Combination Counting Device

Abstract

To allow for easily acquiring a unit weight of an article manufactured by a manufacturing device that supplies the article to a combination counter.SOLUTION: A combination counter provided herein is configured to derive an average unit weight value of articles by dividing a cumulative weight value obtained by accumulating weight of the articles discharged from a hopper of an optimum combination by a cumulative number value obtained by accumulating the number of the articles discharged form the hopper of the optimum combination, and transmit the derived average unit weight value to a manufacturing device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a combination counting device that performs a combination calculation to count the number of items, and more particularly to a combination counting device that is suitable for counting items manufactured by a manufacturing device and supplied. [Background technology]

[0002] A combination counting device, as described in Patent Document 1, for example, is equipped with multiple weighing machines, and converts the measured value (weight value) of an item in each weighing machine into a number by dividing it by a set unit weight (unit weight) per item, i.e., determining the number of items supplied to each weighing machine, and then performs a combination calculation to combine this number in various ways.

[0003] In this combination calculation, the obtained number of combinations is compared with a preset target number, and, for example, if there is no weight limit and an upper limit number is set, the combination of weighing machines that is greater than or equal to the target number but less than the upper limit number and is equal to or closest to the target number is selected as the optimal combination.Also, for example, if an upper limit weight, a lower limit weight, and a target weight are each set, the combination of weighing machines that has the combined number equal to the target number and whose combined weight is within the range of the upper limit weight and lower limit weight and is equal to or closest to the target weight is selected as the optimal combination.

[0004] Typically, a packaging machine is attached to the combination counting device to form a weighing and packaging line, and items are discharged from the weighing machine selected as the optimal combination by the combination counting device, fed into the packaging machine, and packaged as a single packaged item by the packaging machine. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 6-63816 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When items manufactured by manufacturing equipment are supplied to a weighing and packaging line such as the one described above, and particularly when the items are casing foods such as wieners or sausages, the unit weight (single weight), which is the weight of each item, is likely to fluctuate depending on the manufacturing conditions, such as the filling pressure, temperature, humidity, and viscosity of the ingredients when filling the casings with ingredients including meat.

[0007] If the unit weight of the items manufactured in this way fluctuates and the difference with the unit weight set in the combination counting device becomes large, the weight value of the items in each weighing machine is divided by the set unit weight and converted into the number of items, as described above, which causes errors in the number of items calculated for each weighing machine, making accurate counting difficult.

[0008] For this reason, the worker operating the manufacturing equipment periodically samples the manufactured goods, for example, once every hour, checks the unit weight of the goods, and adjusts the manufacturing conditions so that the unit weight of the manufactured goods matches the unit weight set in the combination counting device.

[0009] Increasing the interval between sampling manufactured items and checking their weight reduces the burden on workers, but if the interval is too long, when the weight of the manufactured items, i.e., the unit weight of the items, fluctuates as described above, the difference between this and the unit weight used to calculate the number set in the combination counting device will become large, making accurate counting difficult.

[0010] The present invention has been made with this in mind, and aims to make it possible to easily obtain the unit weight of items manufactured by a manufacturing device that supplies the items to a combination counting device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

[0012] (1) A combination counting device according to the present invention comprises a plurality of hoppers to which articles manufactured by a manufacturing device are supplied, and an arithmetic control unit that calculates the number of articles supplied to the hoppers based on the weights of the articles measured in the hoppers, and performs a combination calculation to discharge articles from a hopper selected as an optimal combination; The calculation control unit divides the cumulative weight value obtained by accumulating the weights of the items discharged from the hoppers of the optimal combination by the cumulative number value obtained by accumulating the number of items discharged from the hoppers of the optimal combination to calculate a unit weight average value, which is the average value of the unit weights of the items, and transmits the calculated unit weight average value to the manufacturing device.

[0013] The combination counting device according to the present invention counts the items supplied from the manufacturing device, calculates the average unit weight of the manufactured items, and transmits the calculated average unit weight to the manufacturing device, so that the unit weight of the items can be obtained without the manufacturing device having to check the weight of the items. As a result, if the unit weight of the manufactured items varies, the operator operating the manufacturing device can adjust the manufacturing conditions of the manufacturing device, or the manufacturing device can automatically adjust the manufacturing conditions, thereby suppressing the variation in the unit weight of the items.

