Article supply device

Abstract

To accurately recognize the amount of articles remaining in a retention hopper with a simple and inexpensive configuration.SOLUTION: A reflector 50 is arranged above an opening of a retention hopper 13 included in an article feeding device so that a lower part inside the retention hopper 13 can be visually recognized from a position outside the retention hopper 13 and lower than the opening.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an article supplying device suitable for supplying articles to a combination weighing device that mixes and weighs a wide variety of articles. [Background technology]

[0002] As an example of a combination weighing device that mixes and weighs a variety of items, as shown in Patent Document 1, a so-called batch-type item supplying device is known in which multiple weighing units, each consisting of a supply hopper, a weighing hopper, and a memory hopper, are arranged in parallel in a horizontal row, and a storage hopper is arranged above the starting end of a linear feeder that supplies items to the supply hopper of each weighing unit, and items are manually replenished into the storage hopper when the remaining amount of items becomes low as the working time progresses. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-77074 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a batch-type article supply device, a storage hopper is supported so that it can be raised and lowered between a high article supply position facing the start of an article conveying path by a straight feeder, and a low article supply position offset rearward from the start of the article conveying path, and an operator can comfortably supply articles to the storage hopper which has been lowered to the low position.

[0005] When replenishing goods, it is necessary to know the remaining amount in the storage hopper. For example, this can be achieved by providing a monitoring window at the bottom of the storage hopper to see the remaining amount in the hopper, by using an infrared or ultrasonic sensor to detect the volume of goods piled up in the hopper, or by using a monitoring camera.

[0006] However, when a monitoring window is provided at the bottom of the storage hopper, the position of the monitoring window is higher than the supply port at the bottom of the storage hopper, and there is a height difference between the supply port at the bottom of the storage hopper set at a high article supply position facing the start of the article conveying path and the upper surface of the article conveying path to allow the presence of some articles. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately grasp the remaining amount of articles at the start of the article conveying path below the supply port at the bottom of the storage hopper through the monitoring window provided at a position higher than the bottom of the storage hopper set at the high article supply position. In particular, depending on the type of article, powder or fragments released from the articles may adhere to the inner surface of the monitoring window, making it impossible to clearly see inside the storage hopper, making it even more difficult to accurately grasp the remaining amount of articles.

[0007] In addition, while the amount of remaining items can be accurately determined by using sensors and surveillance cameras, on the other hand, not only do expensive parts and equipment have to be used, but the electrical system must also be made completely waterproof so that it can be washed, which not only increases production costs but also makes maintaining the functionality difficult.

[0008] The present invention has been made in light of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has an object to provide an article supplying device that has a simple and inexpensive configuration and can accurately recognize the amount of articles remaining in a storage hopper. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

[0010] (1) The present invention provides an article supplying device which moves a storage hopper having an openable / closable shutter at its lower end and an opening formed at its upper end up and down between an article supplying position above a starting end of an article conveying path and an article supplying position lower than the article supplying position, opening the shutter at the article supplying position and closing the shutter at the article supplying position, A reflector is provided so that the lower interior area of ​​the storage hopper in the article supply position can be viewed from a position below the opening on the exterior of the storage hopper.

[0011] According to the present invention, a simple and inexpensive configuration using a reflector allows an operator to accurately visually check the remaining amount of goods below the opening inside the storage hopper from a position outside the storage hopper, through the reflector, and accurately determine whether or not goods need to be replenished.

[0012] (2) In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the reflector is disposed above the opening of the storage hopper so as to face the storage hopper.

[0013] According to this embodiment, the inside of the storage hopper can be seen from the outside of the storage hopper through the reflector disposed above the opening at the top of the storage hopper so as to face the storage hopper. The reflector can also function as a dust cover that covers the opening at the top of the storage hopper from above.

[0014] (3) In another embodiment of the present invention, the storage hopper has a supply opening at its lower end which is opened and closed by the shutter, and in the item supply position, the shutter is opened to supply items stored in the storage hopper from the supply opening to the starting end of the item conveying path, and when the shutter is open, a portion of the shutter is positioned below the supply opening and in an inclined position away from the supply opening of the storage hopper to guide the items downward.

