Trough for straight feeder and combination weigher equipped with same

Abstract

To prevent a separated matter such as seasoning separated from articles from adhering to and depositing on a trough of a straight feeder so as to enable smooth and stable conveyance of the articles.SOLUTION: A trough for a straight feeder for vibratory conveyance of articles comprises a conveyance passage formed by a bottom plate portion and a pair of side plate portions erected from both sides of the bottom plate portion to face each other. A plurality of ridges extending in an article conveyance direction is provided in parallel to each other in a width direction of the trough on a top surface of the bottom plate portion serving as a bottom surface of the conveyance passage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a trough for a linear feeder that vibrates and conveys items such as confectionery, and a combination weigher equipped with the trough. [Background technology]

[0002] In a combination weigher, as shown in Patent Document 1, for example, articles supplied from above the center are dispersed and conveyed radially by a vibration-driven dispersion feeder, transferred to multiple linear feeders arranged around the dispersion feeder, and then further vibrated and conveyed outward by the linear feeders. Multiple supply hoppers are arranged below the conveying ends of the multiple linear feeders, and a weighing hopper is arranged below each supply hopper.

[0003] The articles transported by each straight feeder are placed into the corresponding supply hopper, and then supplied from the supply hopper to the corresponding weighing hopper. A combination calculation is performed based on the weight of the articles supplied to each weighing hopper, and a weighing hopper that results in a combination within a predetermined weight range is selected, from which the articles are discharged and then fed into the packaging machine via a collecting chute. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-7596 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When weighing items such as gummies or potato chips that have been sprinkled with seasonings (powdered condiments) such as sugar or salt in a combination scale like the one described above, the seasonings such as sugar or salt or pieces of the item separate from the item, and the separated pieces are rubbed against the conveying surface of the trough by the item being vibrated and conveyed, and the separated pieces are pressed together and stick together, making it impossible to adequately prevent the separated pieces from adhering to and accumulating on the conveying surface of the trough.

[0006] When separated materials such as seasonings adhere to and accumulate on the conveying surface of the trough of the linear feeder in this way, smooth conveyance of the articles is hindered, and cleaning of the trough of the linear feeder is required to remove the adhering materials, which requires the weighing operation of the combination weigher to be interrupted, resulting in a decrease in the operating rate.

[0007] Furthermore, the separated matter that has adhered and accumulated may grow into clumps that may peel off and become mixed into the product, reducing its commercial value, or making it impossible to accurately measure the product, thereby reducing the accuracy of the measurement.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and aims to provide a trough for a linear feeder and a combination weigher equipped with this trough that can prevent separated materials such as seasonings that have separated from items from adhering to the trough of the linear feeder, thereby allowing items to be transported smoothly and stably. [Means for solving the problem]

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

[0010] (1) The trough for a linear feeder according to the present invention is a trough for a linear feeder that vibrates and conveys articles to be fed, The trough has a conveying passage formed by a bottom plate portion and a pair of opposing side plate portions erected on both sides of the bottom plate portion, and on the upper surface of the bottom plate portion, which forms the bottom surface of the conveying passage, a plurality of protrusions extending along the conveying direction of the items are arranged in parallel in the width direction of the trough.

[0011] With the trough for a linear feeder according to the present invention, the articles are supported mainly by the upper ends of the parallelly arranged protrusions and are transported in a state where they are floating above the upper surface of the bottom plate portion, which forms the bottom surface of the transport passage, and separated materials such as seasonings that have separated from the articles fall onto the upper surface of the bottom plate portion between the protrusions.

[0012] Therefore, separated materials such as seasonings on the upper surface of the bottom plate are not rubbed against or pressed down on the upper surface of the bottom plate by the items, and the amount of separated materials that adhere to the upper surface of the bottom plate is reduced. In addition, the separated materials that adhere are less likely to grow and form lumps, and the separated materials are transported in a powdery state.