[0014] (2) In one embodiment of the present invention, the calculation control unit transmits to the alarm device at least one of the calculated unit weight average value, a value based on the calculated unit weight average value, and a comparison judgment result between the calculated unit weight average value and a reference value.

[0015] The value based on the calculated unit weight average value is, for example, a moving average of the calculated unit weight average value.

[0016] According to this embodiment, the worker can grasp the status of the unit weight of the manufactured goods by the notification device as at least one of the unit weight average value, a value based on the unit weight average value, and a result of comparing the unit weight average value with a reference value. Therefore, if the unit weight of the manufactured goods varies, the worker who has grasped the variation by the notification device can adjust the manufacturing equipment to suppress the variation in the unit weight of the goods.

[0017] (3) In another embodiment of the present invention, the notification device is at least one of a display and an alarm.

[0018] According to this embodiment, the unit weight average value calculated by the calculation control unit, a value based on the unit weight average value, and the result of the comparison between the unit weight average value and the reference value are displayed on a display, or an alarm is sounded based on the result of the comparison between the unit weight average value and the reference value, thereby making it possible to inform workers of the unit weight status of the goods being manufactured.

[0019] (4) In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the notification device is provided in at least one of the combination counting device and the manufacturing device.

[0020] According to this embodiment, the worker can grasp the status of the unit weight of the manufactured goods by the notification device provided in either the manufacturing device or the combination counting device. Therefore, if the unit weight of the manufactured goods varies, the worker who has grasped the variation by the notification device can adjust the manufacturing device to suppress the variation in the unit weight of the goods.

[0021] (5) In one embodiment of the present invention, the reference value is at least one of an upper reference value and a lower reference value, and the calculation control unit transmits the comparison judgment result indicating an abnormality to the alarm device when the calculated unit weight average value exceeds the upper reference value and when the calculated unit weight average value falls below the lower reference value.

[0022] According to this embodiment, when the unit weight of the goods manufactured by the manufacturing equipment fluctuates and the average unit weight value calculated by the calculation control unit exceeds the upper reference value or falls below the lower reference value, an alarm device will alert the operator that an abnormality has occurred, and the operator can then perform adjustment operations on the manufacturing equipment to control the unit weight of the goods to be manufactured within the upper reference value or above the lower reference value.

[0023] (6) In another embodiment of the present invention, the notification device is an alarm that notifies of an abnormality.

[0024] According to this embodiment, when the unit weight of the goods manufactured by the manufacturing equipment fluctuates and the average unit weight value calculated by the calculation control unit exceeds the upper reference value or falls below the lower reference value, an alarm is sounded by the alarm, so that the worker can immediately make adjustments to the manufacturing equipment and quickly control the unit weight of the goods to be manufactured within the upper reference value or above the lower reference value.

[0025] (7) In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the cumulative weight value and the cumulative number of items are cumulative values ​​accumulated over a predetermined period of time, or cumulative values ​​accumulated while a predetermined number of items are discharged from the hoppers of the optimal combination selected by the combination calculation, and the cumulative values ​​are updated each time the predetermined period of time has passed or each time the predetermined number of items is discharged.

[0026] According to this embodiment, the average unit weight of the article can be calculated while the predetermined time has elapsed or for each predetermined number of times. [Effects of the Invention]

[0027] In this way, the combination counting device of the present invention calculates the average unit weight of the manufactured goods and transmits the calculated average unit weight to the manufacturing device, so that the unit weight of the goods can be obtained without the manufacturing device having to check the weight of the goods. As a result, if the unit weight of the manufactured goods varies, an operator can adjust the manufacturing device, or the manufacturing device can automatically adjust, thereby suppressing the variation in the unit weight of the goods. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of a combination counting device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of the control system of the combination counting device. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a combination counting device and an article manufacturing device that supplies articles to the combination counting device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen of the operation setting display of the combination counting device. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a warning screen on the operation setting display of the combination counting device. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the overall control process of the combination counting device. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the counting weight combination calculation process of FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the single weight control process of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0030] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a combination counting device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Products manufactured by a product manufacturing device (described below) are dropped and supplied from a supply device 10 to the center of the upper part of this combination counting device 1. Suitable products are foods whose unit weight (unit weight), which is the weight per product, is prone to change depending on the manufacturing conditions, such as wieners and sausages.

