170. The guide section 165 is supplied with the second item Y discharged from the second metering hopper 150B with the second discharge gate 155 open. The guide section 165 forms a path that guides (moves) the second item Y supplied from the second metering hopper 150B to the collection section 170. The guide section 165 is provided on the outside of the hopper body 163 (radially outside the base 110) so as to form the above path.

[0038] As shown in Figure 8, the guide portion 165 is inclined so as it extends downward, it is directed radially inward (to the right in Figures 7 and 8) of the base 110. In this embodiment, the inclined portion of the guide portion 165 is formed in a planar shape. However, the shape of the guide portion 165 is not limited to the shape described above. For example, in the above example, the inclined portion of the guide portion 165 is formed in a planar shape, but it is also possible to form the above portion in a curved shape that is concave downwards.

[0039] The above describes the linear feeder 130, supply hopper 140, weighing hopper 150, and memory hopper 160 that constitute the head of the combination scale 100. In the example above, an example with 24 heads was shown, but the number of heads can be changed as appropriate. Also, the number (proportion) of the first head A and the second head B can be changed as appropriate.

[0040] The collection unit 170 shown in Figures 1, 4, and 6 collects articles discharged from each head (first head A and second head B) and is capable of feeding the articles to an input destination (e.g., a packaging machine). The collection unit 170 has a collection hopper (not shown) that temporarily stores the articles from each head. Based on an appropriate discharge command, the collection unit 170 discharges the stored articles to the input destination. The collection unit 170 comprises a first chute section 171 and a second chute section 172.

[0041] The first chute section 171 shown in Figures 4 and 5 collects the first item X discharged from the first head A (first memory hopper 160A). The first chute section 171 is positioned below the first memory hopper 160A. The first chute section 171 is formed in a shape that slopes radially inward (towards the center in plan view) of the base body 110 as it extends downward. The first chute section 171 is formed to be able to collect the first item X from multiple first heads A. As for the shape of the first chute section 171, for example, a shape can be adopted in which a frustum of a cone that decreases in diameter as it extends downward is divided in the circumferential direction.

[0042] As shown in Figure 4, an edge portion 171a is formed on the upper end side of the first chute portion 171, which constitutes the radially outer (right side in Figure 4) end of the first chute portion 171. The edge portion 171a is formed to be located near the point where the first item X discharged from the first memory hopper 160A falls. More specifically, the edge portion 171a is formed to be located slightly radially outward (right side in Figure 4) from the lower end of the hopper body portion 161, or directly below the lower end. Furthermore, the edge portion 171a is positioned so as to roughly overlap with the lower end of the hopper body portion 161 when viewed in the vertical direction.

[0043] As shown in Figure 4, the first chute portion 171 is provided with a receiving tray 171b near the edge portion 171a. The receiving tray 171b is formed in a shape that opens upward so that it can catch objects falling from above (for example, salt of the first item X). The receiving tray 171b is formed to extend radially outward from the base body 110 below the edge portion 171a. The receiving tray 171b is also formed to extend circumferentially on the radially outward side of the first chute portion 171.

[0044] The first chute section 171 described above makes it possible to suppress the deterioration of the quality of the items fed from the combination scale 100 to the input destination. In other words, in conventional combination scales, if the items contain salt, salt may accumulate at the point where the items fall from the memory hopper, forming clumps of salt. If these clumps of salt pass through the collection section 170 and are fed to the input destination, there is a risk that the quality of the items at the input destination will deteriorate. Therefore, in this embodiment, the edge 171a of the first chute section 171 is formed to be located near the point where the first item X discharged from the first memory hopper 160A falls. As a result, even if clumps of salt form on the edge 171a, it is easier to discharge the clumps of salt to the outside of the first chute section 171 (see the dashed arrow in Figure 5). Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the discharged clumps of salt can be received by the receiving tray 171b.

[0045] The second chute section 172 shown in Figures 6 and 8 collects the second item Y discharged from the second head B (second memory hopper 160B). The second chute section 172 is positioned below the second memory hopper 160B. The second chute section 172 is formed to collect the second item Y from multiple second heads B. The second chute section 172 is formed in a shape that slopes radially inward (towards the center in plan view) of the base body 110 as it extends downward. The inclination angle of the second chute section 172 is formed to be approximately the same as the inclination angle of the guide section 165. As for the shape of the second chute section 172, for example, a shape can be adopted in which a frustum of cone that decreases in diameter as it extends downward is divided in the circumferential direction.