[0013] (2) In one embodiment of the present invention, the protrusion is made of a metal strip plate material, the bottom plate portion has a plurality of connecting holes formed in the conveying direction of the article, the lower edge portion of the protrusion has a plurality of protruding pieces protruding in the longitudinal direction of the protrusion, and the protruding pieces of the protrusion are inserted into the connecting holes in the bottom plate portion and connected by welding.

[0014] In this embodiment, by inserting the protruding piece protruding from the lower edge of the protrusion made of strip material into the connecting hole formed in the bottom plate portion, the multiple protrusions can be correctly positioned in the transport direction of the article and the width direction of the trough, and can be welded and connected to the bottom plate portion in a predetermined upright position without using any special tools.

[0015] (3) In another embodiment of the present invention, the connecting hole of the bottom plate portion is formed through the bottom plate portion, and the protrusion piece of the protrusion inserted into the connecting hole and the bottom plate portion are welded and connected on the underside of the bottom plate portion.

[0016] In this embodiment, the raised weld bead is not exposed on the upper surface of the bottom plate, so the weld bead does not interfere with the transportation of separated materials such as seasoning, and the separated materials do not adhere to the raised weld bead, making cleaning of the trough easier.

[0017] (4) In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the bottom plate portion has a flat portion and an inclined portion that slopes upward from the starting end of the flat portion in the conveying direction of the article toward the upstream side in the conveying direction of the article, and the protrusion has a flat lower edge portion that follows the flat portion of the bottom plate portion and an inclined lower edge portion that follows the inclined portion of the bottom plate portion, and the flat portion of the bottom plate portion and the flat lower edge portion of the protrusion are welded together, and the inclined portion of the bottom plate portion and the inclined lower edge portion of the protrusion are welded together.

[0018] In this embodiment, if only the flat lower edge portion of the protrusion made of strip plate material is welded to the bottom plate portion, it is difficult to ensure the strength of the protrusion against lateral tipping. However, by providing an inclined lower edge portion on the protrusion and an inclined portion on the bottom plate portion and welding them together, the strength of the protrusion against lateral tipping can be increased.

[0019] (5) A combination weigher according to the present invention is a combination weigher comprising: a dispersion feeder that conveys supplied articles to a peripheral portion; a plurality of linear feeders that are arranged around the dispersion feeder and that vibrate and convey the articles supplied by the dispersion feeder outward; a plurality of supply hoppers that are provided corresponding to each of the linear feeders and that temporarily hold and discharge the articles supplied from the linear feeders; and a plurality of weighing hoppers that are provided corresponding to each of the supply hoppers and that temporarily hold the articles discharged from the supply hoppers and weigh the articles, The plurality of linear feeders are provided with any one of the troughs (1) to (4) above.

[0020] The combination weigher of the present invention can suppress the adhesion and accumulation of separated materials such as seasonings in the trough of the linear feeder that vibrates and transports the items, thereby reducing the frequency of cleaning the trough and increasing the operating rate of the combination weigher, and since the linear feeder can transport the items stably, it is possible to prevent a decrease in weighing accuracy.

[0021] (6) In another embodiment of the present invention, the feeding system includes a storage container arranged in the supply path of the articles supplied from the linear feeder to the supply hopper, capable of storing separated material from the articles, and a discharge pipe that sucks and discharges the separated material in the storage container.

[0022] According to this embodiment, excess separated material such as seasonings that is separated from the articles and transported by the trough of the straight feeder is stored in a storage container arranged in the supply path of the articles from the straight feeder to the supply hopper, and the separated material in the storage container can be collected by being sucked out through a discharge pipe.

[0023] This prevents excessive supply of seasonings such as sugar and salt to the supply hopper and weighing hopper, thereby preventing separated substances such as seasonings from adhering to and accumulating on the inner surface of the weighing hopper, and preventing the separated substances from growing into clumps and falling off, thereby avoiding a decrease in weighing accuracy.

