Method and apparatus for gravimetric dosing and mixing of at least two components

• US 5,753,868 A
• Filed: 04/14/1994
• Issued: 05/19/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Maschinenfabrik Gustav Eirich
• Original Assignee: Maschinenfabrik Gustav Eirich
• Inventors: Diem, Winfried
• Primary Examiner(s): Gellner, Michael L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HSIEH, SHIH YUNG
• Application Number:
  US08/227,711
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 177/1, 177/70, 177/71, 177/116, 177/121, 222/55, 222/57, 222/77, 222/135, 222/145.5
• US Class Current: 177/70
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 11/086 of the loss-in-weight feeding type
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 13/24 Weighing mechanism control arrangements for automatic feed or discharge
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/343 involving digital counting

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for gravimetric dosing and mixing of at least two components (K1, K2), wherein the parts by weight of the components (K1, K2) are calculated by weighing and both components (K1, K2) are mixed together in a container (21). In order to prepare a method and an apparatus whereby it is possible to mix together even components which are difficult to mix in accurate doses and uniformly and without excessively long mixing operations, it is proposed according to the invention that a first component (K1) is fed into a first weighing container (11), that a second component is fed into a second weighing container (21) continuously over a given period of time, during which time the first component (K1) is transferred at least in sections and simultaneously from the first weighing container (11) to the second weighing container (21) which receives the sum of the weights of the first and second components (K1, K2), wherein the relative parts of the first and second component (K1, K2) in the second weighing container (21) result from the reduction in weight of the contents of the first weighing container (11) and the sum of the weights of the two components (K1, K2) in the second weighing container (21), wherein two weighing containers (21) are provided accordingly for the apparatus, one of which is provided with a discharge device (13) which feeds the component (K1) out of the first weighing container to the other weighing container (21) and which is designed as a dosing device, wherein the other feed device (25) is designed as a dosing device for the second weighing container (2).

Claims

1. A method for gravimetric dosing and mixing of at least two components, wherein the parts by weight of the components are calculated by weighing and both components are mixed together in a container, comprising the steps of:

(a) feeding a first component into a first weighing container;

(b) feeding a second component into a second weighing container;

(c) transferring said first component into said second weighing container with first dosing means and feeding said second component into said second weighing container with second dosing means over period of time, the dosing period for the second component substantially including a dosing period for said first component wherein feeding of said first component into said second weighing container only occurs while said second component is simultaneously fed thereto, and wherein streams of said first and second components emanating from said dosing means are directed in an interfering manner, such that mixing thereof occurs whilst said components are flowing into said second container, wherein the second weighing container receives the sum of the weights of the first and second components, while the relative portions of the first and second components in the second weighing container are the result of the amount of reduction in weight of the content of the first weighing container and the sum of the weights of the two components in the second weighing container;

wherein the feeding of the first and second component is done by feeding the first and second components in short sections alternatingly to the second weighing container.

2. A method for gravimetric dosing and mixing of at least two components, wherein the parts by weight of the components are calculated by weighing and both components are mixed together in a container, comprising the steps of:

(a) feeding a first component into a first weighing container;

(b) feeding a second component into a second weighing container;

(c) transferring said first component into said second weighing container with first dosing means and feeding said second component into said second weighing container with second dosing means over period of time, the dosing period for the second component substantially including a dosing period for said first component wherein feeding of said first component into said second weighing container only occurs while said second component is simultaneously fed thereto, and wherein streams of said first and second components emanating from said dosing means are directed in an interfering manner, such that mixing thereof occurs whilst said components are flowing into said second container, wherein the second weighing container receives the sum of the weights of the first and second components, while the relative portions of the first and second components in the second weighing container are the result of the amount of reduction in weight of the content of the first weighing container and the sum of the weights of the two components in the second weighing container;

further including the step of continuously controlling the reduction in weight of the content of the first weighing container and the increase in weight of the content of the second weighing container by way of a comparison between nominal and actual values;

wherein the feeding of the first and second component is done by feeding the first and second components in short sections alternatingly to the second weighing container.

