Measuring device

A measuring device comprising:

• a hopper that receives a granular substance that is an object of measurement;
• a gate that has an opening/closing plate portion for opening and closing a lower end opening of the hopper, wherein the opening/closing plate portion and the lower end opening form a supply port of the granular substance, wherein an opening portion is formed in the opening/closing plate portion that is structured by a first pass-through portion and a second pass-through portion integrally formed with the first pass-through portion, wherein the second-pass through portion has a width in a direction orthogonal to a lined-up direction, wherein the first pass-through portion and the second pass-through portion are lined up in the lined-up direction, wherein the width of the second-pass through portion in the direction is narrower than the first pass-through portion, and wherein the opening portion is disposed at a region overlapping the lower end opening;
• a driving mechanism that moves the gate such that the opening/closing plate portion moves in the lined-up direction;
• a measuring section that is provided at a lower side of the hopper, and that measures a weight of the granular substance that is supplied from the supply port;
• and
• a control section that, based on predetermined target value of the weight of the granular substance, controls the driving mechanism such that an amount of overlap of the opening portion and the lower end opening decreases in response to an increase in the weight of the granular substance measured by the measuring section, and wherein when the weight of the granular substance measured by the measuring section coincides with the target value and the opening portion is adjacent to, or is distant from, the lower end opening, the control section is configured to maintain (i) a state that an entire region of the first pass-through portion overlaps the lower end opening during a first predetermined time period, and then (ii) a state that an entire region or substantially the entire region of the first pass-through portion is adjacent to, or is distant from, the lower end opening and a partial region of the opening portion overlaps the lower end opening during a second predetermined time period.