JP7650604B2 - Hopper and combination weigher equipped with same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a hopper that stores and discharges items by opening and closing a gate, and a combination weigher equipped with the same.

A typical combination weighing machine is configured so that multiple linear feeders are arranged around a dispersion feeder that radially distributes and transports items supplied from above the center, and then transports the distributed and transported items further outward, supplying items to multiple weighing units arranged corresponding to each linear feeder.

The weighing unit includes a supply hopper that temporarily stores and discharges items supplied from the linear feeder, and a weighing hopper that stores the items discharged from the supply hopper and weighs them.

The combination scale performs a combination calculation to select a combination of weighing hoppers from which an item should be discharged, that is, a combination weight, which is the total weight of the weights of the items in the weighing hoppers, within a predetermined weight range based on the target combination weight, as an appropriate combination, which is a combination of weighing hoppers from which an item should be discharged. The scale is configured to discharge items from each of the weighing hoppers of the appropriate combination selected by this combination calculation, temporarily store the discharged items within the predetermined weight range in a collection hopper, and discharge them to the packaging device based on a supply request command from the packaging device.

If the item being weighed is sticky, the item may remain attached to the inner surface of the hopper that comes into contact with the item, for example, the inner surface of a weighing hopper. In such a case, the weight of the item discharged from the weighing hopper may not be within the specified weight range, which may result in an incorrect weighing.

In order to prevent articles from adhering to the inner surface of the hopper, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a hopper whose inner surface is made of mesh. In addition to making the inner surface of the hopper into a mesh shape, it is also common to emboss or coat the inner surface of the hopper.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-55545

However, the mesh inside the hopper is prone to clogging with items, and when clogging occurs, it becomes difficult to wash away the items during cleaning.

In embossing, many protrusions are formed, to which objects tend to adhere, while in coating, the contact area with the object is large, making it difficult to sufficiently prevent the object from adhering.

The present invention was made with this in mind, and aims to provide a hopper that can effectively prevent items from sticking to it, and a combination weigher equipped with the same.

In order to achieve the above objective, the present invention is configured as follows:

(1) The hopper according to the present invention is a hopper that stores and discharges downwardly supplied articles, and is equipped with a cylindrical hopper body and a gate that opens and closes the lower end opening of the hopper body. A number of ridges extending in the direction of the downward flow of the articles are arranged in parallel on the inner surface of the gate, and the cross-sectional shape of each ridge is a curved shape with a convex curved apex.

According to the hopper of the present invention, multiple ridges are arranged in parallel on the inner surface of the gate, extending in the direction in which the articles flow downward, so that articles supplied to the hopper are received and supported in a point-like or linear manner by the curved tops of the convex curves of the ridges. In other words, the articles are supported by the multiple ridges on the inner surface of the gate with a small contact area, which prevents the articles from adhering to the inner surface of the gate.

In addition, because multiple ridges are arranged in parallel, when cleaning the hopper, cleaning water can flow smoothly along the ridges, and even if any deposits remain, they can be washed away reliably and easily.

(2) In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the protrusion is made of a rod having a curved cross-sectional shape with a convex curved apex.

In this embodiment, the ridges are made from bar material, so they can be manufactured more cheaply than when a die is used to press the gate and form multiple ridges in parallel.

(3) In one embodiment of the present invention, two or more types of protrusions having different heights are arranged in parallel.

In this embodiment, two or more types of ribs with different heights are arranged in parallel, so that the article support surface connecting the tops of the convex curves of the multiple ribs in the hopper width direction varies in height. This allows articles to be received and supported by the tops of the convex curves of the multiple ribs at various heights and positions. When the gate is quickly opened, articles at various heights and positions are smoothly separated by static inertia from the tops of the convex curves of the multiple ribs that extend along the direction in which the articles flow, and are then dropped and discharged.

(4) In another embodiment of the present invention, the protrusion is made of two types of round bar material with different diameters.

According to this embodiment, a protrusion with a convex curved apex of the desired height can be easily constructed using inexpensively available round bar material.

(5) In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the support plate having the plurality of ribs arranged in parallel is removably attached to the gate to form the inner surface.

