Combination Weighing and Packing System

This invention relates to an improved combination weighing and packing system and, particular, to a novel operation and display device thereof for setting and displaying various operation parameters of the system.

It has been known to couple a combination weigher such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,616 with a packing machine such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,965 for successively packing batches of weighed product sequentially into bags. More specifically, as described in the above U.S. patents, the combination weigher serves to combine weights of product fed to a plurality of weighing units in predetermined fashion and select from the resultant combinations a combination the sum of which satisfies a predetermined condition and to deliver the batch of product constituting the selected combination, and the packing machine serves to form a bag from a sheet of material and to pack the delivered batch of product in the bag. Such weighing and packing operations are automatically repeated.

It has been a general practice to design and manufacture such combination weigher and packing machine independently in different plants or by different manufacturers and to provide them with separate operation and display devices, respectively. The operation and display device as referred to in this specification means a device for providing the weigher and packing machine such operation parameters as target weight, allowable deviation, bag length, rate of delivery and likes, and displaying actual operation data such as combined weight, actual speed of operation and the like, as well as other operation parameters.

In such a combination weigher and an associated packing machine, it is troublesome for a single operator to set the operation parameters and monitor the state of operation with separate operation and display devices which are often located in different positions.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to solve the abovementioned problem from the prior art combination weigher/packing machine system.

This object is attained in accordance with this invention by providing a common operation and display device for both the combination weigher and the packing machine, which supplies operation parameters to the weigher and packer and also displays operational data thereof.

The operation and display device of this invention includes an input section, a display section and a control section. The control section provides the combination weigher and the packing machine with corresponding operation parameters in accordance with operation of the input section, and receives the current operation data from the combination weigher and the packing machine for display in the display section.

These and other objects and features of this invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram representing a principle of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram representing a functional arrangement of an embodiment of the operation and display device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram representing details of the control section of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view of an example of the front panel of the embodiment of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart representing a preferred operation of the embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 4; and

FIGS. 6 and 7 are front views of the display screen of the device of FIG. 4 displaying two examples of operation patterns used as an aid of explaining FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 1, the combination weighing and packing system according to this invention includes a combination weigher 2 associated with its control device 4, a packing machine 6 associated with its control device 8, and an operation and display device 10 coupled to both control devices 4 and 8. As shown in FIG. 2, the operation and display device 10 is preferably composed of a commercially available microcomputer 18 accompanied by a display device 20 and a keyboard input device 22, and is coupled to the control devices 4 and 8 through serial interfaces 24 and 26, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 3 each of the control devices 4 and 8 includes an operating condition memory 12, a serial interface 14 and an operation data register 16. The operation condition memory 12 receives specified operation parameters from the operation and display device 10 through the serial interface 14 to store them for operation of the corresponding machine, while the operation data register 16 detects specified data of current machine operation and sends them through the serial interface 14 to the operation and display device 10 for display and statistic analysis.

Referring to again to FIG. 2, the microcomputer 18 of operation and display device 10, shown in dashed block, includes a central processing unit (CPU) 28 for executing various operations, such as setting, displaying and revising stored data, controlling and monitoring automatic and manual operations of the system and statistically analyzing operational data, in accordance with a program preset in a program memory 30. A display table memory 32 stores data patterns or formats to be display by the display device 20 through a display buffer memory 34. The display device 20 also displays a pointing cursor which is movable in response to a control signal provided from the keyboard 22 through a input register 38 as described later, and a cursor position register 36 follows the moving cursor to store its current position. A program number register 40 stores identification numbers for weighing and packing programs corresponding to different product handling and an operating condition register 42 stores some groups for possible data of operation parameters, such as target weight, vibration amplitude of vibration feeder, packing bag length and operation speed, corresponding to the program numbers stored in the register 40. Each program number and corresponding operating data are read out from the registers 40 and 42, respectively, and temporarily stored in an operating condition table memory 44 in a prescribed pattern for display using the content of memory 32 as described later. An operation data register 46 temporarily stores detected operating data serially transferred from the operation data register 16 of FIG. 3, which are successively displayed in real time by the display device 20. Some of these data are stored in a statistic memory 48 for optional statistic analysis.

Now, the description will be made in more detail about a preferred operation of the operation and display device 10 with reference to FIGS. 4 through 7.

