METHOD FOR WEIGHING OF WEIGHABLE GOODS AND SCALES FOR PERFORMING THE METHOD

• US 20120006599A1
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Published: 01/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mettler-Toledo Albstadt GmbH (Mettler-Toledo International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Mettler-Toledo Albstadt GmbH (Mettler-Toledo International Inc.)
• Inventors: Murdter, Herbert
• Granted Patent: US 8,232,483 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 177/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/14 for weighing suspended loads G01G3/00 takes precedence; incorporation of weighing devices in cranes B66C1/40, B66C13/16
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/4144 for controlling weight of goods in commercial establishments, e.g. supermarket, P.O.S. systems

Abstract

A method and a device for weighing weighable goods placed in a bag (24) having a filling opening (25) are characterized according to this invention in that the bag (24) is hung from a load suspension part (13) with an area of the bag adjacent to the filling opening (25) and the weight force corresponding to the weighable goods is transferred from here to a load cell (4) which forms a corresponding weight value.

Claims

1. A method for weighing weighable goods that are placed in a bag having a filling opening, by means of scales having a load suspension part to receive the weight force acting on the weighable goods and transmitted to a load cell that forms a weight value corresponding to the weight force, characterized in that the bag is suspended from the load suspension part by an area of the bag adjacent to the filling opening, and the weight force is thereby transmitted to this load suspension part.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the bag is gripped, sealed and released again by a sealing device in an empty area of the bag situated between its area hanging from the load suspension part and an area containing the weighable goods.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the area of the bag inserted into the sealing device is constricted by it.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the area of the bag inserted into the sealing device is welded by it.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the area of the bag inserted into the sealing device is banded by it.

6. The method according to claim 2, in that the area of the bag inserted into the sealing device is stapled by it.

7. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that a weight value is formed after sealing the bag.

8. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the sealing device is operated in response to an external command.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the bag hanging from the load suspension part is held open by the load suspension part, and an imaging beam path of an image recording device, unobstructed by the bag, is directed at the weighable goods placed in the bag.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that the weighable goods placed in the bag are automatically identified by means of image recognition software on the basis of the image created by the image recording device.

11. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that a label containing the weight value thus formed is printed.

12. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the label is printed on the seal of the bag accordingly.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the label is automatically applied to the bag.

14. The method according to any one of claim 1, characterized in that the weight value thus formed is printed on the bag.

15. The scales having a load suspension part to receive the weight force acting on weighable goods that have been placed in a bag having a filling opening and transferring same to a load cell, forming a weight value according to the weight force, characterized in that the load suspension part has a device by means of which the bag can be suspended from the load suspension part by an area of the bag adjacent to the filling opening, and the weight force can be thereby transferred via the bag to the load suspension part.

16. The scales according to claim 15, characterized in that the device has at least one part extending across the direction of weight force for reaching into a receiving opening formed in the area of the bag adjacent to the filling opening.

17. The scales according to claim 16, characterized in that two of the protruding parts are provided on opposite locations of the load suspension part across the direction of the weight force.

18. The scales according to claim 15, characterized in that a sealing device is provided, sealing the bag in an empty area of the bag situated between the area of the bag hanging from the load suspension part and an area of the bag containing the weighable goods.

19. The scales according to claim 18, characterized in that the sealing device has a guide slot extending between an open inlet end and an open outlet end in the direction of weight force beneath the load suspension part;

the empty area of the bag hanging from the load suspension part can be inserted into said guide slot from the inlet end and can be guided to its outlet end by a relative movement between the load suspension part and the guide slot; and

a closing device engaging in the guide slot is arranged upstream from the outlet end, such that the empty area of the bag which passes by it can be provided with a closure means by means of said closing device.

20. The scales according to claim 19, characterized in that a drive device driving the relative movement is provided.

21. The scales according to claim 20, characterized in that the load suspension part can be moved by the drive device along a path of movement following the guide slot.

22. The scales according to claim 19, characterized in that the guide slot tapers from its inlet end to its outlet end, and the closing device is arranged in the tapered area.

23. The scales according to claim 19, characterized in that the closing device has a guide element, which is provided with two fork-like opposing guide arms, said guide arms being movable from a receiving position outside of the guide slot, at which the empty area of the bag hanging from the load suspension part can be inserted between the guide arms from their free end, to the inlet end of the guide slot and with guide arms extending across the latter along a path of movement following the guide slot up to its outlet end as far as a removal site situated outside of the guide slot.