In this embodiment, multiple support plates with different parallel pitches and heights of the ridges are prepared in advance to correspond to the size and properties of the article, and the support plates can be replaced and installed according to changes in the type of article, thereby providing an optimal adhesion suppression function corresponding to the article.

(6) A combination weigher according to the present invention is a combination weigher including a dispersion feeder that radially disperses and conveys supplied articles, a plurality of linear feeders that convey the dispersed and conveyed articles outward, a plurality of supply hoppers that store and discharge the articles conveyed by each linear feeder, a plurality of weighing hoppers that weigh the articles discharged from each supply hopper, a collection chute that collects and discharges the articles discharged from the weighing hoppers, and a collection hopper that stores and discharges the articles discharged from the collection chute,
At least one of the supply hopper, the weighing hopper and the collecting hopper is any one of the hoppers (1) to (5) described above.

The combination weigher of the present invention effectively prevents items from sticking to the hopper, allowing for highly accurate combination weighing.

In this way, the present invention can provide a hopper that can effectively prevent articles from adhering to the inner surface of the gate and is easy to clean, as well as a combination weigher equipped with the same.

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional front view showing a schematic configuration of a combination weigher according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a collecting hopper according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional front view of the collecting hopper of FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the outer gate of the collecting hopper. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the outer gate of the collecting hopper. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the inner gate of the collecting hopper. FIG. 9 is a plan view of the inner gate of the collecting hopper. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view showing an outer gate of a collecting hopper according to another embodiment.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional front view showing the schematic configuration of a combination weigher according to one embodiment of the present invention. The combination weigher of this embodiment weighs and discharges a predetermined amount of various foods and other items, and is installed on floor surface F and used in a packaging line where the weighed items are fed into a packaging device (not shown) below and packed into bags.

A hollow base 1 with a vertically penetrating central opening is installed on the floor surface F, and above the center, a hollow center base 2 formed in the shape of a polygonal short pillar is supported by multiple legs 3.

A dispersion feeder 4 is installed above the center of the center base 2, which places items dropped and supplied from a supply conveyor (not shown) on a vibration-driven top cone 4a and distributes and transports them radially. Surrounding this dispersion feeder 4 are multiple linear feeders 5 that place the dispersed and transported items on vibration-driven troughs 5a and transport them in a straight line outward.

Furthermore, the outer peripheral wall of the center base 2 is equipped with a supply hopper 6 that temporarily stores and discharges items from each linear feeder 5, and a weighing hopper 7 that weighs the weight of the items discharged from each supply hopper 6. The linear feeders 5, supply hoppers 6, and weighing hoppers 7 form a series of multiple weighing units that combine and weigh and discharge the items.

Below each weighing hopper 7, there is a collection chute 8 for collecting items discharged from multiple weighing hoppers 7 selected by combination calculation so as to fall within a specified weight range. Below this collection chute 8, there is a collection funnel 9 for further collecting items that have slid down from the collection chute 8. Furthermore, below the collection funnel 9, there is a collection hopper 10 that temporarily receives and stores the items collected by the collection funnel 9 and discharges them based on a supply request command from the packaging device, and is supported by a support frame 11 disposed below the hollow base 1.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the collection hopper 10, and Figure 3 is a longitudinal front view of the same.

The collecting hopper 10 is configured to open and close the bottom of the hopper in a double-door manner by pivotally connecting a gate 13 that can rotate around a fulcrum p and a gate 14 that can rotate around a fulcrum q to a rectangular cylindrical hopper body 12 that is open at the top and bottom. The collecting hopper 10 is detachably connected and supported to the support frame 11 via a mounting bracket 12a that protrudes from the outside of the upper part of the hopper body 12.

Both gates 13, 14 are made of stainless steel plate, and as shown in Figures 4 and 8, side plate portions 13b, 14b are bent upright from both ends of flat bottom plate portions 13a, 14a. The width of one gate 13 is set slightly larger than the width of the other gate 14, so that when the hopper is closed, the side plate portion 13a of one gate 13 embraces the side plate portion 14a of the other gate 14 from the outside. In the following description, one gate 13 will be called the outer gate, and the other gate 14 will be called the inner gate.

