JPS6238202B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Field of Industrial Application> The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for forming a package with packing weight control. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for forming packages with pack weight control for forming packages of more uniform weight of fibrous materials.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Certain fibrous materials sold primarily by weight are processed or manufactured in a substantially continuous manner. One example of such a material is staple textile fibers, which are typically sold by textile processors or manufacturers on a weight basis to textile manufacturers. Staple textile fibers include natural fiber materials such as cotton, wool, flax, and man-made fiber materials such as nylon, cellulose, acetate, rayon, acrylic, polyester, polypropylene. Especially when it comes to man-made fiber materials,
The fibers are produced in a substantially continuous manner, in which tow is spun. Considerable effort has been made to develop methods and apparatus for producing tow and cutting the tow into staple textile fibers in a substantially continuous manner.

As is the case with other flowable materials sold by weight, it is important for sellers and purchasers of staple textile fibers to know the fairly accurate weight of each package or load and the amount transferred in any particular transaction. It is desirable, if not essential, to know the total weight of the materials involved. Traditionally, particularly for staple textile fibers, the practice has been to package the material and then weigh the package of material to determine the actual weight of the package or load. The actual weight is then marked on the package or load, and if the package weight falls outside the predetermined limits for weight variation tolerance, the load is separated and reprocessed into another package or load. Ta.

As can be appreciated, significant variations in package weight from shipment to shipment make inventory control very difficult when satisfying the requirements expressed in a particular desired total weight. Furthermore, particularly in staple textile fibers, the considerably variable weight loads present difficulties for textile manufacturers seeking to blend fibers at particular desired weight ratios or percentages. In the particular case of staple textile fibers, when the final package weight is in the range of 450 to 800 pounds, it is normal to have a load variation of 60 to 100 pounds above and below this package weight. . These variations, expressed as percentages, are very large and were a major difficulty encountered before the advent of the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,522,853 describes a method for automatically adjusting the container weight between successive weighings to calculate the remaining material on a successive group of weighing devices. However, this method does not directly solve the problem of weight fluctuation during packaging formation.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,026 describes a digital computer-controlled method for filling a tank, but this method is not directly related to a method for forming fiber bales of uniform weight. Not only that, but it is also different from the principle used in the present invention.

U.S. Patent No. 3,939,928 discloses a method in which a number of weighing machines are used to weigh a number of objects, and a method is used to select the best combination whose total weight is closest to the desired total weight. It describes how to obtain suitable packaging. Such a method is completely different from that of the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,945,448 describes weighing a series of individual groups and then moving a conveyor belt to collect a certain number of groups to obtain a package of desired weight. This method is described in U.S. Patent No. 3,939,928.
This method is similar to the method described in the specification of No.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,483 describes creating an insufficient amount of packaging and then making up the missing amount based on the calculated weight. This method is also completely different from the method of the present invention.

In addition, U.S. Patent No. 3425501, U.S. Patent No.
No. 3,655,022 and No. 3,685,602 describe batch processors, but no description suggesting the method and apparatus of the present invention is found.

Furthermore, US Pat. No. 3,814,914 describes a method for obtaining a product of uniform quality, in which the moisture content in the coke is controlled.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> The present invention greatly reduces the variations between individual packages encountered when forming packages of textile materials, and allows packages of more uniform weight than conventional ones to be produced directly from a continuous production line. In other words, the problem of manufacturing a package once it has been formed is solved without the need for a separate process for checking and readjusting the package once it has been formed.

<Means for solving the problems, actions, and effects thereof> According to the present invention, as means for solving the above problems, (i) supplying a continuous flow of woven fiber material; (iii) accumulating the material sequentially in a plurality of groups with varying weights (batches) so that each group has a weight that is a fraction of the weight required for the final packaged product; (iv) weigh the actual weight of each group being fed into the baler and record this actual weight while summing the recorded actual weights of the successive groups; (v) ) Vary the weights of all or some of the groups in a series based on the recorded actual weights to compensate for variations in group weights, thereby accurately determining the total weight of material fed to the baler. (vi) packaging the material fed to the packaging machine; a method comprising steps and an apparatus comprising components for carrying out the steps provided.

The steps (ii), (iii), (iv), and (v) above and the components for carrying out the steps are important. The prior art found in many of the above-mentioned U.S. patents, even apart from the question of whether the object is a packaging of textile materials, does not address the above configurations (i) to (vi), especially (ii) to (v). There is no teaching as to the composition of the . To the best of the inventor's knowledge,
In the prior art, it has been common practice to check and readjust (unpack and rebuild) the package once it has been formed.