[0015] According to this embodiment, in the article supply position, a part of the shutter is located below the supply port at the lower end of the storage hopper, in an inclined position away from the supply port to guide the articles downward, i.e., the part of the shutter is located at a position where it can be seen through the supply port from above the supply port, so that the amount of articles remaining on the part of the shutter can be seen from the outside below the storage hopper via the reflector. In other words, if the part of the shutter is hidden by the articles and cannot be seen, it means that there are still articles remaining at the supply port of the storage hopper, and if the part of the shutter can be seen, it can be recognized that almost no articles remain, making it easy to accurately determine whether or not to replenish articles.

[0016] (4) In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the upper surface of the shutter has a color different from that of the article.

[0017] According to this embodiment, the amount of articles remaining in the portion of the shutter can be easily and visually confirmed by the difference in color, and the need for replenishing articles can be more accurately determined.

[0018] (5) In one embodiment of the present invention, a surface layer made of an elastic material is provided on the upper surface of the shutter, and the surface of this surface layer is colored differently from the color of the article.

[0019] According to this embodiment, the surface material, which allows easy visual confirmation of the remaining amount of goods by differences in color, can also be used as a cushioning material to absorb the impact of goods being supplied when goods are supplied to the storage hopper from the opening at the top end at the goods supply position where the shutter is closed.

[0020] (6) In another embodiment of the present invention, the reflector is made of a metal plate having a mirror-finished lower surface.

[0021] According to this embodiment, the reflector can be easily obtained by buffing, for example, a stainless steel plate material. Effect of the Invention

[0022] In this way, according to the present invention, the amount of items remaining in the storage hopper can be accurately grasped with a simple and inexpensive configuration. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an overall side view of a combination weighing device equipped with an article supplying device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an overall plan view of the combination weighing device of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the weighing device of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of the weighing device of FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a side view of the article supplying device when the storage hopper is in the article supplying position. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a side view of the article supplying device immediately after the storage hopper starts to move from the article supplying position. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a side view of the article supplying device in a state where the storage hopper is far away from the article supplying position. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a side view of the article supplying device when the storage hopper is in the article supplying position. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional side view of the shutter opening / closing portion in the shutter open state. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional side view of the shutter opening and closing portion in the shutter closed state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the entire combination weighing device equipped with an article supply device in one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view thereof, FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the weighing device, and FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of the weighing device.

[0026] The combination weighing device of this embodiment combines and weighs a wide variety of items, such as various foods and confectioneries, in predetermined weight increments, and mixes and weighs them so that the overall weight falls within a predetermined weight range.It is installed on floor F, and the combined and weighed items are fed into a packaging machine (not shown) installed on the floor below and bagged.

[0027] In order to make the structure easier to understand, in the following explanation, the horizontal direction in Figures 1 to 3 and the front-to-back direction of the paper in Figure 4 will be referred to as the front-to-back direction, and the front-to-back direction of the paper in Figures 1 and 3, the up-down direction in Figure 2, and the horizontal direction in Figure 4 will be referred to as the left-to-right direction.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 1, this combination weighing device has a structure in which two weighing devices 1 are arranged facing each other on either side of a central passage R where workers can walk left and right. Each weighing device 1 is basically constructed to the same specifications, and the basic structure of one of the weighing devices 1 will be explained below with reference to Figs. 3 and 4.

[0029] On the inside (the central aisle R side) of the weighing device 1, two base bodies 3 formed in a horizontally long box shape are installed side by side on a frame 2 installed on a floor surface F. On the outside (the opposite side to the central aisle R) of each base body 3, multiple (7 in this example) weighing units 4 are installed in a row on the left and right, as shown in Fig. 4. Therefore, in this example, each weighing device 1 is equipped with 14 weighing units 4 in a row, and the front and rear weighing devices 1 are used to weigh a mixed and combined variety of items (e.g. 8 types) with a total of 28 weighing units 4.

[0030] Further, on the outer side of the group of weighing units 4 in each weighing device 1, as shown in FIG. 3, a supply unit 5 that supplies a wide variety of articles to the upper part of each weighing unit 4 is provided.

