Method to weigh containers
AssigneeI.M.A. Industria Macchine Automatiche S.P.A.
InventorMattia Chianura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Method to weigh containers (C) in a processing line (10) that comprises a station (12) for filling and weighing said containers (C), said method providing to simultaneously pick up a plurality of containers (C) which are initially weighed to determine the tare weight and subsequently filled in a sequential manner, determining the weight of product metered into each container (C).
Claims15
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 one scale which supports a weighing plate, characterized in that said weighing plate is provided with a plurality of positioning seatings, each positioning seatings being configured to receive and support a corresponding container and in that said method comprises the following steps:
- picking up a plurality of empty containers from a pick-up station and moving them toward said filling and weighing station;
- positioning each container of said plurality of containers in a respective seating of said plurality of positioning seatings;
- carrying out a weighing of the total tare of all the containers of said plurality of containers inserted in the positioning seatings by means of said scale;
- subsequently:
- sequentially filling each of said containers with a pre-determined dose of product by means of said filling means, said step of filling sequentially being carried out while said plurality of containers remains housed in said positioning seatings of said weighing plate and therefore without displacing said plurality of containers from the scale after said step of carrying out the weighing of the total tare,
- measuring the weight of product metered into a first container of said containers, subtracting from the total weight determined at the end of the step of filling said first container, the value of the total tare weight previously detected in said step of carrying out the weighing of the tare;
- and then
- measuring the weight of product metered into each container, after the first container, subtracting from the total weight determined at the end of the filling of each container, the value of the total weight measured at the end of the filling of the immediately previous container.
Station for filling and weighing containers, comprising:
- pick-up means commanded to pick-up a plurality of empty containers from a pick-up station and move them toward a filling and weighing station;
- said filling and weighing station comprising:
- weighing means comprising a scale which supports a weighing plate provided with a plurality of positioning seatings, each positioning seating being configured to receive and support a corresponding container, and
- filling means configured to sequentially fill each of said containers with a product in said filling and weighing station;
- a programmable command and control unit, operatively connected at least to said weighing means and to said filling means and configured to:
- i) first acquire from said scale the measurement of the weighing of the total tare of all the containers of said plurality of containers inserted in the positioning seatings,
- ii) subsequently, drive the filling means to sequentially fill each of said containers with a pre-established dose of product while they remain housed in said positioning seatings of said weighing plate, and
- iii) again, subsequently, acquire from said scale the measurement of the weight of product metered into each container by subtracting from the measurement of the total weight obtained for each filling, the measurement of the total weight obtained at the immediately previous filling, this weight coinciding with the total tare weight as above, if a first container of said plurality of containers is filled.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.