Method and device for determining the mass of postal articles transferred in succession along a path
AssigneeElsag Datamat SPA
InventorGuido Teodoro De Leo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Method and device for determining the mass of postal articles transferred in succession; according to the method, the postal articles are transferred along a path having a change of direction, which entails an acceleration on the postal articles; at least one quantity is measured indicating of the force of reaction to the inertia of the postal articles associated to said acceleration so as to determine then the mass of the postal articles.
Claims23
A method for determining mass of postal articles (2) transferred in succession, comprising the steps of:
- transferring the postal articles (2) in line along a path (18) comprising a change of direction (23) so that only one of the postal articles (2) occupies the change of direction (23) at a time, the change of direction (23) bending the postal articles and entailing an acceleration on each of the postal articles;
- performing a plurality of successive measurements on each of the postal articles (2) in a time interval (T) during which at least part of each of the postal articles (2) follows the change of direction (23) such that each of the successive measurements measuring a quantity (F) indicating a force of reaction to inertia associated with the acceleration of a portion of one of the postal articles engaging the change of direction (23) of the path (18);
- determining one of the mass and a weight of the postal article (2) as a function of the successive measurements of the quantity (F).
A device (1) for determining mass of postal articles (2) transferred in succession along a path (18), the device comprising:
- a fixed support (14, 15) and a mobile support (16) floating relative to the fixed support (14) along at least one axis of measurement;
- motor-driven conveyor means (17) independent of the fixed support (14, 15) and carried by the mobile support (16) for transferring the postal articles (2) in succession relative to the fixed support (14, 15) and the mobile support (16), the conveyor means (17) defining, along the path (18), a change of direction (23) entailing an acceleration on each of the postal articles;
- and
- at least one sensor (30, 31, 41) arranged in a position such as to measure at least one quantity (F) between the fixed support (14, 15) and the mobile support (16), the quantity (F) indicating a force of reaction to the inertia of each of the postal articles associated with the acceleration.
A device for determining mass of postal articles (2) transferred in succession along a path (18), the device comprising:
- a fixed support (14, 15) and a mobile support (16) floating relative to the fixed support (14) along at least one axis of measurement;
- motor-driven conveyor means (17) independent of the fixed support (14, 15) and carried by the mobile support (16) for transferring the postal articles (2) in succession relative to the fixed support (14, 15) and the mobile support (16), the conveyor means (17) defining, along the path (18), a change of direction (23) entailing an acceleration on each of the postal articles;
- and
- two load cells (30, 31) arranged in positions such as to measure two components of an inertial thrust of each of the postal articles along respective axes of measurement (32, 33) transverse to one another.
A device (1) for determining mass of postal articles (2) transferred in succession along a path (18) disposed in a plane, the device comprising:
- a fixed support (14, 15) and a mobile support (16) movable relative to the fixed support (14) in at least one direction parallel to the plane of the path (18);
- conveyor means (17) carried by the mobile support (16) for transferring the postal articles (2) in succession;
- and
- at least one sensor (30, 31, 41) fixed to the fixed support (14, 15) for measuring an inertial thrust parallel to the plane of the path (18);
- the mobile support (16) defined by a horizontal plate floating horizontally with respect to the fixed support (14, 15) and carrying, on top thereof, the conveyor means (17);
- the conveyor means (17) defining, along the path (18), a change of direction (23) entailing a centrifugal acceleration on each of the postal articles;
- the sensor (30, 31, 41) arranged in a position such as to measure at least one quantity of a force (F) between the fixed support (14, 15) and the mobile support indicating the force of reaction to the inertia of the postal articles associated with the centrifugal acceleration;
- the sensor (30, 31, 41) measuring an inertial thrust of the mobile support (16) with respect to the fixed support (14, 15).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.