Solid state gravimetric vibratory dosing feeder
OwnerMike Dudleyinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gravimetric solid-state dosing feeder system, configured for use in the movement of granular solids in an efficient manner while limiting jams and/or clogs in the feeder. The system employs bimorph benders in operation. The system provides rate and dosing accuracy to the limit of an individual pulse of material from the Pre-Feeder or depending on the feeder required flow rate, in the order of micrograms. The system is solid state in the sense that there are no bearings, gears, linkages, material shear plates and other moving parts. As such, it has the advantages of piezoelectric drives.
Claims9
A gravimetric vibratory dosing feeder comprising:
- a hopper configured to supply bulk solids;
- a vibratory pre-feeder receiving material from the hopper and conveying it in a controlled flow rate;
- a weighing feeder receiving material from the vibratory pre-feeder and discharging it to a downstream container;
- piezoelectric benders actuating the weighing feeder to propel the material in a ballistic trajectory off a pan;
- and
- electronic controls configured to synchronize the operation of the vibratory pre-feeder and the weighing feeder, and to measure the mass of the material based on the ratio of actuation energy to return energy of the piezoelectric benders.
A method for dosing solids using a gravimetric vibratory dosing feeder, the method comprising:
- delivering bulk solids from a hopper to a vibratory pre-feeder;
- conveying the solids from the vibratory pre-feeder to a weighing feeder at a controlled flow rate;
- actuating the weighing feeder with piezoelectric benders to discharge the solids in a ballistic trajectory;
- synchronizing the vibratory pre-feeder and the weighing feeder with electronic controls;
- measuring the mass of the discharged solids by comparing the actuation energy signal to the return energy signal of the piezoelectric benders and adjusting the pre-feeder's rate based on feedback analysis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.