Hopper and combination weigher using hopper

{
  "publication_number": "US9459133B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Hopper and combination weigher using hopper",
  "abstract": "A hopper in a combination weigher comprises a tubular hopper body having an upper opening and a lower opening and being fed with the objects forming the combination, through the upper opening, and a discharge gate which opens and closes the lower opening of the hopper body; wherein the hopper body includes a tubular body having four or more side walls connected together in an annular shape, the tubular body having a horizontal cross section having convex regions; and wherein the hopper body has a shape in which at a boundary portion between adjacent side walls of all pairs, an angle which is formed between a first virtual plane contacting one of the adjacent side walls and a second virtual plane contacting the other side wall, is equal to or greater than 90 degrees.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A combination weigher which finds a combination of objects having a total weight that falls within a predetermined weight range and discharges the objects making up the combination, the combination weigher comprising: a plurality of weighing hoppers arranged in the combination weigher in a circular shape around a casing; a plurality of load cells disposed inside of the casing and supporting the weighing hoppers, respectively, via coupling members penetrating the casing; each hopper in the plurality of weighing hoppers comprising a tubular hopper body having an upper opening, a lower opening, and being positioned to be fed through the upper opening with the objects making up the combination, each hopper having a discharge gate which opens and closes the lower opening of the tubular hopper body; wherein the tubular hopper body includes four or more side walls connected together in an annular shape, the four or more side walls including an outer side wall disposed radially outward relative to the casing, an inner side wall disposed radially inward relative to the casing, and first and second lateral side walls, the tubular hopper body having a horizontal cross-section shaped to be non-rectangular and having convex regions; the tubular hopper body further shaped such that a boundary portion between any two adjacent side walls forms an angle between a first virtual plane contacting a first one of the adjacent side walls and a second virtual plane contacting a second one of the adjacent side walls, the angle located at a side of a region to which the objects are fed and being equal to or greater than 90 degrees; wherein the first lateral side wall of an arbitrary one of the plurality of weighing hoppers is adjacent to the second lateral side wall of a first next adjacent one of the plurality of weighing hoppers and the second lateral sidewall of the arbitrary one of the plurality of weighing hoppers is adjacent to the first lateral side wall of a second next adjacent one of the plurality of weighing hoppers, and wherein the first and second lateral side walls have a flat plate shape and surfaces of the first and second lateral side walls are disposed along first and second planes, respectively, that extend from a center of the circular shape about which the plurality of weighing hoppers are arranged; and wherein, when the tubular hopper body is placed with the inside side wall at a first distance from the casing, the horizontal cross section of the tubular hopper body will have a first center of gravity, the first center of gravity being closer to the casing than a second center of gravity of a horizontal cross-section of a conventional rectangular hopper when an inside sidewall of the conventional rectangular hopper is positioned at the first distance from the casing, the conventional weighing hopper having four intersecting sidewalls, wherein all pairs of intersecting sidewalls meet at 90 degrees, and wherein the conventional hopper having a horizontal cross-section with an area equal to an area of a horizontal cross-section of the tubular hopper body.",
    "2. The combination weigher according to claim 1, wherein the outer side wall of the tubular hopper body has a circular-arc shape.",
    "3. A combination weigher which finds a combination of objects having a total weight that falls within a predetermined weight range and discharges the objects making up the combination, the combination weigher comprising: a plurality of weighing hoppers arranged in the combination weigher in a circular shape around a casing; a plurality of load cells provided inside of the casing and supporting the weighing hoppers, respectively, via coupling members penetrating the casing; each hopper in the plurality of weighing hoppers comprising a tubular hopper body having an upper opening, a lower opening, and being positioned to be fed through the upper opening with the objects making up the combination, each hopper having a discharge gate which opens and closes the lower opening of the tubular hopper body; wherein the tubular hopper body includes four or more side walls connected together in an annular shape, the four or more side walls including first and second lateral side walls, the tubular hopper body having a horizontal cross-section shaped to be non-rectangular and having convex regions; the tubular hopper body further shaped such that a boundary portion between any two adjacent side walls forms an angle between a first virtual plane contacting a first one of the adjacent side walls and a second virtual plane contacting a second one of the adjacent side walls, the angle located at a side of a region to which the objects are fed and being equal to or greater than 90 degrees; wherein a first lateral side wall of a first one of the weighing hoppers is adjacent a second lateral side wall of a next adjacent second one of the weighing hoppers, and wherein the first lateral side wall of the first one of the weighing hoppers is parallel to the second lateral side wall of the next adjacent second one of the weighing hoppers; wherein, when the tubular hopper body is placed with the inside side wall at a first distance from the casing, the horizontal cross section of the tubular hopper body will have a first center of gravity, the first center of gravity being closer to the casing than a second center of gravity of a horizontal cross-section of a conventional rectangular hopper when an inside sidewall of the conventional rectangular hopper is positioned at the first distance from the casing, the conventional weighing hopper having four intersecting sidewalls, and wherein all pairs of intersecting sidewalls meet at 90 degrees, and the conventional hopper having a horizontal cross-section with an area equal to an area of a horizontal cross-section of the tubular hopper body.",
    "4. The combination weigher according to claim 3, wherein the first lateral side wall of the first one of the weighing hoppers the second lateral side wall of the second one of the weighing hoppers extend along a first and second virtual line, respectively, extending toward a center of the circular shape about which the plurality of weighing hoppers are arranged.",
    "5. The combination weigher according to claim 4, wherein the outer side wall of the tubular hopper body has a circular-arc shape.",
    "6. The combination weigher according to claim 3, wherein the outer side wall of the tubular hopper body has a circular-arc shape."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention relates to a hopper for use in a combination weigher and the combination weigher using the hopper.\n\nConventionally, a combination weigher uses a plurality of hoppers. The combination weigher is configured such that a plurality of weighing hoppers which hold objects therein and are supported on load cells to weigh weights of the objects held therein are arranged in, for example, a circular shape, and feeding hoppers which feed the objects to the weighing hoppers, respectively, are arranged above the weighing hoppers, respectively. Each of the weighing hoppers has a horizontal cross-section of a rectangular shape, and each of the feeding hoppers has a horizontal cross-section of a rectangular shape (see, for example, Patent Literature 1, Patent Literature 2).\n\nFIG. 6A is a plan view showing a shape and layout of hoppers (feeding hoppers or weighing hoppers) in a conventional combination weigher. FIG. 6B is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 6A.\n\nIn the conventional combination weigher, the hoppers (rectangular hoppers) 52 each having a horizontal cross-section of a rectangular shape are arranged in a circular shape around a center base body 51. Each of the hoppers 52 is configured such that a discharge gate which is a lid of a lower opening is attached to a tubular hopper body having upper and lower portions which are open. In FIGS. 6A and 6B, only the hopper bodies are illustrated but the discharge gates and the like are not illustrated.\n\nPatent Literature 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 2001-146319",
  "cpc": [
    "G01G 19/393",
    "G01G 21/22"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "G01G 19/393",
    "G01G 21/22"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Yamato Scale Co Ltd"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Takayuki Nagai"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2010-10-27",
  "publication_date": "2016-10-04",
  "grant_date": "2016-10-04",
  "priority_date": "2010-10-27",
  "application_number": "US-201013881138-A",
  "family_id": "45993251",
  "cited_by_count": 10,
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}