[0031] The combination counting device 1 is provided with a conical dispersion feeder 11 that radially disperses the supplied articles by vibration. The dispersion feeder 11 conveys the articles supplied from the supply device 10 toward their periphery by vibration. Around the dispersion feeder 11, a plurality of linear feeders 12 are provided that convey the articles conveyed by the dispersion feeder 11 to each supply hopper 13 by vibration.

[0032] A supply hopper 13 and a weighing hopper 14 are provided below each linear feeder 12. The supply hopper 13 temporarily holds the articles fed from the linear feeder 12, and when the weighing hopper 14 located below it becomes empty, the gate opens and the articles are fed into the weighing hopper 14. A collecting chute 16 and a collecting funnel 18 are provided below the weighing hopper 14, and a packaging machine 20 is located below them.

[0033] A center base 17 is provided in the center of this combination counting device 1, and the dispersion feeder 11 and linear feeder 12 are arranged on the upper surface of this center base 17, and the supply hopper 13 and weighing hopper 14 are detachably attached to the peripheral wall thereof. The weighing hoppers 14 are each supported by a plurality of weight sensors 15 within the center base 17 to detect their weights, and the load signals output from each weight sensor 15 are input to a control device 21.

[0034] The operation setting display 19 connected to the control device 21 is configured with, for example, a touch panel, and allows various operations and setting of operating parameters for the combination counting device 1. This operation setting display 19 displays a setting screen (to be described later) and an alarm screen indicating an abnormality, and also functions as an alarm device.

[0035] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of a control system of the combination counting device 1 of FIG.

[0036] The control device 21 includes an arithmetic and control unit 22, vibration drive circuits 26 and 27, gate drive circuits 28 and 29, and an A / D conversion circuit 30 including an amplifier unit.

[0037] The arithmetic control unit 22 includes a CPU 23, a memory 24, and an I / O unit 25, and the CPU 23 executes an operation program stored in the memory 24 to control the operation of the entire combination counting device.

[0038] The calculation control unit 22 controls each unit and also performs a combination calculation according to the combination mode set as described below to select the optimum combination of weighing hoppers 14 for discharging articles.

[0039] The vibration drive circuits 26 and 27 control the vibration operation of the dispersion feeder 11 and each of the linear feeders 12 based on control signals from the arithmetic and control unit 22. The gate drive circuits 28 and 29 control the opening and closing operation of the gates of the supply hopper 13 and the weighing hopper 14 based on control signals from the arithmetic and control unit 22. The A / D conversion circuit 30 amplifies analog load signals from each weight sensor 15, converts them into digital load signals, and outputs them to the arithmetic and control unit 22. The arithmetic and control unit 22 is also connected to the operation and setting display 19 so as to be able to communicate with each other, and receives signals from the operation and setting display 19 and outputs signals such as data to be displayed on the operation and setting display 19. The arithmetic and control unit 22 is also connected to be able to communicate with the packaging machine 20.

[0040] 3, the control device 21 of the combination counting device 1 of this embodiment is capable of communicating with an article manufacturing device 2 that manufactures articles, such as sausages, to be supplied to the combination counting device 1. The article manufacturing device 2 manufactures sausages and includes a filling machine (not shown) that fills ingredients including minced meat into intestines that will serve as the skin material.

[0041] In the combination counting device 1 configured as described above, articles supplied from the supply device 10 are distributed and conveyed by the dispersion feeder 11 to a plurality of linear feeders 12 arranged around it, and the linear feeders 12 convey the articles further outward to supply them to a plurality of supply hoppers 13. The plurality of supply hoppers 13 supply the articles to a plurality of weighing hoppers 14, which weigh the articles. Based on the weights of the articles in these plurality of weighing hoppers 14, an optimal combination of weighing hoppers 14 is selected as described below, and the articles from the optimal combination of weighing hoppers 14 are discharged and fed into the packaging machine 20 below via the collecting chute 16 and collecting funnel 18.

[0042] In another embodiment of the present invention, a memory hopper may be provided to hold and discharge the articles discharged from the weighing hoppers 14, and a combination calculation may be performed on the weighing hoppers 14 and the memory hoppers to select the hopper with the optimal combination.

[0043] In this embodiment, the following is done to avoid a situation where an error occurs in the number of items calculated by the combination counting device 1, making accurate counting difficult, due to a large difference between the weight of each item manufactured by the item manufacturing device 2 and supplied to the combination counting device 1, i.e., the unit weight, and the unit weight for calculating the number set in the combination counting device 1.