[0024] (7) In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the storage container has a filter section at the top that is arranged in the supply path of the item, and also has a suction port that is connected to the discharge pipeline and sucks in the separated material that has passed through the filter section.

[0025] In this embodiment, excess seasonings such as sugar and salt attached to the items are separated from the items by the filter section at the top of the storage container and pass through the filter section, and the separated material is sucked into the discharge pipe through the suction port of the storage container and discharged. [Effects of the Invention]

[0026] According to the trough for a straight feeder of the present invention, the articles are supported and transported mainly by the upper ends of the protrusions, while separated materials such as seasonings that have separated from the articles fall onto the upper surface of the bottom plate portion between the protrusions and are transported. Therefore, the separated materials such as seasonings are not rubbed against or pressed down on the upper surface of the bottom plate portion by the articles, and the adhesion and accumulation of separated materials on the trough can be suppressed.

[0027] According to the combination weigher of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the adhesion and accumulation of separated materials such as seasonings on the trough that transports items using a straight-line feeder, thereby reducing the frequency of cleaning the trough to remove the adhesion and accumulation, thereby increasing the operating rate of the combination weigher, and since it can transport items stably, it is possible to prevent a decrease in weighing accuracy. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a combination weigher according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of a main part including a trough according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the trough of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional front view of the trough of FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the trough of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a supply hopper in the combination weigher of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the supply hopper of FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing the overall configuration of the main parts. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view showing the overall configuration of the main parts. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional front view showing a part of a trough according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional front view showing a part of a trough according to still another embodiment of the present invention. 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 perspective view of a combination weigher according to one embodiment of the present invention. The combination weigher according to this embodiment weighs and discharges predetermined amounts of various confectioneries, foods, and other items, and is used on a packaging line where the weighed items are fed into a packaging machine (not shown) below and packed into bags.

[0031] This combination weighing scale is installed on the upper floor of a frame (not shown) that is assembled and erected like a tower, and a center base 2 is supported by multiple legs 3 above a hollow base 1 with a large opening in the center that runs vertically.

[0032] At the center of the upper part of the center base 2 are disposed a supply funnel 4 that guides articles dropped from the end of a supply conveyor (not shown) down, and a dispersion feeder 6 that receives the guided articles in a conical top cone 5 and disperses and transports them toward the periphery. Radially arranged around this dispersion feeder 6 are a number of linear feeders 8 (14 in this example) that place the dispersed and transported articles in a trough-shaped trough and vibrate and transport them outward. The linear feeders 8 are equipped with a linear feeder trough (described below) on which articles are placed and transported, and a vibration mechanism that vibrates and drives this trough.

[0033] On the outer periphery of the center base 2, there are provided a plurality of supply hoppers 9 that temporarily store and discharge articles from each of the linear feeders 8, and a plurality of weighing hoppers 10 that weigh the articles discharged from each of the supply hoppers 9. A series of these linear feeders 8, supply hoppers 9, and weighing hoppers 10 forms a multi-series weighing unit (14 in this example), which combines and weighs and discharges the articles.

[0034] Below each weighing hopper 10, a collecting chute 11 is provided to collect the articles discharged from the weighing hoppers 10 selected for an appropriate weight combination that falls within a predetermined weight range through combination calculation. At the bottom end of the collecting chute 11, a circular funnel-shaped collecting funnel 12 is provided to collect the articles that have slid down from the collecting chute 11 below the center of the center base 2.

[0035] Furthermore, below the collecting funnel 12, a collecting hopper 13 is disposed to temporarily receive and store articles within a predetermined weight range collected by the collecting funnel 12. The opening of the collecting hopper 13 is controlled based on a discharge request command from a packaging machine (not shown) installed on a floor below.

[0036] The combination weigher shown in this embodiment is configured so that 14 weighing units are divided into two groups of seven units each, and items are combined and weighed in two systems using seven weighing units each, and are discharged via two collecting funnels 12 and two collecting hoppers 13 for each system.