The present invention makes it possible to obtain more uniform packaging or packing weights when processing and handling fibrous materials such as staple textile fibers. In the present invention, a continuous stream of fibrous material is divided into successive batches, each of which represents a portion of the final bale weight. These groups accumulate,
Only as much is released as necessary to deliver a total weight of material substantially equal to the packaged weight of the final product, during which time the actual weight of each successive group delivered is determined, recorded, and summed. The weight of all or some of the successive groups is varied as necessary to precisely control the total weight of the material fed.

The invention also makes it possible to pack the fibrous material so that when manufacturing multiple packages, these are packages of substantially equal weight. In the present invention, sequentially formed packages are formed so that each has the same weight within narrow tolerances. Therefore, transferring fiber with a desired total weight in any transaction involves selecting packages or loads of standard weight at random and adding them up to the desired weight, rather than carefully selecting the packages or loads. It's easy because you just have to do it.

Furthermore, the present invention takes into account the amount of staple textile fibers for various reasons and the length of the time change delayed in movement to the baling press or packaging equipment in obtaining the desired total package weight. The invention measures and takes into account such fibers, especially if for some reason a given amount of fibers is undesirably supplemented or strained in the flow path of the material to be weighed and packed. It's becoming like that. In achieving this object of the invention, a control circuit is responsive to a load cell signal representative of the weight of the weighing vessel and the material supported thereon, and the response of the control circuit is such that the in-flight fibers and The following weights are adjusted or added as necessary to compensate for the added fibers, as will be explained in more detail below.

Furthermore, the present invention facilitates the mixing of fibrous materials that are fed to the next manufacturing process. In particular, dividing the continuous stream of fibrous material into sequential groups and delivering a continuous stream of each of a plurality of different fibrous materials by varying the weights of such groups, thereby delivering a predetermined proportion. The aim is to achieve substantially continuous process control by which these materials can be mixed.

<Examples> The configuration, operation, and effects of the present invention will be more specifically understood by the following examples described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention seeks to provide a continuous flow of fibrous material to be packaged or fed to the next manufacturing process, such as a blending process. In particular, such materials in the form of staple textile fibers are obtained by feeding filamentary textile tows by any suitable desired method and apparatus. The production of such filamentary textile tows does not form part of the present invention and is known to those skilled in the art. As known to those skilled in the art, filamentary textile tow is typically fed to a cutting device for cutting it into staple textile fibers. The specific construction and operation of tow cutters are also known to those skilled in the art, and therefore details thereof will not be disclosed herein. Prior patents which are particularly relevant to inventions relating to tow manufacturing and cutting may be mentioned as disclosing related art. In the device shown in Figure 1,
Staple fibers cut by any such tow cutter are adapted to be fed to the holding chute 10 by any suitable device.

Conventionally, staple textile fibers produced by cutting filamentary textile tows on a substantially continuous basis have been fed to packaging devices in the form of baling machines or baling presses. One type of baling press is shown generally at 11 in FIG. 1, and the details of such a baling press are available here from prior patents in the field, as related art is available. will not be disclosed. Similarly, mixing devices suitable for receiving continuous streams of each of a plurality of different fiber materials are known to those skilled in the art.

In accordance with the present invention, fibrous material in the form of staple textile fibers is conveyed from the tow cutter to a baler 11 or to a blending device (not shown) in a series of groups accumulated in a metering container generally designated 12. . The weighing container 12 has an inlet 14 and an outlet 15, each for controlling the charging of material from the tow cutter 10 to the weighing container 12 and the feeding of material from the tow cutter 10 to the baler 11, respectively. Each is equipped with a switching device. The weighing container 12 is supported by a balance rod 16 containing a suitably arranged load cell 18 which signals the applied load in response to the loading of the weighing container and its contents. As will be discussed in more detail below, load cell 18 preferably provides an analog electrical signal representative of the load applied thereto.

