JPS6230367B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides, in combination weighing or combination counting,
By making the weight of the items on n weighing machines vary,
The present invention provides a combination weighing or counting method for performing a combination calculation of the weight measured by each weighing machine or the number of articles converted from the weight, and a supply control device used therefor.

Combination weighing or combination counting involves weighing items with n weighing machines, performing combination calculations using the weighed weights, and selecting a combination that satisfies the set value, or converting the weighed weights into quantities and then performing combination calculations. By selecting a combination that results in a set number of items, items can be weighed or counted with high accuracy. As described above, the method of weighing or counting based on combinational calculations is characterized in that it is possible to select from among a large number of combinations one that satisfies the set value, and therefore extremely high precision in weighing or counting can be obtained. by the way,
In such a method using combinational calculations, the results of the combinational calculations need to vary overall for each combination. That is, by varying the calculated values of each combination within an appropriate range with small differences, it is possible to obtain a combination of items that accurately matches the set weight or number of items. However, for this purpose, the amount of items supplied to each weighing machine must vary appropriately.
Therefore, the conventional method of feeding items to each weighing machine is
The time required to feed items from the feeding device to the weighing machine was different for each weighing machine. However, when we actually investigated the amount of items supplied to the weighing machines, we found that the amount supplied per unit time varied depending on the feeding device, and it was not possible to obtain the set variation in the items. When we investigated the cause of this, we found that each feeding device, such as an electromagnetic feeder, is supplied with items at the same rate from a common belt conveyor, so an electromagnetic feeder whose feeding time is set short will have a smaller flow of items, resulting in less weight. If the number of times the machine is fed is small, a thick layer of products will be stacked on top of the weighing machine, resulting in a thick stack of products flowing into the weighing machine. On the other hand, with an electromagnetic feeder set for a long feeding time, the flow of items increases and the number of times the items are fed to the weighing machine increases.Compared to an electromagnetic feeder set for a short feeding time, the layer of items becomes thinner and the weight becomes thinner to the weighing machine. Layered goods are flowing. In other words, as long as the items are fed to the weighing machine in this condition, even if the feeding times are different, the amount fed from each feeding device per unit time will be different for each feeding device, so the actual amount fed will be different. The difference was disappearing. In this case, there is no variation in the amount of items supplied to each weighing machine, that is, the weight measured by the weighing machine, so even if the combination calculation is performed after weighing, the predetermined variation in the combination calculation result will not be obtained. High accuracy, which is a characteristic of counting, could not be achieved.

In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, the present invention has been improved, and one embodiment will be described in detail below.

The present invention sets appropriate variations in the supply time of items from each supply device to the weighing machine,
After that, the total supply time of each supply device is averaged by sequentially advancing the supply time set for each supply device periodically, for example, at an appropriate fixed number of measurements or at a fixed time interval. The weight of the items in each weighing machine is varied by the difference in feeding time so that the amount of items fed per unit time is approximately the same, and highly accurate combined weighing or counting is possible.

In FIG. 1 showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, 1, 1, ... are weighing machines, 2, 2, ... are supply devices provided corresponding to each weighing machine 1, 1, ..., and 3 is an analog 4 is an A/D converter, 5 is a calculation unit that stores the weight values of each weighing machine 1, 1, etc., performs combination calculations, and generates various control signals; 6 is a discharge unit; a weight setting unit for setting the weight value of the item to be supplied; 7 is each supply device 2;
2,... as many shift registers 7',
7', a timer time storage section composed of...
8, 8, ... are the corresponding shift registers 7', 7',
A timer circuit that outputs a signal to the corresponding supply device 2, 2, ... for a time proportional to the set value in ...; 9;
1 is a shift pulse generator that counts the start signal s from the packaging machine and, when the count value reaches a certain value, supplies a shift pulse u to each shift register 7', 7', . . . of the timer time storage unit 7; 10 is a timer circuit; 8, 8, . . . This is a clock pulse generating section that generates a clock pulse y to be supplied to a down counter which will be described later. Note that a portion A surrounded by a dashed line is a control section of the present invention.