[0046] As shown in Figure 8, an edge portion 172a is formed on the upper end side of the second chute portion 172, which constitutes the radially outer (left side in Figure 8) end of the second chute portion 172. The edge portion 172a is formed to be located radially outward from the lower end of the guide portion 165.

[0047] The control unit 180 shown in Figure 1 performs various calculations related to the operation of the combination scale 100. The control unit 180 includes a processing unit such as a CPU and a memory device. The control unit 180 can control the operation of each mechanism of the combination scale 100 (such as the vibration mechanism of each feeder and the drive mechanism that opens and closes the discharge gate of each hopper) and perform calculations based on the measured values ​​of the weight sensor 156. The control unit 180 may also be used to control the supply feeder (not shown) that supplies goods to the combination scale 100.

[0048] The configuration of the combination scale 100 has been described above. The control unit 180 controls the combination scale 100 to weigh items using combination calculations and to control the loading of a predetermined weight of items into the loading area. The control of the combination scale 100 will be described below.

[0049] The distribution feeder 120 of the combination scale 100 is supplied with the first item X and the second item Y by an appropriate supply feeder. The control unit 180 operates the distribution feeder 120 to distribute the items and transport them to each head (see Figures 1 and 2). More specifically, the control unit 180 operates the distribution feeder 120 to transport the first item X to the straight feeder 130 of the first head A, and the second item Y to the straight feeder 130 of the second head B.

[0050] Furthermore, the control unit 180 operates each linear feeder 130 to transport each item to the supply hopper 140. Next, the control unit 180 loads items from the supply hopper 140 into the weighing hopper 150 and weighs the items in each weighing hopper 150.

[0051] Next, the control unit 180 acquires the weighing value of each item (measured value based on the weight sensor 156) for each head and performs a combination calculation using each weighing value. In the combination calculation, the control unit 180 selects a combination of weighing hoppers 150 such that the combined weight, obtained by appropriately combining each weighing value of the items, is close to the target combined weight (target combined weight). The control unit 180 supplies the items from the weighing hoppers 150 that were not selected in the above combination calculation to the memory hopper 160. If there are items stored in the memory hopper 160, the control unit 180 can select the memory hopper 160 in the combination calculation.

[0052] In this embodiment, a combination calculation is performed for both the first group and the second group. In the combination calculation according to this embodiment, a target combined weight for the whole (the sum of the first item X and the second item Y) and a target combined weight for the first group are set. The following describes the process of the combination calculation. In the following description, it is assumed that no items are stored in each memory hopper 160.

[0053] The control unit 180 first performs a combination calculation for the first head A among the heads. In the combination calculation for the first head A, the control unit 180 obtains the weighing value of the first item X in each first weighing hopper 150A and selects a combination of first weighing hoppers 150A that falls within the allowable weight range based on the target combined weight of the first group.

[0054] The control unit 180 discharges the first item X in the first weighing hopper 150A, which was selected in the combination calculation of the first head A, to the first chute section 171. At this time, as shown in Figure 5, the control unit 180 opens the discharge gate 162 of the first memory hopper 160A and the discharge gate 152 of the first weighing hopper 150A, thereby performing "memory through control" to discharge the first item X in the first weighing hopper 150A through the hopper body section 161 of the first memory hopper 160A to the first chute section 171.

[0055] With the above configuration, the first item X can be discharged with a shorter fall distance compared to the case where the first item X is dropped directly from the hopper body 151 of the first weighing hopper 150A to the first chute 171 (without passing through the hopper body 161). Here, "fall distance" refers to the distance from which an item discharged from a certain component (for example, the hopper body 151 of the first weighing hopper 150A) reaches (contacts) a component below that component (for example, the hopper body 161 of the first memory hopper hopper 160A). When the above memory-through control is performed, the distance from the hopper body 151 to the hopper body 161, and the distance from the hopper body 161 to the first chute 171 are approximately equal to the fall distance of the first item X. Thus, when memory-through control is performed, the first item X can be discharged with a fall distance shorter than the distance from the hopper body 151 to the first chute 171. This reduces the impact when ejecting the first item X, thereby suppressing cracking or chipping of the first item X.

