MIXING HEAD WITH INTEGRATED SHOT COUNTER

• US 20060262640A1
• Filed: 05/12/2006
• Published: 11/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Krauss-Maffei Kunstofftechnik GmbH (KraussMaffei Group GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Krauss-Maffei Kunstofftechnik GmbH (KraussMaffei Group GmbH)
• Inventors: Sochtig, Wolfgang, Berchtenbreiter, Ernst
• Application Number:
  US11/383,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20060262640A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 366/162.500
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/105 Mixing heads, i.e. compact mixing units or modules, using mixing valves for feeding and mixing at least two components
• CPC Class Codes: G06M 1/00 Design features of general application
• CPC Class Codes: G06M 7/00 Counting of objects carried by a conveyor

Abstract

A mixing head includes an integrated shot counting apparatus. The shot counting apparatus is hereby implemented as an integrated circuit with a detector for ascertaining an operating parameter of the mixing head, and an electric acquisition and storage unit operatively connected to the detector and having a counter and a non-volatile memory device which is operatively connected to the counter.

Claims

1. A mixing head having integrated therein a shot counting apparatus, said shot counting apparatus comprising a detector for ascertaining an operating parameter of the mixing head, and an electric acquisition and storage unit operatively connected to the detector and having a counter and a non-volatile memory device which is operatively connected to the counter.

2. The mixing head of claim 1, further comprising a control and/or cleaning piston, wherein the operating parameter is a movement or actuation of the control and/or cleaning piston.

3. The mixing head of claim 1, wherein the detector is an integral part of the electric acquisition and storage unit.

4. The mixing head of claim 1, wherein the counter is an incremental counter.

5. The mixing head of claim 1, wherein the detector includes a sensor.

6. The mixing head of claim 5, wherein the sensor is a switch.

7. The mixing head of claim 6, wherein the switch is a reed switch.

8. The mixing head of claim 1, further comprising an interface for providing a communication connection to the electric acquisition and storage unit.

9. The mixing head of claim 1, wherein the memory device of the electric acquisition and storage unit is a read-only memory device (read-only counter).

10. The mixing head of claim 1, further comprising a battery for providing electric energy to the electric acquisition and storage unit and/or buffering of the memory device.

11. The mixing head of claim 1, further comprising a housing, said electric acquisition and storage unit being integrated in the housing.

12. The mixing head of claim 11, wherein the electric acquisition and storage unit is cast into the housing.

13. The mixing head of claim 2, wherein the control and/or cleaning piston has a housing, said electric acquisition and storage unit being integrated in the housing.

14. The mixing head of claim 13, wherein the control and/or cleaning piston has a cylinder cover for placement upon the housing of the control or cleaning piston, said electric acquisition and storage unit being integrated in the cylinder cover.

15. The mixing head of claim 14, wherein the electric acquisition and storage unit is cast into the cylinder cover.

16. The mixing head of claim 1, wherein the memory device of the electric acquisition and storage unit stores a uniquely identifiable information about the mixing head in a first storage area.

17. The mixing head of claim 16, wherein the uniquely identifiable information is non-erasably stored in the memory device.

18. The mixing head of claim 1, wherein the electric acquisition and storage unit includes a further memory device for storage of additional data.

19. The mixing head of claim 16, wherein the memory device has a second storage area for storage of additional data.

20. A mixing head, comprising:

a housing having a mixing chamber with an outlet for discharge of a reaction mixture;

a control and/or cleaning piston received in the housing for movement between a retracted lower position away from the outlet and an upper position in which a shot amount of the reaction mixture is discharged from the mixing chamber through the outlet;

a cover for placement onto the housing; and

a shot counting apparatus for determining a number of shots, said shot counting apparatus including

a detector integrated in the cover and rendered operative in response to a movement of the control and/or cleaning piston from the lower position to the upper position to generate a signal,

a counter receiving the signal from the detector and increasing the number of shots by 1 in response to the signal of the detector, and

a non-volatile memory for storing the number of shots.

21. The mixing head of claim 20, wherein the shot counting apparatus includes a printed circuit board, received in a recess of the cover, and an integrated circuit deposited on the printed circuit board and including the counter and the memory device.

22. The mixing head of claim 21, wherein the shot counting apparatus includes an interface for connection of a controller and connection of the controller to the integrated circuit.