The operation of this device is as follows.

When the power is turned on, at the time of initialization, each shift register 7',
7', . . . store setting values corresponding to timer times having appropriate variations, which are preset in a plurality of digital switches (not shown).
The timer circuits 8, 8, . . . output the supply signal w to the supply device 2, 2, . . . for a time proportional to the set value of the corresponding shift register 7', 7', . Then, the goods are supplied to each weighing machine 1, 1, ... for a time period with variations in the values set in the shift registers 7', 7', ..., and each weighing machine 1, 1, ...
1,... measures the weight of the item. It is assumed that the weight value of the item to be discharged has been set by the weight setting section 6 by this point. Then, the calculation unit 5 receives a start signal s from the packaging machine indicating the completion of packaging preparation.
The calculation operation starts from the moment this input is received. First, the selection signal l is sent from the calculation unit 5 to the multiplexer 3, and each weighing machine 1,
The weight values of the analog quantities measured at 1, . Next, a combination calculation is performed on the weight values for each weighing machine stored in the calculation section 5, and the combination and the combined weight are stored. Then, a combination having a combination weight equal to or closest to the set weight set by the weight setting unit 6 is searched. When the search is completed and the combination is selected, a discharge signal m is sent to the weighing machines 1, 1, . . . corresponding to the combination to discharge the items. The discharged items are then packaged by a packaging machine. A discharge completion signal n is sent from the weighing machine 1, 1, . 2, . . . The feeding devices 2, 2, .
In addition, the supply time for each supply device 2, 2, ... is as follows:
The timer circuits 8, 8, . . . are proportional to the values set in the corresponding shift registers 7', 7', . Thereafter, the calculation unit 5 enters a standby state for the start signal s, and when the start signal s is input, it starts calculation operation again using the same processing procedure as described above. By repeating such operations, automatic weighing can be performed continuously.

By the way, each weighing machine 1, which is a feature of the present invention,
The sequential feeding operation of the supply time of items 1, . . . is as follows.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the shift pulse generator 9 counts the start signal s, and when it counts a certain number, for example, 5, it outputs a shift pulse u to each shift register 7', 7', . . . of the timer time storage unit 7. It is now being sent out. That is, after the weighing operation has been completed several times, for example, five times, the shift pulse u is input to each shift register 7',
The setting values set and stored in 7', . . . at the time of initialization are sequentially transferred between adjacent ones. From the next weighing, each weighing machine 1,
The supply time is changed every 1,.... In this way, the supply time changes for each supply device with a fixed measurement interval, and since this supply time is circulated between each shift register by sequential feeding, the supply time to each weighing machine 1, 1, ... The average supply time will be approximately the same. Therefore, the total amount of products supplied by each supply device is approximately the same, and the products are not accumulated in a particular supply device. Therefore, during supply, the amount of items supplied by each supply device 2, 2, . . . per unit time is approximately equalized. For this reason, the articles can be supplied in proportion to the supply time, so that the object of the present invention of varying the amount of articles to be supplied, that is, the weight, for each weighing machine 1, 1, . . . can be achieved.

Note that in the above embodiment, the shift pulse generator 9
By counting the start signal s, a shift pulse is generated every predetermined number of measurements, and the set values stored in each shift register 7', 7', . . . are sequentially transferred. In addition to having this set value be sequentially transferred every certain number of measurements,
It may be configured to do this at regular intervals, for example, every minute.