24. The scales according to claim 23, characterized in that the guide arms can be approached to one another during their movement from the inlet end to the outlet end of the guide slot.

25. The scales according to claim 24, characterized in that the approach is controlled by a control cam arrangement with which the guide arms are engaged.

26. The scales according to claim 19, characterized in that the closing device is provided with a rotatably mounted member having a circumferential section that protrudes into it from one side of the guide slot;

a section of an adhesive strip having an adhesive side and forming the closure means can be supported on said circumferential section, and with its side opposite the adhesive side, and is provided with a guide member that is aimed from the other side of the guide slot toward the circumferential section of the rotatably mounted member and together with the circumferential section forms a passage for the area of the bag that is guided along the guide slot.

27. The scales according to claim 26, characterized in that the guide member is elastically stressed against the rotatably mounted member.

28. The scales according to claim 26, characterized in that the rotatably mounted member has radially protruding supporting areas on its outer circumference spaced a distance apart from one another in the circumferential direction, the section of the adhesive strip being supportable on their radially outer ends situated on a circle centered about the axis of rotation and by means of which the recesses that are recessed radially between neighboring supporting areas are bordered.

29. The scales according to claim 26, characterized in that the closing device has a receptacle for rotatable support of a supply roll containing the adhesive strip.

30. The scales according to claim 29, characterized in that the receptacle is formed by a recess formed in a base body of the closing device which borders the guide slot, said recess being opened toward the edge of the base body and being receivable in a form-fitting manner in the axle stubs of a winding core of the supply roll.

31. The scales according to claim 26, characterized in that the sealing device has a blade device whose cutting edge can be induced to execute a cutting movement across the guide slot with respect to the guide direction of the bag downstream from the closing device.

32. The scales according to claim 31, characterized in that the blade device is provided on a rotatably mounted mounting body that has an operating arm protruding into the guide slot from which a rotation of the mounting body that drives the cutting movement of the cutting edge from a starting position, situated on one side outside of the guide slot, to an end position situated on the other side outside of the guide slot, can be executed by a force acting in the guidance direction of the bag.

33. The scales according to claim 32, characterized in that the supporting body is acted upon by a spring member driving a reversing movement of the cutting edge opposite the cutting movement.

34. The scales according to claim 33, characterized in that the supporting body is acted upon by a locking member that brakes it in the reversing movement into the starting position of the cutting edge.

35. The scales according to claim 19, characterized in that the path of movement of the load suspension part is a circular path and the guide slot is bordered by curve segments adapted to this circular path.

36. The scales according to claim 19, characterized in that the load suspension part is pivotable about an axle at a right angle to the direction of the weight force.

37. The scales according to claim 18, characterized in that the closing device has two welding jaws which can be moved between an open position in which the bag can be suspended from the load suspension part and a welding position in which the empty area of the bag suspended from the load suspension part can be clamped between the welding jaws for the welding operation.

38. The scales according to claim 37, characterized in that the welding jaws are arranged on levers of a lever gear which serves its movement between the open position and the closed position said gear being supported on a foundation frame for the scales.

39. The scales according to claim 37, characterized in that the lever gear has a shaft drivable to rotate by an electric motor with which one of the levers is connected in a rotationally fixed manner.

40. The scales according to claim 37, characterized in that the lever gear has a coupling element which has an articulated connection to articulation points spaced a distance apart from the lever fulcra of the levers provided with the welding jaws.

41. The scales according to claim 15, characterized in that the load suspension part is supported on a movable parallelogram leg of a parallelogram guide attached to a parallelogram leg on a foundation frame of scales opposite thereto.

42. The scales according to claim 15, characterized in that an image recording device is provided, having an imaging beam path which is unobstructed by the bag and is directed at the weighable goods placed in the bag due to its spatial arrangement relative to the filling opening of the bag hanging from the load suspension part, said filling opening being held open by the load suspension part.

43. The scales according to claim 42, characterized in that an image recognition devices which automatically identifies the weighable goods placed in the bag on the basis of the image generated by the image recording device is provided.

44. The scales according to claim 42, characterized in that the image recording lens of the image recording device is arranged on the load recording part.

45. The scales according to claim 44, characterized in that the load suspension part has a hollow area in which the image recording lens is situated and which protrudes with an opening that serves to provide a passage for the imaging beam path through the filling opening into the bag hanging from the load suspension part.

46. The scales according to claim 42, characterized in that an illumination device directed at the weighable goods placed in the bag hanging from the load suspension part is provided.