Combination weighing system
AssigneePackage Machinery Company
InventorsOren A. Mosher, Oren G. Mosher, Ellwood S. Douglas
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A combination weighing system searches a plurality of scales for a combination which provides a minimum total weight of product not less than a pre-established target weight. The search for the best combination is performed on the basis of an ordered search sequence of all combinations, and certain steps of the sequence and corresponding combinations are omitted from the sequence if they involve subcombinations previously searched and found to be at or above the target weight. The scales produce signals representative of the product weight, and the signals are calibrated and processed to eliminate measurement errors.
Claims20
A combination weighing system to search for and obtain a minimum qualified weight of product not less than a target weight from among multiple quantities of the product comprising:
- a plurality of weighing scales, each receiving and weighing a quantity of the product and providing a weight signal representative of the weight of the product in the scale;
- arithmetic means connected with the plurality of scales to receive the weight signals for determining the combined weight of the product in selected combinations of the scales during a search operation;
- first means for comparing the combination weights with a target weight to identify qualified combination weights at and above the target weight;
- second means for comparing qualified combination weights with the other qualified combination weights to establish the minimum qualified weight and corresponding combination of scales;
- memory means for storing the best minimum qualified weight and corresponding combination;
- and
- search control means for controlling the search of various combination of scales in an ordered search sequence and including means for omitting from the sequence a combination of scales having a subcombination previously searched and found to be qualified.
A method of searching a plurality of loaded weighing scales for the combination of scales providing a minimum total weight not less than a given target weight comprising:
- establishing a search sequence of n scales having 2.sup.n -1 combinations in which the consecutive steps of the sequence consist of previously examined subcombinations plus one new scale not examined in the previous step;
- adding the scale weights of the combination in each step of the sequence to obtain a combination of weights;
- comparing the combination weights with a target weight to establish qualified combination weights not less than the target weight;
- comparing the qualified combination weights with the best previous weight to establish the minimum qualified weight and corresponding best combination;
- and
- omitting from the search sequence those combinations having subcombinations previously searched and found to be qualified.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.