A weighing system with a manipulator arm

Abstract

The invention relates to a weighing system comprising a first silo (10) containing material in powder or granular form, at least one second silo (20) spaced from the first silo (10), a respective feed outlet (12, 22) provided on both the first silo (10) and the at least one second silo (20), and a transport unit (50) through which the material supplied from the feed outlets (12, 22) is conveyed. The weighing system further comprises a first dosing adjustment element (13) that doses the corresponding material at the feed outlet (12) of the first silo (10), at least one second dosing adjustment element (23) at the feed outlet (22) of the at least one second silo (20), and a manipulator arm (30) having a rotary tip (32) rotatably coupled with these dosing adjustment elements (13, 23).

Description

[0001] A WEIGHING SYSTEM WITH A MANIPULATOR ARM

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present invention relates to a weighing system that automatically prepares the desired mixture by weighing small amounts of additives in powder form from multiple silos via a single robotic arm.

[0004] STATE OF THE ART

[0005] Various weighing systems are used in all industries for weighing small amounts of additive / paint powder raw materials. In such systems, the number of silos corresponds to the number of additive / paint raw materials to be used; below these silos, screw feeders are employed; mixers inside the silo are used to facilitate material flow; and low-level sensors are used to detect when each silo is empty. As the number of raw materials increases, the number of the aforementioned motors and sensors also increases, requiring cable connections for each motor and sensor, which in turn complicates the control system. Because transporting these kinds of systems as a whole to a factory site is not possible, the entire system must be assembled on the factory site, and all connections must be made there. The prolonged installation and commissioning at the factory site significantly increase the cost of the system. Likewise, maintenance or interventions in the event of a malfunction become more difficult as the system becomes more complex.

[0006] CN115890614A1 discloses a manipulator specifically designed as a material-carrying robot. The disclosed invention includes a material-handling robot, a carrier drive device, a Mecanum wheel, a programmable logic processing device, a five-axis mechanical arm, and a clamping mechanism, the Mecanum wheel is installed on an output shaft of the carrier driving device, the programmable logic processing device is installed on the carrier driving device, the five- axis mechanical arm is installed on the programmable logic processing device, and the clamping mechanism is installed on the five-axis mechanical arm. A clamping mechanism is installed at the fifth position of a shaft of the five-shaft mechanical arm, the top of the carrier driving device is a plane table top capable of carrying objects, and the five-shaft mechanical arm can place clamped objects on the object carrying table top. According to the carrying robot, the top of the carrier driving device is expanded, so that the top becomes a table top capable of carrying objects, the five-axis mechanical arm grabs and places the materials on the object carrying table top, the materials and the five-axis mechanical arm can be transferred together after the rated object carrying weight is reached, the use scene of the carrying robot is expanded, and the carrying robot is more flexible in usability.

[0007] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The object of the invention is to render the weighing system simple, straightforward, compact, and modular.

