Distributing Table Projecting Portion Prevents Adhesive Object Retention

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Solution Overview

Problem

In combination weighing apparatuses, objects with adhesiveness, such as meat, tend to remain inside the distributing portion, leading to maintenance issues due to failure in conveying, which affects the apparatus's efficiency.

Innovation Solution

The distributing portion is designed with a projecting portion below its outer edge, preventing objects from entering the inside, and incorporating spacer members to fill gaps and enhance rigidity, ensuring secure conveyance even during rotation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the distributing portion conveys weighed objects with adhesiveness, then the conveying function is required, but the weighed objects tend to enter inside the distributing portion and remain, lowering maintainability

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovemaintainabilityVSAvoidconveying reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The distributing portion is segmented by adding a projecting portion that divides the conveying face into an outer edge portion and an inner portion. This segmentation prevents weighed objects with adhesiveness from entering the inner portion, eliminating the problem of objects remaining inside while maintaining conveying function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The projecting portion acts as an intermediary structure between the conveying face and the inner portion of the distributing portion. It serves as a physical barrier that mediates the flow of weighed objects, directing them toward the outer edge portion while preventing entry into the inner portion, thus solving the maintaining issue.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If the distributing portion rotates to convey weighed objects, then conveying efficiency is improved, but weighed objects are more likely to be pulled into the inside and remain

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconveying efficiencyVSAvoidobject remaining inside
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The rotating distributing portion is segmented by the projecting portion, creating distinct zones. During rotation, this segmentation ensures that weighed objects are guided along the outer edge portion and prevented from being pulled into the inner portion, maintaining conveying efficiency while eliminating the harmful effect of objects remaining inside.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The projecting portion provides preliminary anti-action by creating a physical barrier before weighed objects can be pulled into the inner portion during rotation. This preventive structure counteracts the tendency of adhesive objects to enter the inner portion, resolving the contradiction between rotation efficiency and object remaining.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

3Ease of operation

If a projecting portion is added to prevent weighed objects from entering inside, then maintainability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovemaintainabilityVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of modifying the entire distributing portion, the projecting portion is added only at the critical outer edge region where weighed objects transition from the conveying face to the inner portion. This local modification improves maintainability without significantly increasing overall device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

Rather than trying to prevent objects from entering the inner portion through complex mechanisms, the invention inverts the approach by creating a simple projecting barrier that naturally guides objects along the outer edge, achieving the prevention function with minimal structural addition.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentEP3171140B1Combination weighing device
Publication Date: 2019.09.18 ISHIDA CO LTD
  • EP3171140B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3171140B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3171140B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided is a combination weighing apparatus that can prevent a weighed object from remaining. A combination weighing apparatus 1 includes a distributing table 3 that has a conveying face 3a that conveys a weighed object and conveys the weighed object in a direction towards an outer edge portion 3e of the conveying face 3a and a plurality of conveying portions 5 arranged in a radial manner along the outer edge portion 3e of the distributing table 3 and convey the weighed object discharged from the distributing table 3, in which the distributing table 3 is provided with a projecting portion 40 lower than the conveying face 3a in the outer edge portion 3e of the conveying face 3a.