Next, a specific example of the timer circuit 8 shown in FIG. 1 will be explained with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 2, 11 is a down counter, 12
1 is a zero detection circuit, 13 is an AND circuit, and 14 is a flip-flop circuit. The operation of the timer circuit 8 is started when a discharge completion signal n is inputted from the weighing machines 1, 1, . In other words, the discharge completion signal n
When input to the preset terminal PR of the down counter 11, the down counter 11 reads and stores the set value output from the shift register 7'. Further, the ejection completion signal n is simultaneously inputted to the ZET terminal S of the flip-flop circuit 14, setting it to the ZET state and setting its Q output to a high level. This high level output is sent to the feeding device 2 to start feeding the item. Further, this high level output is inputted to one input terminal of the AND circuit 13, and the clock pulse v outputted from the clock pulse generation section 10 is inputted to the count terminal CP of the down counter 11 via the AND circuit 13.
Then, the down counter 11 starts to count down the set value previously read and stored from the shift register 7' using the initial value, and the count value outputted from its output terminal Q decreases. Then, when the count value becomes zero, the zero detection circuit 12 detects this and resets the flip-flop circuit 14. When the flip-flop circuit 14 is reset, its Q output becomes low level and the supply device 2
At the same time, the down counter 11 stops its down-counting operation.
In this way, the timer circuit 8 sends a high level signal to the supply device 2, i.e. the supply signal w, for a period of time proportional to the set value stored in the shift register 7'.
They send out goods to supply goods. here,
An example of setting numerical values to the shift register in the embodiment of FIG. 2 will be given below. Suppose that the frequency of the clock pulse v generated by the clock pulse generator 10 is
At 10 Hz, 0.1 seconds elapses for each pulse, so to set the timer time to 0.6 seconds, for example, the value to be stored in the shift register 7' should be set to 6.

Also. The timer circuit 8 may be of various types in addition to the one using a down counter as shown in FIG. For example, use a down counter to count up the clock pulses from zero,
The count value and the output value of the shift register 7' may be compared by a comparator, and the time period until they match may be set as the timer time. Furthermore, it is also possible to configure it with a monostable circuit or the like. In this case, the time constant of the monostable circuit is made variable in accordance with the output value of the shift register 7'. In the timer circuit using the up counter or monostable circuit, when the shift register 7' is sequentially fed at regular intervals (for example, every minute), the timer circuit is in operation, that is, the up counter is counting or While the stabilizing circuit is in operation, forward feed is prohibited, and forward feed is performed while the timer circuit is not in operation.

Further, in the above embodiment, the operation of the timer circuit that determines the timing of starting the supply starts at the time when the discharge completion signal n from the weighing machines 1, 1, . . . is generated. This timing may be determined by other means. For example, after the calculation unit 5 outputs the discharge signal m, after a certain period of time when the discharge is completed, the calculation unit 5 outputs a start signal to the timer circuits 8, 8, . . . instead of the discharge completion signal n. It's okay.

Furthermore, in the above description, the setting values to be stored in the timer time storage section 7 are for each shift register 7', 7',
... were made to store different values, but not all shift registers 7',
7', . . . need not be different. That is,
For example, set the same value in 2 to 3 pieces,
It may be different for each individual. In this case, shift registers 7', 7', ... and timer circuits 8, 8,
. . do not necessarily require the same number as the weighing machines 1, 1, . . . Two embodiments will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

First, Figure 3 is a diagram showing the main part configuration when the number of shift registers 7', 7',... is smaller than the number of weighing machines 1, 1,..., and there are nine weighing machines 1, 1,... There are three registers 7', 7', 7', and the output of each shift register 7', 7', 7' is connected to three timer circuits 8, 8, 8, respectively. Therefore, the operating times of the three timer circuits 8, 8, 8 are the same, and there are three types of operating times as a whole. Then, three shift registers 7', 7',
If the setting value proportional to the supply time stored in the weighing machine 7' is sent periodically, the time for supplying the items to the weighing machines 1, 1, . . . changes. In addition, the connection between the shift registers 7', 7', 7' and the timer circuits 8, 8, ... and the connection between the timer circuits 8, 8, ... and the supply device 2,
2, . . . may be connected so that the supply times of the three adjacent supply devices 2, 2, 2 are the same as shown in FIG. 2,... may be connected so that the supply times are different.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 includes nine timer circuits,
Three of 8, 8, ... input the same set value, but the same number (3) of timer circuits 8, 8, 8 as shift registers 7', 7', 7' are provided. You can also do this. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the main parts in this case, and shows each shift register 7', 7',
7' are connected to one timer circuit 8, and the output of one timer circuit 8 is connected to three supply devices 2, 2, 2. However, in this case, when one timer circuit 8 operates, the supply signal w is simultaneously input to the three connected supply devices 2, 2, 2, so that the calculation unit 5 selects the weighing machine from which no items have been discharged. The supply devices 2, 2, . . . corresponding to the weighing machines 1, 1, . Note that the adjacent supply device 2,
The outputs of the timer circuits 8, 8, 8 may be connected to the supply devices 2, 2, . . . so that the supply times of the numerals 2, . . . are different.