[0031] The weighing unit 4 itself is similar to that of a known structure, and is configured by arranging in a vertical row a supply hopper 6 having an openable and closable gate which receives articles transported from the supply unit 5, temporarily stores them before discharging them, a weighing hopper 7 having an openable and closable gate which stores the articles discharged from the supply hopper 6, measures their weight and discharges them, and a memory hopper 8 having an openable and closable gate which receives the articles weighed and discharged by the weighing hopper 7, temporarily stores them, and discharges them.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 3, the weighing hopper 7 is equipped with an outer gate 7a on the side farthest from the central aisle R, and an inner gate 7b on the central aisle R side, each of which can be opened and closed independently. By swinging open only the outer gate 7a, the weighed articles are sent directly downward, and by swinging open only the inner gate 7b, the weighed articles are sent to the memory hopper 8 and temporarily stored therein.

[0033] Since each weighing unit 4 is provided with a memory hopper 8, the number of hoppers that can participate in the combination calculation can be increased.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 4, below the weighing hoppers 7 and memory hoppers 8, four first collecting chutes 9 for collecting articles discharged from the multiple weighing hoppers 7 or memory hoppers 8, which are combined and selected to achieve a predetermined weight, are arranged in a row on the left and right, and below each pair of adjacent first collecting chutes 9, two first collecting hoppers 10 for temporarily receiving and storing the articles collected by the first collecting chutes 9 are arranged. Also, below the first collecting hoppers 10, a second collecting chute 11 for guiding and sliding down the articles discharged from each first collecting hopper 10 and collecting them, and a second collecting hopper 12 for temporarily collecting and storing the articles weighed and collected using the 14 consecutive weighing units 4 are arranged in one place.

[0035] 3, the supply unit 5 is provided with storage hoppers 13 for storing articles, and fixed hoppers 14 supported by a supply frame 16 so as to communicate with the lower ends of the storage hoppers 13. In addition, the supply unit 5 is provided with 14 linear feeders 15 arranged in parallel on the left and right sides above the supply frame 16, which linearly vibrate and transport the articles fed from the fixed hoppers 14 toward the weighing units 4.

[0036] The linear feeder 15 is configured by vertically arranging an upper feeder 15a and a lower feeder 15b, which place articles on a trough shaped like a gutter and transport them by vibration, in a descending staircase shape in the transport direction.

[0037] Above the straight feeder 15, there are provided article detection sensors 17a, 17b which detect the pile height of articles at the starting and ending ends of the lower feeder 15b. Based on this detection information, the drive of the upper feeder 15a and the lower feeder 15b is controlled so that articles are transported uniformly at each straight feeder 15.

[0038] The supplying section frame 16 of the supplying unit 5 is provided with a reject mechanism 20 for discharging an excess amount of articles when an excessive amount of articles exceeding the appropriate amount range is supplied to the weighing hopper 6. The reject mechanism 20 is equipped with a reject chute 21 that can move back and forth horizontally, a recovery chute 22 that recovers the articles introduced into the reject chute 21, and a recovery container 23.

[0039] The reject chute 21 is disposed facing the delivery path from the weighing hopper 7 to the first collecting chute 9 from the outside, and is driven to move forward and backward by an actuator 24 such as an air cylinder. Normally, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 3, the reject chute 21 retreats to the outside, and does not prevent the discharge of articles to the first collecting chute 9 when the outer gate 7a of the weighing hopper 7 is opened. When the weight value measured by the weighing hopper 7 is excessive, the reject chute 21 advances to a reject state, as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 3. In this state, the outer gate 7a is opened, and the articles in the weighing hopper 7 are discharged to the reject chute 21, and the excess articles are guided down through the recovery chute 22 to a recovery container 23 and are recovered. When the recovery is completed, the reject chute 21 retreats to the original retreat position, and the outer gate 7a of the weighing hopper 7 is closed to prepare for the next weighing.

[0040] Each storage hopper 13 is supported so that it can be raised and lowered via a hopper lifting mechanism described below. When the goods are fed out and consumed and the remaining amount of storage becomes low, the storage hopper 13 is manually lowered to the outer low goods supply position, and after the goods are supplied to the storage hopper 13 in a comfortable position, it is raised to the original goods supply position where it is connected to the fixed hopper 14.

[0041] The upper support frame 16a of the supply section frame 16 is erected to surround the upper parts of the weighing unit 4 and the supply unit 5, and a transparent dust cover 52 attached to the inclined front, left and right sides, and top surface of this upper support frame 16a covers the upper part of the weighing unit 4 and the article conveying path to prevent dust and foreign objects from falling on them.

[0042] Each storage hopper 13 is provided with a shutter opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes the supply port at the bottom end in conjunction with the lifting and lowering operation of the storage hopper 13.