[0044] That is, the combination counting device 1 calculates the average unit weight by dividing the cumulative weight value obtained by accumulating the weights of the articles discharged from the weighing hoppers 14 of the optimal combination by the cumulative number of articles discharged from the weighing hoppers 14 of the optimal combination, and transmits the calculated average unit weight value to the article manufacturing device 2. Furthermore, if the calculated average unit weight falls outside the allowable weight range defined by the set upper and lower reference limits, it is determined that there is an abnormality in the large fluctuations in the unit weight of the articles, and displays an alarm on the operation setting display 19 and transmits an abnormality signal to the article manufacturing device 2.

[0045] For this reason, in the combination counting device 1 of this embodiment, when setting the operating parameters prior to operation, the upper and lower limit reference values ​​of the unit weight average value are set.

[0046] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen when setting operating parameters using the operation setting display 19.

[0047] On this setting screen 35, a touch key 45 for selecting a combination mode for selecting a combination calculation mode is displayed, and the combination mode is selected and set by touching this touch key 45.

[0048] In this example, the "counting + weight" combination mode is set. This "counting + weight" combination mode is a combination calculation mode that prioritizes counting. In this combination mode, for example, it is possible to search for combinations of weigh hoppers 14 that fall within a predetermined number range from among the combinations of weigh hoppers 14, store these, and then find from these combinations of weigh hoppers 14 a combination of weigh hoppers 14 that falls within a predetermined weight range, or to search from among the combinations of weigh hoppers 14 a combination of weigh hoppers 14 that falls within a target number of items, and then find from these combinations a combination of weigh hoppers 14 that falls within a predetermined weight range.

[0049] The combination mode is not limited to the "counting + weight" combination mode, but also includes a "counting" combination mode that finds the optimum combination based only on the number of items without any weight restrictions, and other combination modes, which can be switched by touching the touch key 45 for selecting the combination mode.

[0050] Touch keys 36 to 38 for setting a target number, an upper limit number, and a lower limit number for defining the predetermined number range are displayed in the area on the right side of this setting screen 35. In this example, the target number is 6, and the upper and lower limits are 1, so the predetermined number range is 5 to 7.

[0051] Below the touch key 38 for setting the minimum number of items, there is displayed a touch key 39 for setting the unit weight (unit weight) by which the weight of the item is divided and converted into the number of items. In this example, the unit weight is set to 20.0 g.

[0052] Also, in the left area of ​​the setting screen 35, touch keys 43, 44 are displayed for setting a target weight (target combined weight) and an upper limit weight, respectively, for defining the predetermined weight range. In this example, the target weight is 120 g and the upper limit weight is 10 g, so the predetermined weight range is 120 g or more and 130 g or less. Above the touch key 43 for setting the target weight, a touch key 42 for setting the speed (operating speed) is displayed.

[0053] By touching any of these touch keys 36 to 39 and 42 to 44, a numeric keypad pops up on the operation setting display 19, and the numeric value of each corresponding item can be set by operating this numeric keypad.

[0054] The settings of the above items are basically the same as in the conventional example.

[0055] In this embodiment, a unit weight average upper limit value and a unit weight average lower limit value are set as reference values ​​to be compared with the unit weight average value calculated by dividing the cumulative weight value obtained by accumulating the weights of items discharged from the optimally combined weighing hoppers 14 by the cumulative number of items discharged from the optimally combined weighing hoppers 14.

[0056] On this setting screen 35, touch keys 40 and 41 for setting the unit weight average upper limit and unit weight average lower limit, respectively, are displayed below the touch key 39 for setting the unit weight value. Touching these touch keys 40 and 41 causes a numeric keypad to pop up and allows the user to operate the numeric keypad to set the numerical values.

[0057] In this example, the upper limit of the unit weight average is set to 7.5%, i.e., 1.5 g, which is 7.5% of the unit weight of 20.0 g, and the lower limit of the unit weight average is set to 2.5%, i.e., 0.5 g, which is 2.5% of the unit weight of 20.0 g. Therefore, the upper limit of the unit weight average is 21.5 g, and the lower limit is 19.5 g.