Further, in each of the embodiments of the present invention, the supply times of all the supply devices 2, 2, ... are periodically advanced sequentially, but only some of the supply devices 2, 2, ... are periodically advanced sequentially, The supply times of the remaining supply devices 2, 2, . . . may be fixed as usual.

Furthermore, although the control unit A of the present invention can be configured with a hardware circuit in which each circuit is separately manufactured using a dedicated IC or the like, the entire control unit A may be configured with a microcomputer.

The embodiments shown in the figures of the present invention are for combined weighing, but the present invention converts the weight values measured by n weighing machines into the number of pieces, calculates the combination of the numbers, and calculates the set number of pieces. Of course, this method can also be applied to the case of combination counting in which several items are discharged. In addition, various combinational calculation methods are possible in addition to the above embodiments.

As explained above, according to the present invention, the time for supplying items to each weighing machine is determined by each set value, and the supply time of items to each weighing machine is determined by each setting value, and the supply time is determined periodically, for example, at a certain number of weighing (counting) times or at a certain time. Since the setting values of are sent sequentially, the total amount of items supplied by each supplying device is approximately the same. Therefore, the amount of items stacked on each feeding device is not unevenly distributed, and the amount of items fed to the weighing machine per unit time is averaged for each feeding device. Therefore, it is possible to arbitrarily vary the amount of items supplied to each weighing machine due to the difference in supply time.
Combination weighing or combination counting can be performed with high precision.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention in which the number of shift registers and timer circuits is the same as the number of weighing machines, FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing an example of the timer circuit, and FIGS. 3 and 4. are other embodiments of the present invention, in which FIG. 3 is a main part configuration diagram when the number of shift registers is less than the number of weighing machines, and FIG. It is a main part block diagram in the case where it is less. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Weighing machine, 2... Supply device, 3... Multiplexer, 4... A/D converter, 5... Arithmetic section, 6... Weight setting section, 7... Timer time storage section, 7'... Shift register, 8... Timer circuit , 9... Shift pulse generation section, 10... Clock pulse generation section, 11... Down counter, 12... Zero detection circuit, 13... AND circuit, 14... Flip-flop circuit, A... Control section,
l...selection signal, m...discharge signal, n...discharge completion signal, s...start signal, u...shift pulse, v...
Clock pulse, w...supply signal, x...supply prohibition signal.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. When different feeding times are set for n electromagnetic feeders that receive items from a common supply source and supply the items to n weighing machines, all or part of the electromagnetic The feeding time of the feeder is periodically changed sequentially, and the weight measured by each weighing machine or the number of items converted from the weight is calculated in combination,
A combination weighing or counting method characterized in that a combination of weights or numbers equal to or close to a set value is obtained. 2 In a combination weighing device that weighs items with n weighing machines and performs a combination calculation based on the measured weight, or a combination counting device that converts the weighed weight into a number and performs a combination calculation, it is possible to supply items from a common supply source. When setting different feeding times to n electromagnetic feeders that receive items and feed them to n weighing machines,
A plurality of timer circuits that determine the supply time of all or part of the electromagnetic feeder and a plurality of setting values to be output to each timer circuit are stored, and each stored setting value is sent sequentially to be output to each timer circuit. Used for combination weighing or counting characterized by comprising a timer and a time memory section that sequentially changes set values so as to periodically change the supply time of all or some of the electromagnetic feeders. supply control device.