In accordance with the present invention, at least in part, a programmable control circuit device, preferably in the form of an electronic microprocessor indicated at 20, is operably coupled to and receives signals from the load cell 18. This control circuit device is connected to the inlet and outlet 14 of the metering container 12,
15 to control opening and closing of these. In addition, the program control circuitry is coupled to certain driver-configured input devices and to a digital display device, which will be described in more detail below. As explained below, the program control (circuit) device:
Determine the actual weight of one group of fibers fed to the baler, register the actual weight of this group fed, and select successive groups with a total weight of fibers approximately equal to the desired baling weight. Open and close the inlet and outlet sequentially as necessary to accumulate and feed, determine and register the actual weight of each successive group, and add up the registered actual weights to accurately determine the total weight of the material being fed. functions to adjust the weight of at least one group to control the weight of at least one group.

In the present invention, program control devices can take a number of specific forms. The program control device can also be selected from among the available devices, and a person skilled in the art can combine a large number of such devices. Accordingly, because commercial products offered as programmable control devices and their components change rapidly, the commercial devices used in the following description will not be precisely identified. Instead, the functions will be described in a manner that will be fully understood by those skilled in the art.

As shown in FIG. 2, a separate storage section is provided for certain recording functions. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, such storage portions are typically not easily defined by specific hardware or elements, but are typically defined by programs or software. As a result, what is illustrated and described as separate storage devices can be adapted by simply changing the number and type of chips, magnetic devices, etc. For this reason, the description of the present invention does not fully explain the range of such choices commonly made by computer engineers. For the same reason, input/output devices, detectors, etc. will not be explained in detail.

By way of example, inlet 14 and outlet 15 may be operated pneumatically, hydraulically or electrically or by other suitable means.
Thus, the control device may be selected accordingly according to the changing operating mode or according to the mode selected by the appropriate input/output device. Similar conditions can be applied to load cell 18 since there are load cells that signal in various suitable ways.

As mentioned above, the program control device preferably takes the form of at least a partially electronic microprocessor 20. In this form, an appropriate input device such as a finger-operated wheel-shaped switch is connected to the desired packing weight input device 21 and the desired group weight input device 22.
and an adjustment weight input device 23. These input devices are mounted on or within the control cabinet for operator access when determining operations. Information manually set on the input devices 21, 22, 23 is used by the microprocessor 20. The microprocessor is operably connected to memory located therein or on selected auxiliary devices. According to the invention,
The storage device includes a predetermined weight storage device 24, a filled container storage device 25, an empty container storage device 26, and a flight storage device 27. The interaction between the various inputs, outputs, and storage devices is controlled by a central processing unit that is incorporated within the microprocessor 20 and can consist essentially of the elements of the microprocessor.

The method of the invention preferably comprises a cutter 10 as described above.
providing a continuous stream of fibrous material by cutting the filamentary textile tow into staple textile fibers by the operation of . The metering vessel 1 is operated under the control of a microprocessor 20 configured to operate by a manual start signal or by program steps as described below.
The inlet 14 to 2 is opened and the fibers are charged into it, with the load cell 18 adapted to signal the weight of the container and the fibers supported thereon. The signal from the load cell 18 is accepted as an input by the microprocessor and sent to a predetermined weight store 24 indicating the desired group weight as indicated by the appropriate input device 22 settings when an individual pack is initiated. When the signaled weight increases to a predetermined weight corresponding to the weight recorded in the predetermined weight storage device 24, the inlet 14 is closed and the container 12 is closed.
The loading of fiber into is stopped.

The weight indicated by the desired group weight and predetermined weight storage device 24 is significantly less than the amount of fiber or material required to fill the entire weighing container 12.
Thus, upon closure of the inlet 14, some fibers or materials are in flight within the weighing vessel 12 and are not supported by the weighing vessel 12 to form the total weight signaled by the load cell 18. Then,
The microprocessor 20 is programmed to allow a predetermined amount of time for the in-flight material to settle in the weighing vessel 12 and thereby be supported. The microprocessor 20 then records the signal from the load cell 18 in the fill container memory 25 indicating the weight of the group of fibers supported within the weighing container 12. Outlet 15 is then opened to release the fibers from metering container 12 to baler 11.

The group of fibers thus released has a weight that is a fraction of the desired pack weight as manually indicated by appropriate input device 21 settings. Therefore, a plurality of such groups need to be accumulated and released in sequence in order to supply the baling machine 11 with the amount of fibers or materials to be packed together. However, such sequential groups have varying weights for various reasons. To ensure that the final total weight of the material to be packed closely approaches the desired packing weight, a device is provided to determine the actual weight of each batch fed. In particular, after the closure of the outlet 15 and before the opening of the inlet 14, the microprocessor 20 again records the weight of the fibers remaining in the weighing container 12, signaled by the load cell 18, and indicates this weight in the empty container storage 26. Record the signal.
By using the recorded signal indicating the weight of the filled container in the filled container storage device 25 and the recorded signal indicating the weight of the empty container in the empty container storage device 26, the recorded signals are compared and the actual weight of the group of fed fibers is determined. can be calculated very accurately.