The outer surfaces of the side plate portions 13b, 14b of both gates 13, 14 are provided with fulcrum bosses 13c, 14c for connection to the hopper body 12 and connecting shafts 13d, 14d, respectively.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, an operating protrusion 15 is provided on the outer surface of the bottom plate portion 13a of the outer gate 13. This operating protrusion 15 is linked to a drive unit (not shown) mounted on the support frame 11, and is designed to be opened and closed. By attaching a link 16 across both gates 13 and 14, the inner gate 14 is opened and closed in conjunction with the opening and closing of the outer gate 13, as shown by the phantom line in Figure 3.

In this embodiment, in order to prevent highly sticky items, such as dried pickled plums sprinkled with sugar, from adhering to the gates 13 and 14 of the collecting hopper 10, both gates 13 and 14 are provided with an adhesion prevention structure, which will be described below.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the outer gate 13, Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 5, and Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Figure 5.

As shown in Figures 4 to 7, two types of protrusions 17, 18 of different heights are fixed in parallel to the inner surface of the bottom plate portion 13a of the outer gate 13, alternating in the gate width direction. The protrusions 17, 18 are fixed in parallel to each other at a pitch that leaves gaps between them. Stainless steel round bars of different diameters are used for the protrusions 17, 18, and each is welded to the bottom plate portion 13a at multiple points in the longitudinal direction.

Each of the ridges 17, 18 extends in the direction of the downstream flow of the articles as indicated by the arrow D1 in FIG. 3, and has a length extending from the upper end to the lower end of the outer gate 13. The cross-sectional shape of each of the ridges 17, 18 has a curved shape with a convex curved apex, and in this embodiment, the apex is arc-shaped as shown in FIG. 7.

Figure 9 is a plan view of the inner gate 14, Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C in Figure 9, and Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D in Figure 9.

As shown in Figures 8 to 11, two types of protrusions 19, 20 of different heights are fixed in parallel, alternating at a fixed pitch in the width direction of the gate, on the inner surface of the bottom plate portion 14a of the inner gate 14. Similar to those of the outer gate 13, these protrusions 19, 20 are stainless steel round bars of different diameters that are arranged in parallel, alternating at a pitch that leaves gaps between them, and are welded to the bottom plate portion 14a at multiple points in the longitudinal direction.

Each of the ridges 19, 20 extends in the direction of the downstream flow of the articles as indicated by the arrow D2 in FIG. 3, and has a length extending from the upper end to the lower end of the inner gate 14. The cross-sectional shape of each of the ridges 19, 20 has a curved shape with a convex curved apex, and in this embodiment, the apex is arc-shaped as shown in FIG. 11.

In this embodiment, the diameter (height) of the higher ridges 17, 19 and 19, 20 is, for example, about 6 mm, the diameter (height) of the lower ridges 18, 20 is, for example, about 4 mm, and the parallel pitch is, for example, about 7 mm.

In this embodiment, when the weighed goods are collected and stored in the collecting hopper 10, the inner surfaces of both gates 13, 14 are formed into a vertical lattice shape along the flow direction of the goods by the parallel protrusions 17, 18 and the group of 19, 20. As a result, the goods are received and supported in a point or line shape by the arc-shaped tops of the protrusions 17, 18 and the group of 19, 20. In other words, the goods are supported by the protrusions 17, 18 and the group of 19, 20 with a small contact area, which reduces the area of contact of the goods with the inner gate surface and suppresses adhesion of the goods.

In addition, because two types of protrusions 17, 18 and 19, 20 of different heights are arranged in parallel in an alternating manner, the article support surface connecting the arc-shaped top groups of protrusions 17, 18 and 19, 20 in the hopper width direction is wavy with repeated height changes, and articles are received and supported by the arc-shaped top groups at various heights and positions.

When gates 13 and 14 are rapidly opened, objects at various heights and positions are smoothly released by static inertia from the arc-shaped peaks that extend along the direction of the objects' flow and are then dropped out.