[0009] In order to achieve the aforementioned objective, the invention relates to a weighing system comprising a first silo containing material in powder or granular form, at least one second silo spaced from the first silo, a respective feed outlet provided on both the first silo and at least one second silo, and a transport unit through which the raw material dosed from the feed outlets is conveyed. The weighing system includes a first dosing adjustment element for dosing the corresponding material at the feed outlet of the first silo, at least one second dosing adjustment element at the feed outlet of the at least one second silo, and a manipulator arm equipped with a rotary tip that is rotatably coupled together with these dosing adjustment elements. In this way, in the system subject to the invention, no motor or sensor is employed other than the robot arm, and therefore there are no cable connections in the system apart from the robot arm and the scale. Hence, the assembly of the system subject to the invention is greatly simplified, and the time for on-site installation and commissioning is shortened.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the dosing adjustment elements comprise a shaft and a screw (screw feeder) extending along the shaft. When the shaft is rotated, it drives material out of the feed outlet. Thus, the powdered raw material is discharged from the silo in controlled manner by moving the material toward the feed outlet.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the feed outlet of the first silo and the feed outlet of at least one second silo are located at the lower part of the silos. Thus, material supply is improved with the aid of gravity.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the manipulator arm comprises a proximity sensor configured to detect the output of the first or at least one second dosing adjustment element. In this way, the manipulator arm is aligned with the dosing adjustment element. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the manipulator arm is a six-axis robotic arm. This ensures a long service life for the manipulator arm, easy adaptation to different silo sizes and layouts, easy maintenance / service, and the possibility of providing remote service.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the system includes a control unit connected to the manipulator arm so as to transmit signals. Thus, the manipulator arm can be guided between the silos.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control unit comprises a memory unit containing a predefined recipe and a processor connected to the memory unit to allow signal transmission and configured to direct the manipulator arm to the first or at least one second silo corresponding to the recipe retrieved from the memory unit. In this way, parameters such as the speed and direction of the manipulator arm, as well as the total material weight, can be controlled based on the desired recipe information.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the processor is configured to calculate, according to the recipe in the memory unit, the rotation speed and amount of the rotary tip, and when the rotary tip is coupled to the dosing adjustment element, to rotate it at the calculated speed and amount. Thus, the desired gram weight of the material is dosed in line with the recipe.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, for more precise dosing, the rotary tip may rotate counterclockwise to operate a smaller screw feeder. Thus, the desired gram weight of the material is dosed in line with the recipe.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, if the torque force exerted by the rotary tip during dosing or mixing remains below a predetermined threshold value, the processor determines that the raw material is bridged within the silo (flow issue in the silo) or that the raw material in the silo is depleted. Thus, the manipulator arm also serves as a low-level sensor without requiring an additional sensor.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, in a dosing situation the rotary tip comprises an extension that fits into a hole. This facilitates coupling the rotary tip to the feeder and applying a rotational force, enabling controlled raw material dosing.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the system includes a mixing mode and a mixing element that extends transversely and rotatably inside the first and at least one second silo, wherein the mixing element can be coupled at its near end to the rotary tip. Thus, the material inside the silos can be mixed to prevent the material from sticking to the silo walls or forming a bridge, thereby ensuring proper emptying of the silo and proper dosing.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the mixing element comprises a shaft and at least one blade extending radially outward on the shaft. Thus, with rotation by the manipulator arm, the required mixing action is performed without needing an additional drive mechanism, providing ease of assembly and cost advantage within the system.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the system includes a weight measuring unit that measures the material discharged from the feed outlet of the first silo and / or at least one second silo. This unit can also be moved under the silo to be weighed by means of the manipulator arm. Hence, the transport operation is also solved without a separate mechanism to move the weight measuring unit. Thus, in accordance with a pre-prepared recipe, the weight values of the materials are determined, and the correct weight values are obtained according to the correct recipe.

[0022] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the weighing system subject to the invention.

[0024] Figure 2 is a schematic representation of an alternative embodiment of the weighing system subject to the invention.

[0025] Figure 3 is a top view of the first silo, the screw feeder beneath the silo, the mixer inside the silo, and the robot manipulator in the weighing system subject to the invention.

[0026] Figure 4 is section A-A of the first silo shown in Figure 3.

[0027] Figure 5 is a top view of the second silo in the weighing system subject to the invention.

[0028] Figure 6 is section A-A of the second silo shown in Figure 5.

[0029] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] In this detailed description, the invention is explained with references to examples purely to describe the subject matter more clearly and without implying any limitation.

[0031] Figure 1 presents a schematic representation of the weighing system subject to the invention. The weighing system includes a first silo (10) for storing material in powder or granular form. The necessary materials are supplied into the first silo (10) through a feed inlet (14). The feed inlet (14) is provided on an upper wall of the silo. The raw materials supplied through the feed inlet (14) are discharged from a feed outlet (12). The feed outlet (12) of the first silo (10) extends outward. A second silo (20), aligned along the same radial axis as the first silo (10), is located adjacent to it. The second silo (20) is geometrically similar to the first silo (10), although they may differ in size. The necessary materials are supplied into the second silo (20) through a feed inlet (24). The feed inlet (24) is provided on the upper wall of the silo (20). The raw materials supplied through the feed inlet (24) are discharged from a feed outlet (22). The feed outlet (22) of the second silo (20) extends outward. A manipulator arm (30) is positioned at the center of the radial axis of the first silo (10) and the at least one second silo (20). The manipulator arm (30) is a six-axis robotic arm. The manipulator arm (30) moves radially between the first silo (10) and the at least one second silo (20). By moving a transport unit (50) between the feed outlets (12, 22) of the first silo (10) and the second silo (20), the manipulator arm (30) transfers the materials supplied from the first and second silos (10, 20). A weight measuring unit (40) is located within the transport unit (50) to measure the total weight of the materials gathered therein. A control unit (60) directs the radial movements of the manipulator arm (30) including moving the transport unit (50) between the silos (10, 20) and taking it to the weight measuring unit (40). The control unit (60) includes a memory unit (64) that holds recipe information. A processor (62) within the control unit (60) controls the commands that move the manipulator arm (30) in accordance with the recipe stored in the memory unit (64). The manipulator arm (30) is fixed on a base (70). The base (70) includes a carrier frame (72) extending outward and carrying the silos (10, 20) so they are adjacent to each other.