[0056] Furthermore, the control unit 180 temporarily stores the first item X in the first metering hopper 150A that was not selected in the combination calculation of the first head A in the first memory hopper 160A. At this time, the control unit 180 closes the discharge gate 162 of the first memory hopper 160A and opens the discharge gate 152 of the first metering hopper 150A. This allows the first item X in the first metering hopper 150A to be moved to the first memory hopper 160A. This empties the first metering hopper 150A and allows a new first item X to be supplied to it.

[0057] Furthermore, if the first item X is stored in the first memory hopper 160A, the control unit 180 can select the first memory hopper 160A in the combination calculation. If only the first memory hopper 160A of a certain head is selected in the combination calculation, the control unit 180 opens the discharge gate 162 of the first memory hopper 160A to discharge the second item Y in the first memory hopper 160A.

[0058] Furthermore, in combination calculations, if both the first metering hopper 150A and the first memory hopper 160A of the same head are selected, the control unit 180 can discharge the first item X in the first metering hopper 150A and the first memory hopper 160A by opening the discharge gate 162 of the first memory hopper 160A, similar to the memory through control described above.

[0059] Furthermore, in the first head A, if the first item X is stored in both the first weighing hopper 150A and the first memory hopper 160A of the same head, it is not possible to discharge only the first weighing hopper 150A to the first chute section 171, and consequently, it is not possible to have only the first weighing hopper 150A participate in the combination calculation.

[0060] The combination calculation of the first head A has been explained above. The control unit 180 can discharge the first item X, whose weight is determined by the result of the combination calculation of the first head A, to the first chute unit 171 by opening the discharge gates of each hopper selected in the above combination calculation.

[0061] The control unit 180 performs the combination calculation for the first head A, and then performs the combination calculation for the second head B. In the combination calculation for the second head B, the control unit 180 sets the target combination weight for the second head B as the value obtained by subtracting the result of the combination calculation for the first head A from the overall target combination weight.

[0062] In the combination calculation of the second head B, the control unit 180 acquires the weighing value of the second item Y in each second weighing hopper 150B and selects a combination of second weighing hoppers 150B that falls within the allowable weight range based on the target combined weight of the second group. In the combination calculation of the second head B, the control unit 180 does not perform "memory-through control" but instead performs "normal memory control" to operate each hopper so that the number of selectable hoppers (weighing hopper 150 and memory hopper 160) in the combination calculation increases. The normal memory control will be described below.

[0063] The control unit 180 discharges the second item Y from the second weighing hopper 150B, which was selected in the combination calculation of the second head B, to the second chute section 172. At this time, as shown in Figure 8(b), the control unit 180 opens the second discharge gate 155 of the second weighing hopper 150B, thereby allowing the second item Y in the second weighing hopper 150B to be discharged directly (without passing through the hopper body section 163) to the second chute section 172.

[0064] As shown in Figure 8(b), in this embodiment, the second item Y discharged from the second metering hopper 150B can be supplied to the second chute 172 by passing it through the guide section 165. With this configuration, the second item Y can be discharged with a shorter fall distance compared to when the second item Y is dropped from the hopper body 153 of the second metering hopper 150B to the second chute 172. That is, when the second item Y is discharged by passing it through the guide section 165, the distance from the hopper body 153 to the guide section 165 and the distance from the guide section 165 to the second chute 172 are approximately the fall distance of the second item Y. In this way, when the second item Y is discharged by passing it through the guide section 165, the second item Y can be discharged with a shorter fall distance than the distance from the hopper body 153 to the second chute 172. This makes it possible to suppress cracking and chipping of the second item Y.

[0065] As shown in Figure 8(a), the control unit 180 temporarily stores the second item Y in the second weighing hopper 150B that was not selected in the combination calculation of the second head B in the hopper body 163 of the second memory hopper 160B. At this time, the control unit 180 opens the first discharge gate 154 of the second weighing hopper 150B, thereby discharging the second item Y in the second weighing hopper 150B to the hopper body 163. This allows the second item Y in the second weighing hopper 150B to be moved to the hopper body 163 of the second memory hopper 160B. This empties the second weighing hopper 150B and allows a new second item Y to be supplied to it.

[0066] Furthermore, if the second item Y is stored in the hopper body 163 of the second memory hopper 160B, the control unit 180 can select the second memory hopper 160B in the combination calculation. If, in the combination calculation, only the second memory hopper 160B is selected from among a set of heads, the control unit 180 can discharge the second item Y from the hopper body 163 by opening the discharge gate 164 of the second memory hopper 160B.