The opening and closing steps of the inlets and outlets 14, 15 are repeated as many times as necessary to deliver successive groups having a total weight approximately equal to the desired package weight, during which time the actual weight of the successive groups is determined; recorded. After the necessary actions have been taken, the recorded actual weights of successive groups are summed and preferably displayed on a direct digital display visible to the operator of the packing machine or packing machine 11. Repeated feeding steps of sequential groups according to the present invention result in sequential bales of substantially equal weight. Thus, a series of packages formed in accordance with the present invention can be easily exchanged from one another without unacceptable variation in total fiber weight. Similarly, supplying fiber material at a known flow rate to facilitate other substantially continuous processes such as blending different fibers by repeating the process over longer or shorter periods of time can do.

In accordance with an important feature of the present invention, the weight of at least one of the successive groups is adjusted by the microprocessor 20 to precisely control the total weight of the fibers fed to the packing or packing device 11 and to make it more uniform. can make it easier to obtain a suitable packing weight. Once one of ordinary skill in the art understands the invention disclosed herein, programming a programmable circuit device such as microprocessor 20 is readily apparent to those skilled in the art. As an example of a set of instructions for the program control circuitry, attached FIG. 4 shows the program flow diagram described below. That is, in this figure, the symbol B1 indicates the group weight manually set in the desired group weight input device 22, and the symbol B2 indicates the desired packing weight manually set in the desired packing weight input device 21. The symbol N1 indicates the total number of groups required to deliver a total weight of fibers substantially equal to the desired baling weight, while NA indicates the total number of groups required to deliver a total weight of fibers substantially equal to the desired baling weight, while NA represents Represents the number of groups previously fed.
The symbol WT indicates the total weight actually delivered as a series of groups, while △WTOT indicates the total weight in flight calculated during processing of the series of groups. The symbol W1 is used to represent the predetermined weight of material or fibers that is charged into the weighing container 12, recorded in the predetermined weight storage 24 and adjusted during the course of the program. The symbol W2 represents the weight of the material in the weighing container 12, which is recorded, for example, in the filling container storage device 25, just before the outlet 15 is opened. Code W3 is measuring container 12
remaining in the weighing container 12 after discharging the group from;
It shows the weight of the material or fiber recorded in the empty container storage device 26. The symbol ΔW indicates the weight of the fiber in flight which passes into the weighing vessel 12 immediately after the closure of the inlet 14 and is later supported by the weighing vessel 12 before the outlet 15 opens, while the symbol ΔWA indicates the weight of the fiber in flight for successive groups. ΔW indicates the calculated average of weight.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art from FIG. 3 of the accompanying drawings and the reference numerals used therein, the signal recorded in the predetermined weight storage device 24 can be adjusted during the processing of each group in the series; The total accumulated weight of the fibers can thus be continuously adjusted to a nearly ideal step increase relative to the desired total pack weight. An alternative program that achieves substantially the same results could extend the predetermined weight adjustment to the last few or one group in the series. A program flow diagram for such an arrangement is shown in FIG. In this figure, the same reference numerals are used as used to describe FIG. 3, with one exception. The program shown in Figure 4 is
It is provided to calculate the remaining weight to complete the desired packing weight labeled WREM, and this remaining weight is equal to the desired group weight W1.
The program adjustment is determined to be W1.

The invention further seeks to enable the desired group weight W1 for a known predetermined number of final groups in a series to be obtained from a manually set input device, such as the adjustment weight input device 23. It is. According to this method, by setting W1 to have a manually determined weight rather than a calculated weight, the number of groups fed can be reduced to two times the required number.
A program decision is made to be within a multiple (or other suitable integer multiple).

The series of loads formed by the method of the present invention is such that the weight of each successive load is so precisely controlled that any one of the successive loads can be placed in a textile warehouse or feeding station with another load. It is possible to exchange with In particular, a series of loads with weights ranging from approximately 450 lbs. to 800 lbs.
It can be configured to contain variations in pack weight within the range of 8 pounds to 8 pounds. Therefore, the percentage of variation experienced is 3
%, preferably 1% or less.

