Method to weigh containers
AssigneeI.M.A. Industria Macchine Automatiche S.P.A.
InventorsMattia Chianura, Claudio Trebbi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Method to weigh containers (C) in a processing line (10) which comprises a filling and weighing station (12) for said containers (C), said method providing to make available a plurality of containers (C) which are initially weighed in order to determine the tare weight and subsequently filled sequentially, determining the weight of the product metered into each container (C).
Claims27
Method to weigh containers in a processing line which comprises at least one filling and weighing station provided with filling means, and weighing means comprising a weighing plate, wherein said weighing plate is provided with a plurality of positioning seatings each configured to receive and support a corresponding container, and wherein said method comprises:
- making available a plurality of empty containers and moving them toward said filling and weighing station to cooperate with said filling means, and said weighing means;
- positioning said containers in each positioning seating of said weighing plate;
- weighing, by means of said weighing means, the tare of the containers inserted in each positioning seating at a single time;
- sequentially filling each of said containers by means of said filling means, progressively determining, by means of said weighing means, the weight of product metered into each specific container at each filling step, without weighing the tare of each container;
- wherein the net weight N(i+1) of product metered into a given container in the instant of time (i+1) by the filling means is defined by the difference between the current weight P(i+1) detected by said weighing means and the weight P(i) detected by said weighing means in relation to the weighing immediately preceding time i:
- N(i+1)=P(i+1)−P(i)
- where i is a natural number ranging from 0 to m and m is the number of containers that are disposed and supported in the positioning seatings of the respective weighing plate associated with said weighing means.
Method to weigh containers in a processing line which comprises at least one filling and weighing station provided with filling means, and weighing means comprising a weighing plate, wherein said weighing plate is provided with a plurality of positioning seatings each configured to receive and support a corresponding container, and wherein said method comprises:
- making available a plurality of empty containers and moving them toward said filling and weighing station to cooperate with said filling means, and said weighing means;
- positioning said containers in each positioning seating of said weighing plate;
- weighing, by means of said weighing mean, the tare of the containers inserted in each positioning seating at a single time;
- sequentially filling each of said containers by means of said filling means, progressively determining, by means of said weighing means, the weight of product metered into each specific container at each filling step, without weighing the tare of each container;
- and
- wherein said weighing means comprise electric energizing means, control means and at least one support member which is provided with a plurality of said seatings and is configured to support a plurality of said containers and with magnetic means, wherein said electric energizing means are associated with a reference surface and are configured to selectively generate one or more magnetic fields, wherein said magnetic means are configured to interact with said one or more magnetic fields, so that said at least one support member can move independently and without contact, with respect to said reference surface, and wherein said control means are configured to selectively energize in a coordinated manner said electric energizing means to cause the contactless movement of said at least one support member from one point to another of said reference surface, wherein said control means control and detect the value of the electric current and/or voltage with which said electric energizing means are powered in order to convert it into information on the weight and therefore on the mass of each of said containers and/or of the product contained therein or said control means control and detect variations in the spatial placement of said support member to convert these variations into information on the weight and therefore on the mass of each of said containers and/or of the product contained therein.
Station for filling and weighing containers, wherein it comprises filling means, weighing means comprising a weighing plate provided with a plurality of positioning seatings each configured to receive and support a corresponding container and means configured to move said containers with respect to said filling means, and/or weighing means,
- wherein said means configured to move said containers provide a reference surface with which electric energizing means are associated which are configured to selectively generate one or more magnetic fields, at least one support member configured to support a plurality of said containers and provided with magnetic means configured to interact with said one or more magnetic fields, so that said at least one support member can move independently and without contact, with respect to said reference surface and control means configured to selectively energize in a coordinated manner said electric energizing means to cause the contactless movement of said at least one support member from one point to another of said reference surface, wherein said weighing means comprise said electric energizing means and said control means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.