The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 08, 2012
Filed:
Feb. 16, 2010
William Keith Beaty, Webster, TX (US);
Patric Carey Pike, Hopkins, MI (US);
William Keith Beaty, Webster, TX (US);
Patric Carey Pike, Hopkins, MI (US);
Satake USA, Inc., Stafford, TX (US);
Abstract
A system for determining in near real-time the product density value of a zone of preferable small fungible products within an acceptable size range in a flow of products includes a sample input piping from a bin or piping of products, a sampling volume for fixing the size of a sample, a scale, a processor, an imaging table and an associated camera. The system may include a sample output pipe, and may include or be associated with a bagger/scale. Operation of these components provides for successively sampling of each zone in the bin to determine the quantity of acceptable product per unit weight and to control the flow of those products. The system therefore can compensate for variations among supplying entities where product supplies are subsequently piled atop one another. The system makes the density calculation available to the plant information system and an automated packaging system, which may be via a 16 bit scaled analoge or a serial interface, among other systems. In addition the image information is stored for future analysis, audit support, and process improvement activities.