Although preferred embodiments of the invention are described in the drawings and specification, and specific terminology is used, these terms are used for general description rather than limitation.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of a device incorporating an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the apparatus of the invention, showing the flow of material according to the method of the invention. FIG. 3 shows a program flow diagram showing the steps of a program performed by the control circuit in implementing the method of the invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram similar to FIG. 3 showing another series of steps performed by the control circuit. 10... Holding chute, 11... Packing press, 12... Measuring container, 14... Inlet, 15...
Exit, 16... Balance rod, 18... Load cell, 2
0... Microprocessor, 21... Desired packing weight input device, 22... Desired group weight input device, 23... Adjustment weight input device, 24... Predetermined weight storage device, 25... Filled container storage device , 26...
...Empty container storage device, 27...Flight storage device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A method for forming a more uniform weight package of fibrous material, comprising the following steps (i) to (vi): (i) feeding a continuous stream of fibrous material; , (ii) sequentially accumulate the material in a plurality of groups with varying weights from group to group so that each group has a weight that is a fraction of the weight required for the final packaged product, and (iii) releasing the groups in sequence to the baler; (iv) weighing the actual weight of each group being fed to the baler and recording this actual weight while summing the recorded actual weights of the successive groups; (v) varying the weight of all or some of the groups in the series based on the recorded actual weights to compensate for variations in group weights, thereby total weight of material fed to the baler; and (vi) baling the material fed to a baling machine. 2. step (ii) of accumulating and then releasing the group; and
(iii) opens the entrance to the metering vessel and then closes it;
opening and then closing an outlet from said container and weighing said group to be fed;
(iv) after closing said inlet and before opening said outlet, weighing the accumulated material supported in said container and converting said weight into a signal; after closing said outlet and before opening said inlet; Claim 1 comprising weighing the material remaining in the container, converting the weight into a signal, and comparing the signal weights in response to the signals converted from the weight of the container and the material. The method described in. 3. step (ii) of accumulating and then releasing the group; and
(iii) consists of charging a predetermined weight of material into a weighing container, and step (v) of varying the weight of the group changes the weight of the material to be charged into said container to increase the amount of material to be fed. 2. A method according to claim 1, comprising obtaining the total weight required for the final product. 4. A method for forming more uniform weight bales of staple textile fibers, comprising the following steps (i) to (ix): (i) cutting filamentary textile tow into staple textile fibers; ii) Opening the entrance to the weighing container and charging the fibers into the container, during which time the weight of the fibers supported by the container is measured and converted into an electrical signal; (iii) Final packaging. (iv) closing said inlet and stopping the loading of fibers into said container in response to said signal weight increasing to the weight required for the product; and (iv) accumulating fibers in groups that are a fraction of the desired packing weight. (v) opening and closing an outlet from said container to release said group of fibers to a baling machine; (vi) weighing and converting into a signal the weight of the fibers remaining in said container after said outlet is closed and before said inlet is opened; Weighing the actual weight of the fed group by comparing the signal weights and recording the actual weight of the fed group; (vii) having a total weight of fibers substantially equal to the desired pack weight; Repeating the above steps of opening and closing the inlets and outlets as necessary to feed successive groups, during which time the actual weights of the successive groups are determined and recorded, and the recorded actual weights of the successive groups are summed. (viii) controlling the total weight of fibers fed to the baler by varying the weight of the fibers to be charged into the container when accumulating all or some of the successive groups; and (ix) baling the fibers fed to a baling machine. 5 A device for forming a package of fiber material with a more uniform weight, which includes the following components (a) to (e): (a) a device for feeding the fiber material; (b) a device for feeding the fiber material; A packaging device for packaging; (c) a weighing container having an inlet and an outlet; (d) operably connected to the weighing container and capable of measuring and converting the weight of the material supported by the weighing container into a signal. Equipped with a load cell and (e) a program control device; each of the inlet and outlet in (c) above is equipped with a device to open and close it;