[0067] Furthermore, if the second item Y is stored in both the second weighing hopper 150B and the second memory hopper 160B of the same head, and only the second weighing hopper 150B is selected in the combination calculation, the control unit 180 can open the second discharge gate 155 of the second weighing hopper 150B, similar to the example shown in Figure 8(b), thereby allowing the second item Y in the second weighing hopper 150B to pass through the guide unit 165 and be directly discharged to the second chute unit 172.

[0068] In the combination calculation of the second head B, where the normal memory control described above is performed, the second item Y stored in the hopper body 163 of the second weighing hopper 150B and the second memory hopper 160B of the same head can be discharged independently. This increases the number of hoppers that can be selected in the combination calculation, thereby improving the accuracy of the combination calculation.

[0069] The combination calculation for the second head B has been explained above. The control unit 180 can discharge the second item Y, whose weight is determined by the result of the combination calculation for the second head B, to the second chute unit 172 by opening the discharge gates of each hopper selected in the above combination calculation.

[0070] In this embodiment, the control unit 180 sequentially performs combination calculations for the first head A and the second head B, and discharges items of a weight based on the results of each combination calculation, thereby enabling the first item X and the second item Y, mixed in a predetermined ratio, to be fed into the input destination in a predetermined weight.

[0071] According to the combination scale 100 of this embodiment, it is possible to improve the accuracy of combination calculations while suppressing the cracking of articles. Specifically, when performing combination calculations on multiple types of articles, the combination calculation for the first article X, which is relatively prone to cracking, can be performed using the first head A, which is capable of memory-through control. This makes it possible to suppress cracking of the first article X.

[0072] Here, the combination calculation performed by the first head A, in which the above-mentioned memory-through control is executed, involves fewer hoppers that can participate in the combination calculation compared to the combination calculation performed by the second head B, in which normal memory control is executed, making it difficult to improve the accuracy of the combination calculation. In this embodiment, the combination scale 100 is formed as a composite type capable of executing both memory-through control and normal memory control, and the combination calculation of the second head B is performed after the combination calculation of the first head A, thereby improving the overall accuracy of the combination calculation.

[0073] In other words, in this embodiment, the target combined weight for the second head B is set to a value obtained by subtracting the result of the combination calculation of the first head A from the overall target combined weight, and the combination calculation is performed using this value. As a result, even if there is a certain difference between the calculation result of the combination calculation of the first head A and the target combined weight, this difference can be corrected by performing the combination calculation of the second head B, which has relatively high accuracy. This improves the overall accuracy of the combination calculation.

[0074] As described above, the combination scale 100 according to this embodiment is A combination scale 100 capable of performing combination calculations for multiple types of items (objects to be weighed), Multiple heads (first head A and second head B) for weighing the transported items, A collection unit 170 for collecting the articles discharged from the head, It is equipped with, Multiple heads, A first head A comprises a first weighing hopper 150A for weighing the first item X contained in the aforementioned article, and a first memory hopper hopper 160A having a hopper body 161 (first storage section) capable of storing the first item X discharged from the first weighing hopper 150A before it is discharged to the collection section 170, A second head B comprises a second weighing hopper 150B for weighing a second item Y of a different type from the first item X, and a second memory hopper hopper 160B having a hopper body 163 (second storage section) capable of storing the second item Y discharged from the second weighing hopper 150B before it is discharged to the collection section 170, Includes, The second head B is, The device is configured to perform two discharge modes: a first discharge mode in which the second item Y, weighed in the second weighing hopper 150B, is directly discharged to the collection unit 170 without passing through the hopper body 163; and a second discharge mode in which the second item Y, weighed in the second weighing hopper 150B, is discharged to the hopper body 163. The aforementioned first head A is The first item X weighed in the first weighing hopper 150A cannot be directly discharged to the collection section 170, and is configured to pass the first item X through the hopper body 161 before being discharged to the collection section 170. This configuration makes it possible to improve the accuracy of combination calculations while suppressing the cracking of the items (first item X). Specifically, for the first item X, which is relatively fragile among several types of items, combination calculations can be performed using the first head A, which is capable of passing the first item X through the hopper body 161 of the first memory hopper 160A and discharging it to the collection unit 170. As a result, the first item X can be discharged with a relatively short drop distance, reducing the impact when discharging the first item X and suppressing cracking of the first item X. Furthermore, for the second item Y, the accuracy of combination calculations can be improved by using the second head B, which is formed to increase the number of hoppers (second weighing hopper 150B and second memory hopper 160B) that can participate in the combination calculations.

