ASSEMBLING COMPONENTS OF A COMPOSITION

Abstract: Components for a composition are provided in supply means, one for each component. Each supply means is weighed. Control means is provided for controlling the supply of each component to an assembly station for the composition, under the control of an overall control means which is also responsive to the weighing devices. The assembled composition at the assembly station can also be weighed, and the weighing output supplied to the overall control device as well. The invention has special application when high accuracy is required, since it is possible to check the decrease in weight of each supply of the components with reference figures and, with the optional weighing device at the assembly station, the increase in weight of the assembled composition.

Description: ASSEMBLING COMPONENTS OF A COMPOSITION When high accuracy is required in the assembly of components of a composition, special care must be taken in measuring the Quantities of each component to be used for the composition. According to the invention there is provided a plurality of means for supplying a respective component of the composition, each means being provided with means for controlling the passage of the respective component to means for assembling the composition, the apparatus further comprising means for weighing each supply means and an overall control device for controlling the control means of each supply means and being responsive to the weighing means. The apparatus may further comprise means for weighing the assembling means, ' to which weigh¬ ing means the overall control means is also responsive. US-A-4513796 describes apparatus for compounding solutions which includes a load cell from which the container for the compounded solution is suspended, its control means being responsive to the load cell. This reference does not disclose means for weighing each supply means and so is subject to the disadvantage that, although the weight of the compounded solution may be correct, the weights of the assembled ingredients may not be in the correct proportions. An example of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a diagram of a computer controlled apparatus for assembling the components of a composition. A plurality of reservoirs R1 - R6 is provided, one reservoir for each component of the composition. Each reservoir is suspended by means of a load cell LC1 - LC6 from a framework 11 , and each reservoir has its outlet controlled by a pinch valve V1 - V6. The outlets of the pinch valves are connected by a manifold 12 whose outlet extends into a container 13 in which the components of the composition are to be assembled. The container 13 is mounted on a weighing machine 14. A computer controlling device 21 is supplied with information concerning the required quantities of each component of the composition and is responsive to the readings of the load cells LC. The device 21 controls the operation of the pinch valves in turn, opening one pinch valve until the load cell reading of that reservoir drops by an amount corresponding to the quantity of that component required by the information already presented to the computer. This process is applied to the pinch valves of the remaining reservoirs in turn until all the components have been assembled in the container 13. The provision of the weighing device 14, which is optional, enables a check to be made that all the component dispensed by the reservoir has reached the container 13, since the decrease in the weight of the reservoir, read by the load cell of that reservoir, should be equal to the increase in the weight of the container 13 as measured by the weighing device 14. If these two readings differ by more than a tolerance threshold, an alarm is raised to indicate that the assembled components in the container 13 are to be rejected. When the apparatus described above is being assembled, there is always the chance that the wrong pinch valve will b> attached to the outlet of reservoir, particularly if the connecting tubes are long and become tangled. If such wrong connections do occur, the wrong quantities of components w ll be supplied to the container 13• The compute:- controlling device can check for such wrong connections by checking that when pinch valve VI has been opened, the load cell LCI is the load cell which registers a loss of weight. If it does not, then an alarm is sounded to indicate that a check of the connections should be made. If τ,ne reservoirs die provided with a printed bar code representing the contents of the respective reservoirs, further checks can be made by the computer controlling device in response to readings of the bar codes made by a light pen.

Claims: i : , - -■ CLAIMS 1. Apparatus for assembling a composition comprising a plurality of means for supplying a respective component of the composition, each means being provided with means for controlling the passage of the respective component to an assembly station, the apparatus further comprising means for weighing each supply means and an overall control device for controlling the control means of each supply means and being responsive to the weighing means. 2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, comprising means for weighing the composition assembled at the assembly station to which weighing means the overall control means is also responsive.

Inventors: KAY JOSEPH BRIAN, KAY, JOSEPH, BRIAN
Applicants: MICROSPAN PROCESS CONTROLS
Application year: 1986
Main classification: G01G19
IPC codes: G01G19