in operative communication with the feeding device and the packing device for charging fibrous material from the feeding device and releasing the material in sequential groups for feeding to the packing device of (b) above; c) the weighing vessel is adapted to support the fibrous material as it is accumulated in a plurality of groups, each group having a weight that varies between groups, each group having a weight that is a fraction of the weight of the final packaged product; The program controller of (e) above is operably coupled with the switchgear for controllably operating the inlets and outlets of (c) above to represent the weight of the material supported by the weighing container. the controller is operatively coupled to receive a symbol from the load cell, the controller weighing the actual weight of each group being fed to the packaging device and recording the actual weight; These recorded actual weights can be summed and the weights of all or some of the successive groups can be varied to compensate for variations in group weights and more accurately determine the total weight of the material being fed to the packaging equipment described above. A device characterized in that it is adapted to control. 6. A filled container storage device in which the control device of (e) above records a load cell signal representing the weight of the material being supported immediately before the outlet is opened in response to the closing of the inlet of the weighing container of (c); an empty container storage device for recording a load cell signal representative of the weight of material left just before the inlet was opened in response to closing of the outlet; 6. A device according to claim 5, further comprising a processing device for responsively calculating the actual weight of the group fed. 7. A weight storage device in which the control device (e) records a signal representing the group weight, and a load cell signal representing the weight of the material being supported immediately before the outlet is opened in response to the opening of the inlet. and a processing device for calculating the weight of the material in flight at the time of closure of said inlet in response to signals recorded in said weight storage device and said filling container storage device. Apparatus according to scope 5. 8 A device for forming a load of staple textile fibers with a more uniform weight, comprising the following components (a) to (e): (a) tow cutting for cutting filamentary textile tow into staple textile fibers; (b) A baling device for baling the fibers; (c) A baling device for receiving the fibers from the tow cutting device described above and supporting the fibers accumulated in groups that are part of the final baling weight; (d) a metering vessel having an inlet and an outlet in operative communication with said tow cutting device and said baling device, respectively, for releasing said tow cutting device and said baling device for feeding to said baling device; a load cell that measures the weight of the fibers supported by the weighing container and converts it into a signal; and (e) a program control device operably connected to the inlet and outlet and the load cell; ) is a weight storage device that records a signal representing the group weight;
said inlet when said simulated load cell signals indicate that a predetermined weight of fiber has been accumulated and supported by said weighing container in response to a comparison of said signals with said storage device signals; a processing device for closing said inlet; a filling container storage device for recording a load cell signal representative of the weight of the fiber being supported just before said outlet is opened in response to said outlet being closed; and an empty container storage device for recording a load cell signal representing the weight of the fibers remaining just before the inlet is opened, and the processing device is configured to include the weight storage device, the filled container storage device, and the empty container storage device. Calculate the actual weight of the fed swarm and the weight of the in-flight fibers after release of the swarm to the packing device in response to the recorded signal; Record the weight, open and close the inlets and outlets as necessary to feed successive groups having a total weight of fibers substantially equal to the desired packing weight, and determine the actual weight of the successive groups. and the actual weights recorded during this time are summed to vary the weight of at least one of the successive groups to accurately control the total weight of the fibers fed to the baling device. A device characterized by: 9. A device for controlling the weight of staple textile fibers fed from a device for supplying staple textile fibers to a receiving device for receiving the fibers, the device comprising:
The following components (a) to (c), namely (a) receive fibers from a feeding device and support the fibers accumulated in a group that is a fraction of the total weight of the final fibers, and then transfer this group of fibers to the above. a metering container having an inlet and an outlet in operative communication with the feeding device and the receiving device, respectively, for release for delivery to a receiving device; (b) operably connected with the metering container; Load cell that signals the weight of the fibers supported by
a program control device operably connected to (b); said control device (c) is adapted to store a predetermined weight of fibers in response to a comparison of the signal representative of group weight with a signal of a weight storage device; a processing device that closes the inlet of the weighing device (a) when a simulated load cell signal indicates that the weighing device is supported by the weighing container; a filled container storage device for recording a load cell signal representative of the weight of the fibers remaining in the outlet; and an empty container storage device for recording a load cell signal representative of the weight of the remaining fibers immediately before the inlet is opened in response to closing of the outlet. and the processing device is responsive to signals recorded in the weight storage device, the filled container storage device, and the empty container storage device to determine the actual weight of the group delivered after release of the group to the receiving device. and calculating the weight of the fibers in flight, recording the actual weight of the group fed and the weight of the fibers in flight, and feeding successive groups with a total weight of fibers substantially equal to the desired total weight. Open and close the above inlet and outlet as many times as necessary for the transfer, weigh and record the actual weights of the successive groups, add up the actual weights recorded during this period, and calculate the weight of all or some of the successive groups. Apparatus characterized in that it is adapted to precisely control the total weight of the fibers fed to the receiving device by varying the amount of the fibers.