[0037] In this embodiment, the linear feeder 8 is configured as follows to prevent separated materials such as seasonings that have separated from articles from adhering to and accumulating in the trough of the linear feeder 8 and interfering with the transport of articles.

[0038] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal side view of the main part including the vicinity of the trough 7 of the linear feeder 8, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the trough 7 of FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a longitudinal front view thereof, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view thereof.

[0039] The trough 7 of this embodiment includes a bottom plate 7a formed with a constant width over its entire length in the article conveyance direction indicated by arrow A in Fig. 2, and a pair of side plates 7b, 7c erected obliquely outward and upward from both left and right ends of the bottom plate 7a. The bottom plate 7a and side plates 7b, 7c form an inverted trapezoidal conveyance passage P that is wide and has a large cross-sectional area. The trough 7 also includes a back plate 7d erected at the starting end of the bottom plate 7a in the article conveyance direction to prevent articles from spilling out.

[0040] The bottom plate portion 7a of the trough 7 has a flat portion 7a1 on its upper surface that is flat over almost the entire surface, and an inclined portion 7a2 that slopes gently upward from the starting end of the flat portion 7a1 in the direction of conveying the goods to the back plate portion 7d upstream of the conveying direction.

[0041] On the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 7a, which forms the bottom surface of the conveying passage P, a plurality of (six in this example) protrusions 15 extending in the article conveying direction are provided in parallel in the width direction of the trough 7.

[0042] A plurality of ridges 15 protruding upward from the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 7a are provided parallel to one another at equal intervals and extend over the entire length of the bottom plate portion 7a.

[0043] Each of the protrusions 15 has the same shape and is made of a metal strip material. In this embodiment, each of the protrusions 15 is made by cutting a stainless steel metal plate, the same material as the trough 7, into a strip shape of a predetermined height. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 , the lower side of each of the protrusions 15 has a flat lower side f that fits along the flat portion 7a1 of the bottom plate portion 7a of the trough 7 and an inclined lower side s that fits along the inclined portion 7a2 of the bottom plate portion 7a. In other words, approximately the entire length of the lower side of the lower end of each of the protrusions 15 fits along the flat portion 7a1 and inclined portion 7a2 of the bottom plate 7a of the trough 7.

[0044] Furthermore, protruding pieces 15a that are long in the longitudinal direction of the ridge 5 are provided at a plurality of locations (four locations in this example) in the longitudinal direction of the lower side of the ridge 15.

[0045] A plurality of slit-like connecting holes 17 that are long in the conveying direction of the articles into which these protruding pieces 15a are inserted are formed through the flat portion 7a1 and the inclined portion 7a2 of the bottom plate portion 7a of the trough 7.

[0046] After each protrusion 15a of the protrusion 15 is inserted into each connecting hole 17 and the protrusion 15 is positioned and erected, the insertion and connection point is welded from the underside, i.e., the back side, of the bottom plate portion 7a of the trough 7, and the protrusion 15a is welded and connected to the bottom plate portion 7a.

[0047] By inserting the protrusions 15a of the protrusions 15 into the connecting holes 17 of the bottom plate portion 7a in this manner, multiple protrusions 15 can be easily connected by correctly positioning them in the transport direction of the goods and the width direction of the trough 7 without using any special tools.

[0048] Furthermore, welding only the flat portion 7a1 of the bottom plate portion 7a does not provide sufficient strength against lateral tipping of the ribs 15, but adding the welding connection at the inclined portion 7a2 of the bottom plate portion 7a increases the resistance to lateral tipping and firmly holds the ribs 15 in a predetermined upright position. This prevents the ribs 15 from floating or deforming due to vibration drive, and allows them to stably maintain the desired position and posture for a long period of time.

