Dispensing – Motor operated outlet element
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-15
2003-09-23
Mancene, Gene (Department: 3754)
Dispensing
Motor operated outlet element
C222S063000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06622894
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention pertains to a material supply and discharge apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a material supply and discharge apparatus having incorporated therein a hopper for temporarily holding a upwardly supplied material, and then, discharging the material from a downward discharge port.
BACKGROUND ART
A packaging system for automatically packing a variety of materials in bags in a predetermined weight incorporates a combination weighing device for weighing separate materials sequentially supplied from the outside in combination.
FIG. 9A
is a schematic cross section showing a configuration of this combination weighing device.
That is, a funnel
3
for collecting separate materials
2
such as confectionery or caramel, for example, supplied from the outside is arranged upwardly of a reverse cone shaped frame
1
.
Materials
2
collected by this funnel
3
are dispersed in a radiation manner by means of a dispersion feeder
4
provided at the lower part of the funnel
3
. The thus dispersed materials are then supplied to stock hoppers
6
(only two hoppers shown) arranged along the peripheral face of the reverse cone shaped frame
1
by means of a plurality of forwarding feeders
5
arranged in a radiation manner on the frame
1
.
The materials
2
supplied to stock hoppers
6
are temporarily held on these stock hoppers
6
. Then, as shown in
FIG. 9B
described later, a shutter
10
provided at the bottom of each of these stock hoppers
6
is released, whereby the supplied materials are moved to a plurality of weighing hoppers
7
(only two hoppers shown) provided downwardly of each of the stock hoppers
6
.
The weight of each of the materials
2
moved to these weighing hoppers
7
is weighed for each of weighing hoppers
7
.
That is, the weight of each of the materials
2
carried inside of a respective one of a plurality of weighing hoppers
7
is weighed by a respective one of the plurality of weighing hoppers
7
arranged along the peripheral face of the reverse cone shaped frame
1
.
Thereafter, there are selected each of the weighing hoppers
7
housing the materials
2
each of which a total of weight values obtained by combining the weight values of the materials
2
for the weighing hoppers
7
each coincides with a predetermined weight value or is within the range of a predetermined tolerance.
As shown in
FIG. 9B
described later, the shutters
10
each provided at the bottom of each of the selected weighing hoppers
7
are released, whereby the materials
2
each are guided to a collection shoot
8
provided downwardly of each of the weighing hoppers
7
.
Therefore, a bag (not shown) is placed downwardly of this collection shoot
8
, whereby the materials
2
are housed in that bag by the predetermined weight value, and are automatically packed.
FIG. 9B
is a schematic cross section of each of the stock hoppers
6
and each of the weighing hoppers
7
.
The stock hoppers
6
each and the weighing hoppers
7
each have a receptacle port
9
for the materials
2
at the upper end, and have a discharge port
11
for the materials formed at the lower end.
The previously described shutter
10
for opening and closing the discharge port
11
is mounted on a shaft
12
provided at one end of this discharge port
11
.
A shaft of a stepping motor
13
, for example, is linked with this shaft
12
.
This stepping motor
13
is driven, whereby the shutter
10
is turned, and the discharge port
11
is controlled to be opened and closed.
Here, the stepping motor
13
rotates the shaft
12
by an angle according to the number of pulses for a pulse driving current applied to an energizing coil.
Therefore, the number of pulses for the driving current applied to this stepping motor
13
is controlled, whereby a rotation angle of the shaft of the stepping motor
13
, i.e., an opening of the shutter
10
can be arbitrarily set.
In order to improve the operation response performance of the shutter
10
, it is desirable to use the stepping motor
13
rather than a general direct current motor or inductive motor.
However, in a combination weighing device configured as shown in
FIGS. 9A and 9B
as well, the following problems remain unsolved.
That is, this combination weighing device is not executed by sliding a shutter opening and closing operation in order to ensure high response characteristics in shutter opening and closing operation. As shown in
FIG. 9B
, the weighing device is executed by fixing one end of the shutter
10
to the shaft
12
, and then, rotating this shaft
12
by means of the stepping motor
13
.
In a state in which materials
2
are housed in each of the stock hoppers
6
or each of the weighing hoppers
7
, the load in the gravity direction of the materials
2
is applied to the shutter
10
.
In the case where the shutter
10
is of slide type, the load in this gravity direction is subjected to a shutter holding mechanism, for example, a slide groove.
Hence, as shown in
FIG. 9B
, in a system for the shutter
10
to turn around the shaft
12
, while the shutter
10
is closed, a hold current is fed to the stepping motor
13
linked with the shaft
12
, thereby making it necessary to prevent the shutter
10
from turning when the load in the gravity direction of the materials
2
is applied.
In the meantime, while the shutter
10
is closed, it is general that the materials
2
are charged (dropped) intensively within a short period of time instead of being charged (dropped) continuously.
Therefore, the load in the gravity direction is not uniformly applied to the shutter
10
while the shutter
10
is closed. The load value is greater than the weight of the materials
2
by a shock applied while the materials are charged for a short period of time.
In order to prevent the shutter
10
from being opened due to this shock applied when the materials
2
are charged, it is required to set a hold current relevant to the stepping motor
13
to a hold current value such that the stepping motor
13
can apply to the shutter
10
a torque sufficient to bear the shock when the materials
2
are charged.
In this case, as described above, the materials
2
relevant to all the periods in which the shutters
10
in each of the stock hoppers
6
and each of the weighing hoppers
7
are closed are charged intensively within a short period of time.
Therefore, feeding a hold current bearing the shock when the materials
2
are charged to the stepping motor
13
all over the period when the shutters
10
are closed, including a period after the materials have been charged, causes wasteful power consumption.
In particular, in a combination weighing device as shown in
FIG. 9A
, there are provided a number of stock hoppers
6
and a number of weighing hoppers
7
arranged along the peripheral face of the reverse cone shaped frame
1
. Thus, there occurs a problem that power consumption of the entire device increases, and the running cost of the combination weighing device increases.
When the shutter
10
is closed, the shutter
10
is suspended by a spring or the like against the load in the gravity direction of the materials
2
, whereby the hold current relevant to the stepping motor
13
can be eliminated.
However, this spring is always connected. Therefore, in the case of opening the shutter
10
, it is required to feed to the stepping motor an energizing current sufficient to overcome the biasing force of this spring, which causes wasteful power consumption.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
The present invention has been made in order to solve the foregoing problem. It is an object of the present invention to provide a material supply and discharge apparatus for changing a hold current relevant to a motor in a state in which a hopper shutter is closed according to a material charge period and the subsequent period, thereby making it possible to restrain power consumption and reduce running cost while maintaining excellent shutter characteristics.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the foregoi
Ishida Kinya
Matsunaga Iruru
Watanabe Kouichi
Anritsu Corporation
Cartagena Melvin A.
Frishauf Holtz Goodman & Chick P.C.
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