IP Library Granted Patent US 9,291,489
Granted Patent B2
US 9,291,489 · App. 14/302,833 · Granted Mar 22, 2016

Method for the gravimetric mass metering of bulk solids and differential metering scale

Inventor: Bernd Allenberg (Muehltal, DE)
Assignee: Schenck Process GmbH
G01F1/80G01G11/086
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,291,489
App. No.
14/302,833
Granted
Mar 22, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method for the gravimetric mass metering of bulk solids via a container with the bulk solid to be metered and a volumetric conveying device, via which the bulk solid coming from the container with a mass flow, which chronologically follows a target value for a target feed rate, is conveyed, and a differential metering scale suitable for such purpose. The bulk solid, after leaving the conveying device can pass through a mass flow measuring device and the mass flow measuring device calculates a second signal representing the mass flow, and based on the second signal representing the mass flow and the first control signal, a second control device calculates a second signal and delivers the signal to a drive of the conveying device for controlling the conveying device.

Claims (57)

1. A method for the gravimetric mass metering of bulk solids via a container with the bulk solid to be metered and a volumetric conveying device, with which the bulk solid coming from the container is conveyed with a mass flow, whereby the mass flow temporally follows a target value for a target feed rate, wherein to determine the mass flow the method comprises:

determining, by a weight determining unit, a signal that represents a total weight of a unit formed by the container and the bulk solid included in the container or by the container and conveying device and the bulk solid included in the container and the conveying device,

processing the signal representing the total weight in order to calculate a first signal representing the mass flow,

calculating, by a first regulating device, a first control signal based on the first signal and the target value for the target feed rate,

measuring, by a mass flow measuring device, a second signal that represents the mass flow that leaves the conveying device;

calculating, by a second regulating device, a second control signal based on the second signal representing the mass flow and the first control signal; and

providing the second control signal to a drive of the conveying device for controlling the conveying device,

wherein the second signal representing the mass flow is supplied from the mass flow measuring device directly to the second regulating device.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second signal, representing the mass flow, increases monotonically or decreases monotonically with a size of the mass flow.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second signal, representing the mass flow, follows an actual mass flow more rapidly than the first signal, representing the mass flow calculated from the signal representing the total weight.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second signal, representing the mass flow, is determined from a capacitance dependent on the bulk density of the bulk solid between a pair of electrodes.

5. A method for the gravimetric mass metering of bulk solids via a container with the bulk solid to be metered and a volumetric conveying device, with which the bulk solid coming from the container is conveyed with a mass flow, whereby the mass flow temporally follows a target value for a target feed rate, wherein to determine the mass flow the method comprises:

determining, by a weight determining unit, a signal that represents a total weight of a unit formed by the container and the bulk solid included in the container or by the container and the conveying device and the bulk solid included in the container and the conveying device,

processing the signal representing the total weight in order to calculate a first signal representing the mass flow,

calculating, by a first regulating device, a first control signal based on the first signal and the target value for the target feed rate,

measuring, by a mass flow measuring device, a second signal that represents the mass flow that leaves the conveying device;

calculating, by a second regulating device, a second control signal based on the second signal representing the mass flow and the first control signal; and

providing the second control signal to a drive of the conveying device for controlling the conveying device,

wherein an identification unit determines a static relationship between the first signal representing the mass flow and the second signal representing the mass flow, and wherein the determined static relationship is used by a correction device to linearize or to adjust the second signal representing the mass flow and only after the linearization or adjustment of the second signal representing the mass flow, the second control signal is calculated from the linearized or adjusted second signal and the first control signal, and

wherein the second signal is supplied from the mass flow measuring device directly to both the correction device and the identification device.

6. A differential metering scale comprising:

a container with a bulk solid to be metered;

a volumetric conveying device with which the bulk solid coming from the container is conveyed with a mass flow, the mass flow following temporally a target value for a target feed rate;

a differential filter device, which comprises a first regulating device;

a weight determining unit configured to determine a total weight of a unit formed by the container and the bulk solid included in the container or by the container and the conveying device and the bulk solid included in the container and the conveying device, and configured to output a signal representing the total weight and transmit the total weight to the differential filter device,

wherein the differential filter device being configured to calculate a first signal representing the mass flow from the signal representing the total weight and configured to calculate a first control signal from the first signal representing the mass flow and the target value for the feed rate;

a second regulating device; and

a mass flow measuring device arranged such that the bulk solid, after leaving the conveying device, passes through the mass flow measuring device and the mass flow measuring device calculates a second signal representing the mass flow,

wherein the second regulating device being configured to calculate a second control signal based on the second signal representing the mass flow and the first control signal and supplies the second control signal to a drive of the conveying device for controlling the conveying device, and

wherein the second signal representing the mass flow is supplied from the mass flow measuring device directly to the second regulating device.