FIG. 4 shows a preferred example of the front panel configuration of the operation and display device of this invention. In the drawing, 50 denotes a display screen of the display device 20, such as cathode ray tube. 52 and 54 denote, respectively, RUN and RETURN keys serving functions as described later. 56 denotes a PRINT key for starting a printer 66 to print out the image displayed on the screen 50. 58U, 58D, 58L and 58R denote CURSOR keys for moving the cursor displayed on the screen in both vertical and horizontal directions. 60P and 60M denote PLUS and MINUS keys for increasing and decreasing numerical values selected by the cursor on the display of screen 50. 62 denotes a weigher/packer change-over switch and 64 denotes a key switch for selectively confining the range of operation in order to prevent erroneous handling by unskilled operators.

When the key switch 64 is set properly and a power source is put on in step 71 (FIG. 5), it is first inquired in step 72 which position the switch 62 selects, WEIGHER or PACKER. Assuming now that the switch 62 has been turned to WEIGHER position, an operation pattern and a primary menu for the weigher are read out from the above-described elemements 32, 40 and 42 of microcomputer 18 and displayed on the screen 50 in steps 73 and 74. A preferred example of the displayed image is shown in FIG. 6, which gives the "primary menu" including AUTO, UNLOAD, ZERO, MANUAL, STATISTIC, PRINT and SETTING in the bottom row. These items mean automatic operation, unloading of all filled hoppers, zero correction, manual operation, statistic analysis, printing operation and parameter operation, respectively. Thus, the word "menu" means a list of operations which may be requested.

As shown in FIG. 6, the display device 20 displays program number "10" suitable for "potatochips", target weight "100.0" grams, vibration amplitude "40", bag length "250" millimeters and machine operation speed "65" r.p.m. If it is desired to change any of these specified values the operator pushes in step 75 the cursor keys 58U, 58D, 58L or 58R. Then, the key pushed is identified in step 76. Since the cursor key is pushed in this case, the displayed cursor 90 moves in accordance with key codes from the four keys. When the cursor is brought onto the value to be changed, the operator pushes the plus or minus key 60P or 60M in step 75. Then, this key is identified in step 76 and the cursored value is increased or decreased sequentially in step 78. When the cursored value reaches the desired value, the operator pushes CURSOR keys to move the displayed cursor to the "SETTING" position as shown by a dashed square 92 and, thereafter, pushes the RUN key. Then, the cursored menu is identified in step 79 and a "secondary menu" is displayed in step 80. The secondary menu includes additional weigher operating parameters, such as allowable upper and lower deviations of sum weight, hopper gate opening intervals and the like, as well as those parameters displayed with the primary menu. If there is any value desired to be changed on in this menu, it is corrected by operating CURSOR and PLUS/MINUS keys in the same manner as above. The operating parameters for the packing machine can be set in similar manner by turning the weigher/packer change-over switch 62 to PACKER position.

Upon completion of such setting operation, the operator pushes RETURN key 54 and the initial display pattern of FIG. 6 is thereby restored in step 81. Then, the operator moves the cursor to "AUTO" position and pushes RUN key 52. This position is identified in step 79 and it is inquired in step 82 whether the system is now being operated in its automatic mode or not. The answer is "NO" since the operation is not yet started. The operating parameters which have been set as above and stored in the operating condition table memory 44 are provided to the operating condition memories 12 in the control devices 4 and 8 of weigher 2 and packer 6 in step 83 and a start command is applied to the system to start its operation in step 84. Then, the displayed pattern changes into a pattern as shown in FIG. 7 in which the cursor is in "AUTO" position 94 and current operational data, such as sum weight, mean weight, number of combined weighing units, speed of operation and total number of deliveries are displayed, in addition to the present operating parameters. In the pattern of FIG. 7, small circles are displayed under weigh units numbered 3, 7 and 10 and indicate that these units are selected for combination and another small circle display under "A" means that the combined sum weight 100.2 gram is acceptable. If the circle appears under "L" or "H", it means that the current sum weight is unacceptably low or high, respectively.

If the operator pushes RUN key 52 again in this state, the answer in step 82 will be "YES" and a stop command is provided in step 85 to stop operation of the system.

Although the description will not be made further since it is not necessary to understand the present invention, various modes of operation and display can be realized by putting the cursor on the respective menu items, such as STATISTIC, PRINT or the like, and pushing RUN key 52 to display in similar fashion corresponding secondary menus.