[0032] Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of an alternative embodiment of the weighing system subject to the invention. In this alternative embodiment, three manipulator arms (30) are positioned around the weight measuring units (40) at 120-degree intervals. Silos (10, 20) are arranged around the manipulator arms (30). When the required recipe information is entered into the control unit (60), the processor (62) moves each of the manipulator arms (30) separately. A feed outlet (12, 22) shown in Figure 1 is located on a front wall (16, 26) of the silos (10, 20). Feed inlets (14, 24) shown in Figure 1 are provided on top of the silos (10, 20). The front wall (16, 26) of the silos (10, 20) is narrower compared to the rear wall (18, 28), ensuring maximum capacity in terms of the area it occupies.

[0033] Figure 3 shows a top view of the first silo in the weighing system subject to the invention. A first dosing adjustment element (13) is located at the feed outlet (12) of the first silo (10). The first dosing adjustment element (13) includes a shaft (132) and multiple screws (134) arranged at intervals on the shaft (132). The first dosing adjustment element (13) is detected by a proximity sensor (34) on the manipulator arm (30). After detecting the first dosing adjustment element (13), a rotary tip (32) of the manipulator arm (30) is coupled to the first dosing adjustment element (13). The first dosing adjustment element (13) is rotatably coupled to at least one hole (132) provided on the feed outlet (12) and to an outward extension (322) of the rotary tip (32). Once coupled, the shaft (132) inside the first dosing adjustment element (13) is rotated by the rotary tip (32) of the manipulator arm (30), and the screws (134) on the shaft (132) deliver material from the feed outlet (12) to the transport unit (40). The amount of material delivered from the feed outlet (12) is determined to be 2-25 g / min. The torque value to be applied by the rotary tip (32) is determined by the processor (62) based on a predefined threshold value stored in the memory unit (64) within the control unit (60) shown in Figure 1. For example, if 6 g of material from within the first silo (10) is required, the processor (62) rotates the rotary tip (32) and the screw, measuring the discharged raw material’s weight, to supply 6 g of material from the first silo (10) into the transport unit (40).

[0034] Figure 4 shows section A-A of the first silo illustrated in Figure 3. Inside the first silo (10), a mixing element (15) is located at a distance from the first dosing adjustment element (13). The mixing element (15) extends transversely and rotatably within the first silo (10). The mixing element (15) includes a shaft (152) that extends transversely and multiple blades (154) arranged at intervals on the shaft (152). A near end (156) of the mixing element (15) can be coupled to the rotary tip (32) of the manipulator arm (30). After the manipulator arm (30) couples with the first dosing adjustment element (13), if the torque force applied by the processor (62) remains below the torque threshold value in the memory unit (64), or if insufficient raw material flows into the weighing container, the processor (62) interprets this as “no flow” or “no material,” prompting the manipulator arm (30) to disengage from the first dosing adjustment element (13). The manipulator arm (30), having disengaged from the first dosing adjustment element (13), then couples with the near end (156) of the mixing element (15) to rotate the mixing element (15). As the mixing element (15) rotates, the blades (154) on the shaft (152) direct the material inside the first silo (10) toward the feed outlet (12). If, after coupling the manipulator arm (30) with the mixing element (15), the torque force applied by the processor (62) remains below the torque threshold value in the memory unit (64), a “no material” warning is issued, indicating the silo should be refilled.

[0035] Figure 5 shows a top view of the second silo in the weighing system subject to the invention. A second dosing adjustment element (23) is located at the feed outlet (22) of the second silo (20). The second dosing adjustment element (23) includes a shaft (232) and multiple screws (234) arranged at intervals on the shaft (232). The second dosing adjustment element (23) is detected by a proximity sensor (34) on the manipulator arm (30). After detecting the second dosing adjustment element (23), a rotary tip (32) of the manipulator arm (30) is coupled to the second dosing adjustment element (23). The second dosing adjustment element (23) is rotatably coupled to at least one hole (232) provided on the feed outlet (22) and to an outward extension (322) of the rotary tip (32). Once coupled, the shaft (232) inside the second dosing adjustment element (23) is rotated by the rotary tip (32) of the manipulator arm (30), and the screws (234) on the shaft (232) deliver material from the feed outlet (22) to the transport unit (40). The amount of material delivered from the feed outlet (22) is determined to be 2-25 g / min. The torque value to be applied by the rotary tip (32) is determined by the processor (62) based on a predefined threshold value stored in the memory unit (64) within the control unit (60) shown in Figure 1. For example, if 6 g of material from within the second silo (20) is required, the processor (62) rotates the rotary tip (32) and the screw, measuring the discharged raw material’s weight, to supply 6 g of material from the second silo (20) into the transport unit (40).

