What is claimed is:
1. A combination weighing apparatus for weighing articles supplied to a plurality of hoppers, arranged in a rectilinear row, from a supply unit, combining some of the hoppers and grouping together the articles within selected ones of the hoppers, wherein the supply unit comprises:
a plurality of supply buckets each capable of accommodating an article therein and discharging it onto the hoppers;
transport means including an endless support member for drivingly supporting the supply buckets and operable to circulate the supply buckets along a predetermined path together with the support member past a discharge position above the row of the hoppers;
determining means for determining, in reference to a weight of the article within each of the hoppers, whether or not the respective hopper is ready to receive the article; and
discharge control means for, when the supply buckets are successively brought to a position corresponding to some of the hoppers ready to receive the articles therefrom, causing the supply buckets to discharge the corresponding articles onto such some of the hoppers.
2. The combination weighing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the determining means is operable to determine that, when some of the hoppers are empty, such some of the hoppers are ready to receive the articles therein, but when some of the hoppers are not empty, such some of the hoppers are incapable of receiving the articles therein.
3. The combination weighing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the discharge control means is operable to cause the supply buckets to undergo a discharge operation when the supply buckets, regardless of whether or not they contain articles therein, are successively brought to the position corresponding to some of the hoppers not containing the articles therein, but to cause the supply buckets to undergo no discharge operation when the supply buckets are successively brought to a position corresponding to some of the hoppers containing the articles therein.
4. The combination weighing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a weight detector for detecting a weight of each of the hoppers onto which the article is to be discharged from the supply unit.
5. The combination weighing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the determining means when receiving an output from the weight detector determines whether or not the weight of the article within the respective hopper is not greater than a predetermined threshold value, and wherein the discharge control means operates, when the supply buckets are successively brought to a position corresponding to some of the hoppers containing the respective articles of the weight not greater than the predetermined threshold value, to cause the supply buckets to discharge the corresponding articles onto such some of the hoppers.
6. The combination weighing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the predetermined threshold value is a value equal to a combination target value less a standard weight for a predetermined discharge unit.
7. The combination weighing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the discharge control means causes the supply buckets, regardless of whether or not they contain the articles therein, to undergo the discharge operation when the supply buckets are successively transported to a position corresponding to empty hoppers, and also causes some of the supply buckets, when the latter contain the article of the weight not greater than the predetermined threshold value, to undergo the discharge operation to discharge the articles therefrom onto such hoppers.
8. The combination weighing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the discharge control means is employed for each of the hoppers.
9. The combination weighing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supply buckets are spaced from each other at intervals of a predetermined first pitch and the hoppers are also spaced from each other at intervals of a predetermined second pitch, said first and second pitches being equal to each other.
10. The combination weighing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the supply buckets is formed so as to elongate in a direction perpendicular to a direction of circulation thereof.
11. A combination weighing system which comprises:
a combination weighing apparatus as defined in claim 1;
a front stage supply device positioned upstream of the combination weighing apparatus with respect to a direction of delivery of articles for delivering the articles successively onto the supply unit;
article detecting means for detecting presence or absence of the article in the supply buckets before each of the supply buckets receives the articles from the front stage supply device; and
a front stage control means operable on a basis of article detection information from the article detecting means to control supply of the articles from the front stage supply device towards the supply unit.
12. A combination weighing system which comprises:
a combination weighing apparatus as defined in claim 1;
a front stage supply device positioned upstream of the combination weighing apparatus with respect to a direction of delivery of articles for delivering the articles successively onto the supply unit; and
discharge means for causing the supply buckets to undergo the discharge operation when the supply buckets are brought to a discharge position defined at a location downstream of one of the hoppers that is positioned most downstream of the path of circulation of the supply buckets;
said front stage supply device delivering the articles onto the supply buckets which have undergone the discharge operation.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An apparatus for removing, installing andor servicing a vehicular component of a vehicle, including:
a carrier device, to move said apparatus over a substrate surface; and,
a component handling device, attached to said carrier device, to receive and support said vehicular component.
2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said carrier device includes:
a substantially U-shaped chassis, having a pair of outwardly extending arms extending from an intermediate spine; and
a wheel provided substantially at the extremity of each arm, and, an intermediate wheel positioned below said spine.
3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said carrier device further includes:
an actuator associated with one or more of said wheels, to rotate said respective wheel and thereby effect movement of said carrier device.
4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein operation of said actuator(s) is controlled remotely.
5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said carrier device further includes:
a coupling element associated with said spine of said carrier device, to couple with a coupling member associated with said component handling device, to thereby releasably couple said component handling device to said carrier device.
6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said coupling element is embodied as a hook, recess or the like, and said coupling member is embodied as a lug or the like, or vice versa.
7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said component handling device includes:
a frame, of complementary shape to engage with said chassis and which is adapted to provide support to a lower portion of said vehicular component; and
a support element extending upwards from said frame, having at least one retaining arm extending outwardly therefrom which is adapted to provide support to an upper portion of said vehicular component;
wherein, said frame, said support element and said at least one retaining arm define a cavity which is able to accommodate said vehicular component.
8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein said frame includes a pair of outwardly extending support members each of which are adapted to provide support to either side of a lower portion of said vehicular component.
9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein each support member is connected to said frame via an arm, to permit at least upward movement of said support member.
10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said movement is effected by a hydraulic, electrical or other actuator.
11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein said support member includes a pair of retaining arm(s), each of which is adapted to provide support to either side of an upper portion of said vehicular component.
12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein each retaining arms includes an upper and outer arm portion, at least the outer arm portion being operably movable to be capable of grasping said vehicular component.
13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said vehicular component is a wheeltyre.
14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support elements including rollers thereon, such that when said wheeltyre is held in said apparatus, said wheeltyre may be rotated on said rollers within said component handling apparatus.
15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said component handling device includes:
a frame of complementary shape to engage with said chassis; and,
a positionable station, having a platform adapted to support a work tool, and,
a positioning mechanism to position said platform to thereby enable operation of said work tool with said vehicular component.
16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein said positioning mechanism includes at least one hydraulic ram, electric motor or like device.
17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 15, further including a cradle provided on said platform, said cradle adapted to receive a motor or other vehicular component.
18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said component handling device is embodied as a jig assembly which includes:
a frame of complementary shape to engage with said chassis; and,
a jig head, operable by at least one actuator.
19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein said platform is provided with handrails and adapted to support an operator.