In addition, the ribs 17, 18, and the groups 19, 20 are arranged in parallel to form a vertical tray shape, so that when cleaning the collection hopper 10, cleaning water can flow smoothly along the ribs 17, 18, and the groups 19, 20, and even if any deposits remain, they can be washed away reliably and easily.

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

(1) Figure 12 shows another embodiment of the outer gate 13. That is, the ribs 17, 18 can be arranged in parallel on a support plate 21, and the support plate 21 can be attached to the bottom surface 13a of the gate 13 via a flat head screw 22 and a nut 23. Although not shown, the inner gate 14 can also be configured in the same way as above.

With this configuration, multiple specifications of support plates 21 with different parallel pitches and heights (diameter of the round bar material) of the groups of ridges 17, 18 are prepared in advance to correspond to the size and properties of the goods to be weighed, and by replacing and attaching the support plates 21 according to changes in the type of goods, it is possible to achieve an optimal adhesion suppression function corresponding to the goods.

(2) In the above embodiment, two types of ridges of different heights are alternately arranged on the inner surface of the gate, but they do not have to be alternated. Also, one type of ridge of the same height may be arranged, or three or more types of ridges of different heights may be arranged.

(3) In the above embodiment, the present invention is exemplified as being applied to a collection hopper 10 that finally stores and discharges items after they have been weighed, but it can also be applied to a weighing hopper 7 or a supply hopper 6. It can also be applied to a memory hopper that stores and discharges items discharged from a weighing hopper, which is provided to increase the number of hoppers that are the subject of combination calculations.

(4) The hopper in the above embodiment is one in which the inner and outer gates open and close in a double-leaf manner, but it can also be applied to one in which a single gate opens and closes in a single-leaf manner. In a hopper in which a single-leaf gate faces the inclined side wall of the hopper body, it is advisable to provide a group of ribs in the above configuration in parallel on the inner surface of the inclined side wall of the hopper body.

(5) The rod material forming the ridges 17, 18, 19, 20 is not limited to those with a circular cross section, but may have a curved shape with a convex curved top. For example, a rod material with a semi-elliptical cross section cut along the short axis, or a rod material with a semi-elliptical cross section cut along the long axis, may be attached in such a way that the cut flat surface is joined to the bottom of the gate or the support plate.

(6) In the above embodiment, a combination weighing machine with multiple weighing units arranged in a ring shape is exemplified, but the present invention can also be applied to a combination weighing machine with multiple weighing units arranged in parallel in a horizontal row.

6 Supply hopper 7 Weighing hopper 10 Collection hopper 12 Hopper body 13 Gate (outer gate)
14 Gate (inner gate)
17 Projection 18 Projection 19 Projection 20 Projection 21 Support plate

Claims (4)

A hopper that stores and discharges the supplied items downward,
The hopper has a cylindrical body and a gate for opening and closing a bottom opening of the hopper body.
A plurality of protrusions extending along the downstream direction of the article are arranged in parallel on the inner surface of the gate,
The cross-sectional shape of each protrusion is a curved shape having a convex curved apex,
The protrusion is formed of a rod having a cross-sectional shape with a convex curved apex ,
Two or more types of protrusions having different heights are arranged in parallel.
The hopper according to claim 1, The protrusions are made of two types of round bar materials having different diameters.
2. The hopper of claim 1 . The support plate on which the plurality of ribs are arranged in parallel is detachably attached to the gate to form the inner surface.
3. A hopper according to claim 1 or 2 . A combination weigher comprising: a dispersion feeder that radially disperses and conveys supplied articles; a plurality of linear feeders that convey the dispersed and conveyed articles outward; a plurality of supply hoppers that store and discharge the articles conveyed by each linear feeder; a plurality of weighing hoppers that weigh the articles discharged from each supply hopper; a collection chute that collects and discharges the articles discharged from the weighing hoppers; and a collection hopper that stores and discharges the articles discharged from the collection chute,
4. A combination weigher, wherein at least one of the supply hopper, the weighing hopper and the collecting hopper is the hopper according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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