[0036] Figure 6 shows section A-A of the second silo illustrated in Figure 5. Inside the second silo (20), a mixing element (25) is located at a distance from the second dosing adjustment element (23). The mixing element (25) extends transversely and rotatably within the second silo (20). The mixing element (25) includes a shaft (252) that extends transversely and multiple blades (254) arranged at intervals on the shaft (252). A near end (256) of the mixing element (25) can be coupled to the rotary tip (32) of the manipulator arm (30). After the manipulator arm (30) couples with the second dosing adjustment element (23), if the torque force applied by the processor (62) remains below the torque threshold value in the memory unit (64), or if insufficient raw material flows into the weighing container, the processor (62) interprets this as “no flow” or “no material,” prompting the manipulator arm (30) to disengage from the second dosing adjustment element (23). The manipulator arm (30), having disengaged from the second dosing adjustment element (23), then couples with the near end (256) of the mixing element (25) to rotate the mixing element (25). As the mixing element (25) rotates, the blades (254) on the shaft (252) direct the material inside the second silo (20) toward the feed outlet (22). If, after coupling the manipulator arm (30) with the mixing element (25), the torque force applied by the processor (62) remains below the torque threshold value in the memory unit (64), a “no material” warning is issued, indicating the silo should be refilled.

[0037] REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0038] 10 First Silo 20 Second Silo

[0039] 12 Feed Outlet 22 Feed Outlet

[0040] 122 Hole 222 Hole

[0041] 13 First Dosing Adjustment Element 23 Second Dosing Adjustment Element

[0042] 132 Shaft 232 Shaft

[0043] 134 Screw 234 Screw

[0044] 14 Feed Inlet 24 Feed Inlet

[0045] 15 Mixing Element 25 Mixing Element 152 Shaft 252 Shaft

[0046] 154 Blade 254 Blade

[0047] 156 Near End 256 Near End

[0048] 16 Front Wall 26 Front Wall 18 Rear Wall 28 Rear Wall

[0049] 30 Manipulator Arm

[0050] 32 Rotary Tip

[0051] 322 Extension

[0052] 34 Proximity Sensor 40 Weight Measuring Unit

[0053] 50 Transport Unit

[0054] 60 Control Unit

[0055] 62 Processor

[0056] 64 Memory Unit 70 Base

[0057] 72 Carrier Frame

Claims

CLAIMS1 . A weighing system comprising a first silo (10) containing material in powder or granular form, at least one second silo (20) spaced from the first silo (10), a respective feed outlet (12, 22) provided on the first silo (10) and on the at least one second silo (20), and a transport unit (50) through which the material dosed from the feed outlets (12, 22) is conveyed, characterized in that the weighing system further comprises a first dosing adjustment element (13) that doses the corresponding material at the feed outlet (12) of the first silo (10) and at least one second dosing adjustment element (23) at the feed outlet (22) of the at least one second silo (20), and a manipulator arm (30) having a rotary tip (32) that is rotatably coupled with these dosing adjustment elements (13, 23).

2. The weighing system according to Claim 1 , wherein the dosing adjustment elements (13, 23) comprise a shaft (132, 232) and a screw (134, 234) extending along the shaft (132, 232), wherein rotation of the shaft (132, 232) drives the material out from the feed outlet (12, 22).

3. The weighing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the feed outlet (12) of the first silo (10) and the feed outlet (22) of the at least one second silo (20) are located in the lower part of the silos (10, 20).

4. The weighing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the manipulator arm (30) is having a proximity sensor (34) configured to detect the output of the first or at least one second dosing adjustment element (13, 23).

5. The weighing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the manipulator arm (30) is a six-axis robotic arm.

6. The weighing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a control unit (60) is connected to the manipulator arm (30) so as to transmit signals.

7. The weighing system according to Claim 6, wherein the control unit (60) comprises a memory unit (64) holding a predefined recipe and a processor (62) configured, in communication with the memory unit (64) to allow signal transmission, to direct the manipulator arm (30) to the first or at least one second silo (10, 20) corresponding to the recipe retrieved from the memory unit (64).

8. The weighing system according to Claims 6-7, wherein the processor (62) is configured to calculate the rotation speed and amount of the rotary tip (32) in accordance with therecipe stored in the memory unit (64) and to rotate it by the calculated speed and amount when the rotary tip (32) is coupled to the dosing adjustment element (13, 23).

9. The weighing system according to Claims 6-8, wherein the processor (62) is configured to produce a “no material” signal if the torque force applied by the rotary tip (32) remains below a predetermined threshold value.

10. The weighing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein in a dosing situation, the rotary tip (32) includes an extension (322) that fits into a hole (122, 222).11 . The weighing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a mixing mode and a mixing element (15, 25) are extending transversely and rotatably inside the first and at least one second silo (10, 20), which can be coupled at a near end (156) to the rotary tip (32).

12. The weighing system according to Claim 11 , wherein the mixing element (15, 25) comprises a shaft (152, 252) and at least one blade (154, 254) extending radially outward on the shaft (152, 252).

13. The weighing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a weight measuring unit (40) measure the material dosed from the feed outlet (12, 22) of the first silo (10) and / or at least one second silo (20).

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