Article discharge system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12103189-B2
Application number	US-202117192217-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2021
Priority date	Mar 13, 2020
Publication date	Oct 1, 2024
Grant date	Oct 1, 2024

Abstract

The article discharge system includes plural grippers, weight acquisition units, and a control unit. The grippers grip the articles. The weight acquisition units acquire weight values of the articles that each of the plural grippers grips. The control unit causes the plural grippers to grip the some articles from the article group disposed in the placement unit and, based on the result of a combination calculation using the weight values of the articles that each of the plural grippers grips, causes a predetermined combination of the grippers to release and discharge the articles. During the period after the control unit has caused the grippers to release the articles and before the control unit next causes the grippers to grip the articles, the control unit implements a zero correction process on the weight acquisition units corresponding to the grippers that were caused to release the articles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An article discharge system that pulls out and discharges some articles from an article group disposed in a container, the article discharge system comprising:
plural grippers that grip the articles;
weight acquisition units that acquire weight values of the articles that each of the plural grippers grips; and
a control unit that causes the plural grippers to grip the some articles from the article group disposed in the container and, based on a result of a combination calculation using the weight values of the articles that each of the plural grippers grips, causes a predetermined combination of the grippers to release and discharge the articles,
wherein during a period after the control unit has caused the predetermined combination of the grippers to release the articles and before the control unit next causes the predetermined combination of the grippers to grip the articles, the control unit implements a zero correction process on the weight acquisition units corresponding to only the predetermined combination of the grippers that were caused to release the articles.

2. The article discharge system of claim 1 , wherein in the case of causing predetermined plural combinations of the grippers to release the articles in a predetermined priority ranking based on the result of the combination calculation, the control unit decides the priority ranking based on a number of times the grippers have gripped the articles since the zero correction process was last implemented on the weight acquisition units corresponding to the grippers.

3. The article discharge system of claim 1 , wherein in the case of causing predetermined plural combinations of the grippers to release the articles in a predetermined priority ranking based on the result of the combination calculation, the control unit decides the priority ranking based on an amount of time that has elapsed since the zero correction process was last implemented on the weight acquisition units corresponding to the grippers.

4. The article discharge system of claim 1 , further comprising
a first discharge unit that has the plural grippers and
a second discharge unit that has the plural grippers,
wherein the control unit alternately implements
a first operation in which it causes the plural grippers of the first discharge unit to grip the some articles from the article group disposed in the container and, based on the result of the combination calculation, causes a predetermined combination of the grippers to release and discharge the articles and
a second operation in which it causes the plural grippers of the second discharge unit to grip the some articles from the article group disposed in the container and, based on the result of the combination calculation, causes a predetermined combination of the grippers to release and discharge the articles.

5. The article discharge system of claim 4 , wherein
in the first operation the control unit causes the plural grippers of the first discharge unit to grip the articles and thereafter moves the container to a position in which the control unit can cause the plural grippers of the second discharge unit to grip the articles,
after completion of the first operation the control unit implements a zero correction process on the weight acquisition units corresponding to the plural grippers of the first discharge unit that were caused to release the articles,
in the second operation the control unit causes the plural grippers of the second discharge unit to grip the articles and thereafter moves the container to a position in which the control unit can cause the plural grippers of the first discharge unit to grip the articles, and
after completion of the second operation the control unit implements a zero correction process on the weight acquisition units corresponding to the plural grippers of the second discharge unit that were caused to release the articles.

Assignees

• Ishida Seisakusho

Inventors

• Watanabe Kousuke
• Hojo Masaaki

Classifications

• G01G19/52

  Weighing apparatus combined with other objects, e.g. furniture (with walking sticks A45B3/08) · CPC title

• G01G19/393 Primary

  using two or more weighing units · CPC title

• B25J15/0052

  multiple gripper units or multiple end effectors · CPC title

• B25J13/085

  Force or torque sensors (B25J13/082, B25J13/084 take precedence) · CPC title

• B65G2201/02

  Articles · CPC title