[0043] Hereinafter, the hopper lifting mechanism and the shutter opening and closing mechanism will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

[0044] 5, the hopper lifting mechanism 30 is configured with a four-link structure, and includes an upper lifting link 32 and a lower lifting link 33 supported on a bracket 31 provided on the back of the supply unit frame 16 so as to be swingable up and down about upper and lower fulcrums a and b, respectively, and a hopper lifting frame 34 connected to the free ends of the upper and lower lifting links 32 and 33 via fulcrums c and d. The storage hopper 13 is detachably connected and supported by this hopper lifting frame 34.

[0045] The four-link structure of the hopper lifting mechanism 30 is an unequal-leg four-link structure in which the fulcrum-to-fulcrum dimension of the upper lifting link 32 is slightly larger than the fulcrum-to-fulcrum dimension of the lower lifting link 33. When the hopper lifting mechanism 30 is upright and the storage hopper 13 is in a high-level article supply position, the storage hopper 13 is in a horizontal position, and when the hopper lifting mechanism 30 is tilted backward (outward) and the storage hopper 13 is in a low-level article supply position, the storage hopper 13 is in a slightly outwardly inclined position.

[0046] A front link 35 which swings back and forth around a fulcrum e and a rear link 36 which swings up and down around a fulcrum f are supported on the outer surface of the hopper lifting frame 34, and a shutter 37 is suspended and supported in the front-to-rear direction from the free ends of these front and rear links 35, 36.

[0047] Therefore, the shutter 37, which is supported by front and rear links 35, 36 which have different swing directions, has its front part swinging and displacing in the front-to-back direction while its rear part swings and displaces in the up-down direction, and the shutter 37 as a whole moves back and forth in a scooping manner relative to the supply port at the lower end of the storage hopper 13.

[0048] In addition, a cam plate 38 is supported on the outer surface of the hopper lifting frame 34 so as to be rotatable around a fulcrum g, and this cam plate 38 is connected to the upward extension of the front link 35 by a connecting link 39. As the cam plate 38 rotates, the front link 35 is caused to swing, thereby causing the shutter 37 to swing back and forth.

[0049] The shutter opening / closing mechanism 29 comprises a front link 35 and a rear link 36 which are swingably supported on the hopper lifting frame 34, a cam plate 38 which is rotatably supported on the hopper lifting frame 34, and a connecting link 39 which connects the cam plate 38 and the front link 35.

[0050] A curved cam groove 40 is formed in the cam plate 38, and an operating roller 42 is provided on the free end side of the upper lifting link 32 via a support member 41 whose mounting position is adjustable, and this operating roller 42 is engaged so as to be able to move along the curved cam groove 40.

[0051] Therefore, as the upper lifting link 32 rotates relative to the hopper lifting frame 34 around the fulcrum c, the operating roller 42 is displaced relative to the cam plate 38, and as a result, the cam plate 38 is rotated around the fulcrum g by the cam action between the operating roller 42 and the curved cam groove 40, and the shutter 37 is opened and closed.

[0052] The hopper lifting mechanism 30 and the shutter opening / closing mechanism 29 are constructed as described above, and their operation will be described below.

[0053] As shown in Fig. 5, when the storage hopper 13 is set at the article supply position where it is connected to the fixed hopper 14, the hopper lifting mechanism 30 is in an upright position, and at this time, the front link 35 is in a substantially vertical position, and the shutter 40 is retracted to a position where the supply port at the lower end of the storage hopper 13 is open. In this case, the shutter 37 in the open position is in a front-down inclined position (see Fig. 9) and is exposed at the rear half of the supply port at the lower end, and the articles in the hopper are guided forward and downward by the shutter 37 to the fixed hopper 14. In this open state of the shutter 37, a tip portion, which is a part of the shutter 37 in an inclined position separated from the supply port of the storage hopper 13, is located below the supply port, and is in a position where the tip portion of the shutter 37 can be seen from above the supply port of the storage hopper 13.

[0054] When the storage hopper 13 is in the article supply position, the lower lifting link 33 is prevented from swinging forward by a stopper bolt 43 attached to the bracket 31, thereby positioning the storage hopper 13 in the front-to-rear direction.

