METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WEIGHING A PRODUCT SUSPENDED FROM A TRAVELING CONVEYOR

Abstract: A shackle (22) supporting the product to be weighed is lifted off the pendant (16) of an overhead conveyor (10) by a chain (42) driven in synchronism with the conveyor, and the chain then carries the shackle and the product which it is supporting across a weighing platform (44) before lowering the shackle back onto the pendant.

Description: METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WEIGHING A PRODUCT SUSPENDED FROM A TRAVELING CONVEYOR Technical Field, The present invention relates in general to the art of weighing products supported by shackles from an overhead conveyor, and it relates in particular to a 5 new and improved method and apparatus which utilizes a one-piece inexpensive shackle and enables more precise weight measurements of products hanging from relatively high speed conveyors. 10 Background of the Invention In the prior art, products, such as poultry car¬ casses, have been weighed during processing by suspend¬ ing the birds from articulated shackles having rollers which roll up a ramp and are then towed across a weigh- -*••-*' ing device by the conveyor. Errors in weighing are in¬ troduced by this type of system for several reasons in¬ cluding the uneven and bumping action of the rollers as they roll along the ramp, dragging of the shackles again¬ st the sides of the ramp and variations in the weights of 0 the shackles themselves. The variations in the weights of the shackles result primarily from the complex nature of the shackles. Another prior art weighing system incorporates means for lifting each shackle its product from the -5 conveyor at a location where the conveyor makes a sharp turn. While the shackles used in this type of weighing system do not employ rollers and are simpler in construction than are the articulated types, other weighing errors are introduced by virtue of the fact 0 that the product is being weighed as it swings around the turn. Also, since such a system can only be used at locations where the conveyor makes a sharp turn, - HEAy OMPI / WIP installation is often times difficult. It would be desirable, therefore, to provide a weighing system which uses a simple and inexpensive, light-weight shackle having no moving parts, and to use a shackle in conjunction with a load cell or other weighing device mounted at a location where the con¬ veyor is traveling in a straight line. Summary of the Invention Briefly, there is provided in accordance with the teachings of the present invention a new and improved weighing system in which shackles suspended from an overhead conveyor are lifted off the conveyor by a chain which is located beneath the conveyor at the weighing station and which is driven at the same speed as the conveyor. After being lifted off the conveyor each shackle rests on the chain and is carried by the chain across a load cell or other weighing device. After traversing the load cell the shackle is lowered back onto the conveyor which may carry it to one or more succeeding operating stations. General Description of the Drawing The present invention will be better understood by a reading of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein: < Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a weighing station embodying the present invention; Fig, 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the weighing station taken along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1 and particularly showing a shackle traversing the weighing device; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 2 and showing a shackle being carried across the weighing platform, and O H Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in Fig. 1 and particularly showing the chain guide. Detailed Description " of the ' Invention With referance to the drawing, a plurality of shackle supports 10 are. suspended from an overhead rail 12 and connected to respective ones of a plural¬ ity of interconnected links 14 forming a main con- veyor drive chain 15. The conveyor drive chain is driven from left to right as shown in Fig. 1 by any suitable means such as an electric motor (not shown) . The shackle supports 10 are commonly connected to the drive chain on six-inch centers and are preferably identical. As may be seen from the drawing, each shackle support 10 includes an apertured pendant 16 fastened to one of the links 14 of the drive chain 15. A pair of yoke-like body members 18 as best shown in Fig. 2 straddle the pendant and extend through the associated chain link 14. These body members 18 are bolted together on opposite sides of the upper shank portion of the pendant and extend upwardly and part¬ ially around a cylindrical pipe 12A, which forms a part -of the rail 12. As shown best in Fig. 2, a pair v of rollers 20 are rotatably mounted to the body members 18 on axes extending radially of the pipe 12A. It may thus be seen that the shackle supports 10 are suspend¬ ed from the rail assembly 12 on the rollers 20, and are towed along beneath pipe 12A by the drive chain 15. In order to attach the product to the conveyor, a plurality of shackles 22 are respectively suspended from the shackle supports 10. The particular shackle shown in the drawings is a weighing and sorting shackle designed particularly for use with poultry carcasses, and it thus includes a bifurcated lower end 24 which & 0RI OMPI receives the portion of one leg of a bird immediately above the knuckle. ' Therefore with the bird inverted, as shown, the knuckle rests on top of the tines 26 whereby the bird hangs from the shackle 22. At the upper end of the shackle 22 is a support plate 28 having a generally triangular opening 30 therein. The pendant 16 ahs a V-shaped support arm 29 which extends through the opening 30 and engages the aperture defin¬ ing surface 32 at the center of the plate 28 to support the shackle 22 in a manner permitting the shackle to swing freely both in the direction of travel of the conveyor and in a direction which is lateral thereto. The opening 30 is substantially longer in the dir¬ ection of conveyor travel than is the corresponding dimension of the pendant 16, and the tapered fore and aft walls 34 of the opening 30 provide guide surfaces which centrally locate the plate 28 realtive to the support pendant 16. The shackle further includes a rigid rod 36- which is affixed at the top to the plate 28 and at the bottom to the tines 26. The rod 36 is provided with a bend at an intermediate location 38 or is otherwise shaped so that the bird or other product being carried by the shackle is centrally located beneath the pendant 16. In a typical poultry processing plant the shackle supports 10 are mounted to the chain 15 on six inch centers and the chain travels at a speed in the range of about one foot to three feet per second. Different types of shackles are used to carry the birds through different ones of the processing stations. For example, in the killing and eviscerating stages the birds are suspended from the shackles by both legs and in one case they hang by the feet and in the other case by the knuckles, wherefore different types of shackles are used for these two operations. The shackle 22 is of a type which carries the birds through