[0049] Although not shown, a support member made of thick plate material is stacked and connected to the underside of the bottom plate portion 7a of the trough 7, i.e., the outer bottom surface of the trough 7, in order to detachably connect it to the vibration mechanism and to reinforce the trough itself, so the raised weld bead at the above-mentioned connection point is ground away to form a flat back surface of the trough.

[0050] In the trough 7 of this embodiment, the plurality of protrusions 15 provided on the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 7a have the same protruding height, and the intervals between them are narrower than the size of the articles.

[0051] As a result, the articles are received mainly by the upper ends of the multiple ridges 15 and are transported without much sliding contact with the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 7a of the trough 7. Also, separated materials such as seasonings that have separated from the articles pass between the multiple ridges 15 and fall onto the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 7a, and are vibrated and transported without being rubbed or pressed down against the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 7a by the articles being transported.

[0052] Therefore, it is possible to suppress the adhesion and accumulation of separated matter such as seasoning in the trough 7 of the linear feeder 8, and to prevent the adhered separated matter from growing into clumps and peeling off. This reduces the frequency of cleaning the trough 7 to remove separated matter that has adhered and accumulated on the trough 7, increasing the operating rate of the combination weigher, and also allows articles to be transported stably by the linear feeder 8, preventing a decrease in weighing accuracy.

[0053] Furthermore, in this embodiment, excess separated material such as seasoning separated from the articles in the trough 7 of the linear feeder 8 is supplied to the supply hopper 9 and the weighing hopper 10, and is discharged and removed to prevent it from adhering to and accumulating on the inner surface of the weighing hopper 10, etc.

[0054] The structure for discharging and removing the separated matter will be described below with reference to FIG. 2 and FIGS. 6 to 9. FIG.

[0055] At the top of each supply hopper 9, there is provided a storage container 20 which receives the items w that are carried out from the end of the trough 7 in the straight feeder 8 and thrown into the supply hopper 9, and the separated material that is transported along the bottom plate 7a of the trough 7 and thrown into the supply hopper 9, and which filters and recovers only the separated material.

[0056] 2, 6, and 7, the storage container 20 includes a container body 21 and an attachment part 22 that fits into and supports the supply hopper 9. The attachment part 22 of the container body 21 is detachably inserted from above into the inner wall plate 9a on the linear feeder side of the supply hopper 9 and supported therein.

[0057] The container body 21 is formed in a horizontally facing cylindrical shape that is open on both sides, and the left and right side openings are closed by fitting the mounting portion 22 from above. This makes the storage container 20 into a shallow box shape surrounded by a peripheral wall on all four sides. In addition, a filter portion 20a made of a plate-like porous body with a large number of rectangular through-holes aligned is provided on the upper surface of the container body 21 in an inclined position downward toward the inside of the hopper. The filter portion 20a may be made of, for example, punched metal or a metal mesh.

[0058] The mounting portion 22 is provided with a downward slit-shaped hook portion 23 that is inserted from above into the inner wall plate 9a of the supply hopper 9, and when inserted and attached, it is positioned and held between the left and right side plates of the supply hopper 9 without any lateral displacement.

[0059] 2, the rear surface of the container body 21 fitted into the mounting portion 22 on the linear feeder side is exposed toward the inside of the device, and a suction port 20b is formed in this exposed portion. The outward branched end of a T-shaped pipe connector 24 is connected to the suction port 20b. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, suction pipes 25 made of resin tubes are connected to both left and right ends of the pipe connector 24.

[0060] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the suction pipes 25 are connected in a vertical row to connect the piping connectors 24 connected to multiple adjacent storage containers 20 (seven in this example), and both ends of the series of vertically connected suction pipes 25 are connected to an aspirator 26.

