Weighing scales – Processes
Patent
1982-06-25
1985-01-01
Goldberg, E. A.
Weighing scales
Processes
177 25, 177 52, G01G 900, G01G 1932, G01G 1300
Patent
active
044911890
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a combinatorial weighing method and apparatus for weighing out articles having unit weights that differ greatly from one to another, such as vegetables and fruits, perishables, fabricated articles and confectioneries, into fixed weights with great accuracy and high efficiency.
The Applicant has already disclosed, in Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 14946/79 and 48249/80, a weighing method of measuring the weights of articles delivered to the weighing hoppers of a plurality of weighing machines, taking the sum of every combination of different weight values, and obtaining the combination of weights which is equal or closest to a predetermined weight, as well as a counting method of dividing each of the abovementioned weight values by the unit weight of each article to convert each weight value into a value representing the number of articles, taking the sum of every combination of different article number values, and obtaining a predetermined number of the articles.
The methods of the above type for providing predetermined weights or a predetermined number of articles by combinatorial computations are advantageous in that weighing accuracy is not influenced by disparities in the unit weights of the articles, enabling highly precise weighing operations to be carried out, and in that any disorder in the feed or distribution of the articles does not lead directly to overweights or errors, so that great accuracy can be maintained even for large set values. In addition, errors attributed to the setting of the individual weighing machines have no influence upon final error.
Thus, the major feature of combinatorial weighing is its great accuracy. Aside from this feature, however, there has recently been a demand for improved weighing capability.
The present invention has been developed in view of the foregoing circumstances and provides a combinatorial method and apparatus for discharging from weighing hoppers weighed articles corresponding to a best combination, which is that value equal or closest to a set target value, providing said weighing hoppers with a fresh supply of the articles-to-be-weighed, finding the best combination, which is that equal or closest to the set value, from the values of the articles presently remaining in the weighing hoppers, said operation of finding the best combination being performed a predetermined number of times before a condition is attained wherein the values of the articles-to-be-weighed supplied to said weighing hoppers can participate again in a combinatorial computation, and discharging from the weighing hoppers the weighed articles corresponding to the best combination found by each performance of a combinatorial computation, whereby weighing capability is greatly improved.
The combinatorial weighing method and apparatus of the present invention execute out high-speed weighing and improve weighing capability by discharging from weighing hoppers the weighed articles corresponding to the best combination, providing the emptied weighing hoppers, following the discharge operation, with a fresh supply of the articles-to-be-weighed, finding the best combination, which is that value equal or closest to the set value, from the values of the articles presently remaining in the weighing hoppers, said operation of finding the best combination being performed a predetermined number of times before the values of the articles-to-be-weighed supplied to said weighing hoppers can participate again in a combinatorial computation, and successively discharging from the weighing hoppers the weighed articles corresponding to the best combination found by each performance of a combinatorial computation.
Further, the present invention makes the most of the advantages found in the conventional combinatorial weighing operation. Namely, disparities in unit weight have no direct influence upon weighing accuracy, enabling highly precise weighing operations to be carried out. Any disorder in the feed or distribution of the articles does not lead directly to overweight error
REFERENCES:
patent: 3939928 (1976-02-01), Murakami et al.
patent: 4385670 (1983-05-01), Braun et al.
patent: 4385671 (1983-05-01), Hirano
patent: 4396078 (1983-08-01), Minamida et al.
Foster Patrick W.
Goldberg E. A.
Kabushiki Kaisha Ishida Koki Seisakusho
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