the sorting and weighing stations where the birds are customarily held by the knuckle on only one leg. Reference is made to my copending application serial number 06/227,140, filed January.21, 1981, for a further description of a shackle of the type shown herein. It should be und rstood, therefore, that the invention can be used with many different types of shackles, and that the shackle 22 is shown and described for purposes of illustration only. The invention finds application with substantially any type of shackle which carries a product through a weighing station. In accordance with the present invention, a weigh¬ ing device 40 is mounted below the conveyor for inter- cepting the shackles 20 as they move along the convey¬ or lifting them off the conveyor and for then weighing each shackle and the bird which it carries. As is described in greater detail hereinafter, as each shackle traverses the weighing station it is lifted a short distance off the associated pendant and carried by a weighing conveyor, which may be in the form of a pre¬ cision chain 42, across a weighing platform 44. As shown, the platform 44 is carried by bracket arm 46 mounted to the sensor element of a load cell 48. It may thus be seen that as a bird is being weighed the weight resting on the platform 44 is the combined weights of the bird itself, of the shackle 22 and of the length of chain resting on the platform 44. Inasmuch as the weights of the shackle and chain are constant they constitute a fixed tare which may be sub¬ tracted from the total weight measured by the load cell to provide an accurate measurement of the weight of the bird. The weighing conveyor 42 is preferably a precision made chain and it moves over smooth guide surfaces at a uniform rate of speed whereby neither l ATr OMPI the chain nor the shackles which it carries move ir¬ regularly or bounce as they pass across the weighing platform 44. As a consequence, irregular shackle movements which occur when a shackle is towed across a weighing platform by a main conveyor are essentially eliminated in the system of the present invention. It will be noted that the pendant arm 29 is provided with a notch 29A which is slightly wider than the thickness of the shackle support plate 28 and which prevents twisting of the shackle 22 relative to the pendant. Sufficient clearance is provided between the sides of the notch 29A and the plate 28 to permit the shackle to remain vertical as it travels up and down through the weighing station. Considered in greater detail, the weighing station 40 comprises a cabinet 6 mounted by any suitable means such as a plurality of legs 49. In addition to the * load cell 48, an electric drive motor 50 is mounted in the cabinet 76 and its shaft 52 extends through the front face 53 of the cabinet 76. A drive sprocket 54 located directly below the rail 12 is mounted to the shaft 52 of the motor 50. A follower sprocket 56 is journaled to the cabinet and is aligned with the drive sprocket 54 beneath the rail assembly 12. A chain guide member 60 suitably formed of Nylon or other plastic is mounted to the front face 70 of the cabinet: by a plurality of bolts 67 and has a first ramp surface 61 and a second ramp surface 62 spaced apart by a horizontal, intermediate guide surface 63. A rectangular notch 64 is provided at the center of the guide surface 63 and receives the weighing platform 44. Although the platform 44 is free to move up and down in the notch 64, a close, precision fit is provided between the platform 44 and the adjacent edges of the notch so that the chain passes smoothly over the leading and OMH trailing edges of the.platform wherefor no bouncing or vibration occurs. The guide member 60 has a horizontal groove 65 (see Fig. 4) for guiding the chain links mov¬ ing from the drive sprocket 54 to the sprocket 56. In order to lift the shackles 22 off the pendants 16 before the shackles are carried across the weighing platform 44, the ramp surface 61 and the horizontal guide surface 63 are located so as to support the chain 42 at a position where it intercepts the bottoms of the shackle support plates 28 and lifts them a short distance off the pendant as shown in Fig. 3. To this end the shackle support plate 28 is provided at the bottom with the recess 68 having tapered side walls for guiding the shackle onto the chain when the plate is towed against the"chain at a place where the chain is rising up the ramp 61. The chain 42 is driven at the same speed as the conveyor chain 15 is traveling, and after the support plate 28 of a shackle abuts the chain 42 the shackle is lifted by the chain 42 until the shackle support pendant 16 and the shackle are mutually separated although they remain linked together as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The shackle is then carried solely by the chain 42 across the adjacent horizontal guide surface 63 and then across the weighing platform where its weight and that of the product which it carries is measured. The shackle is then moved off the weighing platform and carried by the chain 42 as it moves down the ramp 62 thereby lowering the plate 28 until it is again entirely supported by the pendant 16. The opening 30 in the plate 28 is substantially wider than the thickness of the support arm of the pendant 16 to prevent mutual engagement between the plate 28 and the pendant 16 as the forward speed of the shackle slows down as it climbs the ramp 61 and speeds up as it descends the ramp 62. While the present invention has been described in connection with particular embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention. Therfore, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such changes and mod¬ ifications which come within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

Claims: 1. Apparatus for weighing products carried by shackles which are suspended from an overhead traveling conveyor, comprising in combination a weighing conveyor disposed below said overhead conveyor and traveling at substantially the same speed as said overhead' conveyor, said weighing conveyor having an upwardly extending ramp portion disposed to intercept said shackles and to lift said shackles from said overhead conveyor after they have been intercepted by said weighing conveyor and a weigh¬ ing platform positioned such that said weighing conveyor rides across said platform is support¬ ed by said platform -af er lifting said shackles from said main conveyor. 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said weighing conveyor has a downwardly extending ramp portion for lowering said shackles onto said main conveyor after they are carried across said weighing platform. 3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said weighing conveyor comprises a chain. 4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each of said shackles comprises a downwardly facing surface which is intercepted by the upper surface of said weighing conveyor. 5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said overhead conveyor comprises a plurality of spaced shackle supports each having a hook portion from which a respective one of said shackles is suspended. "s fRiz OMPI

Inventors: LINVILLE RICHARD D
Applicants: LINVILLE RICHARD D
Application year: 1982
Main classification: G01G11
IPC codes: G01G19