[0058] In this embodiment, the average unit weight (average unit weight) is calculated by dividing the cumulative weight value obtained by accumulating the weight of the items discharged from the weighing hoppers 14 of the optimal combination over a predetermined time period or over a time period during which the number of times items are discharged from the weighing hoppers 14 of the optimal combination reaches a predetermined number by the cumulative number of items discharged from the weighing hoppers 14 of the optimal combination.When the calculated average unit weight value exceeds the upper reference value of 21.5 g or falls below the lower reference value of 19.5 g, an alarm is displayed on the operation setting display 19 to indicate that the average unit weight of the items is outside the allowable weight range and is therefore abnormal, and an abnormal signal is sent to the item manufacturing device 2.

[0059] Figure 5 shows an example of a warning display screen on the operation setting display 19. In this Figure 5, the average unit weight is 22.0 g, which is above the upper limit reference value of 21.5 g, and a warning is displayed to indicate that this is abnormal.

[0060] Next, the operation of the combination counting device 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

[0061] FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the overall processing operation of the combination counting device 1.

[0062] First, initial settings such as setting of operating conditions are performed (step S1). When the power is turned on (step S2), operating parameters are set according to the set values ​​shown in FIG. 4 (step S3), and the process proceeds to step S4.

[0063] In step S4, distribution section control is performed to drive the distribution feeder 11 to distribute the supplied articles to the periphery and supply the articles to the linear feeder 12.

[0064] Next, the linear feeder 12 is driven to perform linear feeder control to supply the articles to the empty supply hopper 13 (step S5).

[0065] Furthermore, supply hopper control is performed by opening and closing the gate of supply hopper 13 to supply articles to empty weighing hoppers 14 (step S6). When articles are supplied to empty weighing hoppers 14 in this manner, the weight of the articles supplied to the weighing hoppers 14 is measured by the corresponding weight sensors 15, and weighing control is performed by capturing the measured values ​​(step S7).

[0066] Next, a combination calculation is performed based on the weight of the articles supplied to the weighing hopper 14, in this example, a count weight combination calculation is performed as described below, and the process proceeds to step S9 (step S8).

[0067] In step S9, it is determined whether or not an optimal combination has been found in this counting weight combination calculation, and if an optimal combination has been found, the process proceeds to step S10, where it is determined whether or not a discharge command signal has been input from the packaging machine 20. If a discharge command signal has been input, weighing hopper control is performed to open and close the gate of the weighing hopper 14 of the optimal combination to discharge the items into the packaging machine 20 (step S11).

[0068] Next, the unit weight control described below is performed to calculate the unit weight average value (step S12), and it is determined whether the operation switch has been turned off (step S13). If the operation switch has not been turned off, the process returns to step S4, and if it has been turned off, the process returns to step S1. If there is no optimal combination in step S9, the process returns to step S4.

[0069] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the counting weight combination calculation process in step S8 of FIG.

[0070] In this counting weight combination calculation, first, the weight value of the items weighed in each weighing hopper 14 is divided by the unit weight, which is the set unit weight per item, 20.0 g in the example of Figure 4 above, and then rounded off to calculate and store the number of items (step S81).

[0071] Next, a combination of weighing hoppers is searched for, where the number of combinations of items in each weighing hopper 14 matches the target number (target combination number), which is 6 in the example of Figure 4 above, or is within a predetermined number range, which is 5 to 7 in the example of Figure 4 above, and these are stored as a group of counting combinations (step S82).

[0072] Next, it is determined whether there is a combination of weighing hoppers 14 that belongs to the group of counting combinations (step S83), and if there is a combination of weighing hoppers 14 that belongs to the group of counting combinations, a combination that is equal to or closest to the target weight (target combination weight), in the example of Figure 4 above, is searched for and used as the counting / weighing combination (step S84).

[0073] Next, it is determined whether the combined weight value of the weighing hoppers 14 of the counting and weighing combination is within the allowable weight range, in the example of Figure 4 above, 120g or more and 130g or less (step S85).If it is within the allowable weight range, the weighing hoppers 14 of that counting and weighing combination are set as the optimal combination (step S86), and the optimal combination existence flag indicating that an optimal combination has been found is turned ON, and the process returns (step S87).

[0074] In step S83, if there is no combination of weighing hoppers 14 that belongs to the group of the counting combination, or if in step S85 the combined weight value of the weighing hoppers 14 of the counting / weighing combination is not within the allowable weight range, it is determined that there is no optimal combination, the optimal combination existence flag is turned OFF, and the process returns (step S88).