[0061] As shown in Fig. 2, suction device 26 has a throttled flow path section r in the middle of the air flow path that penetrates vertically, and suction pipe 25 is connected to communicate with this throttled flow path section r. In addition, as shown in Figs. 1, 8, etc., an air supply pipe 27 is connected to the upper end of suction device 26, and an exhaust pipe 28 is connected to the lower end of suction device 26 in communication. The air supply pipe 27 is connected to an air pressure supply device such as a compressor (not shown). Pressurized air is sent to the aspirator 26 through the air supply pipe 27 and passes through at high speed, generating negative pressure in the throttled flow path portion r of the aspirator 26 due to the Venturi effect, and air is sucked from the suction pipe 25 connected in communication with the throttled flow path portion r.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 1, the air supply pipe 27 is connected to a part of a ring-shaped funnel support frame 30 that is fixedly installed via a support pillar 29 to support the supply funnel 4, and the exhaust pipe 28 is connected to the tip of a support arm 31 that extends from the leg 3.

[0063] According to the above configuration, from the end of the trough 7 of the linear feeder 8, the items w that have been received and supported by the upper end edges of the multiple protrusions 15 and transported by vibration, and separated materials such as seasonings that have separated from the items and fallen onto the bottom plate portion 7a of the trough 7 and transported by vibration, are discharged and placed into the supply hopper 9.

[0064] As shown in Figure 2, the introduced items w and separated matter are first received by the filter section 20a of the storage container 20, and the items w roll along the downward slope of the filter section 20a and flow down into the supply hopper 9, while the separated matter is taken into the storage container 20 through the filter section 20a.

[0065] When pressurized air is supplied to the aspirator 26 through the air supply pipe 27, a suction air current is generated in the suction pipe 25 toward the aspirator 26, and the separated matter taken in and recovered in the storage container 20 is carried by the suction air current and drawn into the aspirator 26, where it merges with the pressurized air passing through the aspirator 26 and is discharged through the exhaust pipe 28.

[0066] The operating mode of the air pressure supply device that supplies and circulates pressurized air to the suction device 26 can be set in various ways. For example, the air pressure supply device may be controlled to supply pressurized air for a fixed period of time at a predetermined cycle, or pressurized air may be constantly supplied during the metering operation to continuously suck and discharge the separated material.

[0067] Here, the exhaust pipe 28 functions as a discharge pipe for the separated material, and the discharge end of the exhaust pipe 28 extends to the separated material recovery section.

[0068] As a separated matter collection section, for example, as shown by the phantom line in Figure 1, a structure can be used in which the discharge end of the exhaust pipe 28 is simply connected to a collection container 32 and the separated matter is collected from the exhaust gas in the collection container 32.

[0069] According to this embodiment, the supply hopper 9 and the weighing hopper 10 can be supplied with items after removing excess separated matter such as seasonings, which prevents the separated matter from adhering and accumulating on the inner surface of the weighing hopper and also prevents the separated matter from growing into clumps and falling off, thereby reducing weighing accuracy.

[0070] Other Embodiments The present invention can also be implemented in the following forms.

[0071] (1) The number, length, parallel pitch, and height of the ribs 15, as well as the shape of the ribs 15, can be set according to the size and properties of the articles to be conveyed. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, by making the upper ends of the ribs 15 convexly curved, it is possible to reduce contact with the articles and to prevent damage to the articles caused by the angular upper edges of the ribs 15 and peeling of the seasoning from the surfaces of the articles.

[0072] (2) As shown in FIG. 11, depending on the properties of the article, protrusions 15 of different heights may be provided in parallel.

[0073] (3) As a means for connecting and fixing the protrusions 15 to the trough bottom plate 7a, as in the above embodiment, welding is performed from the back surface of the trough 7 so that the welded parts are not exposed on the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 7a, which serves as the conveying passage of the trough 7. This is an excellent form for cleanability, but a simpler form may be used in which the protrusions 15 are connected and fixed to the bottom plate portion 7a of the trough 7 by fillet welding.