[0075] Furthermore, the manifold 170 is The first chute section 171 is provided for receiving the first item X discharged from the first memory hopper 160A, The first chute section 171 is, It is located below the first memory hopper 160A, and its upper edge 171a is formed to be located near the point where the first item X falls from the first memory hopper 160A. By configuring it in this way, even if clumps of the target substance, such as salt, contained in the first item X are formed on the edge portion 171a, the clumps can be easily discharged to the outside of the first chute portion 171.

[0076] Furthermore, the first chute section 171 includes, A receiving tray 171b (receiving portion) is provided near the edge 171a to receive objects that fall outward from the edge 171a. This configuration allows for easy recovery of the object discharged to the outside of the first chute section 171.

[0077] Furthermore, the second memory hopper 160B is, The system includes a guide portion 165 located above the collection portion 170 and inclined to move the second article Y, which is discharged in the first discharge mode, toward the collection portion 170. This configuration suppresses cracking of the second item Y. In other words, compared to the case where the second item Y is dropped directly from the second weighing hopper 150B to the collection section 170 (second chute section 172) (without passing through the guide section 165), the second item Y can be discharged with a shorter drop distance. This suppresses cracking of the second item Y.

[0078] The article according to this embodiment is one form of the object to be measured according to the present invention. Furthermore, the receiving portion according to this embodiment is one form of the receiving tray 171b according to the present invention. Furthermore, the hopper body 161 according to this embodiment is one form of the first storage unit according to the present invention. Furthermore, the hopper body 163 according to this embodiment is one form of the second storage unit according to the present invention.

[0079] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above configuration, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention as described in the claims.

[0080] For example, the shapes of the parts of the combination scale 100 described in this embodiment are just examples and are not limited to the shapes described above. The shapes of the parts can be changed to any shape.

[0081] Furthermore, although this embodiment shows an example in which the guide portion 165 is provided on the hopper body portion 163, the invention is not limited to the above example. For example, various locations can be used to attach the guide portion 165, such as the base body 110 or the second chute portion 172.

[0082] Furthermore, in this embodiment, peanuts were used as the first item X and rice crackers as the second item Y, but the items are not limited to those mentioned above. Also, in this embodiment, granular items (e.g., food) were used as the items to be weighed, but the items to be weighed are not limited to those mentioned above and various items can be used. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0083] 100 Combination Scales 150 weighing hopper 160 memory hopper

Claims

1. A combination scale capable of performing combination calculations on multiple types of objects to be weighed, Multiple heads for weighing the transported object to be weighed, A collection unit for collecting the material to be measured discharged from the head, It is equipped with, Multiple heads, A first head comprising: a first weighing hopper for weighing the first weighed object contained in the said weighed object; and a first memory hopper having a first storage section capable of storing the first weighed object discharged from the first weighing hopper before it is discharged to the collection section; A second head comprising: a second weighing hopper for weighing a second object to be weighed which is of a different type from the first object to be weighed; and a second memory hopper having a second storage section capable of storing the second object to be weighed which has been discharged from the second weighing hopper before it is discharged to the collection section; Includes, The second head is, The system is configured to perform a first discharge mode in which the second weighed material, weighed in the second weighing hopper, is directly discharged to the collection unit without passing through the second storage unit, and a second discharge mode in which the second weighed material, weighed in the second weighing hopper, is discharged to the second storage unit. The first head is The first weighed material measured in the first weighing hopper cannot be directly discharged to the collection section, and is configured to pass the first weighed material through the first storage section before being discharged to the collection section. Combination scale.

2. The aforementioned collection unit is The system includes a first chute section for receiving the first object to be weighed, which is discharged from the first memory hopper. The first chute section is, It is located below the first memory hopper, and its upper edge is formed to be located near the point where the first object to be weighed falls from the first memory hopper. The combination scale according to claim 1.

3. The first chute section includes, A receiving portion is provided near the aforementioned edge to catch objects that fall outward from the edge. The combination scale according to claim 2.

4. The second memory hopper is, It is located above the aforementioned collection section and includes a guide section that is inclined to move the second object to be measured, which is discharged in the first discharge mode, toward the aforementioned collection section. A combination scale according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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