3. A method for gravimetric dosing and mixing of at least two components, wherein the parts by weight of the components are calculated by weighing and both components are mixed together in a container, comprising the steps of:

(a) feeding a first component into a first weighing container;

(b) feeding a second component into a second weighing container;

(c) transferring said first component into said second weighing container with first dosing means and feeding said second component into said second weighing container with second dosing means over period of time, the dosing period for the second component substantially including a dosing period for said first component wherein feeding of said first component into said second weighing container only occurs while said second component is simultaneously fed thereto, and wherein streams of said first and second components emanating from said dosing means are directed in an interfering manner, such that mixing thereof occurs whilst said components are flowing into said second container, wherein the second weighing container receives the sum of the weights of the first and second components, while the relative portions of the first and second components in the second weighing container are the result of the amount of reduction in weight of the content of the first weighing container and the sum of the weights of the two components in the second weighing container;

further including the step of continuously controlling the reduction in weight of the content of the first weighing container and the increase in weight of the content of the second weighing container by way of a comparison between nominal and actual values;

wherein a third component is fed into the second weighing container alternatingly with the second component.

4. A method for gravimetric dosing and mixing of at least two components, wherein the parts by weight of the components are calculated by weighing and both components are mixed together in a container, comprising the steps of:

(a) feeding a first component into a first weighing container;

(b) feeding a second component into a second weighing container;

(c) transferring said first component into said second weighing container with first dosing means and feeding said second component into said second weighing container with second dosing means over period of time, the dosing period for the second component substantially including a dosing period for said first component wherein feeding of said first component into said second weighing container only occurs while said second component is simultaneously fed thereto, and wherein streams of said first and second components emanating from said dosing means are directed in an interfering manner, such that mixing thereof occurs whilst said components are flowing into said second container, wherein the second weighing container receives the sum of the weights of the first and second components, while the relative portions of the first and second components in the second weighing container are the result of the amount of reduction in weight of the content of the first weighing container and the sum of the weights of the two components in the second weighing container;

further including the step of continuously controlling the reduction in weight of the first weighing container and the increase in weight of the content of the second weighing container by way of a comparison between nominal and actual values;

wherein a third component is fed into the second weighing container alternatingly with the second component.

5. A method for gravimetric dosing and mixing of at least two components, wherein the parts by weight of the components are calculated by weighing and both components are mixed together in a container, comprising the steps of:

(a) feeding a first component into a first weighing container;

(b) feeding a second component into a second weighing container;

(c) transferring said first component into said second weighing container with first dosing means and feeding said second component into said second weighing container with second dosing means over period of time, the dosing period for the second component substantially including a dosing period for said first component wherein feeding of said first component into said second weighing container only occurs while said second component is simultaneously fed thereto, and wherein streams of said first and second components emanating from said dosing means are directed in an interfering manner, such that mixing thereof occurs whilst said components are flowing into said second container, wherein the second weighing container receives the sum of the weights of the first and second components, while the relative portions of the first and second components in the second weighing container are the result of the amount of reduction in weight of the content of the first weighing container and the sum of the weights of the two components in the second weighing container;

wherein the filling operation is carried out in such a way that the period of time for filling one of the components overlaps with the period of time for filling the other component by a lead (t_v) and/or a delay (t_n).

6. A method for gravimetric dosing and mixing of at least two components, wherein the parts by weight of the components are calculated by weighing and both components are mixed together in a container, comprising the steps of:

(a) feeding a first component into a first weighing container;

(b) feeding a second component into a second weighing container;

(c) transferring said first component into said second weighing container with first dosing means and feeding said second component into said second weighing container with second dosing means over period of time, the dosing period for the second component substantially including a dosing period for said first component wherein feeding of said first component into said second weighing container only occurs while said second component is simultaneously fed thereto, and wherein streams of said first and second components emanating from said dosing means are directed in an interfering manner, such that mixing thereof occurs whilst said components are flowing into said second container, wherein the second weighing container receives the sum of the weights of the first and second components, while the relative portions of the first and second components in the second weighing container are the result of the amount of reduction in weight of the content of the first weighing container and the sum of the weights of the two components in the second weighing container;

further including the step of continuously controlling the reduction in weight of the content of the first weighing container and the increase in weight if the content of the second weighing container by way of a comparison between nominal and actual values;

wherein the filling operation is carried out in such way that the period of time for filling one of the components overlaps with the period of time for filling the other component by a lead (t_v) and/or delay (t_n).