[0055] In addition, a lock arm 44 is provided on the upper part of the upper lifting link 32 so as to be swingable back and forth around a fulcrum h, and when the storage hopper 13 is raised to the article supply position, the lock arm 44 engages from the rear with a lock pin 45 protruding from the outer surface of the hopper lifting frame 34, preventing the upper lifting link 32 from swinging backward. In other words, a downward lock state is established in which the hopper lifting mechanism 30 cannot operate in the downward direction, and the storage hopper 13 is fixed and held at the article supply position.

[0056] When replenishing the storage hopper 13 with goods, first, the lock arm 44 is swung backward to release the lowering lock, and then the handle 34a on the back of the hopper lifting frame 34 is grasped and the entire hopper lifting mechanism 30 is pulled backward.

[0057] As shown in Fig. 6, with the initial movement of the hopper lifting mechanism 30 rearward, the upper lifting link 32 rotates clockwise relative to the hopper lifting frame 34, and the operating roller 42, which moves rearward in an arc trajectory centered on the fulcrum c, acts on the front part of the curved cam groove 42, causing the cam plate 38 to rapidly rotate upward. This causes the front link 35 to rotate clockwise about the fulcrum e, and the shutter 37 is moved forward and upward in one go, closing the entire supply port at the lower end of the storage hopper 13 (see Fig. 10). At this time, the tip of the shutter 37 protrudes slightly from the front wall part of the supply port at the lower end of the storage hopper 13, reliably preventing the spilling out of the articles to be supplied later.

[0058] When the hopper lifting mechanism 30 is further tilted backward to lower the storage hopper 13, the upper lifting link 32 further rotates clockwise relative to the hopper lifting frame 34, and the operating roller 42 moves backward along an arc trajectory centered on the fulcrum c, as shown in Fig. 7. At this time, since the rear half of the curved cam groove 40 is formed in an arc shape centered on the fulcrum c, the cam plate 38 is held in a constant position without rotating even with respect to the backward movement of the operating roller 42, and thus the shutter 37 is maintained in a closed state.

[0059] When the hopper lifting mechanism 30 is further tilted backward, as shown in Figure 8, the upper lifting link 32 is received by the lower limit stopper bolt 46 provided on the bracket 31 in a predetermined rearward tilted position, preventing further downward swing, and the storage hopper 13 is lowered and held at the predetermined item supply position.

[0060] In addition, an extended gas damper 47 is installed across the upper lifting link 32 and bracket 31 in the hopper lifting mechanism 30, and an upward biasing force equal to the weight of the storage hopper 13 containing stored goods is applied to the hopper lifting mechanism 30. To prevent the hopper lifting mechanism 30, which has been lowered to the goods supply position, from being inadvertently lifted by the upward biasing force of the gas damper 47, the lock arm 44 is engaged with the lock pin 45 to lock the lift, and with the storage hopper 13 stably held in the low goods supply position, goods are loaded into the storage hopper 13 through the fully open opening at the top end to replenish the goods.

[0061] When the article supplying operation is completed, the lock arm 44 is swung backward to release the lift lock, and the hopper lifting mechanism 30 is then raised forward and upward in the reverse order of the above-mentioned lowering operation.

[0062] When carrying out the above-described item resupply work, it is necessary to check the remaining amounts in multiple storage hoppers 13, which have different item dispensing consumption speeds, to determine whether or not resupply is necessary. In this embodiment, the remaining amounts in the hoppers are visually checked using the following structure.

[0063] That is, the upper side portion of the upper support frame 16a erected on the supply section frame 16 in the supply unit 5 is positioned above the opening at the top end of the storage hopper 13 in the article supply position, as shown in Figures 3 and 5, and the rear end of the upper support frame 16a is positioned in the middle between the front and rear of the storage hopper. In other words, the rear half of the storage hopper 13 protrudes rearward beyond the rear end of the upper support frame 16a. A reflector 50 is attached to the rear end of the upper support frame 16a via a fulcrum member 49 in a cantilevered manner facing backward.

[0064] The reflector 50 is made of a stainless steel plate with a mirror-finished underside, and can be adjusted to any angle of inclination by vertical rotation around the fulcrum i at the base end, and then fastened and fixed. In this embodiment, the reflector 50 is provided for each storage hopper 13 arranged in parallel, with the mirror surface facing downward, and is formed into a rectangle large enough to cover from above the opening at the top end of the rear half of the hopper protruding rearward from the rear end of the upper support frame 16a.