7. The differential metering scale according to claim 6 , wherein the differential filter device further comprises a differentiation unit and a filter unit, and wherein the differentiation unit differentiates the signal output by the weight determining unit, wherein the filter unit filters the differentiated signal according to at least one algorithm filter in order to calculate the first signal representing the mass flow, and wherein the first regulating device calculates the first control signal from the first signal representing the mass flow and the target value for the feed rate.

8. The differential metering scale according to claim 6 , wherein the mass flow measuring device is installed below a mass flow dropping point of the conveying device and wherein, depending on a distance between the mass flow measuring device and the mass flow dropping point, dynamics of a closed loop control is manipulated via the second regulating device.

9. The differential metering scale according to claim 6 , wherein the mass flow measuring device is configured to determine the second signal representing the mass flow from an electrical capacitance dependent on the bulk density of the bulk solid between a pair of electrodes.

10. The differential metering scale according to claim 9 , wherein the pair of electrodes are made planar or curved.

11. The differential metering scale according to claim 10 , wherein the pair of electrodes detect the mass flow each in different horizontal directions.

12. The differential metering scale according to claim 10 , wherein the pair of electrodes are arranged vertically offset in a pass-through direction of the mass flow through the mass flow measuring device.

13. The differential metering scale according to claim 10 , wherein the pair of electrodes are mechanically rotatable about the mass flow.

14. The differential metering scale according to claim 6 , wherein the mass flow measuring device measures the flow of bulk solids.

15. The differential metering scale according to claim 6 , wherein the mass flow measuring device evaluates parameters of sound conduction through the bulk solid of the mass flow.

16. The differential metering scale according to claim 6 , wherein the mass flow measuring device evaluates parameters of light transmission or light-absorption through the bulk solid of the mass flow.

17. The differential metering scale according to claim 6 , wherein the mass flow measuring device evaluates magnetic properties of the bulk solid of the mass flow in the case of ferromagnetic bulk solids.

18. The differential metering scale according to claim 6 , wherein the mass flow measuring device evaluates transmission behavior for electromagnetic microwaves or atomic particles of the bulk solid of the mass flow.

19. A differential metering scale comprising:

a container with a bulk solid to be metered;

a volumetric conveying device with which the bulk solid coming from the container is conveyed with a mass flow, the mass flow following temporally a target value for a target feed rate;

a differential filter device, which comprises a first regulating device;

a weight determining unit configured to determine a total weight of a unit formed by the container and the bulk solid included in the container or by the container and the conveying device and the bulk solid included in the container and the conveying device, and configured to output a signal representing the total weight and transmit the total weight to the differential filter device,

wherein the differential filter device being configured to calculate a first signal representing the mass flow from the signal representing the total weigh and configured to calculate a first control signal from the first signal representing the mass flow and the target value for the feed rate;

a second regulating device;

a mass flow measuring device arranged such that the bulk solid, after leaving the conveying device, passes through the mass flow measuring device and the mass flow measuring device calculates a second signal representing the mass flow,

wherein the second regulating device being configured to calculate a second control signal based on the second signal representing the mass flow and the first control signal and supplies the second control signal to a drive of the conveying device for controlling the conveying device;

an identification device; and

a correction device,

wherein the identification device is configured to determine a static relationship from the first signal, representing the mass flow, and the second signal, representing the feed mass flow,

wherein the correction device is configured to linearize or to adjust the second signal, representing the mass flow, based on the determined static relationship, and to supply a second linearized or adjusted signal, representing the mass flow, to the second regulating device only after linearization or adjustment of the second signal, representing the mass flow, so that the second regulating device calculates the second control signal only based on the second linearized or adjusted signal representing the mass flow and the first control signal, and

wherein the second signal is supplied from the mass flow measuring device directly to both the correction device and the identification device.

20. The differential metering scale according to claim 19 , wherein the first signal representing the mass flow is supplied to both the first regulating device and the identification device.

Assignments (4)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 11, 2025
From: SCHENCK PROCESS EUROPE GMBH
To: QLAR EUROPE GMBH
Reel/Frame 071541/0863 →
MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 6, 2018
From: SCHENCK PROCESS EUROPE GMBH; SCHENCK PROCESS ASIA HOLDING GMBH
To: SCHENCK PROCESS EUROPE GMBH
Reel/Frame 049213/0134 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Nov 6, 2018
From: SCHENCK PROCESS GMBH
To: SCHENCK PROCESS EUROPE GMBH
Reel/Frame 047432/0476 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 12, 2014
From: ALLENBERG, BERND
To: SCHENCK PROCESS GMBH
Reel/Frame 033135/0706 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2011 120 728 · Dec 12, 2011 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTEP2012005010 · Dec 5, 2012
Related Publication 20140290384A1 · Oct 2, 2014