[0075] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the single weight control process in step S12 of FIG.

[0076] In this unit weight control process, first, the weight values ​​of the items discharged from the optimally combined weighing hoppers 14 are cumulatively added (step S121), and similarly, the number of items discharged from the optimally combined weighing hoppers 14 is cumulatively added (step S122), and then the process proceeds to step S123.

[0077] In step S123, it is determined whether control based on the number of weighings is set. Control based on the number of weighings is a method of determining the timing for calculating the unit weight average value based on the number of weighings, i.e., the number of times the weights of the articles in the weighing hoppers 14 are weighed and the articles are discharged from the optimally combined weighing hopper 14. When control based on the number of weighings is not set, the timing for calculating the unit weight average value is determined by the elapsed time measured by a built-in clock.

[0078] In step S123, when control based on the number of weighing times is set, since articles are discharged from the weighing hopper 14 of the optimal combination in step S11 of FIG. 6, The number of weighings is incremented by one (step S124), and it is determined whether the number of weighings has reached a predetermined number (step S125). If the number of weighings has reached the predetermined number, the number of weighings is initialized (step S126), and it is determined that it is time to calculate the unit weight average value, and the process proceeds to step S127.

[0079] In step S127, the cumulative weight value, which is the weight value of the cumulatively added items, is divided by the cumulative item value, which is the number of cumulatively added items, to calculate the average unit weight value, and it is determined whether the calculated average unit weight value exceeds the preset unit weight average upper limit value (step S128).If the average unit weight value exceeds the unit weight average upper limit value, 21.5 g in the above example, a unit weight upper limit abnormality signal is sent to the item manufacturing device 2, and a message indicating that the unit weight average value is an upper limit abnormality is displayed on the operation setting display 19 (step S129), and the calculated average unit weight value is sent to the item manufacturing device 2 and returned (step S130).

[0080] In step S128, if the calculated unit weight average is not above the preset unit weight average upper limit, the process proceeds to step S134, where it is determined whether the calculated unit weight average is below the preset unit weight average lower limit. If the unit weight average is below the unit weight average lower limit, 19.5 g in the above example, a unit weight lower limit abnormality signal is sent to the article manufacturing apparatus 2, and a message indicating that the unit weight average is below the lower limit is displayed on the operation setting display 19 (step S135), and the process proceeds to step S130. In step S130, the calculated unit weight average is sent to the article manufacturing apparatus 2. In step S134, if the calculated unit weight average is not below the unit weight average lower limit, the process proceeds to step S130, where the calculated unit weight average is sent to the article manufacturing apparatus 2.

[0081] If control based on the number of weighings is not set in step S123, the process moves to step S131, where the time is read from the internal clock and it is determined whether a predetermined time has elapsed since operation started or whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous calculation of the unit weight average value (step S132), and if so, the elapsed time is initialized (step S133), and it is now time to calculate the unit weight average value, so the process moves to step S127. If the predetermined time has not elapsed in step S132, the process returns.

[0082] Based on the data transmitted to the article manufacturing apparatus 2 in steps S129, S135, and S130, the unit weight average value and an alarm are displayed on a display provided in the article manufacturing apparatus 2. This display provided in the article manufacturing apparatus 2 has the same function as the operation setting display 19 described above, as an alarm device.

[0083] The predetermined number of times in step S125 and the predetermined time in step S132 can be variably set by operating the operation setting display 19.

[0084] As described above, according to this embodiment, the average unit weight of the items manufactured by the item manufacturing device 2 and supplied to the combination counting device 1 is calculated by the combination counting device 1 and transmitted to the item manufacturing device 2, so that the unit weight of the items can be obtained without the item manufacturing device 2 having to periodically sample the manufactured items and check the weight of the items.

[0085] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the unit weight of the goods manufactured by the goods manufacturing device 2 fluctuates and the average unit weight calculated by the combination counting device 1 falls outside the allowable weight range defined by the upper and lower limit values ​​of the average unit weight, this is displayed on the operation setting display 19 as an alarm device, so that the worker can know that the average unit weight of the goods manufactured by the goods manufacturing device 2 falls outside the allowable weight range.

[0086] This allows the worker to adjust the manufacturing conditions of the product manufacturing device 2, such as the filling pressure of the filling machine that fills the intestines that will be used as the skin with raw materials including minced meat, to control the unit weight of the product to be manufactured so that it falls within the allowable weight range.

