Patent Application
20060076165
None.
The present invention is directed to a weighing station, and, more specifically, to a weighing station that may be incorporated into an automated production line.
There are many processing applications in which a product must be weighed. For example, in a fish processing application, only fish within a specific weight range are processed together. Thus, it is necessary to separate the fish by weight before the fish may be processed. Typically, this separation occurs at a weighing station when the fish are unloaded. After weighing, the fish are placed on a conveyor belt reserved for fish within a pre-determined weight range.
The act of weighing a product typically includes placing the product in a weighing station, waiting for weighing station to provide the weight, and then moving the product to its next position. This process is time-consuming, especially if the weighing station is shared among a number of workers or if the next positions are physically distant. Consequently, workers often will simply estimate the weight of the product. Although potentially faster, this estimation practice introduces the potential for inaccuracy and does not address the inefficiency introduced by having to move products to different locations, for example to different conveyor belts, for further processing.
Thus, an automated system that efficiently and accurately weighs products in a production line is needed.
To overcome the above-described disadvantages, the present invention is directed to a weighing station that comprises a positioning apparatus, a drive mechanism, and a scale apparatus. In one embodiment, the positioning apparatus includes a plurality of partitions that define a plurality of product compartments. The positioning apparatus further includes a guide wall located beyond the exterior end of the partitions, with the guide wall defining a loading aperture and a discharge aperture. The drive mechanism is coupled to the positioning apparatus and is operable to move the partitions and thereby move the product compartments so that the product compartments pass the apertures in the guide wall. The scale apparatus is positioned at the leading edge of the discharge aperture in the guide wall.
In one embodiment, the positioning apparatus includes a rotatable shaft with the partitions extending outwardly from the shaft.
In another embodiment, the drive mechanism includes a motor that is coupled to a cam-follower system. The cam-follower system includes a cam coupled to a rotatable drive shaft and a cam follower is coupled to a rotatable shaft. In this embodiment, the motor rotates the drive shaft thereby causing the cam to rotate. The rotation of the cam, in turn, forces the cam follower, and the shaft coupled thereto, to rotate.
In operation, the drive mechanism causes the partitions to move. An individual product is placed through the loading aperture and into a product compartment. Next, the drive mechanism moves the partitions until the product is positioned on the scale apparatus. The scale apparatus then weighs the product. Thereafter, the drive mechanism advances the partitions causing the product to move off of the scale apparatus whereupon the product exits the weighing station through the discharge aperture.
In one embodiment, the drive mechanism includes a motor that is coupled to a cam-follower system configured to cause the partitions to move in a stepping fashion with a delay.
It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of embodiments in addition to those described and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
Further features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates from reading the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The present invention includes an automated weighing station for a processing line that is efficient, reliable, and accurate. The weighting station automatically and accurately weighs a product and then uses that weight to assist in directing the product along its appropriate path. The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures. For purposes of clarity in illustrating the characteristics of the present invention, proportional relationships of the elements have not necessarily been maintained in the figures.
A weighing station 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown in
A cam housing is coupled to the outside of the first side wall 20 and includes a housing body 90 covered by a face plate 100. A cam 110 is located inside of the housing body 90. The cam 100 is coupled to a drive shaft 130 that extends through the face plate 100. It should be understood that a motor or other drive source which are not shown explicitly in the drawings is coupled to the drive shaft 130. Operation of the motor or other drive source causes the drive shaft 130 to rotate.
A cam follower 120 is also located inside of the housing body 90. The cam follower 120 is coupled to a shaft 140. The shaft 140 extends through the cam housing 90 and through the first side wall 20. The shaft 140 continues through a bearing housing 240 and across to a second bearing housing 240 located on the second side wall 30.
A first plate 170 extends radially outward from the shaft 140 from a position near the bearing housing 240 on the first side plate 20 and a second plate 150 extends radially outward from the shaft 140 from a position near the bearing housing 240 on the second side plate 30. A number of partitions 160 extend from the shaft 140 and extend between the two plates 150, 170. The partitions define a plurality of product compartments. The product compartments are also bounded in part by the guide wall elements 70, 80 and the plates 150, 170. In this embodiment, the shaft 140, the partitions 160, the guide wall elements 70, 80, and the plates 150, 170 together comprise a positioning apparatus.
A scale apparatus is positioned below the positioning apparatus and is generally operable to weigh a product. Additionally, the scale apparatus may store and/or record the product weight and communicate this information to some other device such as a computer, controller, or other processing component (not shown). The scale apparatus includes a load plate 180 that is supported by two support elements 190, 200. A base plate 210 extends between the support elements 190, 200 and is coupled to a load cell 220. A connector 230 extends out of the load cell 220 to provide a route for the load cell to communicate with the computer, controller, or other processing component (not shown). In some embodiments, as should be understood by those in the art, the scale apparatus may include a proximity detector or an infrared light source and detector to trigger its operation.
As can be seen in
The specific shapes of the cam 110 and the cam follower 120 for this embodiment of the present invention may be seen in
It will be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific shapes shown for the cam and cam follower and that other shapes will suffice. For example, in one embodiment, the cam follower includes more than four curved sections.
Additionally, it should be understood that the drive mechanism is not limited to a motor coupled to a cam-follower system although this configuration provides for accurate, repeatable, and well-defined movement. For example, in one embodiment, the drive mechanism includes a stepping motor that couples directly to the shaft 140.
In operation, the motor or other drive source causes shaft 130 to rotate. The rotation of drive shaft 130 causes the cam 110 and consequently the cam follower 120 to rotate. As should be understood by those in the field, the particular shapes of the cam 110 and the cam follower 120 in the specific embodiment of the present invention shown in the figures cause a stepping action. That is, as the cam 110 rotates through a full revolution, it moves one of the curved sections of the cam follower 120 to move 90 degrees. The cam follower 120 will not move, that is there will be a delay period, when the missing section of the cam 110 rotates past the cam follower 120. The rotation of the cam follower 120 causes the shaft 140 and the components coupled to the shaft 140, that is the side plates 150, 170 and the partitions 160A-D, to rotate.
With reference to
Having described the invention, it should be apparent that the invention is both efficient and reliable. Moreover, the weighing station described above includes novel features and/or capabilities not present in the currently available systems. From the above description of preferred embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will perceive improvements, changes and modifications. Such improvements, changes and modifications within the skill of the art are intended to be covered by the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/615,231 entitled “Weighing Station,” filed Oct. 1, 2004. Priority is claimed thereto pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(e).
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60615231 | Oct 2004 | US |
