Apparatus and method for substantially continuous delivery of a substantially constant weight of material per unit of time from a bulk storage location and for weighing, blending, and mixing conveyable materials
First Claim
1. Apparatus for the substantially continuous delivery of a substantially constant weight of conveyable material per unit of time from a bulk storage location, comprising:
- a plurality of weighing conveying means;
weight measurement means independently suspending each of the weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means for separately determining the weight of each weighing conveying means and producing signals indicative of the weight determined;
a diverter associated with the bulk storage location for directing material from the bulk storage location to a selected one of the weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means; and
control means for controlling and coordinating operation of the diverter and weighing conveying means and responsive to the signals from the weight measurement means to provide a combined outflow from the plurality of weighing conveying means which is a substantially constant flow of material with a substantially constant weight per unit time.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus and method for precise and substantially continuous delivery of a substantially constant weight of conveyable material per unit of time from a bulk storage location includes a plurality of conveyors, preferably a pair of conveyors, with each conveyor of the pair suspended so that its weight is measured independently. The conveyors alternate filling and emptying, so that one fills while the other empties, and before the one conveyor fills completely, the other has emptied, so it can start filling while the filled conveyor begins emptying. This provides empty and full weight readings, while maintaining a continuous flow from the bulk source. For precise and substantially continuous weighing, blending, and mixing of multiple materials in the ratio of a given recipe, multiple conveyor pairs are employed, one for each material to be accurately delivered, that discharge into a common conveyor which conveys the ratioed continuous flow to a common continuous mixer, where the output of the mixer is a continuous, homogenized bulk mixed product with the correct ratio of materials. A computer controls operation of the system.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. Apparatus for the substantially continuous delivery of a substantially constant weight of conveyable material per unit of time from a bulk storage location, comprising:
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a plurality of weighing conveying means;
weight measurement means independently suspending each of the weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means for separately determining the weight of each weighing conveying means and producing signals indicative of the weight determined;
a diverter associated with the bulk storage location for directing material from the bulk storage location to a selected one of the weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means; and
control means for controlling and coordinating operation of the diverter and weighing conveying means and responsive to the signals from the weight measurement means to provide a combined outflow from the plurality of weighing conveying means which is a substantially constant flow of material with a substantially constant weight per unit time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. Apparatus for the substantially continuous delivery of a substantially constant weight of conveyable material per unit of time from a bulk storage location, comprising:
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a plurality of weighing conveying means;
weight measurement means independently suspending each of the weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means for separately determining the weight of each weighing conveying means and producing signals indicative of the weight determined;
a diverter associated with the bulk storage location for directing material at a substantially constant flow rate from the bulk storage location to a selected one of the weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means; and
control means for controlling and coordinating operation of the diverter and weighing conveying means in response to signals from the weight measurement means, said control means;
receiving signals from the weight measurement means and determining the weight of each of the weighing conveying means when empty with no material thereon to obtain an empty tare weight for each weighing conveying means;
operating the diverter means to direct material at the substantially constant flow rate from the bulk storage location to one of the empty weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means and continuing to supply the material until the weighing conveying means reaches a full condition;
determining when the weighing conveying means having material directed to it reaches its full condition and then operating the diverter means to direct material at the substantially constant flow rate from the bulk storage location to an empty weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means;
receiving signals from the weight measurement means and determining the weight of the weighing conveying means in its full condition and comparing the measured weight to the tare weight of the weighing conveying means when empty to determine the weight of material therein at it full condition;
comparing the measured weight of the weighing conveying means in its full condition with a target weight and adjusting the flow rate of material from the bulk storage location to the weighing conveying means so that the measured weight will more closely approach the target weight;
determining the speed needed to discharge the material in the weighing conveying means that is in full condition at the desired substantially constant weight per unit time;
operating the weighing conveying means at that speed when other weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means are not discharging material to discharge the material therein and return the weighing conveying means to its empty condition;
receiving signals from the weight measurement means and determining the weight of the weighing conveying means in its empty condition to obtain a new empty tare weight for that weighing conveying means; and
operating each of the weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means in the manner claimed so that while one of the weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means is operating to discharge material at the substantially constant desired weight per unit time, another of the weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means is being filled, and a weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means is in full condition ready to begin discharge of material therein at about the time the weighing conveying means discharging material is empty to thereby provide a substantially continuous flow of the substantially constant desired weight of material per unit time from the combined plurality of weighing conveying means. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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10. Apparatus for the continuous weighing, blending, and mixing of materials in a preset manner to form a mixed product having a specified weight ratio of at least one conveyable material stored in a bulk storage location, comprising:
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a plurality of weighing conveying means associated with a bulk storage location storing a particular conveyable material to be included in the mixed product in a specified weight ratio;
weight measurement means independently suspending each of the weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means for separately determining the weight of each weighing conveying means;
a diverter associated with the bulk storage location for directing the particular conveyable material from the bulk storage location to a selected one of the weighing conveying means;