[0065] Therefore, the upper part of the opening at the upper end of the front half of the storage hopper 13 when it is in the item supply position is covered by a transparent dust cover 52 attached to the upper edge of the upper support frame 16a, and the upper part of the rear half of the storage hopper 13 is covered by a reflector plate 50, thereby preventing dust and foreign objects from falling into the storage hopper 13 from the opening at the upper end.

[0066] 1, the reflector 50 is provided for a worker W standing on the floor F to visually check the remaining amount of articles stored in the storage hopper 13 at the article supply position, and is provided with a vertical distance between the top end of the hopper and the reflecting surface that ensures a reflected light path. In this way, the reflector 50 is provided so that the worker W can visually check the lower interior of the storage hopper 13 from a lower position outside the storage hopper 13.

[0067] The inclination angle of this reflector 50 is adjusted in advance so that the vicinity of the supply port at the bottom inside of the storage hopper 13 can be seen from the bottom outside.

[0068] In this case, the tip of the shutter 37, which is in an inclined position and in the open position, is located below the supply port at the lower end of the storage hopper 13, so that the tip of part of the shutter 37 is within the area that can be seen by the worker W from outside due to reflection through the reflector 50. If the tip of the shutter 37 is not visible, this means that there is still a lot of goods remaining; if the tip of the shutter 37 is visible, this means that there is almost nothing left; and if the entire tip of the shutter 37 is visible, this means that there is absolutely nothing left.

[0069] 9, a surface layer 51 made of an elastic material having appropriate elasticity and lubricity, such as urethane rubber, is attached to the upper surface of the shutter 37. This surface layer 51 functions as a buffer material for absorbing the impact of the goods being supplied when goods are supplied to the storage hopper 13 from the opening at the upper end at the goods supply position shown in FIG.

[0070] Furthermore, the surface material 51 has a color different from that of the stored articles, so that the state of the articles remaining on the upper surface of the shutter 37 can be easily visually confirmed.

[0071] As described above, this embodiment has a simple and inexpensive configuration using the reflector 50, and allows an operator from below the opening at the top end of the storage hopper 13 to accurately visually check the amount of goods remaining inside the lower part of the storage hopper 50 through the reflector 50, and can accurately determine whether or not goods need to be replenished.

[0072] [Other embodiments] The present invention can also be implemented in the following forms.

[0073] (1) The reflector 50 can also be constructed by attaching mirror-finished aluminum foil to the underside of a metal or resin plate.

[0074] (2) By using a colored stainless steel plate as the material for the shutter 37, the upper surface of the shutter can be made a color different from the color of the item. This does not function as a cushioning material, but it eliminates the need to replace the surface material due to wear and tear, and makes cleaning easier. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 4 Weighing Unit 13 Storage hopper 37 Shutter 50 Reflector 51 Surface material 52 Transparent dust cover

Claims

1. An article supplying device used in a combination weighing device that combines and weighs a variety of articles by predetermined weight so that the total weight falls within a predetermined weight range, The combination weighing device has a structure in which two weighing devices are arranged facing each other across a central passageway through which workers can walk left and right, Each of the weighing devices has a plurality of weighing units arranged in a row, and a plurality of supply units arranged above each of the weighing units and supplying articles to the weighing units, each of the supply units including a storage hopper and a fixed hopper supported at a lower end of the storage hopper, the storage hopper having an opening at an upper end and an openable / closable shutter at a lower end, supported so as to be movable up and down between a low article supply position and a high article supply position, and structured so that the shutter is opened at the high article supply position and closed at the low article supply position, the article supply device is provided with a reflector disposed opposite the storage hopper above the opening of the storage hopper so that the interior lower portion of each storage hopper can be visually confirmed from a position lower than the opening outside each storage hopper when each storage hopper of the combination weighing device is in the high article supply position, An item supply device characterized in that the shutter is opened and the amount of items remaining in the storage hopper can be confirmed based on whether or not the lower end tip of the shutter is visible from the reflector through the upper end opening of the storage hopper.

2. An article supplying device as described in claim 1, wherein the upper surface of the shutter is a color different from the color of the article.

3. An article supplying device as described in claim 2, wherein a surface layer made of an elastic material is provided on the upper surface of the shutter, and the surface of this surface layer is a color different from the color of the article.

4. An article supplying device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reflector is made of a metal plate having a mirror-finished underside.

Images