[0087] [Other embodiments] In the above embodiment, the operation setting display 19 is used as the notification device to display a warning, but an alarm such as a warning light may also be used to notify of an abnormality.

[0088] In the above embodiment, only the unit weight average value was calculated, but a value based on this unit weight average value, for example, a moving average of the unit weight average value, may also be calculated and displayed on a display such as the operation setting display 19.

[0089] In the above embodiment, an abnormality alarm is issued when the calculated unit weight average value is outside the allowable weight range, but the calculated unit weight average value may be displayed on a display such as the operation setting display 19, or may be displayed when a predetermined operation is performed. The display of the unit weight average value etc. is not limited to numerical display, but may also be displayed as a graph so that changes in the numerical value can be seen.

[0090] In the above embodiment, an abnormality alarm is issued when the calculated unit weight average value is outside the allowable weight range. However, in other embodiments of the present invention, an abnormality alarm may be issued only when the calculated unit weight average value exceeds the unit weight average upper limit value, or an abnormality alarm may be issued only when the calculated unit weight average value is below the unit weight average lower limit value.

[0091] In another embodiment of the present invention, a second allowable weight range wider than the above allowable weight range may be set, and when the calculated unit weight average value falls outside this second allowable weight range, the operation of the item manufacturing apparatus 2 may be stopped, as the fluctuation in unit weight of the items manufactured by the item manufacturing apparatus 2 is too large.

[0092] Furthermore, the article manufacturing device 2 may automatically adjust the manufacturing conditions based on the unit weight average value transmitted from the combination counting device 1 so that the unit weight average value falls within a predetermined weight range. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 1. Combination counting device 2 Article manufacturing equipment 11 Dispersion Feeder 12 Straight feeder 13 Supply hopper 14 Weighing hopper 19 Operation setting display 20 Packaging machine 21 Control device 22 Calculation control unit

Claims

1. A combination counting device that combines and counts the number of articles manufactured by an article manufacturing device (2) that manufactures articles with variable unit weights, a hopper (13, 14) to which the articles manufactured by the article manufacturing device (2) are supplied and which weighs the supplied articles; a control device (21) that calculates the number of articles supplied from the article manufacturing device (2) to the hoppers (13, 14) based on the weights of the articles measured in the hoppers (13, 14), and performs a combination calculation to discharge the articles from the hoppers (13, 14) selected as the optimal combination; an operation setting display (19) for setting operation and operating parameters for the combination counting device (1); Equipped with The control device (21) accumulates the weights of the articles discharged from the hoppers (13, 14) of the optimal combination, divides the accumulated accumulated weight value by the accumulated number of articles discharged from the hoppers (13, 14) of the optimal combination, calculates a unit weight average value which is the average value of the unit weights of the articles, and transmits the calculated unit weight average value to the article manufacturing device (2); When the calculated average unit weight value is outside the allowable weight range defined by the set upper and lower reference limits, the control device (21) determines that there is an abnormality in the unit weight of the goods, that is, a large fluctuation, and displays an alarm on the operation setting display (19) and transmits an abnormality signal to the goods manufacturing device (2); The operation setting display (19) has a setting screen (35) for setting operation parameters, The setting screen (35) displays a touch key (45) for selecting a combination mode for selecting a combination calculation mode, and the combination mode can be selected and set by touching this touch key (45). The combination modes include a "counting + weight" combination mode, and the "counting + weight" combination mode is a combination calculation mode in which counting is prioritized, and the combination of the weigh hoppers (14) is searched for among the combinations of the weigh hoppers (14) that falls within a predetermined number range, and the searched combination is stored, and a combination of the weigh hoppers (14) that falls within a predetermined weight range is found from the stored combinations of the weigh hoppers (14), or a combination of the weigh hoppers (14) that falls within a target number is found, and a combination of the weigh hoppers (14) that falls within the predetermined weight range is found from the searched combinations of the weigh hoppers (14). A combination counting device characterized by:

2. The cumulative weight value and the cumulative number of items are cumulative values ​​accumulated during the lapse of a predetermined time, or cumulative values ​​accumulated while the number of times articles are discharged from the hoppers (13, 14) of the optimal combination selected by the combination calculation reaches a predetermined number, and the cumulative values ​​are updated every time the predetermined time elapses or every time the predetermined number of times is reached. The combination counting device according to claim 1 .

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