Patent ID: 6675073
Filing Date: 2004-01-06
Classification: G05B

Abstract:
A system for measuring and controlling the weight of a flow of material, said device comprising:(a) At least one measurement device adapted to capture unit weight measurements of said flow at intervals over the length of said flow; (b) a control actuator adapted to change the unit volume of said flow in order to maintain a target unit weight of said flow; (c) at least one PID controller in communication with at least one PID control loop, said control loop utilizing at least a proportional portion and an integral portion thereof to detect deviations between setpoint weight values and measured weight values at points along said flow of material and to automatically adjust said control actuator in response thereto; and (d) optimization software for receiving compiled weight measurement data collected from a period prior to, and subsequently of, one or more changes to an input of said controller, said optimization software adapted to use said compiled weight measurement data to calculate optimized parameters for allowing said PID controller and said PID control loop to more quickly and accurately adjust said control actuator to eliminate said deviations.