control means for controlling and coordinating operation of the diverter and weighing conveying means and responsive to the signals from the weight measurement means to provide a combined outflow from the plurality of weighing conveying means which is a substantially constant flow of the particular material with a substantially constant weight per unit time; and
a mixer for receiving the particular material outflow from the weighing conveying means as a substantially constant flow of the particular material with a substantially constant weight per unit time and mixing it with other material of the mixed product into a substantially homogeneous mixed product. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. Apparatus for the continuous weighing, blending, and mixing of materials in a preset manner to form a mixed product having a specified weight ratio of a plurality of conveyable materials each stored in a separate bulk storage location, comprising:
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a separate plurality of weighing conveying means associated with each bulk storage location storing a particular conveyable material to be included in the mixed product in a specified weight ratio;
weight measurement means independently suspending each of the weighing conveying means of each plurality of weighing conveying means for separately determining the weight of each weighing conveying means;
a separate diverter associated with each separate plurality of weighing conveying means and associated bulk storage location for directing the particular conveyable material from the associated bulk storage location to a selected one of the weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means associated with that bulk storage location;
control means for controlling and coordinating operation of each diverter and associated plurality of weighing conveying means and responsive to the signals from the weight measurement means to provide a combined outflow from each separate plurality of weighing conveying means which is a substantially constant flow with a substantially constant weight per unit time of the particular conveyable material from the bulk storage location associated with each separate plurality of weighing conveying means; and
a mixer for receiving and mixing the particular material outflow from each separate plurality of weighing conveying means into a substantially homogeneous mixed product. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of providing a substantially continuous delivery of a substantially constant weight of material per unit of time from a bulk storage location, comprising:
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providing a plurality of weighing conveying means;
independently measuring the weight of each weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means for separately determining the weight of each weighing conveying means at desired times;
directing material from the bulk storage location to a selected one of the weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means; and
controlling operation of the weighing conveying means to provide a combined outflow from the plurality of weighing conveying means as a substantially constant flow of material with a substantially constant weight per unit time. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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24. A method of providing a substantially continuous delivery of a substantially constant desired weight of material per unit of time from a bulk storage location, comprising:
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providing a plurality of weighing conveying means;
determining a full condition and a desired target full condition weight for each weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means;
weighing each of the weighing conveying means when empty with no material therein to obtain an empty tare weight;
directing material at a substantially constant rate from the bulk storage location to one of the empty weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means and continuing to supply the material until the weighing conveying means reaches its full condition;
determining when the weighing conveying means having material directed to it reaches its full condition and then directing the material to an empty weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means;
weighing the weighing conveying means in its full condition and comparing the measured weight to the tare weight of the weighing conveying means when empty to determine the weight of material therein at it full condition;
comparing the measured weight of the weighing conveying means in its full condition with the target weight and adjusting the flow rate of material from the bulk storage location to the weighing conveying means so that the measured weight will more closely approach the target weight;
determining the speed needed to discharge the material in the weighing conveying means that is in full condition at the substantially constant desired weight per unit time;
operating the weighing conveying means at that speed when other weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means are not discharging material to discharge the material therein and return the weighing conveying means to its empty condition;
weighing the weighing conveying means in its empty condition to obtain a new empty tare weight; and
operating each of the weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means in the manner claimed so that while one of the weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means is operating to discharge material at the substantially constant desired weight per unit time, another of the weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means is being filled, and a weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means is in full condition ready to begin discharge of material therein at about the time the weighing conveying means discharging material is empty to thereby provide a substantially continuous flow of the substantially constant desired weight of material per unit time from the combined plurality of weighing conveying means. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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27. A method for the continuous weighing, blending, and mixing of materials in a preset manner to form a mixed product having a specified weight ratio of a plurality of conveyable materials each stored in a separate bulk storage location, comprising:
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providing a plurality of bulk storage locations each storing a particular conveyable material to be included in the mixed product in a specified weight ratio;
providing a separate plurality of weighing conveying means associated with each bulk storage location storing a particular conveyable material to be included in the mixed product in a specified weight ratio;
independently measuring the weight of each weighing conveying means of each plurality of weighing conveying means for separately determining the weight of each weighing conveying means at desired times;
directing material from each bulk storage location to a selected one of the weighing conveying means of the plurality of weighing conveying means associated with that bulk storage location; and
controlling operation of the weighing conveying means to provide a combined outflow from the plurality of weighing conveying means as a substantially constant flow of material with a substantially constant weight per unit time. controlling and coordinating operation of each separate plurality of weighing conveying means to provide a combined outflow from each separate plurality of weighing conveying means which is a substantially constant flow with a substantially constant weight per unit time of the particular conveyable material from the bulk storage location associated with each separate plurality of weighing conveying means;
providing a mixer for receiving and mixing the particular material outflow from each separate plurality of weighing conveying means into a substantially homogeneous mixed product; and
providing the outflow from each separate plurality of weighing conveying means simultaneously to the mixer.
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Specification