[0074] In this case, fillet welding can be easily performed by providing small pin-like protrusions at multiple locations on the lower side of the ribs 15 and inserting them into connecting holes formed in the bottom plate 7a of the trough 7 to position the ribs 15. The connecting holes may or may not be through holes.

[0075] (4) The protrusions 15 are not limited to a strip material, but may be made of a round bar material.

[0076] (5) In the above embodiment, a combination weigher having a plurality of weighing units arranged in a ring is exemplified, but the present invention can also be applied to a combination weigher having a plurality of weighing units arranged in a horizontal row. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 7 Trough 7a Bottom plate part 7a1 flat area 7a2 slope 8 Straight feeder 9 Supply hopper 10 Weighing hopper 15 protrusion 15a protrusion 17 Connection hole 20 Containment Container f Flat bottom s Sloping bottom edge

Claims

[Claim 1] A combination weigher comprising a dispersion feeder (6) for conveying articles to be fed to a peripheral portion, a plurality of straight feeders (8) arranged around the dispersion feeder (6) for vibratingly conveying the articles fed by the dispersion feeder (6) outward, a plurality of supply hoppers (9) provided corresponding to each of the straight feeders (8) for temporarily holding and discharging the articles fed from each of the straight feeders (8), and a plurality of weighing hoppers (10) provided corresponding to each of the supply hoppers (9) for temporarily holding and weighing the articles discharged from the supply hoppers (9), comprising a trough (7) for the straight feeders (8), The conveying passage (P) is formed in an inverted trapezoidal shape with a wide width and a large cross-sectional area, and is made up of a bottom plate (7a) having a constant width over the entire length in the conveying direction of the articles, a pair of opposing side plate (7b, 7c) erected on both sides of the bottom plate (7a), and a back plate (7d) erected on the starting end of the bottom plate (7a) in the conveying direction of the articles to prevent the articles from dropping out, The bottom plate portion (7a) has a flat portion (7a1) whose upper surface is flat over the entire surface, and a back plate portion (7d) extending from the starting end of the flat portion (7a1) in the article conveying direction to the back plate portion (7d) on the upstream side of the conveying direction. It has a gently inclined portion (7a2) that slopes upward, A plurality of protrusions (15) made of a metal strip material extending along the article conveying direction are provided in parallel in the width direction of the trough (7) on the upper surface of the bottom plate portion (7a) which forms the bottom surface of the conveying passage (P), The plurality of protrusions (15) have flat lower side portions (f) that are aligned with the flat portion (7a1) of the bottom plate portion (7a) of the trough (7) and inclined lower side portions (s) that are aligned with the inclined portion (7a2) of the bottom plate portion (7a), and the lower side portions of the lower ends of the plurality of protrusions (15) have a shape that is aligned with the flat portion (7a1) and the inclined portion (7a2) of the bottom plate (7a) of the trough (7), The protrusions (15) are provided at a plurality of positions in the longitudinal direction of the lower side of the protrusions (15), with protruding pieces (15a) that are long in the longitudinal direction of the protrusions (15), A plurality of slit-shaped connecting holes (17) extending in the conveying direction of the articles into which the protrusions (15a) are inserted are formed through the flat portion (7a1) and the inclined portion (7a2) of the bottom plate portion (7a) of the trough (7), Each of the protrusions (15) is inserted into each of the connecting holes (17), and with the protrusions (15) positioned and erected, the insertion and connection points are welded from the back side, i.e., the lower surface side, of the bottom plate portion (7a) of the trough (7), so that the protrusions (15a) are welded and connected to the bottom plate portion (7a); The intervals between the plurality of ridges (15) in the width direction are narrower than the size of the articles to be fed, and the articles are received and supported on the upper end edges of the plurality of ridges (15) while being vibrated and conveyed, and separated materials such as seasonings that have separated from the articles pass between the plurality of ridges (15) and fall onto the upper surface of the bottom plate portion (7a) while being vibrated and conveyed. A trough for a linear feeder characterized by:

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